rdiff-back crashes when destination is my USB drive with IOError: [errno71]

Binary package hint: rdiff-backup

My usual backup procedure (not used since December/Edgy :-/ ) doesn’t work anymore. rdiff-backup bombs out and throws a longish traceback at me.

# /usr/bin/rdiff-backup --print-statistics --exclude '/home/*/.gnupg' --exclude '/home/*/.ssh' --exclude '/home/*/.local/share/Trash' --exclude '/home/*/.Trash' --exclude '/home/*/.thumbnails' --exclude '/home/*/.beagle' --exclude '/home/*/.opera/cache4' --exclude '/var/spool' --exclude '/var/cache' --include '/bin' --include '/boot' --include '/dev' --include '/etc' --include '/home' --include '/lib' --include '/opt' --include '/root' --include '/sbin' --include '/usr' --include '/var' --exclude '/*' / /media/backupdisk/BACKUP/

Exception '[Errno 71] Protocol error: '/dev/bus/usb/.usbfs/002/004'' raised of class '<type 'exceptions.IOError'>':
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/robust.py", line 32, in check_common_error
    try: return function(*args)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rpath.py", line 1024, in open
    else: return open(self.path, mode)

Exception '[Errno 71] Protocol error: '/dev/bus/usb/.usbfs/002/004'' raised of class '<type 'exceptions.IOError'>':
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 295, in error_check_Main
    try: Main(arglist)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 315, in Main
    take_action(rps)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 271, in take_action
    elif action == "backup": Backup(rps[0], rps[1])
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 337, in Backup
    backup.Mirror(rpin, rpout)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 38, in Mirror
    DestS.patch(dest_rpath, source_diffiter)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 216, in patch
    for diff in rorpiter.FillInIter(source_diffiter, dest_rpath):
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rorpiter.py", line 177, in FillInIter
    for rp in rpiter:
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 114, in get_diffs
    else: attach_snapshot(diff_rorp, src_rp)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 87, in attach_snapshot
    error_handler, rpath.RPath.open, (src_rp, "rb"))
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/robust.py", line 32, in check_common_error
    try: return function(*args)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rpath.py", line 1024, in open
    else: return open(self.path, mode)

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/rdiff-backup", line 23, in <module>
    rdiff_backup.Main.error_check_Main(sys.argv[1:])
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 295, in error_check_Main
    try: Main(arglist)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 315, in Main
    take_action(rps)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 271, in take_action
    elif action == "backup": Backup(rps[0], rps[1])
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/Main.py", line 337, in Backup
    backup.Mirror(rpin, rpout)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 38, in Mirror
    DestS.patch(dest_rpath, source_diffiter)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 216, in patch
    for diff in rorpiter.FillInIter(source_diffiter, dest_rpath):
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rorpiter.py", line 177, in FillInIter
    for rp in rpiter:
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 114, in get_diffs
    else: attach_snapshot(diff_rorp, src_rp)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/backup.py", line 87, in attach_snapshot
    error_handler, rpath.RPath.open, (src_rp, "rb"))
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/robust.py", line 32, in check_common_error
    try: return function(*args)
  File "/var/lib/python-support/python2.5/rdiff_backup/rpath.py", line 1024, in open
    else: return open(self.path, mode)
IOError: [Errno 71] Protocol error: '/dev/bus/usb/.usbfs/002/004'

I don’t know what the significance of this device is but when I want to inspect it is not there only with an id incemented by 1, i.e. here,

/dev/bus/usb/.usbfs/002/005

On the next try the error will contain 005 and the present device will be 006.

The destination is a bipartite USB HD.

/dev/sda2 on /media/NTFS type ntfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,umask=222,utf8)
/dev/sda3 on /media/backupdisk type ext3 (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)

Not very reassuring for a backup program, no?