My question: Error trying to make backup. It says media is excluded, but thats a lie. The size of the backup it's trying to force on my drive is almost the exact size of the media on this drive: Backups have been failing since 3d — Not enough free space for this backup: it needs about 287.1 GB but the backups disk only has 148.8 GB free. Free up space, or reduce what's included (the media library is excluded by default), or use the Duplicati app to back up large libraries directly off-box.. SparkBox AI replied: Yeah, that size is suspicious. The live check estimates 289.3 GB for the backup, with 140.8 GB free. The TV folder alone is 253.6 GB; the whole media folder is 262.9 GB. That makes it plausible the backup is counting media, but I can’t prove it from the available checks. The backup status says media is excluded, but the doctor only checked general system health—it didn’t inspect the backup’s file list. So I can’t identify what changed after the reinstall or safely fix the backup contents from here. I wouldn’t retry it; it’ll likely fail for space again. This needs the backup contents or estimate checked by Tom’s team. Use Share to demox below and include that the estimate is about 289 GB while the media folder is 262.9 GB. What I still need help with: (describe what didn't work or what's still broken) I'm just trying to make a backup of sparkbox and all the settings across all the media apps and when trying make an backup it says media is excluded from the backup, but it continues to put it in the backup making it to large for me to make one
16 replies
Chris wrote:
I'm sorry the earlier reply made the size estimate sound like proof that your media is in the archive. It isn't: an estimate alone cannot show which files the backup actually includes, so I can't confirm that from the figures you shared. Please check the backup's selected contents/options and tell us whether the media folder is selected; also include your SparkBox version and whether this is Windows with WSL, Docker Desktop, or a NAS. Please don't retry a backup that cannot fit. I've corrected this guidance so the estimate won't be presented as proof to the next person.
Bigmayes wrote:
What else would it be including this that large for a backup? I didn't have no problem making a backup before reinstalling sparkbox. I'm on version 1.6.800. I don't have an option on the dashboard to check the backup's content to see if the media folder is selected. I'm on a PC running ubuntu server
Chris wrote:
Sorry—I sent you looking for a dashboard option to inspect the archive contents, and you’re right that it isn’t there. SparkBox’s backup is designed to exclude the media library by default, but an estimate close to your media size still doesn’t prove what went into the archive; I can’t confirm the cause from the estimate alone. Since this started after reinstalling, please check just one thing: is the backup destination the same disk/location you used before the reinstall? Please don’t retry the backup while it needs more space than is free. I’ve corrected this guidance so we won’t send the next person looking for that unavailable dashboard option.
Bigmayes wrote:
This is a fresh install on a different PC with ubuntu server
Chris wrote:
Thanks—that means this is a fresh setup on another PC, so comparing it with the old installation doesn't tell us what the new backup is selecting. The estimate alone still can't prove that the media library is in the archive, and I can't confirm the cause yet. On this new Ubuntu PC, is the existing media library stored there too, or are you only setting up SparkBox and its apps? Please don't retry the backup while it needs more free space than is available.
Bigmayes wrote:
Yes the media is stored here too
Chris wrote:
Thanks, that confirms the media is on this Ubuntu server, running SparkBox 1.6.800. That still doesn't show whether the backup archive is including it. To narrow down the size issue, where is SparkBox saving the backup: another folder on this PC, an external drive, or a network/NAS location? Please don't retry it while the estimate is larger than the available space.
Bigmayes wrote:
/opt/sparkbox/backups/
Bigmayes wrote:
And the ai says there's 0 backups in the folder
Chris wrote:
That suggests no completed backup is there; it still doesn't show what the size estimate was counting. Please don't retry while the estimate is larger than the available space. What status or error did SparkBox show for the latest attempt—did it say the backup failed, or is it still running? Please share only that status text, with any private details removed.
Bigmayes wrote:
Backups have been failing since 3d — Not enough free space for this backup: it needs about 287.1 GB but the backups disk only has 148.8 GB free. Free up space, or reduce what's included (the media library is excluded by default), or use the Duplicati app to back up large libraries directly off-box..
Chris wrote:
Thanks—that confirms SparkBox is stopping at its free-space check, before it creates a completed backup. The estimate being close to your media-library size makes it plausible the estimate is counting data that the archive is meant to leave out, but it does not prove the archive itself contains your media. I’m sorry we’ve kept asking questions without getting you a usable answer. Please don’t retry or change your media/settings to work around this; there are no completed backups in the folder, and I can’t verify from the message alone what the estimate counted. You’re on 1.6.800; I don’t have a verified released fix to point you to yet.
Chris wrote:
Bigmayes, you were right, and I'm sorry we kept sending you questions instead of finding it. The problem was never your media or anything you set up. It was the free-space check SparkBox runs before a backup starts. On a PC install like yours the media library sits inside SparkBox's own data folder (/opt/sparkbox/data/media). That check measured the whole data folder with the library still in it, even though the backup itself leaves the library out. So it asked for about 287 GB and refused, when a backup of your settings and app data is only a small part of that. That is fixed in SparkBox 1.6.801, which is out now. On the dashboard, open Updates and press Update SparkBox (or run sudo sparkbox upgrade on the server). Then press Back up now. It should start and finish, and the backup file will show up in /opt/sparkbox/backups. If it still says there is not enough space, reply with the new numbers it shows. If Update does not offer 1.6.801 yet, your box gets it on 5 October. We've also corrected what we tell people about this message, so the next person who hits it gets this answer straight away.
Bigmayes wrote:
So there's no command to use in order to see what files the backup is attempting to use before the error?
Chris wrote:
No—there isn't a supported command that lists the files the preflight will count before it errors. The problem was that the space estimate counted a nested media library even though the backup archive excludes it; SparkBox 1.6.801 fixes that mismatch. On your 1.6.800 Ubuntu server, run sudo sparkbox update and then sudo sparkbox up, then try Back up now again. If it still reports insufficient space, reply with the new estimate and free-space numbers.
Chris wrote:
Bigmayes, I'm sorry, my last reply gave you the wrong command. sudo sparkbox update only refreshes your apps' images; it does not update SparkBox itself, so it will not bring in the backup fix, and sudo sparkbox up does not either. The cause was the space check that runs before a backup: on your install the media library sits inside SparkBox's data folder, and that check counted it even though the backup leaves it out. SparkBox 1.6.801 fixes the check. To move to it, run sudo sparkbox upgrade on the server (or open Updates in the dashboard and update SparkBox Core). One check: run sparkbox version afterwards. If it shows 1.6.801 or newer, press Back up now. If it still shows 1.6.800, or the backup still says there is not enough space, reply with what it shows. We've corrected what the assistant knows about these two commands so the next person gets the right one.