rsync hangs/stalls

Martin · 2026-06-01 14:40:00

Dear experts,

I have used rsync (grsync actually) to make backups for years. It has worked like a charm. I use three USB-HDDs that I rotate between. Maybe not the most 'modern' solution but it works for me.

Today was the day for yet another backup.

Now rsync hangs after a short while. According to the messages it is skipping irregular files (conda something or the other) when it stalls.

I get no error messages. It just stops making progress.

The HDD I use has more than 300 GB of free space. When accessing it manually (using Thunar) it responds normally. I can see that new files have not been backed up.

I don't use the computer while taking backups.

I upgraded my system earlier today and is running kernel 7.0.10+deb13-amd64.

Firing up btop I see several rsync instances but none is doing anything. If I kill the backup process in grsync and close grsync I see no change in btop. I can kill some, but not all, rsync instances from btop.

I can't unmount the HDD as a rsync process is accessing it.

I have found this 'help': https://rsync.samba.org/issues.html
I am none the wiser for that as I don't see any correlation to my experience of using a process and equipment I have used successfully so many times suddenly fail.

Any leads would be appreciated.

TIA

/Martin

PackRat · 2026-06-01 16:15:12

What is the full error message from grsync?

Can you run the rsync command from the terminal and then post the full error message.

Martin · 2026-06-01 16:43:21

There was no error message!

I have re-booted my computer using an older kernel (6.1.0-21-amd64). Now the backup works just fine. I don't know if the kernel is causing this or if this was just a dumb luck thing.

I see later versions of rsync are derided on internet fora. They have been updated using Claude-generated code. As far as I have seen so far, the rsync version I use should not be a victim of this practice.

/Martin

PackRat · 2026-06-01 17:04:31

What's the full message when this happens:

According to the messages it is skipping irregular files (conda something or the other) when it stalls.

Although it appears to be an issue with the kernel.

Martin · 2026-06-01 21:58:01

PackRat wrote:

What's the full message when this happens:
According to the messages it is skipping irregular files (conda something or the other) when it stalls.
Although it appears to be an issue with the kernel.

I was referring to the output of rsync's activities. You can watch it in the grsync UI. It tells you what rsync is doing: skipping files, copying files, copy progress... It stalled when it was skipping files that are part of the conda set-up for environments. There was nothing indicating that anything had gone wrong other than progress being zero.

/Martin

WizardofCOR · Yesterday 21:55:27

I've learned (somewhat painfully) that copying or rsyncing from ext4 to fat/exfat USB or SDcard just takes forever.
This is due to a variety of factors that include (but are not limited to) data buffering issues, I/O overhead and thrashing, format driver issues, and other bottlenecks.
I too have tried to overcome this by adjusting rate limiters and using rsync from the terminal vs copying or GUI drag-n-drop. Nothing I've tried has worked to help speed up file transfer. Apparently, this a commonly experienced issue across all Linux kernel distros, and has been around for literally years without any resolution, unfortunately.

#1 2026-06-01 14:40:00

rsync hangs/stalls

#2 2026-06-01 16:15:12

Re: rsync hangs/stalls

#3 2026-06-01 16:43:21

Re: rsync hangs/stalls

#4 2026-06-01 17:04:31

Re: rsync hangs/stalls

#5 2026-06-01 21:58:01

Re: rsync hangs/stalls

#6 Yesterday 21:55:27

Re: rsync hangs/stalls

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