Can't backup VMs: Selected directory do not exists or is not a directory

[dmoerner]

Fresh install of Qubes R4.0 rc4

On attempting to back up any VM, I get the error "Selected directory do not exists or is not a directory." I am choosing a directory on an external, encrypted hard disk that definitely exists, and the disk is mounted in a VM. I am selecting it with the Nautilus window that pops up from the appropriate VM, and this is the same directory I successfully restored backups from on installing Qubes R4.0 rc4. I've tried with both an appvm and a dispvm, and get the same error.

[marmarek]

Wild guess - some spaces in directory path?

[dmoerner]

No spaces, directory path is: /run/media/user/$drive/Data/Backups, where $drive includes no spaces.

Also reported on the mailing list: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/qubes-users/crXfuSQCCbI

Update: I can reproduce this on the base of an empty, unencrypted ext4 external hard disk. The directory that is not said to exist is /run/media/user/$UUID for the relevant $UUID, even though it mounted and writable in the relevant vm.

Unlike the post in the forum, qvm-backup from the command line produces the same error.

[mig5]

I reproduce this. In my case, I am mounting an external hard drive at /mnt/removable on my sys-usb, but I get the same error as the OP even though I was allowed to select the directory in the UI.

Can we also fix the grammar: "Selected directory do not exists" should read "Selected directory does not exist" (note no plural on 'exist', and 'does not' because it's a single directory)

[mig5]

The issue appears to be that the check on line 240 of qubesmanager/backup.py:

 os.path.isdir(backup_location)

That is a local check on the dom0, instead of being a check on the VM that has the mounted disk (in my case sys-usb).

As proof, I can 'cheat' this by running sudo mkdir /mnt/removable on my dom0, and then I can proceed to backup my VMs on the disk mounted on sys-usb at /mnt/removable

[qubesos-bot]

Automated announcement from builder-github

The package qubes-manager-4.0.16-1.fc25 has been pushed to the r4.0 testing repository for dom0.
To test this update, please install it with the following command:

sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-current-testing

Changes included in this update

[qubesos-bot]

Automated announcement from builder-github

The package qubes-manager-4.0.16-1.fc25 has been pushed to the r4.0 stable repository for dom0.
To install this update, please use the standard update command:

sudo qubes-dom0-update

Or update dom0 via Qubes Manager.

Changes included in this update