File Backup Error: "[IOException] [NixUtil.c][read] Invalid argument"

May 16, 2025

Product Version

AhsayOBM: 7.5.0.0 to 7.17.x

Operating System

Linux

Symptom

When performing a file backup job with AhsayOBM on a Linux machine the following error is shown in the backup log Error="[IOException] [NixUtil.c][read] Invalid argument":

No.TypeTimestampLog
*info......
*erroYYYY/MM/DD hh:mm:ss[New File] File="/filename01" Error="[IOException] [NixUtil.c][read] Invalid argument"
*erroYYYY/MM/DD hh:mm:ss[New File] File="/filename02" Error="[IOException] [NixUtil.c][read] Invalid argument"
*.........

Cause

The "Invalid argument" error message is returned by the Linux operating system. It is related to the permission setting of the file or folder selected for backup.

 

Example:

The following files in the /selinux folder on CentOS 6 where the root account only has write access permission; commit_pending_bools, disable, and load, an "Invalid argument" error will be triggered even when root tries to read the contents of the file at the operating system level.

--w-------. 1 root root 0 Aug 17 15:54 /selinux/commit_pending_bools
--w-------. 1 root root 0 Aug 16 15:47 /selinux/disable
--w-------. 1 root root 0 Aug 16 15:47 /selinux/load
#
# cat: /selinux/load: Invalid argument
#

Resolution

To resolve this issue:

  • Exclude the affected files/folders from the backup source.
Troubleshooting