Failed to get content via "crontab". Return code of ['crontab', '-l'] was 1

[lamyergeier]

Issue

$ journalctl --identifier backintime
2024-11-28T13:15:21+01:00 lamyer backintime[114324]: Main profile(1) ::
    ERROR: Failed to get content via "crontab". Return code of ['crontab', '-l'] was 1.

$ `crontab -l`
#Back In Time system entry, this will be edited by the gui:
*/10 * * * * /usr/bin/nice -n19 /usr/bin/ionice -c2 -n7 /usr/bin/backintime backup-job >/dev/null

$ backintime --diagnostics

{
    "backintime": {
        "name": "Back In Time",
        "version": "1.5.3",
        "running-as-root": false,
        "latest-config-version": 6,
        "local-config-file": "/home/UsernameReplaced/.config/backintime/config",
        "local-config-file-found": true,
        "global-config-file": "/etc/backintime/config",
        "global-config-file-found": false,
        "started-from": "/usr/share/backintime/common",
        "user-callback": "/home/UsernameReplaced/.config/backintime/user-callback",
        "keyring-supported": true
    },
    "host-setup": {
        "OS": {
            "/etc/os-release": "Fedora Linux 41 (Workstation Edition)",
            "/etc/system-release-cpe": "cpe:/o:fedoraproject:fedora:41\n",
            "/etc/redhat-release": "Fedora release 41 (Forty One)\n",
            "/etc/fedora-release": "Fedora release 41 (Forty One)\n",
            "/etc/system-release": "Fedora release 41 (Forty One)\n"
        },
        "platform": "Linux-6.11.8-300.fc41.x86_64-x86_64-with-glibc2.40",
        "system": "Linux #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu Nov 14 20:37:39 UTC 2024",
        "display-system": "wayland",
        "locale": "en_GB, UTF-8",
        "PATH": "/home/UsernameReplaced/opt/bin:/home/UsernameReplaced/.local/bin:/home/UsernameReplaced/opt/.nvm/versions/node/v22.11.0/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/home/UsernameReplaced/.cargo/bin:/home/UsernameReplaced/.cabal/bin:/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin:/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/sbin:/home/UsernameReplaced/go/bin:/home/UsernameReplaced/.ruby/bin:/home/UsernameReplaced/opt/Git/fzf/bin",
        "RSYNC_OLD_ARGS": "(not set)",
        "RSYNC_PROTECT_ARGS": "(not set)"
    },
    "python-setup": {
        "python": "3.13.0 main Oct  8 2024 00:00:00 CPython GCC 14.2.1 20240912 (Red Hat 14.2.1-3)",
        "python-executable": "/usr/bin/python3",
        "python-executable-symlink": true,
        "python-executable-resolved": "/usr/bin/python3.13",
        "sys.path": [
            "/usr/share/backintime/qt/plugins",
            "/usr/share/backintime/common/plugins",
            "/usr/share/backintime/plugins",
            "/usr/share/backintime/common",
            "/usr/lib64/python313.zip",
            "/usr/lib64/python3.13",
            "/usr/lib64/python3.13/lib-dynload",
            "/usr/lib64/python3.13/site-packages",
            "/usr/lib/python3.13/site-packages"
        ],
        "qt": {
            "Version": "PyQt 6.8.0.dev2410141303 / Qt 6.8.0",
            "Theme": "Papirus",
            "Theme Search Paths": [
                "/home/UsernameReplaced/.icons",
                "/home/UsernameReplaced/.local/share/icons",
                "/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/share/icons",
                "/home/UsernameReplaced/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share/icons",
                "/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/icons",
                "/usr/local/share/icons",
                "/usr/share/icons",
                ":/icons"
            ],
            "Fallback Theme": "",
            "Fallback Search Paths": []
        }
    },
    "external-programs": {
        "rsync": {
            "version": "3.3.0",
            "protocol": "31.0",
            "capabilities": "file_bits: 64; inum_bits: 64; timestamp_bits: 64; long_int_bits: 64; socketpairs: True; symlinks: True; symtimes: True; hardlinks: True; hardlink_specials: True; hardlink_symlinks: True; IPv6: True; atimes: True; batchfiles: True; inplace: True; append: True; ACLs: True; xattrs: True; secluded_args: optional; iconv: True; prealloc: True; stop_at: True; crtimes: False",
            "optimizations": "SIMD_roll: True; asm_roll: False; openssl_crypto: True; asm_MD5: False",
            "checksum_list": "xxh128, xxh3, xxh64, md5, md4, sha1, none",
            "compress_list": "zstd, lz4, zlibx, zlib, none",
            "daemon_auth_list": "sha512, sha256, sha1, md5, md4"
        },
        "ssh": "OpenSSH_9.8p1, OpenSSL 3.2.2 4 Jun 2024",
        "sshfs": "3.7.3",
        "encfs": "1.9.5",
        "shell": "/bin/bash",
        "shell-version": "GNU bash, version 5.2.32(1)-release (x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu)"
    }
}

[buhtz]

• Please start the GUI and open the Manage profile dialog. Do you see their that the profile is schedule correct (every 10 minutes)?
• Are you sure that you used the same user account to run BIT and the "crontab -l" command on the shell?
• And please show me the output of journalctl --no-pager --since "2024-11-28 12:00:00".
• Please show the output of sudo ls -l /var/spool/cron/crontabs.

[buhtz]

Hello Lamyergeier,
does your problem still exists? I can not help you without feedback and have to close the issue then.

Regards,
Christian

[lamyergeier]

@buhtz I can test this in the release 1.6.0. May be currently we can close it.