Why does Hybrid Backup Sync show “Failed to copy all attributes” after syncing to a WORM-enabled share?
Applicable Products
Hybrid Backup Sync
QuTS Hero with WORM share
Symptom
After completing a sync job in Hybrid Backup Sync(HBS), a warning message may appear:
“Failed to copy all attributes”
This message can be confusing when file data appears to have been successfully copied.
Root Cause
If the destination shared folder has WORM (Write Once Read Many) enabled, this warning may occur due to how WORM behaves after its retention period ends.
Although files become unlocked after the retention period, WORM still does not allow file modifications—only deletion. This includes changes such as:
- File ownership adjustments
- Permission updates
- Renaming files
- Moving files to different directories (e.g., the recycle bin)
During synchronization, HBS attempts to apply all file attributes from source to destination—including ownership and permission data. However, WORM restrictions on the destination prevent these attribute-level changes, resulting in the warning.
This is expected behavior and aligns with WORM design.
Solution
Due to the reasons above, shared folders with WORM enabled are not suitable as destinations for periodic sync or backup jobs. This is because files in WORM folders cannot be modified—even after the retention period ends.
Recreate the Destination Folder Without WORM
1. Delete the WORM-enabled destination folder.
2. Create a new shared folder without WORM enabled.
3. Re-run the synchronization job.
Please note that trying to modify the owner on the source or manually deleting files with incorrect ownership on the destination is not a fundamental solution.
As long as the source files are not locked, they may continue to change—making such workarounds unmanageable in the long run.
Using versioning in HBS backup job won't help either, as each version creates a folder with a date-based name, which also involves modifying paths.
Further Reading
Why can't I delete files or folders in a WORM share to the recycle bin?
