Backup drives me crazy, Can't Access UI, Network Issue

alexkoel · March 22, 2026, 11:05am

My UI is not accessible anymore, so I want to restore my automatic backup which I make every night on my NAS. The big problem here is the fact that on the CLI the backup is not visible. I only see a partial backup with a filename in slug format. The automatic backup has an other name.
Even when I copy it to a the local disc and do a Backups reload.

In casu, I can’t do anything with it. Now I have to reinstall and do a restore. This takes a lot of time, and I have to reinstall all my Zigbee devices.

This is now in short time the second time the UI crashes. HA is still working, because I see that things still working.

I think HA is great, but as far as I can see, backup sucks. Sorry for this.

Arh · March 22, 2026, 1:02pm

Backup works perfectly, just as it is designed to do.

I would suggest if you are having recurring issues with your UI you have an underlying issue that a restore will only recreate.

If you supply information like the hardware you are running on any logs you may have, I am sure someone will be able to help.

If you do have underlying issues it may well be better to build and restore form new.

Also a back should restore all your zigbee devices, you should not have to add them again.

stevemann · March 22, 2026, 1:13pm

Before you take the sledgehammer repair, have you tried:

ha supervisor reload
ha core rebuild
ha core restart
ha host reboot

ALso, if your backup files are on your NAS, you can import them using the three-dot menu:

Arh · March 22, 2026, 1:30pm

No 3 dot menu without the UI

IOT7712 · March 22, 2026, 4:36pm

Maybe the latest core update has not completed yet.
Leaving it overnight rather than repeatedly killing it sometimes allows it to catch up.
Some of those updates are HUUGE, especially slow if you have a slow internet, and unpacking the compressed files can take a long time.

You haven’t got the obsolete docker issue have you, where the latest file uncompression is expected but doesn’t exist on the outdated docker version, reporting the downloaded files as corrupt because it doesn’t know what to do with them?
The latest release notes discuss these issues, as well as backups/restores improvements.

alexkoel · March 22, 2026, 4:40pm

This was not successful.

IOT7712 · March 22, 2026, 4:53pm

Care to share the logs, formatted in forum </> format for readability for clues?

alexkoel · March 22, 2026, 4:55pm

I always wait some time before doing updates. So there was one waiting for a few weeks. I don’t think an update is the reason. The system was already running weeks without a problem. The response was OK and I didn’t connect new hardware.

I’m running on a RPI 5 with 8 Gb. I connected a 120 Gb Samsung EVO SSD to a USB port. I’m using a 45 W power supply. I know the SSD on the USB can give troubles, but then I was expecting them earlier.
My old install was running on a 2Gb RPI 4 with a 64Gb SD card. I changed it because I suspected the SD card to give troubles.

If I can’t solve it, then I’m going to install it on a new SSD I ordered. So I can go back to the old.

I should want to share logs if I know where to find them. I have access to the samba share.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

IOT7712 · March 22, 2026, 4:57pm

Thanks for the hardware backgrounding.
I’d hold off on replacing that drive yet. It may be entirely innocent of any faults at this stage of troubleshooting.

What does your welcome screen say? The one where you type your CLI commands. Straight after boot is finished before you type anything in.
A clear readable screenshot/photo would be sufficient.

I note your PI operated well with the SD Card prior to moving to the SSD drive.

Is your PI powering your SSD drive via the USB Port directly, or via a powered USB Hub (hint, hint)? Is it plugged into the USB2 or USB3 port? Can you estimate how much maximum current the SSD drive and any associated USB Adapter require to operate well? Is the port it is plugged into able to supply that, comfortably? USB2 ports are rated for only 500mA at 5VDC.

alexkoel · March 22, 2026, 5:53pm

I hope it’s clear enough.

alexkoel · March 22, 2026, 5:56pm

I don’t use a separate power supply for the SSD, but it is connected to a blue port.

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. After the last time with troubles I changed all the hardware. e.g. The RPI and the storage.

Arh · March 22, 2026, 8:41pm

An rpi usb port is on the limit if powering an SSD drive. An rpi will only supply a certain current to the usb’s, not sure how much, but easy enough to Google and find out. This when running a SSD and something like a USB dongle can easily cause power issues. Its worth checking it out.

IOT7712 · March 22, 2026, 10:45pm

The welcome screen looks OK. Hope there were no errors that halted your startup process, but they usually halt progress. I note the update is still on the 2026.2.2 version. Do not initiate any commands from the CLI screen at this stage to tickle it.

What happens when you connect to your Pi via your local network on a browser set to http://homeassistant.local:8123
How about http://192.168.1.170:8123 ← your specific Pi network address showing on the welcome screen

Check you have quality USB cables between your Pi and the USB converter and SSD. As @Arh suggested, you may wish to consider a small powered USB3 Hub to take the load off the Pi power supply USB Ports, especially if you have other peripherals connected also.

alexkoel · March 23, 2026, 9:23am

Both local options I tried, but no luck. Also SSH didn’t work while I can see that the app seems to run.

I did a portscan with advanced port scanner on all ports.
Below are the responding ports
Port 111 (TCP)
Port 139 (TCP)
Port 445 (TCP)
Port 1883 (TCP)
Port 1884 (TCP)
It looks that a lot of ports aren’t opened. I suspect that here is the issue, but the big question is how to solve.
I also disabled the automations in the configuration.yaml to see if a automation was the source, but no luck.

I’m stil thank full for al support until now.

alexkoel · March 23, 2026, 9:24am

Is there a USB3 powersuply to recommend. I have one, but it didn’t work.

IOT7712 · March 23, 2026, 9:25am

Yes, your power supply may provide 45W overall, but each Pi USB Port is limited as to how much it can supply individually. Calculate the maximum amount your SSD and the associated USB Adapter will need and advise. How is your SSD connected to your Pi? Make and model of adapter please. Type of connection too, or cable type.

You also appear to have some networking issues. Scan till you are blue in the face, but if your Pi is not on the network, no scanner will be able to find the ports it needs to communicate. Are you connected directly to an Ethernet port from your Pi to the router, not WiFi? Is the cable plugged in correctly (wiggle the connectors a little to make sure), and a known working cable? Is the network port indicator blinking correctly? Have you allocated a static IP address to the Pi/HomeAssistant server on your router in the DHCP configuration page so you consistently have the same IP Address each time it attempts to connect (like 192.168.1.170 which your welcome screen was saying it was using). If you need to do this configuration, don’t forget to save it, bring everything down cleanly, then physically power off, and then restart it for the new configuration to work - your router, and all connected devices, including your HomeAssistant Pi.

Please advise the IP address of your router?
Please advise the IP address of your Pi?
Please advise the IP address of your NAS?
Do you have more than one router, switch, repeater, or hub on your network?
What type of device are you attempting to connect to the HomeAssistant server with the URLs in my previous post above? What browser is it using? What is the IP Address of that device? Is that the one where your port scanning was initiated from? The one you are able to SSH connect from? Is that device also able to connect to the Internetz?

Are you running any third party VM, VLAN, Anti-malware or anti-virus, or virtual networking software? DuckDNS, or similar?

What add-ons, integrations, and apps have you got running?

Sorry, the questions are basic, but systematically eliminating what is working and what is not. Trying everything you find in ChatGPT or Google search may lead you to do things that may be fatal and irreversible. The true problem will emerge soon. Once you solve the connectivity issue, the others should right themselves easily without a lot of CLI shenanigans that can have unwanted consequences.

alexkoel · March 23, 2026, 10:10am

I did already a lot of things off course. I’m a retired network admin, so I’m not a compleet nono on networking. I have connected the PI with a cable, because I believe that Wifi is not suitable for that kind of applications.

The PI has a connection, otherwise the samba share shouldn’t be accesible and the portscanner wouldn’t find any ports.

I don’t know the make of the USB to Sata. It was in the package when you ordered SSD’s in the beginning.

I’m running safari on my MacBook Pro, but also Chrome in Parallels on Windows 11.

Can’t connect with the MacBook, but also not with the app on my iPhone.

Router is a ASUS running on 192.168.1.1. Subnet 255.255.255.0.

alexkoel · March 23, 2026, 10:14am

Forgot to tell, There is a DHCP reservation. I do and did that for all devices which has a constant function. Like printers, NAS’s etc.

boheme61 · March 23, 2026, 10:32am

You said you have adequate network experience ?
I Can tell you are using Samba, NAS, MQTT And a simple Port-lookup would tell You Nothing is “wrong” with those Ports
Ofcause you could uninstall Samba, NAS and MQTT, But i guess that has Nothing to do with your Backup Issue, Nor the UI inaccessible Issue

Still You haven’t provided any “possible” hint’s from your logfiles, Nor from your MAC/Windows Machines/Browsers.
Dig in, like an retired network admin would do , and please provide your findings, as im sure there must be some “hint’s” facts, which could narrow down the scope suggestions and guessing here

IOT7712 · March 23, 2026, 10:36am

For a retired network admin, you are not being as verbose as I would expect. You know how important detail and logs are in troubleshooting. Can you go back and confirm that all the questions I have asked have been answered to adequate detail. I feel like I’m pulling teeth, and the ‘twenty questions’ game is not my style. I too have been in the game for a while, hence the simple questions and patient, systematic approach for process of elimination.

Good, at least we can consistently look for devices at the same address.

Please elaborate, a VM on a VM on a VM, or two machines, one running Apple software, and the other Windoze?? Can they all print to the one printer?

At this point, expected. What IP addresses do they show? Do they have Internetz connection via your LAN?

Do you have customized port blocking and permissions configured on your router? Any firewalls? Other devices such as PiHole?