Of course, my innobackupex config files looks like this: # This MySQL options file was generated by innobackupex. # The MySQL server [mysqld] innodb_checksum_algorithm=innodb innodb_log_checksum_algorithm=innodb innodb_data_file_path=ibdata1:10M:autoextend innodb_log_files_in_group=3 innodb_log_file_size=268435456 innodb_fast_checksum=false innodb_page_size=16384 innodb_log_block_size=512 innodb_undo_directory=. innodb_undo_tablespaces=0 Especially the innodb_log_files_* options are important and are not respected by the innobackupex apply step unless the backup-my.cnf is explicit given by the --defaults-file option. If no defaults file is given as parameter the backup-my.cnf located in the data directory is just ignored and the /etc/mysql/my.cnf file (if exist) is applied. If it not exists mysql defaults will be used which differs in number and size of the innodb_log_files. This is the output of the innobackueb apply with no special options (like its called in the cluster synchronization procedure): As you can see, there are 2 file with size 48 MB created ... 11:35 root@sbo-test [cgn]:/local/mysql/dumps/test$ innobackupex --apply-log data 151218 11:35:59 innobackupex: Starting the apply-log operation IMPORTANT: Please check that the apply-log run completes successfully. At the end of a successful apply-log run innobackupex prints "completed OK!". innobackupex version 2.3.3 based on MySQL server 5.6.24 Linux (x86_64) (revision id: 525ca7d) xtrabackup: cd to /local/mysql/dumps/test/data xtrabackup: This target seems to be not prepared yet. xtrabackup: xtrabackup_logfile detected: size=2097152, start_lsn=(234837625) xtrabackup: using the following InnoDB configuration for recovery: xtrabackup: innodb_data_home_dir = ./ xtrabackup: innodb_data_file_path = ibdata1:10M:autoextend xtrabackup: innodb_log_group_home_dir = ./ xtrabackup: innodb_log_files_in_group = 1 xtrabackup: innodb_log_file_size = 2097152 xtrabackup: using the following InnoDB configuration for recovery: xtrabackup: innodb_data_home_dir = ./ xtrabackup: innodb_data_file_path = ibdata1:10M:autoextend xtrabackup: innodb_log_group_home_dir = ./ xtrabackup: innodb_log_files_in_group = 1 xtrabackup: innodb_log_file_size = 2097152 xtrabackup: Starting InnoDB instance for recovery. xtrabackup: Using 104857600 bytes for buffer pool (set by --use-memory parameter) InnoDB: Using atomics to ref count buffer pool pages InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use GCC atomic builtins InnoDB: Memory barrier is not used InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.8 InnoDB: Not using CPU crc32 instructions InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 100.0M InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool InnoDB: Highest supported file format is Barracuda. InnoDB: The log sequence numbers 151311211 and 151311211 in ibdata files do not match the log sequence number 234837625 in the ib_logfiles! InnoDB: Database was not shutdown normally! InnoDB: Starting crash recovery. InnoDB: Reading tablespace information from the .ibd files... InnoDB: Restoring possible half-written data pages InnoDB: from the doublewrite buffer... InnoDB: 128 rollback segment(s) are active. InnoDB: Waiting for purge to start InnoDB: 5.6.24 started; log sequence number 234837625 xtrabackup: Last MySQL binlog file position 0, file name /local/mysql/message_service/log/master-bin.000004 xtrabackup: Recovered WSREP position: 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:-1 xtrabackup: starting shutdown with innodb_fast_shutdown = 1 InnoDB: FTS optimize thread exiting. InnoDB: Starting shutdown... InnoDB: Shutdown completed; log sequence number 234838323 xtrabackup: using the following InnoDB configuration for recovery: xtrabackup: innodb_data_home_dir = ./ xtrabackup: innodb_data_file_path = ibdata1:10M:autoextend xtrabackup: innodb_log_group_home_dir = ./ xtrabackup: innodb_log_files_in_group = 2 xtrabackup: innodb_log_file_size = 50331648 InnoDB: Using atomics to ref count buffer pool pages InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use GCC atomic builtins InnoDB: Memory barrier is not used InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.8 InnoDB: Not using CPU crc32 instructions InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 100.0M InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool InnoDB: Setting log file ./ib_logfile101 size to 48 MB InnoDB: Setting log file ./ib_logfile1 size to 48 MB InnoDB: Renaming log file ./ib_logfile101 to ./ib_logfile0 InnoDB: New log files created, LSN=234838323 InnoDB: Highest supported file format is Barracuda. InnoDB: 128 rollback segment(s) are active. InnoDB: Waiting for purge to start InnoDB: 5.6.24 started; log sequence number 234838540 xtrabackup: starting shutdown with innodb_fast_shutdown = 1 InnoDB: FTS optimize thread exiting. InnoDB: Starting shutdown... InnoDB: Shutdown completed; log sequence number 234838550 151218 11:36:03 completed OK!