Percona's xtrabackup --apply-log fails with "all log files must be created at the same time" I'm trying to figure out why applying logs on my xtrabackup files isn't working.
I created a VM running MySQL 5.5.24. Then I created the sakila test database and backed it up with the following command:

innobackupex --user=bckuser --password=XXXX --no-timestamp --compress /var/lib/mysql/dumps/backup/;


This completed successfully. After that I wanted to apply the logs with this command:

innobackupex --user=bckuser --password=XXXX --apply-log /var/lib/mysql/dumps/backup/;  


But I get the following error:    

140912 21:46:19  innobackupex: Starting ibbackup with command: xtrabackup_55  --defaults-file="/var/lib/mysql/dumps/backup/backup-my.cnf"  --defaults-group="mysqld" --prepare --target-dir=/var/lib/mysql/dumps/backup --tmpdir=/tmp

xtrabackup_55 version 2.1.9 for Percona Server 5.5.35 Linux (x86_64) (revision id: 746)
xtrabackup: cd to /var/lib/mysql/dumps/backup
xtrabackup: This target seems to be not prepared yet.
xtrabackup: xtrabackup_logfile detected: size=2097152, start_lsn=(8564748)
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)
140912 21:46:19 InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled
140912 21:46:19 InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use GCC atomic builtins
140912 21:46:19 InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.3
140912 21:46:19 InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 100.0M
140912 21:46:19 InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool
InnoDB: The first specified data file ./ibdata1 did not exist:
InnoDB: a new database to be created!
140912 21:46:19  InnoDB: Setting file ./ibdata1 size to 10 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
140912 21:46:20 InnoDB: Error: all log files must be created at the same time.
140912 21:46:20 InnoDB: All log files must be created also in database creation.
140912 21:46:20 InnoDB: If you want bigger or smaller log files, shut down the
140912 21:46:20 InnoDB: database and make sure there were no errors in shutdown.
140912 21:46:20 InnoDB: Then delete the existing log files. Edit the .cnf file
140912 21:46:20 InnoDB: and start the database again.
xtrabackup: innodb_init(): Error occured.
innobackupex: Error:
innobackupex: ibbackup failed at /usr/bin/innobackupex line 2560.


I have googled a lot, but I can't find out what's wrong. Do you guys have any idea?
Check the log, a bit above the error:

InnoDB: The first specified data file ./ibdata1 did not exist:
InnoDB: a new database to be created!


It is trying to create new innodb files because they are not found.

You need to decompress the files before applying the log:

innobackupex --decompress /...


Then, apply the log. 

BTW, you do not need to specify the user and password once the first backup process was done.