Thanks guys,
I guess my confusion is that Status 41 is usually indicative of network naming and communication issues, and my problem is a master server backup of *itself*. It can backup other network clients just fine.
The jobs are dying mid/late backup, so a connection can be made (to itself). I'll look through bpbkar/bpcd and see if there anything indicative.
Add the sporadic Status 89's, and my guess is network/CPU load, but is there anything else worth checking?
JB