[Solved] Syncing Not Completing


wabackpacker

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  • 2 weeks later...

A part of a 40G folder synced between a Synology ds213j, and two laptops and a desktop all running Ubuntu 12.04, I have a large SVN checkout. My use case is that I want to be able to switch machines mid-work, and continue working on files in that checkout. See my other forum post http://forum.bittorrent.com/topic/18984-source-code-control-metadata-shouldnt-sync-by-default/?p=66838 for my motivation.

 

However, syncing often gets stuck due to files in the checkout. This is what I do to get it to sync again:

 

I check .sync/sync.log (by default .sync dir is in the same directory as btsync), where I see a whole bunch of the following lines:

 

Error downloading file /that/svn/some/file: FixPartFile: hostname not found

 

I kill btsync. Then I remove SyncPart and SyncTemp files from the svn repo:

 

find /that/svn -name "*SyncPart" -exec rm -f {} \;

find /that/svn -name "*SyncTemp" -exec rm -f {} \;

 

All of the files that btsync complained about are read-only. I noticed that when I fix this, syncing can start again:

 

find /that/svn -not -writable -exec chmod u+w {} \;

 

When I now restart btsync, it takes a very short while, and then shows that everything is nicely synced up.

 

I think btsync is one of those best things since sliced bread. I think some error reporting would go a long way to further improve the user experience. Better handling of read-only files, and some default file exclusions (just copy them from dropbox man :), would definitely also help.

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  • 1 month later...

I have same problem (ubuntu/btsync<->ubuntu/btsync) and I can understand why it happens and how to temporary fix it.

 

Вtsync don't want to sync files with too old modification times. As I understand, it is nearely or greater then 5-6 months.

 

This helps for me (to update file/dir modification times)

 

find /my/folder | xargs -I QQ touch 'QQ'

 

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Any hints what to look for in log files?

 

Same issue here - 2 folders of 4 do not sync completely. In one - 6MB (one file difference), other nearly 380MB, approx 20 files

One way sync from Windows 8 -> Mint Debian.

 

Since I've synced the folders before without btsync, simple compare doesn't reveal what files are missing.

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  • 3 months later...

Hi,

 

No posts for quite sometime on this topic?! I too have this problem from WIndows 8.0 to android 4.1.2 (samsung)

 

I've checked for -

 

1. Files to be ignored - none added to the list

2. Files locked - none, its a backup being synced

3. Funny characters in filename - none

4. Long file names - max length is 47

5. No error messages in sync.log

 

ON windows I have junctioned relevant directories into a single directory - this directory is permanently synced across both devices.

 

This is a killer problem - if I can't trust the software to sync completely then I have to perforce stop using it completely.

 

Please take care of this problem!

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Hello,

 

I had the same issue on Windows XP. The problem was originated by files not being renamed correctly after synchronisation was done, remaining files with the extension .syncold and .synctemp

 

I have written a Perl script that does on all machines at scheduled times erase the files with such extensions, on all drives. Then BTSync does resync and the problem disappears:

use warnings;use File::Find;use File::Copy;my @froms = ("C:/","D:/","E:/","F:/","G:/","H:/","I:/");foreach $from(@froms) {chdir($from);if (-d $from) {find(\&wanted, $from);}}sub wanted {#$File::Find::dir is the current directory name, #$_ is the current filename within that directory #$File::Find::name is the complete pathname to the file. return if -d $File::Find::name;$File::Find::dir =~ /^$from(.*)/;my $copy_name;$copy_name = "$_";$copy_name =~ s{^.*/}{$1}; # delete up to last slash     $compara = &minuscules($copy_name);$arxiu = $File::Find::name;print "$arxiu\n";if ($compara =~ "\\.syncold" || $compara =~ "\\.synctemp") {unlink($arxiu);}}sub minuscules {my $minus = shift;for ($minus) { tr/A-Z/a-z/ }return $minus;}

If you wish to try without installing Perl you can try with that compiled one: www.casacota.cat/web?num=1390552789

 

Use at your own risk - I'm not a programmer!

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Silently failing to sync completely is indeed a major problem and definitely a showstopper for me.

If there are syncing issues, be it due to file names, available space, modification times or anything else, the user MUST be adequately informed. Otherwise btsync is merely a proof-of-concept solution and not one that can be relied upon for solving real-world problems.

 

Cheers,

Frank

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Hi all,

 

The issue "Sync not completing / get stuck" is known and very hard to debug due to numerous origins. We are working very hard to eliminate all of them or make common mistakes (like permissions, locked files, etc.) identifiable by users.

 

If you experience such issue - debug logs are highly appreciated, including all peers.

 

@casacota,

The file .syncold usually contains the backup of the file when file gets transferred to your peer partially from another location. After the transfer is successful, .syncold gets moved to .SyncArchive folder (if allowed in settings).

The file .synctemp usually contains the backup of the file when file gets transferred completely. When transfer complete, original file is moved to .SyncArchive and .synctemp is renamed to a new file.

 

In normal behaviour these files shouldn't stay longer than transfer goes. If you suddenly realize that these files stay for a long time and when Sync finished syncing - it is abnormal and I'll highly appreciate logs (full debug, of course) for such case. If they stay longer - they can prevent syncing for the files with the same name.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

Hi all, I am new to bittorrent sync but think it could certainly solve my backup & sync requirements if I could understand what it is doing.  I have two PC's both running windows7 and one laptop also on Win7  ALL three are running bittorrent sync 1.3.94 newly installed.  PC's are on wired network and laptop on same but wireless.  I have copied large (#140Gb) folders to all three and set up read/write on one folder between PC and laptop with second PC on read only (for backup)  This setup never syncs completely - right now two computers are showing 139.6GB with up arrow and the other is showing 137up with 1.6 down - all computers are idle and all have actually completed syncing as far as I can tell.

The second folder is simply linked from PC to laptop - and this is working perfectly with exactly the same settings from over the LAN and over the internet - it synced as soon as it had completed its checks and does so after every change.  I will email the log files form the two PC's to the address syncapp@bittorrent.com as explained in the aforementioned posts.

Rgds,
Colin.

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  • 3 months later...

Hi All,

I have a question/information that could possibly be the answer to my particular issues with this (alleged) inability to completely sync across my three computers.   I say alleged as I think the files ARE actually syncing, but the app is reporting as not.

So, my main PC is the one I do most of my editing on, BUT, it also allows three other computers to edit the data (letters, spreadsheets etc, etc)  These other three computers access the data locally via a windows network on the shared drive of my main PC.  MY other two computers use BTSync to sync the files, they do not access them locally via the network.

Could it be that this configuration where some computers outside of the realm of BTsync are actually confusing BTsync ??  I guess I am using my main PC as a NAS, but unofficially - it is simply sharing folders across a local network, and syncing those same folders across the BTSync setup.  I recently went back to 1.3.109 on the main PC and for two days all was OK.  Those 2 days had only the main PC switched on, so none of the local computers able to access the folders were switched on.  As soon as one did switch on and edit one spreadsheet I lost sync between the two laptops and the main PC, but did not lose the sync between the two laptops - so SOMETHING fishy is going on with the main PC - could it be that the local access via the shared folder has confused BTSync into thinking something is still being changed when it is not?  Sorry for what looks like a confusing rant, I hope someone in 'the team' at BT sync understands what I am saying! 

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Hi Romanz - thanks for taking the trouble to do this diagram.  This is basically correct, but I do not have any specific NAS control going on, it is a simple windows shared folder on the Windows computer.  Could this be the reason why I am getting this trouble?  SHOULD I be running specific NAS hard/software in order to achieve what I am trying to do? I did not want to go down that route just yet as what I have is running for free and using the drives I already have in my computer.

Rgds,
Colin

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Colin,

 

I understand that "NAS-PC" is actually not a NAS. This is just a name for better understanding.

 

As for the issue itself - I suspect that OS might not inform Sync about changes done to the folder over CIFS. Though, they should be picked up after some time (usually around 10 minutes) by folder scanner. The only trouble I can see here is if file was changed on other peer (PC 3 or PC 4) before change is detected - and in this case it will simply overwrite the change done on PC3 or PC4. 

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Thanks RomanZ.  Changes to the files in question are not happening that quickly, and I am not getting incorrect overwriting - so it is not this causing the problem, and as you say, CIFS, (whatever that is) is probably OK as I am scanning every three min's on the main PC - (perhaps this is the problem??)  It was interesting to see that there were no errors (I am calling the incorrect reporting on the UI of the entire 134Gb folder with up arrow as an error) when I reinstalled the software on the main PC - UNTIL I opened, changed and closed a file FROM PC3 PC's 4 & 5 remain fully synced as before, and it is ONLY sync to the NAS (I get your meaning) PC that is being REPORTED ON THE UI as not complete.  In fact sync IS complete - all files changed have propagated themselves across all three synced computers.  I am unable to find any errant .!sync or .sync files on any of the computers.  In the past with 1.3.109 I have been able to find incompletely synced files from the transfers tab (as continuously transferring) but now because the software is reporting the entire folder set with the up arrow there are no individual files to find.  Interestingly (perhaps) the up arrow is present on ALL THREE computers - NAS, PC4 and PC5 - it's not possible to be waiting to upload the entire files set FROM all three computers !!??  This is a very strange 'error' indeed.  It may well be that the non syncing and up arrow are correct, but where can we find the cause??  I have sent in logs before of this phenomenon but it has not gone away.  Would you like logs again?


Just another thought.........If PC3 opens a file makes a change, saves it and then NAS PC  opens that same file makes a change and saves it WITHIN the 3 minute BTSync folder scan would BTSync get its knickers in a twist as it has only seen one change yet CIFS is reporting two??  Could this rapid changing, yet saving of a file in question be causing the issue here?


Or could it be that the file is opened by more than one computer at the same time?  PC3 may open the file for editing, but NAS PC may have it open for viewing at the same time.  If the edited file is saved first, followed by the read only file would this cause a problem, or vice-versa?.  RomanZ - I am only trying to find the reason here, if this is the cause then I can put rules in place to avoid the issue happening again.  It is of course possible to open a file several times on one PC, but I suspect this is unusual?


Unfortunately, once the error has occurred nothing short of an uninstall and reinstall of the software will fix it - I have done this WITHOUT deleting ANY files and all becomes OK until PC2 or PC3 gets working.  Sorry for my rambling post, I am trying to think of reasons for this happening - and I am thinking out loud which is not always recommended!

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Hi All,

I have now attempted to add a sync folder for my android device.  The folders have reportedly synced OK on my android, but they are showing as incomplete on the desktop, one with 19 files yet to sync and the other with 8 files left.  ALL these files are in the BTSync status screen with suspicious ~$ signs at the beginning of the file name.  Now, one of 'the team' reported to me that BTSync 'does not create files'  So my question is - WHAT ARE these files and where did they come from ??  I am unable to find then with windows search, and when I hit sync on the android device is tells me there are files left to sync, but the android does nothing.  On checking the first file on the list it is present and correct on the android?

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Android Client, corrupted file persist!

 

Firstly, yes I have read these:

 

http://forum.bittorrent.com/topic/21062-sync-files-not-deleted/

http://forum.bittorrent.com/topic/22022-sync-issues/

http://forum.bittorrent.com/topic/17782-bittorrent-sync-faq-unofficial/

 

There seem to be few discussion about the Android client, here's my problem: one day I was syncing my Android 4.2 with my windows 7 and suddenly a power blackout! It caused me to erase the entire storage of the windows 7, luckily my files on other machine survived - actually a newer version, and my windows 7 is yet to be updated. The update included the deletion of a few files, and when I resume the sync of android 4.2 these corrupted files cannot proceed, while these files can be crossed in further syncing to make Sync work all well these grayed files insisted to be a sore in the eye. Here's what I've tried so far:

 

1. Isolate every machine and delete the .!sync file. At first the !sync files appear here and there randomly and I tried to delete them everytime i encounter one. While there's 6 unfinished tasks on my android, only two of the !sync occurs now (the actual file, I mean, unfinished files on the android interface is still 6). The problem of shutting every machine is that one of them is a remote server and i couldn't operate them all by myself. I once tried to isolate it from my net work for a while, but this is useless, and once the connection resumed it even caused a revert-update! With all these, the !sync still seem to appear, only the frequency declined.

 

2. Trying to locate something like !sync on my android is not easy, infact, even utlizing tools able to reveal hidden files on a rooted machine is effortless. Realizing in android the folder sdcard/ and mnt/sdcard have a peculiar relation you know this is no easy hunting. There seems not anything like a file-list on the android client either. I'd rather wish there is an option other than the 'sync' that i could click to exclude permanently the single file I selected on the android interface, hereby declaring its non-existence.

 

3. And the previous trial has given me an idea to clear out the entire backup on my android terminal. That's exactly what I did, to keep only one pc terminal on with an most up-to-date backup and !sync files seemingly exterminated (double checked). I have deleted the Sync folder on my android, uninstalled and reinstalled the sync, and when the download begins, bingo!, those six broken files appeared AGAIN! It sounds to me that only a 'file-list' stored on third party server could explain all this!

 

Or anything else?

Edited by ancylostomiasis
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