Why does Sync fail on files with Resource Forks?


SirKronos

Recommended Posts

I'm on macOS Mojave and I can't use Resilio Sync to sync any files (photos or other) that contain resource forks. What's worse is that Resilio fails silently. It doesn't alert me to the fact that it failed to sync these files, so data loss is a real risk.

Also, because Resilio has silently choked on those files, it refuses to sync any new files without resource forks and new folders that I add to the synced folder. But it's not alerting me to this. As long as there are some files with resource forks in the synced folder, the newly added files and folders just never appear on the other computers.

I almost lost a lot of data because of this bug/behaviour. The other day I noticed that a bunch of my photo folders were empty. These were photos that I hadn't looked at in half a year. It turns out that Resilio never synced them to my main desktop because they contained resource forks. 

I was only able to restore them from Time Machine snapshot dating back to June 2019. And that snapshot was due to be culled because I was running out of space on my external drive.

So, three questions:

1) Why does Resilio Sync Pro choke on and fail to sync files containing resource forks?

2) Why doesn't Resilio alert me, loudly and clearly, that there has been a sync failure?

2) Why isn't Resilio Sync syncing and new files and folders that I add even though they don't contain resource forks?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Andy+ said:

What are resource forks for you? Doe you have any examples?

I've got lots of old text files (.txt, SimpleText, RTF) as well as JPGs that contain resource forks. I'm not sure what data is stored in the resource forks (maybe thumbnails) or whether it's important. Unfortunately, there seems no easy way to remove resource forks easily in big batches. There used to be a contextual menu item you could install called GrimRipper but it no longer seems to work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Daria said:

@SirKronos please install the below custom build on all MacOS peers:
http://internal.resilio.com/support/debug/sync/2.6.10073/Resilio-Sync.dmg

It has a fix for xattr 

Daria,

Thank you. That seems to have fixed the syncing issue.

However, I'm very concerned and alarmed about the inability of Resilio Sync to alert me to the fact that it was unable to sync the items. There needs to be a flashing icon or alert of some kind. Sync status was stuck at 99% and any new folders or files that were added would not actually sync, so data loss becomes possible. I almost lost several gigabytes of very important family photos, even with multiple backs. And yet, Resilio Sync Pro behaved as if nothing was amiss.

Why doesn't Resilio do some sort of diff comparison of synced folders across devices and then alert you if there is a discrepancy? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a few key signs to look out for. You have the values and information parameters size, local size, files, local files and status. You also have to take into account that the peers, remote or local, also store ignore patterns. Then deviations can also occur.

Otherwise, the information should be the same locally and globally.

If the percentages do not go away, it indicates difficulties in compensating for differences. Then you should correct the permissions etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@SirKronosThere were no alert since Sync was working on syncing those ResourceFork items. Sync stuck on 99%  since extended attributes (which ResourceFork is) were different on source and destination peer - whenever such difference occurs, synchronization happens again and again until the match.

Andy is right here: 99% in Status was a warning sign. Really sorry for the caused troubles!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Daria,

If you regularly open Sync to check the sync percentage indicator, then yes, that's one way to be alerted to syncing problems. Except that requires users to frequently open the app and actively look at the status of their synced folders. I suspect for the majority of users, Resilio Sync is used as set and forget (similar to Dropbox).

I would much prefer if the menu bar icon would display the sync percentage in a dropdown menu and, more importantly, flash an alert if a synced folder was stuck at 99% for literally weeks and even months.

The protection of a user's data should be paramount when it comes to syncing software. This resource fork syncing bug has been in the past two official releases for months and months. How many current users are experiencing this bug with incomplete syncing and are not aware of it? Considering the potential for data loss, why hasn't the bug fix been released officially instead of being only available as an internal build if a user posts in the support forum?

I don't know if you're in contact with the dev team, but if you can, please pass on these concerns.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/2/2020 at 2:46 AM, luomat said:

Looking at the change log  and the forum posts for the last three releases:

2.6.4.1344 - December 27, 2019 - contains literally one fix

2.6.3.1340 - January 14, 2019 - 4 lines in the changelog

2.6.2.1330 - November 22, 2018  - 10 lines, a reasonable release

So we had two releases in all of 2019, and one of them was literally just a single issue security fix.

We went through all of 2019 without a significant release. It's not unreasonable to hope for something more if you want us to believe the app has not been abandoned. As for Frank's complaints about apps that update "too often", well that hardly seems relevant.

Maybe there's a huge 3.0 waiting in the wings… but if that's the case, I hope a beta will be coming out soon.

 

Doe you have any information about regular updates, which consider all the bugs? Or information about next update before end of the year?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Andy+ Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with any backstage details regarding the release for now. One thing is certain - the team is working hard on it. All important info should be included in change log and covered in the dedicated topic as usual, when the release comes out. 
Sync is not abandoned, all encountered issues are being actively addressed.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would recommend several intermediate steps. All measures that are implemented must also be tested in detail and may have an impact on different functions. In addition, the trust of the community would increase again if there was an update every month or like that. Small and many steps with security are better than a big one, which contains not so much security.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

1. What is the purported size limit for Mac resource forks to be synchronized? Resilio Sync does not sync even custom file/folder icons (which are stored on the resource fork), let alone legacy Mac fonts. I wonder what use case of resource fork sync is supported then.

2. Can that limit be risen? (to infinity would be a good number)

Edited by elmimmo
Typo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.