Repeated The operation couldn’t be completed. (NSURLErrorDomain error -1001.) Timeout. (NSURLErrorDomain -1001)

[TJLuoma]

I am syncing to iCloud (CloudKit) and Dropbox.

I do not have many items in my DT databases (probably fewer than 10 items each so far) and have a reliable Internet connection. This computer is wired to the router via Ethernet.

I just saw this:

The error is the same every time. The first one was:

12:27:03 PM: The operation couldn’t be completed. (NSURLErrorDomain error -1001.) Timeout. (NSURLErrorDomain -1001) 

The error repeated:

12:33:09, 12:39:17, 12:45:22, 1:04:37, 1:10:43, 1:16:50, 1:22:56, 1:29:04, 1:42:37, 1:53:03, 2:05:16, 2:11:22, 2:17:29, 2:23:36, 2:29:44, 2:35:51, 2:41:59, 2:48:06, 2:54:14, 3:00:20, 3:06:28, 3:12:35, 3:18:43, 3:24:49, 3:30:57, 3:37:04, 3:43:12, 3:49:19, 3:55:27, 4:01:34, 4:07:43, 4:13:50, 4:19:58, 4:26:05, 4:32:14, 4:38:21, 4:44:28 [last one before I started writing this]

I found an old thread about it from 2020 but the last message was that it should be fixed in the next release (there were 70+ messages, so I admit that I skipped to the end).

It would be nice to know if these were Dropbox errors or iCloud errors, at the very least. It seemed from the previous thread that it was probably Dropbox. I may turn off Dropbox and see if the errors go away.

Any other suggestions to debug?

[BLUEFROG]

You’re not signing all the same databases to both locations are you?

Also, open ~/Library/Application support/DEVONthink 3/Cloudy folder and open the sync log. Does it show what service is returning the timeout?

[cgrunenberg]

A temporary issue of the Dropbox sync location, the next release should finally fix this.

[TJLuoma]

@BLUEFROG

You’re not signing all the same databases to both locations are you?

On my MacBook Air, I am only syncing via CloudKit.

On my Mac mini, I had it syncing via CloudKit and Dropbox. I used Smart Sync in Dropbox to not download the destination folder.

Given that Dropbox has a much better website for restoring accidentally deleted files, I thought it might come in handy.

I figured it was essentially a real-time, off-site backup.

Is that a bad idea? There didn’t seem to be anything to suggest that when I set it up, but if it is, I’ll just disable to Dropbox part.

[BLUEFROG]

@TJLuoma

On my MacBook Air, I am only syncing via CloudKit.

On my Mac mini, I had it syncing via CloudKit and Dropbox. I used Smart Sync in Dropbox to not download the destination folder.

Which machine were you getting the -1001 errors on? I’m guessing only the Mini.

I figured it was essentially a real-time, off-site backup.

Sync is ​not ​a backup, neither advertised nor advocated as such. We strongly advocate proper primary backups using TimeMachine (or similar snapshot-style backup applications) and external drives or an online backup, e.g., Arq that supports snapshot-style backups.

Is that a bad idea? There didn’t seem to be anything to suggest that when I set it up, but if it is, I’ll just disable to Dropbox part.

It’s supported to use both types of sync locations. However, you shouldn’t sync the same database to multiple cloud service sync locations, e.g., Dropbox and iCloud.

I used Smart Sync in Dropbox to not download the destination folder.

You can also disable syncing the Apps/DEVONthink Packet Sync folder in the Dropbox application’s Preferences > Sync > Choose folders to sync.

From the Help > Documentation > In & Out > Sync > Dropbox subsection…

[TJLuoma]

@BLUEFROG

Sync is ​not ​a backup, neither advertised nor advocated as such. We strongly advocate proper primary backups using TimeMachine (or similar snapshot-style backup applications) and external drives or an online backup, e.g., Arq that supports snapshot-style backups.

I understand the difference between sync and backup. I have Time Machine (local drive), Arq (network drive), Carbon Copy Cloner (nightly full), and Backblaze running on this machine.

That being said, none of them back up constantly.

What I mean is that if I need to recover something from ~5 minutes ago, chances are that none of those backup systems are going to have the file that I need.

I can recover a file from 5 minutes ago via Dropbox. Dropbox syncs constantly, and I can go back to any version of a file that was modified within the past 30 days.

So, yes, while I agree and understand that “sync is not backup” (just like RAID is not backup), Dropbox’s “Versions” serve the same effective function as Time Machine backups, and they are constantly updated, with a 30-day history.

However…that being said, Dropbox’s “versions” are for individual files, not folders, so it does not support the “snapshot” backups that you are recommending. So in the instance of DT, Dropbox’s versions are unlikely to help me ‘undo’ a recent mistake, which means that I will just disable it.

(Yes, those errors were just on the Mac Mini.)

[BLUEFROG]

Dropbox’s versioning could (in giant air quotes as I don’t use it) be used if one were indexing files in a local Dropbox folder. But for sync, you are correct, they aren’t of use. (And restoring transactional sync data, while technically likely possible, sounds like a recipe for sync warnings!)