Syncs always fail

DEVONthink To Go
1

tl;dr I’m trying to sync my databases between one MacBook and one copy of DTTG on an iPhone 12 Pro. It’s not working, and I’m trying to figure out the best path to get it working.

With the exception of some very brief successes, sync to DTTG has almost never worked since I started using DEVONthink in October 2020.

Originally, everything was syncing smoothly using iCloud, but it stopped working reliably after a few months (some files synced, but not others), then stopped altogether, and I gave up on getting it going again.

So, I started using Dropbox, and all was well for a little while, but then it began failing, as well. Files would sync from my iPhone to Dropbox and then to my MacBook, but never the reverse.

I added in Bonjour, which synced correctly once, then never again.

Currently, I have only Dropbox set up, and DEVONthink on my MacBook syncs to Dropbox without issues, but DTTG never completes a sync. I have three databases: two with only a handful of files (<100 each), and one with ~36,000 items totaling about 20 GB. DTTG can sync the first two with no problems, but the big one always hangs. If I wait 20+ minutes, DTTG will get through the first 1,200 or sometimes 1,300 items, stalling for several minutes at a time along the way, and then it will just stop syncing entirely with no explanation.

ETA: I have plenty of storage available on the phone (200+ GB) and in Dropbox (> 1 TB).

Can someone please advise what to do? Should I just uninstall DTTG and start over? Or is there a better way?

2

As you haven’t mentioned it, I will. Perhaps go through the Troubleshooting steps for Sync which are listed in the DEVONthink Manual, page 188 of the 3.9.2 Version, and also in “Help”.

Failing that, then perhaps start again. Clean the sync location(s) and exactly re-follow the instructions on page 61 exactly. “Cleaning” deletes the sync files on Dropbox.

My hunch is that there is corruption in the databases and/or sync locations. Just a hunch. There is surely no need to re-install DEVONthink ToGo. Cleaning, verifying, and maybe re-building databases may help.

3

I had exactly the same problem for a long time with the bonjour sync. I think the root of the problem is within the iOS itself, according to the developers of DT. It kills DTT when it thinks it is consuming too much resource. That seems to stop the syncing of DTTG.

  • For me, the problem so far is solved using Dropbox sync (it has been only a couple of months since I moved to Dropbox). Yes, I was able to have a successful sync after I removed everything and started over from zero. And, don’t forget, when you start to sync, you should early on decide if you want your files download automatically (all of them) or on demand. That was another pain for me. I left it on “demand” (the default) and turning on to “automatic” was not possible (greyed out).

I really wish you good luck. I know the pain and frustration of a failing sync.

1 Like
4

As has been reported many times, the first thing you should look at is…

  • What is reported in DEVONthink’s Window > Log?
  • Is there a triangle on the sync icon in DEVONthink To Go’s bottom toolbar? If so, tap it. What is reported?
5

Hi @BLUEFROG. I should have mentioned that; sorry.

Nothing ever appears in the log in DEVONthink related to syncing, except maybe the occasional “3 items left to be uploaded” or similar if the computer went to sleep mid-sync for some reason. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen any kind of sync-related error there.

There’s not a triangle on the sync icon in DTTG. If I tap and hold the sync icon after a sync fails, I get the message “No synchronization in progress.” Tapping without holding restarts the sync, which, again, will get to 1,200 or so items and then just stop without explanation or error.

6

Thanks, @rmschne. I’ve tried following those steps. Both the location and the large database successfully verified. I cleaned them a couple of times, most recently about three weeks ago, in hopes that would solve the problem, but nothing has changed. I’ll probably try it again.

I also rebuilt the database a few months ago, but that didn’t change anything, either.

7

Not sure how to clean more than once as once cleaned, cleaned (gone). :wink:

Reduce the number of variables. I’d suggest first get Bonjour working, say with one database, then add more as success is achieved. It’s the simplest, quickest, and most reliable. Does not involve having any files in any sync locations or any cleaning required. Maybe a fresh start with DEVONthink to Go reinstalled on your iOS device(s) will allow that fresh start. Follow instructions from the DEVONthink Manual, supplemented by Bonjour Simplified.

As is clearly documented and mentioned here, Apple’s iCloud unreliable for some (many?). And from reports here and on other app/developer forums it’s getting worse over time, so I guess you are experiencing that. Apple provides no “knobs” to turn to enable people to kick it into action or debug issues.

8

Not sure how to clean more than once as once cleaned, cleaned (gone). :wink:

Sorry; I was unclear. I cleaned the location and database in the past, but my Mac then synced to Dropbox again. My iPhone never downloaded again, but the location obviously wasn’t clean anymore.

Reduce the number of variables. I’d suggest first get Bonjour working, say with one database, then add more as success is achieved. It’s the simplest, quickest, and most reliable.

That’s what I’m trying to do (get any location working). But even when I tried to use Bonjour and only Bonjour, my phone never synced fully after the first time (which took a couple of days). Currently, I can’t even find my MacBook as a Bonjour sync location on my iPhone.

Maybe a fresh start with DEVONthink to Go reinstalled on your iOS device(s) will allow that fresh start.

That’s probably my next step.

As is clearly documented and mentioned here, Apple’s iCloud unreliable for some (many?).

Yeah, the unreliability was why I started trying to use Dropbox rather than iCloud. But, again, none of the methods I have been able to try—iCloud, Dropbox, or Bonjour—have ever worked for long, and none are working at all now.

9

Something going on with your network, or perhaps Bonjour is turned ‘on’ on the iPhone.

Impossible to debug from here with the info provided.

10

The problem with Bonjour not being an option on DTTG turned out to be something with my main WiFi router misbehaving yesterday, causing my phone to have problems with that network more generally.

I think I’ve gotten Bonjour working, finally. I gave up on fixing things as they were and took the following steps:

  • Cleaned the Dropbox location and then removed it entirely from both devices, just in case.
  • Removed DTTG from my phone.
  • Reinstalled DTTG.
  • Set up Bonjour sync on the phone.
  • Waited for it to complete. This took about 2 hours for the initial run through the items, but then about 2.5 hours for some sort of second pass. I’m not entirely clear what the second pass was for; possibly it was downloading files not actually transferred during the first pass for some reason?

So, Bonjour appears to be working at the moment, which is something.

Trying to set up Dropbox now (using a new sync location with a different name from the one that had been failing), as I really need to be able to sync from time to time when I don’t have both devices with me.

11

Well done.

Indeed, I suspected network, and not DEVONthink or DEVONthink ToGo. Fixing the network was the one thing you did that made a difference, I suspect.

Yes, first sync will take as long as it takes (based on your settings which control how much to synch…up to you). Subsequent syncs, of course, quicker assuming less has to be synced.

Can’t see why Dropbox won’t work for you assuming your network to Dropbox’s servers is performant. Just follow the instructions exactly.

No need to turn off Bonjour once you get Dropbox syncing going. Keep both active and each will work if there is a network connection.

12

Can’t see why Dropbox won’t work for you assuming your network to Dropbox’s servers is performant. Just follow the instructions exactly .

Here’s hoping. I’ve been very careful with the instructions in all my previous attempts to get sync working. The network issue yesterday was random and new; basically, my phone was getting kicked off that network silently, which hasn’t been a thing in the past.

I think something was broken with my installation of DTTG. Nuking it was the one step I hadn’t tried previously.

13

Update: I have both Bonjour and Dropbox working, finally.

Previously, I did go through the steps and suggestions in the manual carefully many times. The only step I hadn’t taken before was completely uninstalling and reinstalling DTTG. I was hesitant to do that because I didn’t want to lose any data that hadn’t synced from my phone to my laptop—and I’m still not sure I didn’t—but that was the one thing that seemed to matter.

Thanks for the help, @rmschne and @BLUEFROG!

1 Like
14

You’re welcome!
Also, we are working on the next maintenance release of both apps and the Bonjour sync feels much improved speed-wise, in my testing here.

1 Like