Trouble syncing to local syncstore (on a FileTransporter)

I typically use dropbox to share my DB across machines at work and a laptop at home. Has worked well for at least a couple of years.

Today I tried doing the new Sync feature within DTP Office, ran a new sync of my main database (1.2GB) to a new Local Sync Store which lives on my file transporter drive. It worked fine. Later in the afternoon, I tried to do a manual sync again to the same sync store and it failed immediately with this message:

You don’t have permission to save the file “6EA5939A-F1E3-447A-B7B3-1CF6590EED44.lockfile” in the folder “devondb2.dtSyncStore”. (The operation couldn’t be completed. Permission denied)

I’m guessing that my user credentials aren’t sufficient to modify the file but I don’t know why that’s the case…maybe something to do with how file transporter works?

I get this message often. I sync against a NAS which is sometimes there and sometimes not, regarding whether I’m connected to the proper network. Also sometimes the Mac mounts the network drive in another mount point and Devonthink cannot find it. All problems with the drive result in the same error message you mentioned, which obviously isn’t very helpful.

I do the following, if the error appears:

  1. Restart Devonthink. Most of the time it works after that.
  2. Go into the sync setting and edit the location. You get a small window with the path to the sync store. If you do not see drive icons and folder icons but white leaves, the location points to a non existant sync store. Mount the sync store to the correct mount point or edit the location to reflect the current mount point.

Hope that helps.

I’m just curious. Why do you not just sync to Dropbox directly. This is not a problem you’ll encounter if you do.

Because I don’t want to store my private data in a cloud in the United States. Especially not regarding the current Prism/Tempora affair.

Interesting. I’m not totally familiar with that (I’m Canadian) but am familiar I believe with the I think its NSA access to records stuff which is causing a lot of consternation from what I can see on twitter. What you’re referencing - does it relate to that.

So is Dropbox records available for disclosure. I thought that this was not allowed and that privacy was fully assured. As a Canadian, I would guess my records would be just as prone to access as anyone’s as I assume but don’t know where the Dropbox servers reside.

Regardless, i don’t worry about such things. I kind of trust that the data is secure and safe as they say it is and even if it weren’t I still don’t worry about these kinds of things.

Regardless, I’m not sure then how you use Dropbox in your DEVONthink sync scenario. I can assure you though if you just sync’d via Dropbox what you’re describing as problems wouldn’t exist. From an operational point of view, you’d reduce your overhead dramatically and plus also from an admin point of view. It’s just simpler.

It’s not only the NSA. Great Britain seems to keep all internet and telephone traffic for three days, metadata for four weeks. And now guess where my Dropbox data has to go through when it’s travelling from Germany to the States: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlan … ions_cable

So I’m shutting down my used oversea services and going to services hosted in my flat or in Germany. DEVONthink is one milestone in this strategy and the use of a VPN connection to connect to my home and a sync store stored also in my home on a dedicated NAS and not in Dropbox seems to be very easy way to achieve this.

I see. I understand. I didn’t know the going on in the UK either actually. Definitely food for thought.

I take it you live in Germany. It is the one thing about the internet. Where’s all this stuff passing through and being hosted.

So now I understand what you’re doing.

For myself personally, these things don’t worry me. However, I can understand your concern. I have a friend who feels the same way.

I guess I won’t talk about where everything is headed as if I think about it there is that George Orwell’s Big Brother aspect to it.

I wish I could help you with your sync problems though as outlined but I never tested that scenario. That one has to go to the engineer as sync is very complex and DEVONthink is new at the server/cloud level. Even in the manner I use it, which is much more straightforward than what you’re doing, I’m not happy with sync as implemented. A few adjustments and many problems can be rectified such as sync conflicts. Add in IOS and DTTG and it’s method of sync and well it’s …

Sync really feels rushed. For example this “10% of content has changed”. Yes. And what content items? Show me what will be altered if I sync! And one time I had a sync conflict and it asked me to solve it either with using the local content or the content of the sync store, but it did not tell me what sync conflict it was!

But, for now, it seems to work. At least :wink:.