Incomplete backup and unsolicited downloads

📱 Desktop & mobile clients 💻 Desktop
1

I use Nextcloud App Version 2.6.2stable-Win64 (build 20191224) to backup files from my computer (a Windows 10 installation) to an external server. This has worked fine for a couple of months, but recently I keep getting more and more messages telling me that files were downloaded from the server and renamed “… conflicted copy…” - but I never told the app to download anything!

nextcloud_errormsg

Furthermore, there is a subdirectory in my backup directory that the Nextcloud app doesn’t backup at all, a folder that contains my photos from 2020, which I named “2020”.

Any ideas how I can fix this? Do you need any more information to be able to help me? (plus: Is this the correct forum category at all?)

Thanks so much in advance!

The output of your Nextcloud log in Admin > Logging (excerpt):

[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_NEW                client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/imgfiles/macmiller-press-photo-credit-brick-stowell.jpg_itok=n0YY.jpg
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_SYNC               client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/schultheater@djds.de/ACCOUNT_LOG.TXT
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_UPDATE_METADATA    client dir:  WW/Englisch/E_07/MĂĽndliche Schulaufgabe
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_IGNORE             client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-07-09 211729).CFG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_NEW                client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/imgfiles/13711976202270.jpg
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_IGNORE             client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-11-24 232229).CFG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_IGNORE             client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-11-24 001229).CFG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_IGNORE             client file: WW/Englisch_Suppl/Langenscheidt/Internet_Tasks/2011_09-NY/'Easy Breezy' Sheep's Meadow, Central Park, New York City_big.jpg.part
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_IGNORE             client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-06-21 162729).CFG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_IGNORE             client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-08-05 154729).CFG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor 	INSTRUCTION_NEW                client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/imgfiles/98969226e3c269de227e293a797342e232164a0d149ddd0af1b64b2dc895bb5e.png_code=13_1.png

The output of your config.php file in /path/to/nextcloud (make sure you remove any identifiable information!):

[General]
confirmExternalStorage=true
newBigFolderSizeLimit=9000
optionalServerNotifications=true
showInExplorerNavigationPane=true
useNewBigFolderSizeLimit=false
crashReporter=true
monoIcons=false

[Accounts]
version=2
0\url=https://xxxxxxx.your-storageshare.de
0\serverVersion=17.0.2.1
0\webflow_user=Admin
0\authType=webflow
0\user=@Invalid()
0\General\CaCertificates="@ByteArray(-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\xxxxxx
0\Folders\1\localPath=D:/Nextcloud/
0\Folders\1\journalPath=._sync_23837832667a.db
0\Folders\1\targetPath=/
0\Folders\1\paused=false
0\Folders\1\ignoreHiddenFiles=false
0\Folders\1\navigationPaneClsid=@Variant(\0\0\0\x1ep\x9c\0\xc2\xf4\x99K\xab\xa9\xf4v\xe3\xac\x13\xbf\xe6)

[Settings]
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x3\0\0\0\0\x3\xd1\0\0\x1\xc2\0\0\x6\x87\0\0\x3\xc9\0\0\x3\xd2\0\0\x1\xe1\0\0\x6\x86\0\0\x3\xc8\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\x6\x90\0\0\x3\xd2\0\0\x1\xe1\0\0\x6\x86\0\0\x3\xc8)

[Proxy]
type=2

[LogBrowser]
geometry=@ByteArray(\x1\xd9\xd0\xcb\0\x3\0\0\0\0\x2\a\0\0\0\xea\0\0\x4`\0\0\x2\x19\0\0\x2\b\0\0\x1\t\0\0\x4_\0\0\x2\x18\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\x6\x90\0\0\x2\b\0\0\x1\t\0\0\x4_\0\0\x2\x18)
2

Assuming you haven’t updated the nextcloud app then you should be looking at the server backend. If you’re going through a third party provider such as hetzner ask them for assistance.

3

Thanks for taking the time to reply, but Hetzner already said it wasn’t their responsibility, and I should turn to the Nextcloud community …

4

The conflict files are not synced. You can rename them, then they are synced. The problem is, you need to check manually on your system, what the different between the original file and the conflict file is and then modify the original file that it contains the modification you want.

In theory, these files are created when you edit a file, and while you are editing, someone else is changing the file. When you want to save your file, it detects that the file has been changed in between (the then original file) and your modified version is the conflict file.
I wrote “in theory”, because I have seen conflict files for file that haven’t been touched in months. In this case, the files are identical (you can easily check via checksums) and you can remove the conflict file (no sure if a process changes the modification date or something).

For you 2020-folder there are no logs.

1 Like
5

Thanks for your reply.
Well - what confuses me is the fact that the conflicted files cannot come from anywhere else but the nextcloud installation. I don’t work in a network, I work at a stand-alone PC, nobody changes my files but myself.

Thanks for pointing out that there are no entries referring to the 2020-folder in the excerpt from the log that I posted. Here are a few:

´´´

[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Activity/Notification/Error successfully dismissed: “Konflikt: Serverversion heruntergeladen, lokale Kopie umbenannt und nicht hochgeladen.”
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Trying to remove Activity/Notification/Error from view…
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Activity/Notification/Error successfully removed from the list.
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Updating Activity/Notification/Error view.
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Activity/Notification/Error successfully dismissed: “Zeitüberschreitung bei der Verbindung”
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Trying to remove Activity/Notification/Error from view…
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Activity/Notification/Error successfully removed from the list.
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Updating Activity/Notification/Error view.
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Activity/Notification/Error successfully dismissed: “Zeitüberschreitung bei der Verbindung”
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Trying to remove Activity/Notification/Error from view…
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Activity/Notification/Error successfully removed from the list.
[OCC::ActivityListModel::removeActivityFromActivityList Updating Activity/Notification/Error view.
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/MINT-freundlicheSchule/CaptureOne/Settings130/DSCF1629.JPG.cos
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/imgfiles/Judith_Visual_600.png
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/Vortrag_Landwirtschaft/CaptureOne/Cache/Proxies/DSCF1577.JPG.cof
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2019/2019_12/Photos/IMG_20191206_234023.jpg
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2019/2019_12/Weihnachtswanderung2019/IMG_20191224_103310.jpg

´´´
and some more here:

´´´

[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/Vortrag_Landwirtschaft/CaptureOne/Settings130/DSCF1556.JPG.cos
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/djd-fotos/historisch/gerhardinger+wittmann2.psd
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/Frankfurt_VanGogh/Huawei/IMG_20200103_115939.jpg
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/MINT-freundlicheSchule/CaptureOne/Cache/Proxies/DSCF1636.JPG.cop
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/MINT-freundlicheSchule/CaptureOne/Settings130/DSCF1632.JPG.cos
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/MINT-freundlicheSchule/DSCF1628.JPG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/Frankfurt_VanGogh/DSCF1485.JPG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/webdown/Christmas-Bundle-hand-dawn-elements/BONUS/letter for Santa.jpg
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_IGNORE client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-07-22 211229).CFG
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_NEW client file: pix/2020/2020_01/Vortrag_Landwirtschaft/CaptureOne/Cache/Thumbnails/_DSCF1575_ref+jehl.jpg.[2b198cce-0703-4ac6-9c35-f66682c1086a].cot
[_csync_merge_algorithm_visitor INSTRUCTION_IGNORE client file: X/Bat_Sicherung/Datensicherung_Auto/Events (conflicted copy 2019-06-20 123729).CFG

´´´

So - to me it looks as if files in the 2020 folder were synchronized - but they aren’t. Here is a screenshot of my folder tree in the desktop app: The pictures folder - named “pix” - contains “2019” as its first subdirectory, but there is no “2020”.

nextcloud_desktop-app

6

As I said, I have seen problems with files that haven’t been changed for a long time. So it’s possible that there is a bug somewhere. But in my case it is/was hard to spot (rare occasions that are difficult to track down). If you can easily reproduce this and have all logs, that could be interesting for a bug report.

For the directory, what’s a bit strange that you have a timeout. I’d rather rename directly in the web interface or webdav. With the sync client you always have a local copy, so the client tries to detect the changes and tries to reproduce them on the server if there are no other changes to the same files. So there is a step more that could fail, so I prefer to do this directly and let the sync-client propagate the changes (in doubt, the server is the master).

Here is a bug report that could be a bit similar to your errors:

7

I waited a good long time after following your advice:

I’d rather rename directly in the web interface or webdav. With the sync client you always have a local copy, so the client tries to detect the changes and tries to reproduce them on the server if there are no other changes to the same files. So there is a step more that could fail, so I prefer to do this directly and let the sync-client propagate the changes (in doubt, the server is the master).

So right after reading this, I created a directory for my new pictures online at my provider’s server (2020), with a subdirectory for January (2020_01). The Nextcloud desktop app detected these directories right away, but even now, three weeks later, it hasn’t managed to backup a single file from those directories.

I don’t know what else I can do. I’ll probably backup my files manually to the Hetzner server - but that’s not what Nextcloud is for, is it? It’s supposed to save me the bother of having to backup manually … Oh dear.

8

The problem has disappeared. I don’t know why. After several weeks, Nextcloud recognized the new folder.

9

Just as a side note, any sync software shouldn’t replace a proper backup. If something gets deleted, it will be synced to your “backup”.

1 Like