User storage quota is unreliable and blocks users from using Nextcloud?

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The Basics

  • Nextcloud Server version (e.g., 29.x.x):
    • 29.0.16
  • Operating system and version (e.g., Ubuntu 24.04):
    • Alma Linux 8.10
  • Web server and version (e.g, Apache 2.4.25):
    • Apache 2.4.37
  • Reverse proxy and version _(e.g. nginx 1.27.2)
    • N/A
  • PHP version (e.g, 8.3):
    • 8.1.32
  • Is this the first time you’ve seen this error? (Yes / No):
    • Yes
  • When did this problem seem to first start?
    • Within the last week - no one had breached their quota since then.
  • Installation method (e.g. AlO, NCP, Bare Metal/Archive, etc.)
    • Bare metal
  • Are you using CloudfIare, mod_security, or similar? (Yes / No)
    • No

Summary of the issue you are facing:

Users are unable to upload any files - even users who have not uploaded files in the past, with the error “You have used your space quota and cannot upload files anymore”.

This includes users who have deleted files to make room for their quota, and even emptied their trash, but also users who have… never reached their quota, and rarely upload files at all. It’s like a disease that spread to other users, it makes no sense! One user has “37.3 MB of 30 GB used”, and gets that error. Even setting the user to “unlimited” for his quota hasn’t helped, and we are not anywhere near full disk usage. :confused:

Steps to replicate it (hint: details matter!):

  1. Try to click and drag a file into Nextcloud

Log entries

Configuration

Nextcloud

The output of occ config:list system or similar is best, but, if not possible, the contents of your config.php file from /path/to/nextcloud is fine (make sure to remove any identifiable information!):

# sudo -u apache php occ config:list system
{
    "system": {
        "instanceid": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "overwrite.cli.url": "https:\/\/nextcloud.example.com\/",
        "htaccess.RewriteBase": "\/",
        "passwordsalt": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "secret": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "trusted_domains": [
            "nextcloud.example.com"
        ],
        "datadirectory": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbtype": "mysql",
        "version": "29.0.16.1",
        "dbname": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbhost": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbport": "",
        "dbtableprefix": "oc_",
        "mysql.utf8mb4": true,
        "dbuser": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbpassword": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "installed": true,
        "memcache.local": "\\OC\\Memcache\\APCu",
        "ldapIgnoreNamingRules": false,
        "ldapProviderFactory": "OCA\\User_LDAP\\LDAPProviderFactory",
        "mail_from_address": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtpmode": "smtp",
        "mail_sendmailmode": "smtp",
        "mail_domain": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtphost": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtpport": "25",
        "mail_smtpdebug": true,
        "maintenance": false,
        "theme": "",
        "loglevel": 1,
        "updater.release.channel": "stable",
        "default_phone_region": "US",
        "data-fingerprint": "40522d370be4e187da9c5a9eb6d45024",
        "app_install_overwrite": [
            "talk_simple_poll"
        ],
        "onlyoffice": {
            "verify_peer_off": true,
            "jwt_secret": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
            "jwt_header": "Authorization"
        },
        "mail_smtpstreamoptions": {
            "ssl": {
                "allow_self_signed": true,
                "verify_peer": false,
                "verify_peer_name": false
            }
        }
    }
}

Apps

The output of occ app:list (if possible).

# sudo -u apache php occ app:list
Enabled:
  - activity: 2.21.1
  - admin_audit: 1.19.0
  - appointments: 2.4.4
  - bruteforcesettings: 2.9.0
  - calendar: 4.7.17
  - circles: 29.0.0-dev
  - cloud_federation_api: 1.12.0
  - comments: 1.19.0
  - contacts: 6.0.4
  - contactsinteraction: 1.10.0
  - dashboard: 7.9.0
  - dav: 1.30.1
  - federatedfilesharing: 1.19.0
  - federation: 1.19.0
  - files: 2.1.1
  - files_automatedtagging: 1.19.0
  - files_downloadlimit: 2.0.0
  - files_external: 1.21.0
  - files_pdfviewer: 2.10.0
  - files_reminders: 1.2.0
  - files_retention: 1.18.1
  - files_sharing: 1.21.0
  - files_trashbin: 1.19.0
  - files_versions: 1.22.0
  - firstrunwizard: 2.18.0
  - forms: 4.3.12
  - groupfolders: 17.0.10
  - impersonate: 1.16.0
  - logreader: 2.14.0
  - lookup_server_connector: 1.17.0
  - nextcloud_announcements: 1.18.0
  - notes: 4.12.0
  - notifications: 2.17.0
  - oauth2: 1.17.1
  - onlyoffice: 9.8.0
  - otpmanager: 0.5.4
  - password_policy: 1.19.0
  - photos: 2.5.0
  - privacy: 1.13.0
  - provisioning_api: 1.19.0
  - recommendations: 2.1.0
  - related_resources: 1.4.0
  - secrets: 2.1.2
  - serverinfo: 1.19.0
  - settings: 1.12.0
  - sharebymail: 1.19.0
  - support: 1.12.0
  - survey_client: 1.17.0
  - systemtags: 1.19.0
  - tasks: 0.16.1
  - text: 3.10.1
  - theming: 2.4.0
  - twofactor_backupcodes: 1.18.0
  - twofactor_email: 2.8.0
  - twofactor_totp: 11.0.0-dev
  - updatenotification: 1.19.1
  - user_ldap: 1.20.0
  - user_status: 1.9.0
  - viewer: 2.3.0
  - weather_status: 1.9.0
  - workflowengine: 2.11.0
Disabled:
  - encryption: 2.17.0
  - external: 5.3.1 (installed 5.3.1)
  - files_fulltextsearch: 28.0.2 (installed 28.0.2)
  - files_fulltextsearch_tesseract: 27.0.1 (installed 27.0.1)
  - files_rightclick: 0.15.1 (installed 1.6.0)
  - mail: 3.7.22 (installed 3.7.22)
  - officeonline: 3.0.1 (installed 3.0.1)
  - spreed: 18.0.14 (installed 18.0.14)
  - suspicious_login: 7.0.0
  - talk_simple_poll: 1.3.1 (installed 1.3.1)

Your Nextcloud log should have entries like "Insufficient space in [...]". Can you include them?

Also, are any of the following factors in these situations?

  • Group folders
  • Shared destination folders
  • Shared External Storage

There are almost certainly some shared folders. We are not using Group Folders (anymore), nor are we using any external storages on this particular Nextcloud instance.

My Nextcloud logs (data/nextcloud.log, correct?) do not appear to have that phrase anywhere in them. I’ve searched with grep as well as using the less command. :confused: