1Password not syncing between Macs (Dropbox, Mavericks)

geezjan

I have four PCs running 1Password: My primary PC which is an iMac, and then a MacBook Pro, an older iMac, and a Windows PC. All are synced via Dropbox. Today I made a change to some software license entries in 1Password on my primary iMac. The changes were not synced to the other two Macs. They were synced to the Windows PC, however.

Right now I can go to the 1Password preferences on my primary iMac under "Sync" and see that it was last synced 49 minutes ago--about when I made the change. The MacBook Pro shows last synced 14 hours ago, and my older iMac shows last synced 2 days ago--about the times I last logged into each of those Macs. I see no way to force a sync, and I don't understand why it's not syncing automatically. It looks like on the other Macs it's syncing when I login and then never again. Dropbox is working--other files and folders being shared are updating as expected.

Has anyone else seen this? What's going on? I thought syncing was supposed to be automatic and real-time.

Mac OS X 10.9
Windows 7 SP1
Dropbox 2.4.4 (Mac and Windows)
1Password for Mac 4.0.3 (402003) (up to date from the Mac App Store)
1Password for Windows 1.0.9.338

Stephen_C

I don't think wifi sync works as between Macs (as opposed to between OS X and iOS devices). For an alternative see this thread.

Stephen

thightower

@geezjan

I thought syncing was supposed to be automatic and real-time.

It is.

Please make sure Dropbox is running on all Machines as a start. Sounds by your post it is. I would also open 1Password and make sure the sync setting are still populated. From there Try adding a secure note for example and see if it syncs.

Doubly make sure all machines are using the same data path in sync settings.

geezjan

All checked. Dropbox running on all machines--set to run on login. Dropbox syncing set up as described here. Identical data path in all instances.

I created a Secure Note and observed the same behavior. It was not synced automatically. I can log out and log back in on the MacBook Pro and 1Password will pick up the new data. It appears to be syncing only on startup, not in real-time.

kirbysdl

I'm having the same issue.

Dropbox v2.4.4
1Password 4.0.3 (402003)
OS X 10.9

I've created a software entry and a server entry, and modified a secure note. Nothing's seen by Dropbox (these changes don't appear under "recently changed files") and they aren't propagated to other computers or iOS devices. Restarting Dropbox and 1Password doesn't trigger syncing either. Please help!

kirbysdl

Just to be clear, this is not (exactly) the same as the issue mentioned in http://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/16959/mac-app-store-version-with-dropbox-does-not-sync-instantly#latest

Instead, locally-created and locally-modified entries are not getting propagated through Dropbox. In fact, sorting my agilekeychain entries by date (in Finder or ls -alt) shows no recent changes at all. I've definitely made changes and additions within the last two days, but the newest file is dated 5 days ago. It makes me wonder where my local 1PW is storing my new entries to begin with, if not there.

igal27

I'm having the same problem. I sent 2 e-mails to Agilebits support (with a diagnostic report) about this -- the first on Oct. 12th and the second yesterday, but other than a "robot" response immediately after the first e-mail telling me that they're busy and they'd get back to me, I haven't heard a thing -- which is why I'm posting here now what I sent a few weeks ago -- Agilebits: please respond, this is a very serious problem!!!

Description of the problem:

A long-time user of 1P (on several Macs, Windows PC, iPhone and iPad), I upgraded from 1P 3 to 1P 4 (Mac version on Mavericks, one at work on an iMac and two at home on MacBook Pros, as well as the most recent Windows version on a Windows PC at work -- I'm also running 1P 4 on the iPhone and iPad -- the latest version of 1P on the latest version of iOS 7).

I didn't have any trouble transferring over my 1P 3 keychain, as I was previously syncing with Dropbox and just updated the sync options in 1P to Dropbox instead of iCloud. Both at work and at home, all my previous passwords loaded properly.

I noticed, however, that items I had modified on my work computer and on my iPhone were NOT updated on my MacBooks, nor was the master password (which I had modified on my work computer and which got properly updated on my iPhone).

I added a "test" login on my iPhone and made sure it synced with Dropbox, but these changes were not reflected in 1P on the MacBooks (both were using the same WiFi network). Similarly, when I made a change on one of the MacBooks (adding another test login) and looked under Sync in the Mac 1P preferences, it told me that it had "Last synced" with Dropbox 11 seconds ago. However, when I looked in my Dropbox folder, it showed me a last modified date of the keychain file of about a week ago, and none of the changes were reflected in my iPhone or in my work computers. I DID see the change in the other MacBook though.

I tried saving/syncing some other items in Dropbox (from other apps) and everything there works fine -- any changes in either the iPhone or any of the Macs or Windows PC are immediately reflected elsewhere.

Now, I just checked again, and I'm having trouble syncing my iPhone to Dropbox. It tries and tries to sync, and at the end tells me that there was a problem with Sync and that I should tap to fix, where it asks me to merge the contents of the phone with dropbox. I did that, and it just keeps trying and trying and doesn't manage to do anything.

This is causing a SERIOUS problem to my workflow -- I don't know any more which passwords are up to date and which not, as I'm updating some from home and some from work -- and they don't sync. I'm also very surprised that I haven't heard back from Agilebits support in over two weeks since I wrote to them with my problem and a diagnostic report. I realize they're busy with the new version release, but this is overdoing it... I hope someone from Agilebits is reading this and can respond, as this is causing me serious problems!

kirbysdl

Bump. Can we please get some developer feedback on this issue?

geezjan

It has been covered here:

http://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/16959/mac-app-store-version-with-dropbox-does-not-sync-instantly

kirbysdl

No, as I stated explicitly in post #6 on this thread, the issue we're seeing is not entirely covered by that announcement. From the announcement post:

A change that was made on a separate device will not show up in 1Password 4 until an explicit sync occurs. An explicit sync occurs whenever 1Password is unlocked, you switch vaults or make a change.

First, the announcement deals with external changes syncing into the local client, but we're talking about local changes that do not propagate out. Secondly, I've tried locking and unlocking, making changes, application restarts and complete system reboots. It doesn't help propagate changes to Dropbox and onwards to other clients.

igal27

I second kirbysdl's bump. It is not acceptable that after one month (!!) and several e-mails and forum posts, the developers do not so much as relate to such a significant problem, obviously being experienced by multiple users. Agilebits developers: I have been a loyal user and customer for MANY years, but I'm starting to regret this recent update/purchase... PLEASE RESPOND!

Megan

First off, to all, I would like to apologize for the delay in responding. We have been a bit overwhelmed since the launch of 1Password 4 for Mac. We're working hard to get back to our usual snappy responses and we really appreciate your patience.

@geezjan,

I'm glad to hear you found that announcement. As Scott said, we're hoping the fix version gets approved and released real soon - we know how frustrating this situation is!

@kirbysdl and @igal27,

I have a few questions to try and clarify your situations:

• Are you using the version of 1Password 4 for Mac from the Mac App Store?
• Can you confirm that Dropbox is running (and logged in to the same account) on all computers currently using 1Password?
• Is your keychain stored in the default location (~Dropbox/1Password/1Password.agilekeychain)?
• Do you currently use multiple vaults?

Please also confirm that your iOS devices are using version 4.3.1, which was recently released and includes a great improvement in syncing capabilities.

It does sound like you might be seeing the same issue as reported in Scott's announcement, but if there is something else acting up here, we'd love to track it down!

kirbysdl

First, thanks for the response! I know that you guys have a lot going on, but it's just nice to know that this is on your radar.

Are you using the version of 1Password 4 for Mac from the Mac App Store?

Yup, 4.0.3 (402003)

Can you confirm that Dropbox is running (and logged in to the same account) on all computers currently using 1Password?

Yup, and I use a heartbeat script to make sure that every Dropbox machine is actively sending changes to the cloud (I once had a Linux machine that lost its mind and stopped syncing):

http://files.curby.net/cron-heartbeat

Is your keychain stored in the default location (~Dropbox/1Password/1Password.agilekeychain)?

Mine's actually in ~/Dropbox/AppData/1Password/1Password.agilekeychain

Do you currently use multiple vaults?

Nope, just one.

Just to reiterate, the problem isn't that multiple Macs or iOS devices aren't seeing my changes.

The problem is that even my local Dropbox instance is not seeing locally-applied changes and additions to my 1PW vault. My heartbeat script files are updating every 4 hours in every direction, but 1PW isn't showing any changes (it used to have those random UUID files show up in the Dropbox Recent Changes list whenever I made a change).

I'm guessing that 1PW now stores its recently-made changes to ~/Library/Containers first, and then eventually gets around to writing changes out to the 1Password.agilekeychain. In my case, it just never gets to that second step.

Thanks again. I've come to rely on 1PW and its syncing features, and I'm really hoping for a fix to this problem.

P.S. I notice that the "rebuild keychain" option in previous versions no longer exists. At least, it doesn't seem to be exposed through the normal GUI. Perhaps something like that could be used to perform manual keychain regeneration to sidestep issues such as this one?

P.P.S. Since I don't use 1PW plugins, I've turned 1PW mini off. It's not required to sync to Dropbox, is it?

geezjan

I just took version 4.0.5 and I'm still having the same problem. Across three Macs the updates don't take unless you first lock and unlock 1Password again.

sjk

@kirbysdl,

Have you updated to 4.0.5 (MAS) and noticed any difference with syncing? Have you tried disabling/reenabling Dropbox Sync?

I'll check with our developers if the problem you're having could be related to 1Password.agilekeychain not being in the default location for Dropbox syncing.

@geezjan,

Is your 1Password.agilekeychain in the default {Dropbox root}/1Password folder or some other location?

igal27

Thanks for looking into this. To answer your questions:

Megan:

• Are you using the version of 1Password 4 for Mac from the Mac App Store?

Yes, just updated today to 4.0.5

• Can you confirm that Dropbox is running (and logged in to the same account) on all computers currently using 1Password?

Yes.

• Is your keychain stored in the default location (~Dropbox/1Password/1Password.agilekeychain)?

No, it's stored under ~Dropbox/1Password Igal/1Password.agilekeychain. This is where I've always had it stored on all my computers, and it's always synced properly until updating to 1P 4.

• Do you currently use multiple vaults?

No, just the one.

sjk:

I have tried disabling and re-enabling Dropbox sync several times, on all devices. As I mentioned above, my keychain is not in the default location (although this has never caused any problems before).

If the problem is the default location, please advise how to fix this. Should Dropbox sync be disabled, the keychain moved, then Dropbox sync re-enabled, one computer/device at a time? Or disabled first on all devices, moved, then re-enabled on all?

kirbysdl

Have you updated to 4.0.5 (MAS) and noticed any difference with syncing?

v4.0.5 didn't seem to help, but ...

Have you tried disabling/reenabling Dropbox Sync?

... disabling and reenabling Dropbox Sync (without changing the location of the 1PW keychain) forced a sync, with local changes being "picked up" by local Dropbox and shown in the "recently changed" list. I've confirmed that these changes are visible on other clients.

Furthermore, adding a new item causes a new item to appear in "recently changed", along with a new version of contents.js. I think it's working as expected once again.

To be honest, I never tried disabling/reenabling Dropbox sync on v4.0.4, so I'm not sure if it's v4.0.5 or resetting Dropbox sync or a combination that did it. Hopefully this is the permanent fix to the problems I've been seeing, and others get their syncing working too!

Thanks for the help and suggestions. It's not until something stops working that you really learn how much you depend on it!

Megan

Hi @igal27

We can certainly give you instructions on how to move your keychain back to the default location if you would like, but the 4.0.5 update should fix the Dropbox sync issue, even for keychains in unique locations. :) Did you try @sjk's disabling/re-enabling trick after the update?

Hi @kirbysdl,

I'm glad to hear that things are back in sync for you - whether it was the update or the disable/re-enable that did the fixing! I do hope you don't have many more opportunities to appreciate how much you depend on 1Password in the future though - ideally everything will work smoothly from here on out. ;)

igal27

Thanks -- after updating to 4.0.5 and disabling then re-enabling Dropbox sync both at home and at work, items seem to be syncing properly between work/home/iphone.

sjk

Sounds good, @igal27. Thanks for the status report!

Database sync/refresh can be an issue until all 1P4 Mac systems sharing a keychain in Dropbox are updated to 4.0.5 and, in some cases, Dropbox Sync is disabled/re-enabled.

kirbysdl

Hi, unfortunately it happened again. I have some more information though.

I was editing entries when once again, my changes were not appearing in the "Recently Changed" list in the Dropbox menubar icon menu. Additionally, these changes were not showing up at http://www.dropbox.com/events. Nevertheless, 1PW thought it was syncing: the Sync panel of the Preferences dialog would say positive things like "Last synced: 5 seconds ago" even though Dropbox wasn't seeing those changes.

Disabling and re-enabling Dropbox sync once again fixed the problem, but clearly something is going on where 1PW thinks it is syncing (as per the Sync Prefs panel) but it isn't (as per the local Dropbox client and Dropbox site).

Since I can monitor my Dropbox recent changes, I can keep track of when 1PW "loses its connection" so to speak. Then I can go and disconnect/reconnect sync. However, obviously this is a suboptimal state of affairs. With the old 1PW on Mountain Lion, stuff just worked. Please try to find what's causing the de-syncing and try to patch the issues!

If I can be of additional help in trying to test or reproduce the issues, I'd be happy to do what I can. Thanks!

lenzb

I'm having the exact same issue as kirbysdl, as I reported here:

http://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/comment/92871

If you look at the details I posted there, you'll see that the issue is that 1P4 Mac isn't writing out changes to the agilekeychain file (so Dropbox doesn't have anything to sync). From my experience, once this happens, the only way to fix it is to disconnect/reconnect Dropbox syncing, at which point syncing will work for a little while until it breaks again.

AgileBits: you should know that this is definitely still an issue in 4.0.5; it's not something that is fixed with the 4.0.5 update, as sjk implied.

Looking forward to a fix so we don't have to keep dealing with this problem.

Thanks,

Brian

roustem

Thank you, Brian!

We found a few more issues in 4.0.5 that might be affecting the syncing. They were related to handling the file access outside the app sandbox. The Mac App Store version of 1Password is sandboxed and it has to do extra work in preserving the access to file and folders after you selected them from File Open window.

We submitted version 4.0.8 with the fixes last night and hopefully it will be approved soon.

lenzb

Great, thank you roustem! Thanks for the prompt update, too :)

sjk

Hey guys,

@kirbysdl: I hope @roustem's feedback was helpful for you like for @lenzb.

@lenzb: I wasn't intending to imply 4.0.5 fixed all the issues reported here and am sorry if I gave that impression. When someone says "I have the same problem" I know better than to assume it's true and will have the same resolution even when symptoms are identical. :)

lenzb

@sjk oh, no worries at all. I was just trying to make sure it was understood that there were definitely still issues (even after fully on 1P 4.0.5). Sounds like we're all good now, so looking forward to 4.0.8 being approved.

Thanks!

sjk

Thanks for your help and clarification, @lenzb. I'm good with all's good… and better with 4.0.8 MAS approval. :)

geezjan

I just got Version 4.0.8 (408001) from MAS and I'm still having this issue. In fact, now it's not syncing at all--not when I lock and unlock, not when I log out and log back in.

lenzb

For what it's worth, I just upgraded to MAS v4.0.8, and my Dropbox syncing is working.

sjk

Hi, geezjan.

I'm sorry you're still having trouble with Dropbox syncing even after the 4.0.8 update. Is it installed on all three of your Macs and have they all been restarted since then? If that hasn't helped we'd like to continue this in email and get it resolved, starting with you sending us a Diagnostics Report from one of your Macs that's having a problem; instructions are here:

Sending us your Diagnostics Report to help us help you!

Please do not post your Diagnostics Report in the forum, but please do include a link to this topic and your forum username in the email so we can "connect the dots" when we receive it. Thanks!

sjk

It's certainly worth hearing Dropbox syncing is working for you, @lenzb. :)