There was a problem connecting to the server

jkbos

When running 1Password or Safari with the latest 1Password extension every ten seconds a dialog pops up with the message "There was a problem connecting to the server". Following advice in other threads about this issue I have reinstalled the extension and the app (trying both the current version and the current BETA of the app). I have deleted the keychain stored in the Documents folder. I have changed the settings for Sync from Folder to None. I no longer have access to the referenced server as that computer is broken. This problem was occurring before that computer was broken. On that computer there was another copy of 1Password with a 1Password keychain saved to the Documents folder of that machine. That keychain was synced to the keychain on the computer on which I am having the problems. Also in the Preferences Sync I no longer have the option of going back and choosing to sync to a folder. I can't choose folder.

Thank you for your help.

jkbos

Follow up: Deleted 1Password extension from Safari and unchecked "Always Keep 1Password mini running" in the app preferences. Safari now runs fine without the dialog "There was a problem connecting to the server" constantly popping up. When I install the extension again the dialog returns. As soon as I launch the app 1Password, and as long as it is running that dialog keeps popping up.

jkbos

Searched again for posts about this issue and tried a suggestions from another post: restore from a backup. Problems now resolved. Woohoo! App and browser extension both working correctly. Mini runs fine too.

rudy

@jkbos,

I'm glad you were able to get it working again. Choosing files for sync on remote volumes can entirely cause it to want to mount that remote volume in order to access the file, so I wouldn't recommend storing it that way unless your server is always mounted.

Let us know if you run into any other questions

Rudy

jkbos

Rudy, thanks for your comment. I have a couple of follow up questions that I would really appreciate answers to. What is your recommended way of keeping a 1Password file in sync across two computers? We share one file (vault) in a family between two iPhones and two computers. We sync the iPhones periodically with WLAN which works well. Our solution to keep the computers in sync was to put the .opvault file on each computer and have the second computer sync to the primary computer. We are not fans of the cloud for our password data.

Also, I think part of this problem might have been that we had legacy vaults from prior versions. I noticed when I restored the data and then saved that to a vault in a folder in the User account, the vault had a different icon and a different extension. The new extension is .opvault and the old extension for these data files was .agilekeychain. We've been on 1Password 6 for a while. And the 1Password data actually appears to be stored in a folder at User>Libarary>Application Support>1Password4. Note the name is 1Password 4. Do I understand correctly that is where the data is stored? Is that the correct location for 1Password 6?

Thanks for your help.

Drew_AG

Hi @jkbos,

On behalf of Rudy, you're very welcome! :)

What is your recommended way of keeping a 1Password file in sync across two computers?

The easiest way to sync your 1Password data between multiple computers (as well as mobile devices) is with a 1Password.com account (in your case, you would probably want a 1Password Families account). With an account, there are no sync settings to configure - all you do is sign into your account from the 1Password app.

If you don't want to sign up for an account, Dropbox and iCloud are also great sync solutions that will work between your computers/devices. You said you don't want to use a cloud sync solution, but please know that we're very confident about storing 1Password data in the cloud, as your data file is encrypted with an exceedingly secure encryption algorithm called AES. Even if someone were to acquire a copy of your 1Password data file, it would be extremely difficult (approaching impossible in a human lifetime) for them to actually gain access to your passwords without your master password. To learn more about cloud data security, please take a look at this knowledgebase article: How 1Password protects your data when you use a sync service

If you don't want to use any cloud service at all, you can use the combination of WLAN Server and Folder sync that you've been using, but instead of pointing the Folder sync option directly to another computer, it should point to a local folder on the same Mac, and then you can use a sync utility / file copy tool (such as Chronosync, rsync, SuperDuper, etc) to copy the contents of the folder to/from a network volume.

As you can tell, it's more difficult to sync without using the cloud at all, but it certainly possible if you don't mind some extra setup.

I noticed when I restored the data and then saved that to a vault in a folder in the User account, the vault had a different icon and a different extension. The new extension is .opvault and the old extension for these data files was .agilekeychain.

Agile Keychain and OPVault are the two sync file formats 1Password can use with the Dropbox or Folder sync option. Agile Keychain is an older format than OPVault, but it wasn't the cause of the problem you were running into. OPVault is now the default format when creating a new sync file, but either format will work well for syncing your data. The general differences are:

• Agile Keychain is an older format, and is more compatible with older versions of 1Password.
• OPVault is a newer format, and is more advanced. It has been replacing Agile Keychain as the default sync format in newer versions of 1Password, but is not supported by some older versions.

If you're using the latest version of 1Password on all your devices, you can continue using the new OPVault sync files that were created. Feel free to delete the Agile Keychain files, as you no longer need them.

We've been on 1Password 6 for a while. And the 1Password data actually appears to be stored in a folder at User>Libarary>Application Support>1Password4. Note the name is 1Password 4. Do I understand correctly that is where the data is stored? Is that the correct location for 1Password 6?

Sorry for the confusion, but yes, that's the correct folder. The "1Password 4" folder in ~/Library/Application Support/ is the data directory for versions 4, 5, and 6. 1Password 5 and 6 were written as updates to 1Password 4, so they use all the same files & folders. Changing the name of that folder to match each version could have caused various problems, so we left it as "1Password 4".

Hopefully that answers your questions, but please let us know if you need anything else. We're always happy to help! :)

jkbos

Thank you for the very clear and detailed answers to my questions. Do you have any preference Dropbox vs iCloud for syncing via the cloud? Just to be clear, I had vaults on the two computers in local folders and computer A was trying to sync it's files with the with the file on computer B using iPassword. I think you understood that. I was following what I thought was the recommended approach when I first set this up. Good suggestion to keep the two files on different machines in sync with ChronoSync, which we already use to do that with other files.

Drew_AG

You're very welcome, @jkbos!

Do you have any preference Dropbox vs iCloud for syncing via the cloud?

Personally, I don't have a strong preference for one over the other. They're both great options for syncing 1Password data. There are a few differences, so it would come down to which one suits your needs:

The main benefit of using iCloud is that it's an Apple service which is built into Macs and iOS devices, so there's no need to install additional apps or sign up for a new account. For many users, syncing via iCloud is simply an easier option. However, it can only be used to sync your Primary vault, is not supported by 1Password for Windows or Android, and iCloud does not let you share a vault with a different Apple ID.

Dropbox can be used to sync multiple vaults, works with 1Password on all supported platforms, and can be used to share vaults with other people. If those are things you need to do, you would want to use Dropbox to sync your data.

Whichever sync option you choose, 1Password is secure by design and your 1Password data is end-to-end encrypted, so with regard to security there's no difference between syncing 1Password data with iCloud or Dropbox. 1Password doesn't depend on the security of either one to protect your data.

So, it really comes down to personal preference - not so much a right or a wrong answer, but what works best for your needs. We're here for you if you have more questions about that. Have a great weekend! :)

jkbos

Thanks so much. That is very helpful. Dropbox provides the flexibility we need.

Drew_AG

I'm glad that was helpful! I think syncing with Dropbox will work out well for you, and it's certainly an easier setup than the Folder sync / WLAN Server combination you had been using. If you need any help with it, don't hesitate to let us know. Cheers! :)