Can't connect to 1password mini when running a virtual machine

jmartin84

So I ran into an interesting problem with 1password, for the last few weeks I've been plagued by 1password failing to connect to 1pass mini randomly. Today noticed that the problem started after starting a window 10 vm in parallels(12.1.1) on macOS and went away when I shut down the vm. Parallels has a number of options like sharing your local dropbox folder with the vm that I thought might have been the problem - but it turns out that wasn't enabled. I more or less just wanted to make sure this was a known issue, but if there are any work arounds for this problem I'd appreciate it. Thanks

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1Password Version: 6.5.2
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: osx 10.12.1
Sync Type: Dropbox

Drew_AG

Hi @jmartin84,

I'm sorry you're having trouble with 1Password on your Mac when a virtual machine is also open! I haven't personally heard about this happening before, but we'll be happy to help you figure this out.

We have a support article about the "1Password failed to connect to 1Password mini" error message. I'm not sure if the suggestions there will help for this particular situation, but it's worth taking a look: If you see "1Password failed to connect to 1Password mini" when trying to open 1Password

If that doesn't help, can you elaborate on when you see that error message? Does it appear when you try to launch the main 1Password app on your Mac while the vm is running? If so, what happens if the 1Password app is already open when you start the vm? Or do you get that message when trying to do something else? Or does it randomly appear even if you're not trying to use 1Password at that moment?

Do you happen to have other virtual machines that you use in Parallels, or just the Windows 10 vm? If you have others, does the same problem happen when they're running?

Thanks in advance! :)

jmartin84

@Drew_AG Yeah I've worked through all the common solutions before, once the problem starts I usually have to kill parallels and sometimes even go so far as to needing a reboot to get it working again. I've never really noticed a problem if 1password is running before starting parallels, its more of an issue when opening 1password after the fact. I have noticed that sometimes the VM won't even need to be started for the issue to show up. Unfortunately I only have the one windows 10 vm, but let me know if I can answer any other questions about the issue - thanks!

Drew_AG

Thanks for the additional details, @jmartin84! That's certainly strange that it would only happen when launching 1Password when Parallels is already running.

To help us figure out what's going on, the next time you get that error, please create a Diagnostics Report from your Mac: https://support.1password.com/diagnostics/?mac

Attach the Diagnostics Report to an email message addressed to: support+forum@agilebits.com

Please do not post your Diagnostics Report in the forums, but please do include a link to this thread in your email, along with your forum username so that we can "connect the dots" when we see your report in our inbox.

You should receive an automated reply from our BitBot assistant with a Support ID number. Please post that number here so we can track down the report and make sure you receive a reply as quickly as possible. Once we see the report we should be able to better assist you. Thanks in advance! :)

jmartin84

@Drew_AG it looks like I was wrong to blame this on parallel's I just reproduced the issue without parallels. I now think that its actually the cisco any connect vpn client (3.1.1408). Having 1password open then connecting to the vpn does not cause an issue but trying to open 1pass while connected does cause the issue which immediately resolves itself upon vpn disconnection. As far as I am aware the vpn is not configured to be a full tunnel vpn.

Drew_AG

Hi @jmartin84,

Do you happen to be using a new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar / Touch ID? If so, I think that helps explain why the problem happens when you're connected to the VPN. We've heard from some other customers in the same situation, and my understanding is that there's a network connection between the OS and the Touch Bar that VPN clients can interfere with. More specifically, when launching 1Password, it makes an API call to the OS to determine if it can access the Touch ID interface - the VPN client can interfere with that and delay the response from the OS, which eventually causes 1Password to fail to open.

I know of at least one VPN client (Cloak) that has been updated to fix this, but it's possible it's still an issue with Cisco AnyConnect VPN. You might want to check with Cisco to see if they have an update that doesn't interfere with Touch Bar communication, or if you can set an exception so it will not interfere with your Mac's local network communications. This is something that can also affect other Mac apps, although there might not be too many that support Touch ID yet.

Please let us know if that's the problem (MacBook Pro with Touch Bar / Touch ID and VPN client), and I can check with others here to see if they know of any other workarounds. Thanks! :)

jmartin84

Sorry for the slow response - yes is a Macbook Pro Touch Bar.

Drew_AG

Thanks @jmartin84! It sounds like the problem I described in my last post is the one you're running into now. This is something that needs to be addressed from the VPN side of things, but if you're using Cisco, the good news is that they just included a fix for this issue in their build 4.4.2039.

I don't know exactly what's required in order to get that update, so you might need to contact Cisco (or possibly an IT person if this is through a company you work for) if you need help with that.