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Unreliable Two-way-Sync using Synology Drive Client. Deleted files reappear

7
1
Operating system
  1. macOS
Hi there,

I have noticed various syncing issues with Synology Drive Client on 3 macOS workstations using macOS Mojave, Big Sur and Monterey. Deleted files and folder could reappear. Deleted files can only be deleted on the original computer who has added those files. Sometimes files/folder structure is incomplete when I copy, duplicate hundred of files. It's a total nightmare!
  1. All clients using the same global setting: "Locally deleted files will be removed from your NAS"
  2. All macOS clients access the same share
  3. All Synology Drive clients are authenticated with the same user
  4. All clients are on a local network
  5. DSM 7.1-42661 Update 4
  6. All clients are using the latest Synology Drive Client 3.1.0-12923
  7. Synology Drive Client has been added to the Full Disk Access within the macOS Security settings
Is this a known Drive Client issue with macOS?

Synology Drive Client-MacoS-Global-Settings.webp
 
I use the option "Locally deleted files will be re-fetched from your NAS" when relinking tasks. The reason being that when I have a few devices accessing the NAS then I feel the NAS is the master (central) version. If one client has a problem then the others will probaby be still thinking the NAS is the latest. I would work on the client with an issue (delete the task and save it's sync'ed folder; create a new task and sync the NAS to client). Then I would check what is different. Though Drive client often does say if there is a blocking item, or follow the items in the client sync folder for the items without the green tick.

Of course that setting is only supposed to matter when relinking a client to the NAS. Though I feel safer knowing if I have an empty client folder then the NAS won't be sync'ed to match it !
 
I use the option "Locally deleted files will be re-fetched from your NAS" when relinking tasks. The reason being that when I have a few devices accessing the NAS then I feel the NAS is the master (central) version. If one client has a problem then the others will probaby be still thinking the NAS is the latest. I would work on the client with an issue (delete the task and save it's sync'ed folder; create a new task and sync the NAS to client). Then I would check what is different. Though Drive client often does say if there is a blocking item, or follow the items in the client sync folder for the items without the green tick.

Of course that setting is only supposed to matter when relinking a client to the NAS. Though I feel safer knowing if I have an empty client folder then the NAS won't be sync'ed to match it !

Thank you for your reply. You have provided some good points.
  1. I switched settings to "Locally deleted files will be re-fetched from your NAS"
  2. All mac clients have been restarted
  3. I have also deleted and added the the Sync Tasks
  4. I have deleted all files in the SynologyDrive folder to start from scratch
  5. When I extract a wordpress-6.0.1.zip package it syncs successfully across all devices
  6. However when I delete a couple of folders within the Wordpress folder, some folders reappear. Crazy :cry:
 
Do the sync'ed folders have a large* about of files? Wondering if this is a cross-over of sync processes between the different clients reading and writing and the NAS trying to keep them all in sync. In databases there used to the concept of double locking so that two sessions couldn't write to the same place and so get things in an unknown/mixed state.

* that's a subjective term.
 
Yes, I added approx. 3000 files including multiple sub folders from a client to the Synology Drive. All files synced successfully across all devices. However when I delete a couple of folders within the folder one client, some folders reappear.

This is totally unreliable.
 
Synology Support pointed me in the right direction. It turned out that invisible "." files were causing this issue.

After hours of debugging, I would like share the final solution: Make sure to enable Sync files and folders with the prefix "." in the drive client sync task option. This topic can be renamed to [Solved]

Screenshot 2022-08-31 at 13.40.24.png
 
Interesting. Though some applications create Dot files and folders to hide their data from novice users. Seems Synology are saying you shouldn't two-way sync folders that have this type of usage, particularly your Mac account's home folder (i.e. ~/ ). I see there are two hidden folders there of interest:

Bash:
~/.Synology
~/.SynologyDrive
 
Synology did not mentioned anything like that. It's correct. Some macOS Application create hidden folders in the user folder. In this case I guess you should also enable the sync hidden folders option to prevent sync issues when using Two-Way Sync and multiple clients.
 

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