Errors with identifying the .sync/ID service file

Error codes

• SE_SYNC_ID_ACCESS_DENIED
• SE_SYNC_ID_DELETED
• SE_SYNC_ID_CORRUPTED

When an Agent participates in a Job, it creates a hidden service directory .sync in the root of the Job folder. It's created by each Agent in Synchronization, Hybrid Work, File Caching and Run Script Jobs, and by destination Agents in Consolidation and Distribution Jobs.

The crucial file inside the .sync folder is the identifier of the folder - the ID file, by which the Agent knows that it's the directory that shall be synchronized. All Agents in a given Job have individual ID files. If anything happens with the ID file, an error is raised by an Agent and data delivery stops.

Agent won't recover from ID file-related errors. To fix these errors, you must restart the Agent in the affected Job run. However, the problem may re-appear - when a third-party tool or a script changes or deletes the ID file periodically. This requires eliminating the root cause - discover the process that changes or deletes the ID file. For troubleshooting guidelines, see Determine the process that changes or deletes the .sync/ID file.

Not enough permissions to create identifying .sync/ID file for this shared folder

Note

In Resilio 3.8.2 the error message has been changed to Failed to create identifying .sync/ID file for this shared folder.

Reason	Solution
The Agent was unable to create the ID file. Most likely, the user account that runs the Agent service lacks the read-write access to the selected folder.	Revise the folder access permissions. If this is a mounted folder - revise the mount permissions, as well. Note that the Agent won't automatically recover from the error after addressing permissions issues. You must remove the Agent from the Job and add it back, or Restart the Job on the Agent.
If reported by an Agent which synchronizes a SharePoint site, the error may indicate an invalid Client secret it the SharePoint connection.	In the Management Console, select Settings > Storage connectors Locate and select your SharePoint storage connector, then click Edit. Update the Client secret parameter value, and click Save. Initiate a Job folder rescan on the Agent.

Share's identifying .sync/ID file is missing

Note

This error is accompenied by the Service files missing error reported in the Agent UI.

Reason	Solution
The ID file has been deleted. The Agent cannot identify what might have deleted it. To determine the process that has deleted the ID file, you can use one of the third-party tools listed in the Determine the process that changes or deletes the .sync/ID file section.	Remove the Agent from the Job and add it back so that it creates a new ID file. Restart the Job run on the Agent in question. Note: You cannot initiate a restart on a Reference Agent. To do that, temporarily assign Reference Agent duties to a different Agent, initiate the restart, then re-assign the Reference Agent role to the Agent in question. In case of a small scale Job without too many or too large files, you can recreate it. Warning Do not attempt to copy ID file from another job or another peer.
It's possible that the Job was created before the Job folder drive has been mounted. As a result, the ID file is hidden below the mount point.	Unmount the drive. Remove the .sync/ID file. Mount the drive again. Re-add the Agent to the job, or Restart the Job on the Agent.

Share's identifying .sync/ID file is broken

This error occurs when the content of the ID file changes.

Reason	Solution
This folder is used by different Job on this Agent and thus the ID file has new Job's identifier recorded there.	It's highly advisable not to use the same folder for two different Jobs on an Agent. Reorganize your Jobs, make sure that each has an individual Job folder. Contact support to get help on how to achieve your setup goals.
A third-party tool or a process changes the file.	Determine the system process that accesses and modifies the ID file. For more information, see Determine the process that changes or deletes the .sync/ID file.
The ID file has been corrupted and now contains incorrect data.	Remove the Agent from the Job and add it back again for the ID file to be recreated. Restart the Job on the Agent.

Determine the process that changes or deletes the .sync/ID file

Below are some guidelines to finding what is modifying the ID file and causing related errors. Note that the tools mentioned in this sections track file access in real time and you will need to keep them running in the background to capture the moment the ID file gets modified.

Windows

One of the simplest tools is the Process Monitor utility.

To monitor the ID file using Process Monitor:

1. Select Filter > Filter....

2. Add a Path contains condition, provide the path to the ID file, and click Add.

   

3. Click OK to close the Filter window and start gathering events.

   Note

   Process Monitor can consume significant amount of RAM in a very short time while capturing the events.

   Example: Notepad++ accessing the .sync\ID file

   

4. (Optional) Re-direct the output to a file:

   1. Select File > Backing Files....

   2. Choose the Use file named option and provide path to a procmon file that will store recorded events.

      

   3. Select Filter > Drop Filtered Events to limit the number of events.

Linux

Open Terminal and run command sudo lsof -r 1 +D /home/rslagent/Resilio\ Connect\ Agent/test/.sync/. Make sure to use the correct path to the Job.
The “-r” parameter will ensure the lsof keeps on checking the path every 1 second.

Example: The .sync/ID file opened with vim

lsof output showing the .sync/ID file being opened with vim.

macOS

Open Terminal and run the sudo lsof -r 1 +D /Users/user/Downloads/test/.sync command. Make sure to use the correct path to the Job. “-r” parameter will keep lsof on checking the path every 1 second.

Example: The .sync/ID opened with TextEdit

lsof output showing the .sync/ID file being opened with TextEdit.

Alternatively, run the sudo fs_usage | grep /Users/helen/Downloads/upload/.sync/ID command.

Example: The .sync/ID file deleted using Finder

fs_usage output showing the .sync/ID file was deleted using Finder.