1P 3.9 Sync Issues

The Doctor

I had a number of pretty hairy sync attempts and have things held together with spit and bailing wire at the moment but I think there are a number of bugs here that need squashing.



First...my iPhone and iPad were both set to sync via WiFi



Upon connecting to 3.9 it wanted to reregister the devices---annoying but not a big deal (was this by design)



1P then proceeded to throw a couple hundred conflict errors that needed resolving which I dutifully checked which I wanted. Unfortunately that sync didn't complete even after all the confirmations so when I tried to connect a second time I received the same conflicts.



Next step was to wipe both iOS devices and do a fresh sync. This worked except that the two devices listed in the 1P sidebar did not and do not update for the sync. They still show that my last sync was six weeks ago.



I tried to delete the sidebar items and after the warning message which I confirmed they did disappear, but reappeared when next I launched 1P. In short, the two sync devices in the sidebar CANNOT be deleted and they do not reflect any current sync information. Since this is the same across two different Macs, I can only assume that the sync device names and states are stored somewhere in the agilekeychain but I wasn't going to go rummaging through there randomly deleting things. There was a folder within the agilekeychain package called sync, but everything looked encrypted so I left it alone.



Q: Is there a way to get rid of those sidebar items or to refresh them so they show the actual state of the Wifi sync?



I tried a few other ways to get WiFi to sync and it sort of worked in that a fresh sync from Mac to blank iOS worked the first time, but any subsequent changes to logins were treated as a conflict rather than 1P assuming the newest entry should overwrite an older entry, which is not how it function in 3.8.x and prior versions.



So, after a couple hours of that...I decided to just try and sync both devices using dropbox since I was already doing so with my Macs. The iOS devices sync OK to dropbox from what I can tell, but the wifi sidebar items still remain after having done so.



Q: Is the preferred method for iOS syncing right now via Dropbox? As in, have you guys focused your attention on making sure that works rather than via WiFi. I ask because I'd rather use the wifi sync, but if you are moving away from it to focus on Dropbox or iCloud then I'll settle for getting those wifi sidebar items removed (how?) If you are committed to wifi syncing, then I'd really rather move back to that method instead of Dropbox, so explaining how I could accomplish that would be great...



thanks!!

The Doctor

Perhaps helpful in debugging....



I was able to confirm with another 1P 3.9 user that their old sync devices are still listed in that sidebar and cannot be removed. Further, only the Available / Not Available sync states are updated...where over the "last sync" data is stored that's not changing.



Deleting a device temporarily removes it, but it returns upon relaunch.

Ben

Hey there!



Yikes, WiFi syncing nightmares. We definitely highly recommend Dropbox syncing over WiFi syncing. I don't know of any plans to kill off WiFi syncing, but that isn't to say it couldn't happen.



Here is the guide on setting up Dropbox:

http://help.agilebits.com/1Password3/cloud_syncing_with_dropbox.html



We also have a guide on all the tricks we know to get WiFi sync working.

http://help.agilebits.com/1Password_touch/sync_problems.html



Due to the complexity of most modern WiFi networks, that's really about as far as we can go with troubleshooting WiFi sync issues. If ad-hoc syncing works, then there is something wrong with your WiFi network. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

The Doctor

Well...from a handshake and networking perspective...the wifi definitely works so I'm pretty sure it's not my WiFi, especially since it worked for the 2 years and 35 seconds before I installed the MAS 3.9 <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';-)' />



But ok...let's say it's "not the preferred" method which I translate as, "We don't do it that way and you shouldn't either."



So, then how do I get those ghosts from previous wifi syncs out of my side bar?

Ben

[quote name='rwross' timestamp='1315575725' post='46356']

But ok...let's say it's "not the preferred" method which I translate as, "We don't do it that way and you shouldn't either."

[/quote]



I would say that is a pretty good rough translation. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />



[quote name='rwross' timestamp='1315575725' post='46356']

So, then how do I get those ghosts from previous wifi syncs out of my side bar?

[/quote]



Great question. There is currently a bug with deleted items coming back and I believe this may be related. This is fixed in the latest 3.8 betas, so hopefully we can migrate that fix into the MAS version quickly.

LosInvalidos

I need to chime in on this. I don't consider dropbox save - at all. Agile (or it's emplyees) considering to drop wifi-sync is imo a security desaster. Why would you guys wanna drop that? I know that the Agile files in Dropbox are encrypted but what if the US government asks agile to hand over the keys to decrypt this? Would agile say no? The past has shown that dropbox has no issues at all cooperation with the US state officials.



So for me, personally moving all my passwords to dropbox (encrypted or not) sounds like a very stupid idea. Not happening on my system...



Also let me add, why not even go more secure and give the user the option to sync via USB? That's even saver than using wifi...



What is version 3.9? For the mac I only see 3.8.5, afaik.

Ben

We would say "We don't have the keys" and that would be the truth. The key is your Master Password, and only you know that. There is no back door. If you forget your Master Password, there is absolutely no way to access your data. None.

LosInvalidos

"There is no back door." I say I do believe you. But also: I [i]do have to[/i] believe you, right? Or someone would have to check 1Passwords source code which is not available. So also in the danger of repeating myself: If you want to be safe, don't use dropbox for sensitive data.

The Doctor

If you want to be really safe...don't store passwords anywhere...just keep them in your head....and wear that helmet thing Magneto stole from Kevin Bacon...Professor X is not to be trusted.



<img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' />





I don't mean to make light of it..well...I guess I do...but just because left to my own devices worry myself into a fit about such things. I'd argue that using an unsecured WiFi network in a coffee house might provide an even greater risk to one's sensitive information because the only thing standing between the hacker and your data is Apple's OS X security and we have no source code for that either...just a thought.



Just read this too...which might help...



http://blog.agilebits.com/2011/05/defending-against-crackers-peanut-butter-keeps-dogs-friendly-too/

LosInvalidos

@The Doctor: Agreed. That's why in an earlier post I even suggest USB-synching. That (of all three methods - dropbox, wifi, usb) is the safest. And sure thing, I'd never sync my passwords in a coffee shops wifi. I also would not do online banking (browser based) in a coffee stores wifi.