[Bug]: 3.15.1 Multiple accounts sharing a folder - NOT!

[Bockeman]

⚠️ Before submitting, please verify the following: ⚠️

• This is a bug, not a question or a configuration issue.
• This issue is not already reported on Github (I've searched it).
• Nextcloud Server and Desktop Client are up to date. See Server Maintenance and Release Schedule and Desktop Releases for supported versions.
• I agree to follow Nextcloud's Code of Conduct

Bug description

On Windows 10 64-bit client, "Settings", the following message appeared after update to 3.15.1 :

Multiple accounts are sharing the folder F:/Video/.
This configuration is know[n] to lead to dataloss and is no longer supported.
Please consider removing this folder from the account and adding it again.

But there is only one nextcloud account on this client.
So this message is bogus.
Aside: What should I do, ignore the bogus message, or do what it says (remove, then add again)?

The log file for the corresponding folder sync contains:

#=#=#=# Syncrun started 2024-12-13T15:34:11Z
#=#=#=#=# Propagation starts 2024-12-13T15:34:15Z (last step: 3924 msec, total: 3924 msec)
#=#=#=# Syncrun finished 2024-12-13T15:34:15Z (last step: 13 msec, total: 3938 msec)
#=#=#=# Syncrun started 2024-12-13T15:34:20Z
#=#=#=#=# Propagation starts 2024-12-13T15:34:20Z (last step: 180 msec, total: 180 msec)
#=#=#=# Syncrun finished 2024-12-13T15:34:20Z (last step: 10 msec, total: 191 msec)
#=#=#=# Syncrun started 2024-12-13T15:49:35Z
#=#=#=#=# Propagation starts 2024-12-13T15:49:56Z (last step: 21005 msec, total: 21005 msec)
#=#=#=# Syncrun finished 2024-12-13T15:49:56Z (last step: 14 msec, total: 21019 msec)

(i.e. no error message)

Steps to reproduce

1. Run nextcloud client as normal
2. Monitor using "Settings"
3. Observe 'Multiple accounts are sharing the folder ...'

Expected behavior

No bogus messages.

Which files are affected by this bug

None indicated.

Operating system

Windows

Which version of the operating system you are running.

Windows 10

Package

Official Windows MSI

Nextcloud Server version

30.0.1

Nextcloud Desktop Client version

3.15.1

Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install?

Updated from a minor version (ex. 3.4.2 to 3.4.4)

Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module?

Encryption is Disabled

Are you using an external user-backend?

• Default internal user-backend
• LDAP/ Active Directory
• SSO - SAML
• Other

Nextcloud Server logs

Nothing relevant.

Additional info

[claudiocandio]

Hi, same for me, I had to revert to 3.14.3

Thanks

[mayonezo]

I had the same problem. There were two .db files in my Nextcloud root folder. Deleting the older one got rid of the multiple accounts error. The Virtual filesystem error remains...

[claudiocandio]

I had the same problem. There were two .db files in my Nextcloud root folder. Deleting the older one got rid of the multiple accounts error. The Virtual filesystem error remains...

thank you @mayonezo I did remove the old .db files and the multiple accounts error is not there anymore, and yes the Virtual filesystem error remains.

[bernhardkaindl]

Same here.

[chris-blues]

+1

[Bockeman]

Please note the spelling mistake in the error message (should be known, not know):

Multiple accounts are sharing the folder F:/Video/.
This configuration is know[n] to lead to dataloss and is no longer supported.
Please consider removing this folder from the account and adding it again.

[Bockeman]

Removing the older .db and related files fixed the issue for me.

I don't suppose anyone will figure out what caused the additional .db file to be created.

However, it would be helpful to users if the 3.15.1 update that first detected and reported the duplication with the bogus "Multiple accounts" message, presented a different message instead:

More than one .db file has been detected.

This could be caused by having multiple accounts sharing folder F:/Video/
which is a configuration that is known to lead to dataloss and is no longer supported. 
Please consider removing this folder from the account and adding it again.

This could also be caused by some historical event that created a new .db file.
Please consider removing the older .db file(s).

[Gloryandel]

Prior to version 3.15.1, removing the synchronization link would not clean up the .db file. However, version 3.15.1 cleans up the .db file, so when adding synchronization, it is mistakenly assumed that synchronization already exists.

[Bockeman]

@Gloryandel thanks for you insight.

However, your condition "when adding synchronization" does not apply in my case (and I guess also for other contributors above -- given they appear to see the problem on an existing sync'd folder).

Regardless, it does appear you have identified some code that has changed in 3.15.1 and that has thrown up some unexpected/undesirable behaviour.

Please could you, or other developer, progress this (e.g. assign action) to fix the problem you identified and disambiguate the error messaging.

[Gloryandel]

@Bockeman In fact, after I updated the app, the existing synchronization link had an error prompting multi-user sharing. Fortunately, my files were all synchronized. So I directly removed the synchronization link, cleaned up the .db and other residual files, and added it again to resume synchronization.

[camilasan]

Hello All,

I would like to explain that the fact that the client allowed users to use the same location more than once to sync was always a bug. Specially with virtual files on Windows. We had cases before were this set up caused data loss.

I am sorry for the inconvenience with this change, but the only solution it is to fix the sync folder by removing the old .db files or to start a new sync in a different location.

We will change the text to be more helpful, that was a very good feedback, thanks for that. 3.15.2 is already in progress.

[Rello]

#7667

[balerdis]

I did the following in each directory that was reported, and it worked perfectly:

$ ls -lhart .*.db

and i removed all files except the last one

[chris-blues]

With 3.15.2 the message is much better! 👍

[stefan-franz]

With 3.15.2 / Linux Mint Flatpak - i have also the same wrong message: Multiple Accounts.....and the gui freezes.

[Bockeman]

3.15.2 The message is now clear.
Solution: Remove any old .db files from the root of the sync folder on the client.