Failed Sync After Changing webDAV Provider

soceel
Hello, I recently changed webDAV providers (from dropdav to smestorage clouddav) for syncing my zotero library to my dropbox account. I have not been able to complete a successful sync since. I can see and access all the files through smestorage via the address bar in firefox, but it seems the service does not want to play nice with Zotero.

I get the following error:
Unexpected status code 401 in Zotero.Sync.Storage.WebDAV_getStorageModificationTime()

Debug ID: D879099109

I have tried:
1) Resetting file sync history - same error.
2) Renaming the dropbox "zotero" directory in an effort to force repopulation of a new cloud directory from local data. Same error, no files uploaded, and I have since moved the original directory back.
3) Performing a clean local install of zotero and trying to repopulate from the cloud - same error.

Please advise, and thank you for all of your efforts - wonderful product.

Lee
  • dstillman
    It's just an error from your WebDAV provider. Zotero works with properly configured WebDAV providers, and we can't debug problems with individual servers. Re-verify your WebDAV server in the Sync pane of the Zotero preferences (though that won't detect all possible problems).
  • dstillman
    (Also, it's unrelated, but what does this have to do with Dropbox?)
  • soceel
    Thanks Dan, I figured as much, but wanted to check if there were any known issues when changing file sync servers.

    I am using Dropbox (via WebDAV, not by storing my library in the Dropbox directory) to sync Zotero between 2 machines. Since Dropbox no longer offers a WebDAV interface, I have been using a 3rd party service that implements WebDAV over the Dropbox account. A bit of a duct tape job, I know, but it was working like a charm until I decided to try to change the WebDAV provider.

    Thanks for getting back to me.
  • adamsmith
    If you google webdav zotero dropbox I think there is a blogpost somewhere with directions on how to run a webdav right on your dropbox - that might make sense for you. (I believe the blog is makinggeneticswork or something like that).
  • soceel
    Thanks Adam, the blog post you referenced documents the original set up that I had going (using the 3rd party DropDAV to implement WebDAV on top of Dropbox).

    Zotero <--> DropDAV <--> Dropbox

    DropDAV recently changed their pricing structure so I decided to give SMEStorage CloudDAV (supposed to provide the same functionality) a try. I have heard of others using this configuration successfully, and there's actually a short post on the SMEStorage blog about Zotero (http://smestorage.com/blog/?p=1463).

    I think my issue may be related to the way SMEStorage manages its directory structure. I've changed the location of the sync folder to a clean directory at the root level and I'm currently halfway through a sync - farther than I've gotten before.
  • georgfly
    i also have problems with zotero / smestorage & clouddav. I tried clouddav-ing my dropbox as well as my ftp server. connecting and verifying webdav connection in zotero is no problem, but upload fails with code 401.
    any solution in the meanwhile?
  • adamsmith
    just to be clear - 401 indicates a problem with the webdav, not with Zotero. Maybe someone here will have a solution, but you should also try to solve this on the webdav end of things.
  • georgfly
    solved my problem with clouddav. i should have followed the above mentioned blog entry to the detail. all along, i tried to sync to my smestorage/dropbox path directly (https://webdav.smestorage.com/My DropBox files (myemail@gmail.com)/zotero). this never worked, but as soon as i specified https://webdav.smestorage.com/zotero as sync folder in zotero, things started to work. smestorage then automatically generates a smart folder (see http://www.smestorage.com/wiki/top5things/).
    love accessing my files from my laptop and my desktop for (almost) no cost.
    for dropbox, i used a small trick to not use up my precious dropbox storage space: i created a new 'dummy' dropbox account with no computer linked to it (this can be a bit tricky, involving un- and reinstalling dropbox on your computer - but maybe there's a simpler way), which i exclusively use as smestorage-cloud for zotero-syncing.
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