SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

MerleOne
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Mon Jan 20, 2025 9:15 pm

gunars wrote:Finally, the server connection status in SN is showing "Simplenote is communicating with the server" for me. If yours is having problems connecting, that would be the first thing to work out.

Thanks, I will contact SimpleNote support. Maybe I could also create another account there and try to sync using that second account... Will report here when done...
gunars
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby gunars » Mon Jan 20, 2025 9:29 pm

When you try to sync to SN from CN, does that also show errors connecting?
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Mon Jan 20, 2025 9:47 pm

gunars wrote:When you try to sync to SN from CN, does that also show errors connecting?


Thanks. Not sure how to do that, apart from clicking on the small sync icon below the notes in CN GUI. When I do that I see the message "logging in" but longer than usual and then a brief popup saying "synchronization failed".

I have created another SN account with a different mail. I can log in using that other account with a web browser but saving notes doesn't work.

Strange also, I have installed the Win10 SN App. Using that App, I cannot even log in with either accounts.

I have browsed the SN FAQ and it says that the App should be able to access
https://app.simplenote.com
https://api.simperium.com
https://auth.simperium.com

The first one I can access to. But not the second one. Nor the third one. So maybe it's related.
Using a connection test Website (https://www.isitdownrightnow.com) I see that the second is up and running. So this is strange...
Also, on SN support forum, I appear not to be the only one with recent sync issues
Cf. https://forums.simplenote.com/forums/to ... -1-2-days/
Some people seem to experience the same issue, for others everything is normal. Maybe the Internet is broken ? ;-)
Will try another day probably !
Thanks again for your help
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby gunars » Mon Jan 20, 2025 10:09 pm

Yes, the small icon at the bottom of Cintanotes is what I use to sync. Mine syncs ok without errors

I'm able to go to the two simperium.com sites, although I don''t have a login acct there. The web pages come up ok though. If yours don't, maybe something is blocking simperium.com. That may be what CintaNotes uses to sync.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby gunars » Mon Jan 20, 2025 10:21 pm

btw - On Win, I'm only using the web version, not the installed app. On Android, I use the app.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby gunars » Mon Jan 20, 2025 10:34 pm

Try opening a Command Prompt window and ping simperium.com to see if you can get there. You should see something like:

C:\>ping simperium.com
Pinging simperium.com [192.0.84.247] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=53
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=53
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=53
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 192.0.84.247:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 38ms, Maximum = 40ms, Average = 39ms


If instead you see Failed errors, you're not able to get there and that's the first thing to troubleshoot.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Tue Jan 21, 2025 12:24 pm

Hello MerleOne,

Could you please try the sync again?

I found out that the attachments server CPU was at 100% due to spam from one IP address.
After I banned it, the CPU returned to normal.
Alex
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Tue Jan 21, 2025 12:47 pm

Also, in case you're in Russia, I'm afraid you'll have to use VPN to use SimpleNote
Alex
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:47 pm

gunars wrote:Try opening a Command Prompt window and ping simperium.com to see if you can get there. You should see something like:

C:\>ping simperium.com
Pinging simperium.com [192.0.84.247] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=53
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=53
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=53
Reply from 192.0.84.247: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 192.0.84.247:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 38ms, Maximum = 40ms, Average = 39ms

If instead you see Failed errors, you're not able to get there and that's the first thing to troubleshoot.


Thanks ! I tried that today and I get :
C:\WINDOWS\system32>ping simperium.com

Envoi d’une requête 'ping' sur simperium.com [192.0.84.247] avec 32 octets de données :
Réponse de 192.0.84.247 : octets=32 temps=115 ms TTL=50
Réponse de 192.0.84.247 : octets=32 temps=116 ms TTL=50
Réponse de 192.0.84.247 : octets=32 temps=286 ms TTL=50
Réponse de 192.0.84.247 : octets=32 temps=115 ms TTL=50

Statistiques Ping pour 192.0.84.247:
Paquets : envoyés = 4, reçus = 4, perdus = 0 (perte 0%),
Durée approximative des boucles en millisecondes :
Minimum = 115ms, Maximum = 286ms, Moyenne = 158ms

So it works...
BUT I found something rather disturbing :
If I try to access https://api.simperium.com from a brower it won't open any page.
Now it get stranger :
On my iPhone using Wifi, if I try to open the same webpage from Safari, it fails like above BUT if I switch to Mobile Internet, the page opens fine !!!
I asked friend that have the same ISP and the same hardware, for them api.simperium opens fine... Very strange...
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:51 pm

CintaNotes Developer wrote:Hello MerleOne,

Could you please try the sync again?

I found out that the attachments server CPU was at 100% due to spam from one IP address.
After I banned it, the CPU returned to normal.


Hi,

Thanks for looking into it. The strange thing is that it synced yesterday just once (between PCs and also with SimpleNote app on iPhone). Since then Sync fails.

Speaking of attachments, I have several ones that are small Winrar encrypted archives, so their content keeps safe, just in case.

Could that also cause this CPU issue ? I am surely not the only one to use encrypted archives...

.merle1.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Tue Jan 21, 2025 5:53 pm

CintaNotes Developer wrote:Also, in case you're in Russia, I'm afraid you'll have to use VPN to use SimpleNote


Not the case, I am in France... Thanks !
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:49 pm

Breaking news, it synced right now...
And web access to api.simperium also works from my PCs using Wifi...
Don't really know what happened and what solved the issue... Hope this keep working !
Thanks all for your help.
.merle1.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Tue Jan 21, 2025 6:59 pm

MerleOne wrote:Breaking news, it synced right now...
And web access to api.simperium also works from my PCs using Wifi...
Don't really know what happened and what solved the issue... Hope this keep working !
Thanks all for your help.
.merle1.


Oops, it is broken again. A second sync froze while in progress and the web access to api.simperium.com is not working again !!!

.merle1.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Wed Jan 22, 2025 7:02 am

> Could that also cause this CPU issue ? I am surely not the only one to use encrypted archives...

No, of course not. CN encrypts all attachments itself, using your sync password, so this is strictly speaking unnecessary.
But if it makes you feel safer - no problem)

Please tell, when you log in into your Simplenote account on https://app.simplenote.com/, and then press the menu icon on the left,
is the 'Server connection" icon crossed out?
Alex
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Wed Jan 22, 2025 4:41 pm

CintaNotes Developer wrote:> Could that also cause this CPU issue ? I am surely not the only one to use encrypted archives...

No, of course not. CN encrypts all attachments itself, using your sync password, so this is strictly speaking unnecessary.
But if it makes you feel safer - no problem)

Please tell, when you log in into your Simplenote account on https://app.simplenote.com/, and then press the menu icon on the left,
is the 'Server connection" icon crossed out?

Hi,
Thanks for the clarification for encrypted attachment, I guess I still prefer to encrypt locally.

Yes, before I got a partial solution from my ISP support forum, when I logged on my Simplenote account on the Web, the content was empty and the server connection was crossed.

Here is the (partial) solution that was proposed on a support forum (for ISP customers) : simply change the WAN IP Address. For that, I either reboot my Internet box or use my ISP account to ask for the change of IP address, they are given dynamically.

The issue is that the new IP gets blocked again : after a few minutes where everything worked fine, connection is now blocked again...

You mentioned earlier that you blocked an IP address, could this be my WAN/external IP address ? I can send the current one to you in a PM...
Thanks !
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Fri Jan 24, 2025 9:58 pm

Hi,

After a new WAN IP renewal this morning, I see that I can still open the home page of simperium.com and accordingly sync is working. It seems I am no longer blocked after a few minutes.
One of the changes I made locally is to remove a particular attachment from a note. I will reattach it again to see if there if the issue comes back, even if it shouldn't.

Newsflash : as soon as I attach again this file (an encrypted winrar archive), I get banned again... Pfff... This is annoying ! I am blocked as soon as the updated note is uploaded.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Fri Jan 24, 2025 10:13 pm

CintaNotes Developer wrote:Hello MerleOne,

Could you please try the sync again?

I found out that the attachments server CPU was at 100% due to spam from one IP address.
After I banned it, the CPU returned to normal.

Eurêka !
I just want to let you know that I am no longer banned as soon as I remove a given attachment from a Cintanotes note. If I reattach it again and sync CN, I get banned immediately. I guess the attachments server sees it as a virus (it's just a encrypted rar archive, whose content is a text file with some passwords).

I can send you the encrypted archive if this helps. But probably not enough because of the extra encryption you mentioned... Anyway don't hesitate to ask.
Regards,
.merle1.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby MerleOne » Sat Jan 25, 2025 2:50 pm

Hi again,

I have been too quick to lay the blame on a specific attachment. The issue seems to be related to general operation of Cintanotes on my main PC. As soon as I sync on this main PC, let's call it "A", I get banned from simperium.com. With or without the attachment being present.

But, on my other PCs, "B" and "C", Cintanotes syncs fine and doesn't result in my WAN IP being banned. So I copied the cintanotes.db from PC B to A and opened Cintanotes on A with this other file. Guess what, Cintanotes syncs fine now without ban. The notes count is the same with both file so hopefully I have not lost anything.

But of course this may not be the whole explanation, I have followed several tracks and may have missed something. Also, I guess only simperium admin can know exactly what happened.

Anyway I would really like to know what happened and how to avoid future identical issues !

.merle1.
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Re: SYNCHRONIZATION ISSUES

Postby CintaNotes Developer » Mon Feb 03, 2025 5:51 am

Hi MerleOne,

well I can assure you that CN doesn't ban anyone based on attachment content.
I only banned the IP that was spamming the server and caused CPU load to spike.
Actually I see no reason why this IP should be kept secret - it is 94.231.249.241

The ban for attachment content, if it is real, must be coming from Simperium side.
Alex

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