Files does not display network shares

[Justin Campbell]

When using pantheon-files, I can establish network connections but I cannot browse them. However, I can do so in Nautilus just fine. Attached is a screenshot of pantheon-files next to Nautilus showing the same SFTP share. However this issue is not limited to SFTP. Samba shares, AFP shares, and FTP shares act similarly.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

THanks for the report Justin. There have been at least one other similar one, but as yet I have been unable to reproduce the problem on my test system (using the most recent version of Files). I have marked the bug confirmed for now as there are other related reports but not as a duplicate since the cause may not be the same.

If you are able to download, compile and run this testing branch in the terminal with the command ./src/pantheon-files --debug (while in the build directory):

https://code.launchpad.net/~jeremywootten/pantheon-files/more-robust-directory-loading

and post the output when Files fails to load your share it may help diagnose the problem. Make sure you kill any background Files processes before running the testing branch otherwise they will run instead.

Don't worry if you do not know how, or do not wish to, do this.

[Justin Campbell (jtcmh13)]

Sorry for the late reply, Jeremy, I am willing to at least attempt this. I am assuming you would like me to download and build the version of pantheon-files that you've previously linked to and post the debugging output from that build when trying to view an SFTP mount. Is that correct?

[Justin Campbell (jtcmh13)]

I have downloaded the branch of pantheon-files you have linked me to with the command you gave however ./src/pantheon-files does not exist. What would you like me to do?

[Zisu Andrei (matzipan)]

Hey Justin,

I'm going to guess that you only downloaded it, but didn't build it?

Some info here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/pantheon-files/+bug/1596648/comments/22

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Hi Justin: Thanks very much for having a go at building and running the testing branch - your help is invaluable. If you need more help just let us know. If you run the test from the build directory please make sure that there are no existing Files process running (otherwise the testing branch will just end and the existing version will run). Files tends to stay running in the back ground at the moment, if it has been used for any file operations. You can kill it using gnome-system-monitor or in the terminal:

ps -e | grep pantheon-files

to get the process numbers for Files and its associated daemon, followed by

kill [process numbers]

if any processes are found.

[Justin Campbell (jtcmh13)]

I am very sorry for the late reply. I have just got around testing this out. Attached to this comment is the output from running the provided version of pantheon-files. It seems that the log indicated a failure of connection/view however it worked fine; at least to view files and traverse files.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Thanks Justin - so you could browse the sftp location despite some warnings? So does the branch fix the bug for you? It looks like you did not use the --debug flag when running Files? You should have got more verbose messages from the testing branch. I have not had much time to work on this recently but will try to diagnose what is going on asap.

[Justin Campbell (jtcmh13)]

Jeremy - I have gone back to run this again with the debug flag to find that this did not work as previously described.

With this version of panthon-files I can connect to and display SFTP connections on a local network. I can also connect to a remote SFTP connect but I cannot view it. Attached is the output with the debug flag of:

Starting panethon-files
Establishing a connection to a local SFTP instance
Viewing the files in a local SFTP instance
Establishing a connection to a remote SFTP instnace
Attempting but failing to view files on a remote SFTP instance

I also want to say that my username, the local IP and the remote IP that I testing against have been replaced with {USER}, {LOCAL SFTP}, and {REMOTE SFTP} respectively.

[Kurt Smolderen (kurt.smolderen)]

When running pantheon-files from the terminal, I get the following log statements when mounting a remote server/ directory over SSH:

[WARNING 23:49:38.186394] gof-directory-async.vala:337: Error connecting to connectable sftp://<email address hidden>/home/user - Could not connect to server.example.com: Connection refused
[WARNING 23:49:38.186490] gof-directory-async.vala:186: Failed to get file info for file sftp://<email address hidden>/home/user
[WARNING 23:49:38.186552] gof-directory-async.vala:351: sftp://<email address hidden>/home/user cannot load. Connected false, Mounted true, Exists true

I can however SSH into that server.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

If anyone is willing and able to install and test the linked branch (remembering to kill any existing pantheon-files and pantheon-files-daemon processes) and report back that would be very helpful as it is not possible to reproduce everyone's network setup. Please run in terminal with the --debug flag to get additional debugging info.

[fuumind (fuumind)]

This bug affects me as well. Both my laptops suffer from it and I can reproduce it in a virtual machine as also, where I try to connect to the host computer via the internal network, not my usual Wifi LAN. I'm using gnome-boxes so it's kvm.

No problems when using nautilus or using the terminal to browse /run/user/1000/gvfs/sftp:host=HOST,user=USER. pantheon files however does not let me browse /run/user/1000/gvfs/sftp:host=HOST,user=USER, it redirects me to sftp://USER@HOST which fails.

I built the linked branch and took it for a spin in a virtual machine. The bug persists. See attached log below.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Hello fuumind. Thanks for trying this out. I notice from the debug log, that there is an error "No network found" which usually means an unplugged network cable or similar. Do other apps in the same machine detect the network OK? Is the server you are trying to connect to on a different physical machine?

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

By "same machine" I mean "same virtual machine".

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Fuumind: Looking more closely at the log, the line numbers indicate you are not running the currently linked branch or not the latest version if it which is at r2335. If you are able to build this branch and try out this branch I would grateful. Please ensure you kill any existing pantheon-files processes before running the new version.

[Ian Santopietro (isantop)]

Just compiled the branch linked at the top of the bug ( lp:~jeremywootten/pantheon-files/more-robust-directory-loading-experimental ) and I can access the sftp share. I can not with the latest version available in elementary-os/daily. Debug output is attached.

The revision currently in the branch is 2337.

[Ian Santopietro (isantop)]

May only affect SFTP servers using public key auth.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

Hello Ian. Thanks for the feedback. The branch linked to this bug is still awaiting approval and merging into trunk so it is not available in the stable or daily repository yet. Hopefully it will be merged after the next stable release (which is imminent) so will be available in the testing repository and will be released in the stable release after the next.

This branch does not specifically address public key authentication, which may need to be dealt with in a separate bug report, once this is merged.

[Ian Santopietro (isantop)]

No, it seems to work with public key authentication, at least here. The username needs to be filled out correctly, and with the password field blank, Files connects and I can browse files on the remote server as expected.

[Jeremy Wootten (jeremywootten)]

That's good to hear ;)