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SQLBak to Dropbox backup - transport connection error

I use SQLBak to backup several MS SQL Server DBs to an internal NAS device and then copy the backups to a shared Dropbox folder for disaster recovery purposes. Seven days ago, ALL of my SQLBak backup jobs to Dropbox started failing with the error message below. I have already raised a ticket with SQLBak and they confirmed that it does not appear to be an issue with the SQLBak agent and suggested that a change to Dropbox may have caused it. Anyone got any ideas?

[DST-4:1103#2] Failed to upload "C:\Windows\TEMP\SqlBakTestFile.bak" file to "gollum" folder. > One or more errors occurred. > An error occurred while sending the request. > The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send. > Unable to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. > An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host

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arkroyal

Tried unlinking and relinking and got a warning message that the old version of Dropbox platform is being retired on Sept 28 2017 (stet) and the developer has yet to acknowledge the change, so this app may not continue to work in the future. I have also tried the latest version of the SQLBak agent (2.12.7). Still no luck, so I think I will refer back to SQLBak.

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Walter

Hey there @arkroyal - sorry to hear about this.

To begin with now, could you send a screenshot of the exact error you get please?

Also, do you get the same error when trying to copy these backups on other locations maybe?

Thank you in advance for any additional information you think might help our investigation.

arkroyal

@Walter wrote:
Hey there @arkroyal - sorry to hear about this.
To begin with now, could you send a screenshot of the exact error you get please?
Also, do you get the same error when trying to copy these backups on other locations maybe?
Thank you in advance for any additional information you think might help our investigation.

Screenshot below. All of the DB backups to Dropbox fail with the same error. I only use our NAS device as another backup location and that works fine.

Walter

Thank you for the additional information @arkroyal - most appreciated.

From what you mentioned, I understand that the setup you are using has the Dropbox folder on a NAS drive.

As this Help Center article outlines, the Dropbox folder should not be installed on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive. Read on for more context:

Dropbox could be presenting this behavior because network file systems do not send messages when files change. When Dropbox first starts it will do a deep file scan and will detect changes and sync them. However, during normal operation, Dropbox waits for "file update events" and only physically connected drives send these events.

The best fix to this problem is simply to move the Dropbox folder to a computer's internal drive.

I strongly recommend choosing a location on the same hard drive as your operating system while also making sure that it's on a supported format. Dropbox won't work correctly should the Dropbox folder ever become inaccessible.

I know it's not much but I sure hope this information helps to some extent. If there's anything else I can help with from my end, do let me know.

arkroyal

Thanks Walter, but just to confirm I do NOT have the Dropbox folder on a NAS device. I backup the DBs to a shared folder on an internal NAS device first and then to a folder in my Dropbox Business account as the secondary location. The backups are failing when attempting to backup DBs to the Dropbox folder. Been working fine up until about a week ago.

Rich

@arkroyal wrote:
I backup the DBs ... to a folder in my Dropbox Business account as the secondary location. The backups are failing when attempting to backup DBs to the Dropbox folder.

Do you have the Dropbox client installed and syncing normally, with SQLBak saving directly to the local Dropbox folder on your computer (which Dropbox then syncs to the cloud), or does SQLBak link directly to your Dropbox account online, bypassing your local drives completely?

According to this page, it looks like SQLBak uses the Dropbox API to connect and save backup files directly to your Dropbox account online, bypassing any local storage. If that's the case, then you'll need to go back to SQLBak for support. Only they will be able to provide support for a process that they've created. Dropbox cannot support third-party applications. If SQLBak is unable to determine or correct the problem, they'll need to contact Dropbox Support themselves.

arkroyal

SQLBak does use the Dropbox API and links directly with our online Dropbox account. I will check with SQLBak again. Maybe rolling back the SQLBak agent or waiting until the next release will resolve it.

Walter

Sorry to interfere here @arkroyal (as I won't be able to help further at this point since it's not within my scope of expertise); have you by any chance try unlinking SQLBak from your account's connected apps tab and linking it anew?

In any case, please keep us posted!

arkroyal

JohnnyTq

Hello .

I have the same problem and i want to know if you got the solution .

Thank you

Rich

The solution is to get an updated version of the SQLBak app, if available, so that it supports the latest Dropbox API. You'll have to contact the developer, though it sounds like they may have abadoned it (at least as of six months ago).

arkroyal

Finally found a solution last week. Not SQLBak-related, but a Dropbox API-related URL was being blocked by our firewall. Add the following URL to your firewall's allowed domains list:

dropbox-api.arkoselabs.com

This must have been a change affected by Dropbox, because our SQLBak replicated backups to Dropbox were working fine up to a point. I was also experiencing problems with the Dropbox Business client on a workstation. Solved when allowing the above URL.

Hope it fixes your problem.

JohnnyTq

Could you give more details about unblocking in firewall ? I created new inbound and outbound rules with the IP found pinging this URL but nothing changed .

arkroyal

No changes were made to inbound/outbound rules on Windows firewall. I added the URL to our perimeter SonicWall appliance's allowed domain list.