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The Dropbox app in headless Linux mode stopped working
I have the headless dropboxd installed as root on a Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS server and available as a service through the following script (/etc/systemd/system/dropbox-tjansson.service):
[Unit] Description=Dropbox Daemon After=network.target [Service] Type=simple User=tjansson ExecStart=/opt/dropbox/dropboxd ExecStop=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID Restart=always [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
I keep the files in `/opt/dropbox/` up to date with a cronjob which is running every night
#!/usr/bin/env sh sudo service dropbox-tjansson stop sleep 1 sudo wget https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64 -O dropbox-linux.tar.gz sudo tar xvzf dropbox-linux.tar.gz --strip 1 -C /opt/dropbox sudo rm -f dropbox-linux.tar.gz sudo service dropbox-tjansson start
Running this job by hand installs the `222.4.5042` version. However, for a couple of weeks now this has not been working the service starts up and then crashes. This is the output from syslog:
2025-04-29T00:15:58.802976+02:00 curie dropboxd[255863]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/wrapt._wrappers.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:00.383735+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Main process exited, code=killed, status=9/KILL 2025-04-29T00:16:00.397931+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Failed with result 'signal'. 2025-04-29T00:16:00.398197+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Consumed 7.623s CPU time. 2025-04-29T00:16:00.516939+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 133. 2025-04-29T00:16:00.525450+02:00 curie systemd[1]: Started dropbox-tjansson.service - Dropbox Daemon. 2025-04-29T00:16:00.577802+02:00 curie dropboxd[255927]: <frozen zipimport>:259: UserWarning: google.protobuf.service module is deprecated. RPC implementations should provide code generator plugins which generate code specific to the RPC implementation. service.py will be removed in Jan 2025 2025-04-29T00:16:01.012895+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._openssl.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:01.019992+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._padding.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:01.027682+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/apex._apex.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:01.074008+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/psutil._psutil_linux.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:01.074098+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/psutil._psutil_posix.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:01.093740+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/google._upb._message.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:01.578950+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: <frozen zipimport>:259: UserWarning: google.protobuf.service module is deprecated. RPC implementations should provide code generator plugins which generate code specific to the RPC implementation. service.py will be removed in Jan 2025 2025-04-29T00:16:01.588612+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/tornado.speedups.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:02.716703+02:00 curie dropboxd[255942]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/wrapt._wrappers.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:03.999546+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._openssl.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.006345+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._padding.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.013981+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/apex._apex.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.059971+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/psutil._psutil_linux.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.060236+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/psutil._psutil_posix.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.079557+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/google._upb._message.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.553179+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: <frozen zipimport>:259: UserWarning: google.protobuf.service module is deprecated. RPC implementations should provide code generator plugins which generate code specific to the RPC implementation. service.py will be removed in Jan 2025 2025-04-29T00:16:04.562392+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/tornado.speedups.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.743434+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._openssl.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.750492+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._padding.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.758472+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/apex._apex.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.805908+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/psutil._psutil_linux.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.806140+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/psutil._psutil_posix.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:04.826353+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/google._upb._message.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:05.299425+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: <frozen zipimport>:259: UserWarning: google.protobuf.service module is deprecated. RPC implementations should provide code generator plugins which generate code specific to the RPC implementation. service.py will be removed in Jan 2025 2025-04-29T00:16:05.309295+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/tornado.speedups.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:05.701058+02:00 curie dropboxd[256007]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/wrapt._wrappers.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:06.425306+02:00 curie dropboxd[256020]: dropbox: load fq extension '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858/wrapt._wrappers.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:08.011808+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Main process exited, code=killed, status=9/KILL 2025-04-29T00:16:08.069793+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Failed with result 'signal'. 2025-04-29T00:16:08.070129+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Consumed 7.496s CPU time. 2025-04-29T00:16:08.239049+02:00 curie dropboxd[256083]: <frozen zipimport>:259: UserWarning: google.protobuf.service module is deprecated. RPC implementations should provide code generator plugins which generate code specific to the RPC implementation. service.py will be removed in Jan 2025 2025-04-29T00:16:08.266897+02:00 curie systemd[1]: dropbox-tjansson.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 134. 2025-04-29T00:16:08.284580+02:00 curie systemd[1]: Started dropbox-tjansson.service - Dropbox Daemon. 2025-04-29T00:16:08.841688+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._openssl.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:08.848779+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/cryptography.hazmat.bindings._padding.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:08.856525+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/apex._apex.abi3.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:08.903190+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/psutil._psutil_linux.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:08.903416+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/psutil._psutil_posix.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:08.923051+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/google._upb._message.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so' 2025-04-29T00:16:09.407347+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: <frozen zipimport>:259: UserWarning: google.protobuf.service module is deprecated. RPC implementations should provide code generator plugins which generate code specific to the RPC implementation. service.py will be removed in Jan 2025 2025-04-29T00:16:09.416740+02:00 curie dropboxd[256098]: dropbox: load fq extension '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042/tornado.speedups.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
The behavior seems weird. The service initially runs from '/opt/dropbox/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-222.4.5042', but later switches to '/home/tjansson/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-223.3.4858' and then fails. It appears that once the user runs the binaries in /opt/dropbox, the application attempts to upgrade, even though the official installer using the curl command does not fetch this newer version. The failure might be because the user’s local version differs from what was originally installed. Does anyone understand why this is happening?
Kind regards
Thomas [removed per the Dropbox Community Guidelines]
5 Replies
The "Early Access" was disabled
I just checked the server. The issue has resolved itself, as the standard script now installs a newer version (223.4.4909), and the userspace version no longer attempts to upgrade it automatically.
I guess the problem was just that the `wget https://www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64` command for file wasn't installing the same versions as the daemon tried to upgrade to.
Thanks for the inputs.
- Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey tjansson, let me also jump in here!
As a first step, can you check your account settings, and make sure that Early access is turned off?
After you do that, please follow these steps in order to perform an advanced reinstall.
Keep me updated on your progress there, thanks!
I have just checked, and it meets all system requirements. It is running Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS on a headless server without any desktop environment, so the Dropbox desktop app cannot run on it. The app works fine on other devices.
The main issue appears to be that the official installation script installs version 222.4.5042, but the user space tries to upgrade to 223.3.4858 for some reason.
It also looks like the chat bot that removed my last name also stripped all the formatting from the code in my original post. :(
- Hannah
Hey tjansson, sorry to hear about this.
Can you make sure you have all the system requirements for the Dropbox app to work correctly on your machine?
Does the full desktop app give you issues as well?
Let me know and we'll go from there.
