Dropbox cannot start since built 62.4.103 on Raspberry Pi using Exagear

[LJ_1991]

Hi all,

I've been running Dropbox using Exagear on my Raspberry Pi 3B continously for over a year now without any problems. However Dropbox stopped working (cannot be started) since version 62.4.103. Other users (with a Raspberry Pi) also experience this as can be seen in this Eltechs forum post. On trying to start the Dropbox service, the following error log is created:

bn.VERSION: 63.4.107
bn.DROPBOXEXT_VERSION: failed
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 8c6e091f-4496-4ea1-8c5a-f041cae87b5f
pid: 6927
ppid: 1
ppid exe: failed
uid: 1000
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='pi', pw_passwd='x', pw_uid=1000, pw_gid=1000, pw_gecos=',,,', pw_dir='/home/pi', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='pi', pw_passwd='x', pw_uid=1000, pw_gid=1000, pw_gecos=',,,', pw_dir='/home/pi', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
euid: 1000
gid: 1000
egid: 1000
group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='pi', gr_passwd='x', gr_gid=1000, gr_mem=[])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='pi', gr_passwd='x', gr_gid=1000, gr_mem=[])
LD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/home/pi'
real_path='/home/pi'
mode=0o40755 uid=1000 gid=1000
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/home/pi'
appdata: '/home/pi/.dropbox/instance1'
real_path='/home/pi/.dropbox/instance1'
mode=0o40700 uid=1000 gid=1000
parent mode=0o40700 uid=1000 gid=1000
dropbox_path: '/home/pi/Dropbox'
real_path='/home/pi/Dropbox'
mode=0o40700 uid=1000 gid=1000
parent mode=0o40755 uid=1000 gid=1000
sys_executable: '/home/pi/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86-63.4.107/dropbox'
real_path='/home/pi/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86-63.4.107/dropbox'
mode=0o100755 uid=1000 gid=1000
parent mode=0o40755 uid=1000 gid=1000
trace.__file__: '/home/pi/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86-63.4.107/python-packages-35.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
real_path='/home/pi/.dropbox-dist/dropbox-lnx.x86-63.4.107/python-packages-35.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
tempdir: '/tmp'
real_path='/tmp'
mode=0o41777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 7016, in main_startup
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 3236, in run
File "ui/common/uikit.pyc", line 832, in create_ui_kit
File "dropbox/client/ui/qt/__init__.pyc", line 43, in <module>
File "<_bootstrap_overrides>", line 153, in load_module
ImportError: libglapi.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

I've tried several things, all without result:

1. I could find the "missing" library in the /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf folder
   and based on some internet research I did the following without any result:
   • Added the following line in home/pi/.bashrc
     

     export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

   • Added the following line to the libc.conf file in /etc/ld.so.conf.d
     

     /usr/lib

     and afterwads ran the following within in the Exagear environment:
     

     ldconfig

   • Copied the complete folder /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/ into /opt/exagear/images/debian-8/usr/lib/
2. Trying to revert back to the previous build that still worked by removing the dropbox software (using these Dropbox recommendations) and trying to download an older version of the debian package from here. In addition, I undid the actions from step 1.
   --> This did not work since the Dropbox daemon downloads the latest version (63.4.107 at time of writing) which throws the same error.
3. Fresh install of Exagear and Dropbox:
   • Updating Exagear to its latest version (according to this).
   • Installing Dropbox as I did over a year ago (according to this).
   • Rebooting the Raspberry Pi.
   • Starting Dropbox (and hence the daemon) afterwards runs the same error as above.

At this point I don't know what else I can do or did wrong. Any solution or way forward is much appreciated. I consider myself a Linux beginner so I hope to have provided sufficient information.

Kind regards,
Lennert

[Walter]

Hey there Lennert - sorry to hear that!

We cannot indicate whether this would work fully as expected as this is third party software and may have unexpected configurations. We do have some general recommendations that may help though! 

For Dropbox to work correctly, it needs to be installed in an Operating System (OS) that is not part of a Shared Session. If installing into a virtual environment, it would need to be installed into a user account that is part of this virtual desktop or virtual machine and only accessed by that user account. The Dropbox folder should also be located on the same mounted drive that is running the virtual machine or virtual desktop.

Please be aware that if you install Dropbox on a virtual machine or virtual desktop that are non-persistent, such that they are reset on a schedule or after logging off, Dropbox may be logged out and need to resync everytime this occurs. 

I hope this information helps to some extent while, for additional recommendations, I'd advise to consult with resources available from the manufacturer of the third party software you're using. Thank you!

[LJ_1991]

Dear Walter,

Thank you for generating a response, although it doesn't help me adress the problem. I (and others) identified Dropbox to be the issue, not the third party software.
In the meantime, I was able to install the previous stable built, which runs perfect. This is sufficient for me at this time.

I would therefore refer people with a similar problem in the future to the solution I found (link). 

Kind regards,

Lennert

[Walter]

Thanks for following up Lennert - if you feel like it, would you please elaborate on what worked for you so other users can find it in an easier fashion? 

In any case, thanks for the info @LJ_1991 

[LJ_1991]

The solution that worked for me (since Dropbox fails to aknowledge it's a problem on their side) was to revert back to a previous built that still worked. You can find a full description of here. After these steps, Dropbox won't be updated and remain at the installed built.

1. Remove Dropbox completly from the Raspberry Pi.
2. Download the previous stable built (60.4.107):

   $ cd ~ && wget -O - "https://clientupdates.dropboxstatic.com/dbx-releng/client/dropbox-lnx.x86-60.4.107.tar.gz" | tar xzf -

3. Lock the file so it doesn't update: (can be undone with "sudo chattr -i -R .dropbox-dist"):

   $ sudo chattr +i -R .dropbox-dist

4. Launch Exagear shell:
   

   $ exagear

5. The following line is not really needed but doesn't cause any harm I think:
   

   $ sudo apt-get update

6. Run Dropbox:
   

   $ .dropbox-dist/dropboxd

This will run Dropbox as long as the terminal window remains open. If you want to run Dropbox without the terminal window, please see the detailed post.

[Walter]

Thanks for the update and your complete walk-through this Lennert - I appreciate it and hopefully this will help other users stumbling upon the same issue. 

In regards to your comments I'll take them as feedback and pass them on to our desktop app's dev team for their consideration as we currently don't support a native client (desktop app) for Raspberry Pi. 

As aforementioned, this setup may not meet the minimum requirements for the Dropbox application or what we can actively support to be frank here.  

You can always review our recommended minimum requirements on the following page:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/system-requirements

In any case, thanks again for letting us know about this and should you have any more questions or feedback, please let me know. 

Cheers!

PS: If your device does not meet the operating system requirements, you may still be able to use the Dropbox desktop application, but results may vary as you may have noticed.

[DJChuck2019]

First of all, thanks for the helpful tips!
I'm running into a snag that I can't seem to find my way around.  Having installed the older build as directed above (along with Exagear, just to be clear), everything works fine - until the very last.  The dropbox application opens up a browser window for signing in to my account: but when I enter the proper credentials, the response is that I'm seeking to sign in with an older version of dropbox and need to upload the latest client. 
But the latest client doesn't work, as the top of this thread makes clear.
Is there some workaround or alternative way of launching dropbox under Exagear that won't lead to the browser but to a more direct sign-in (that will hopefully be accepted)?
Many thanks in advance - charles 

[LJ_1991 · Accepted solution]

Hi Charles,

In the meantime, the proper way to install the latest built (and also the updates) has been mentioned in this Eltechs forum thread.

When doing the (proper) install of Dropbox, please also include the following during the installation steps:

$ exagear
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install libglapi-mesa libxcb-glx0 libxcb-dri2-0 libxcb-dri3-0 libxcb-present0 libxcb-sync1 libxshmfence1

It installs the missing packages so that the latest built can be ran. I will make this the accepted answer now.

Kind regards,
Lennert

[DJChuck2019]

Thanks very much - worked like a charm!

I have a different question - will post on a different thread.

again, many thanks!

- c.