I have installed Synthing on a Drobo 5N2 using this GitHub project. When I log into the GUI, I get this warning:
Syncthing should not run as a privileged or system user. Please consider using a normal user account.
I configured Syncthing to sync a shared folder on my Drobo that contains years of photography image files and Lightroom backups, etc. The GUI indicates that it is about 65% done scanning the contents of that folder. I’ve SSHed onto my Drobo to look at the Syncthing installation. I can not find the configuration files as described here.
How do I change Syncthing to use a normal user account, and what will I need to do to change the ownership of any config or index files that have been created while Synthing has been running under an account with root access?
This is a question for someone who knows Drobo and the app packaging there. Hopefully there might be someone like that here, but otherwise I’d reach out to the GitHub repo you linked.
Since Syncthing for Synology, unlike Drobo, has its own package, there is an essential difference, but obviously the same problem, which is still also coming in the case of Synology with the new DSM 7 in which the installion user must work in the new lower privilege framework.
Up to now, on Synology all third party APPs are running as root, but in the future all of that must run as user also with low authorization level. So, because of the Syncthing package for Synology finally is here a thing of both sides, Syncthing and Synology.
But not in case of Drobo, since what I know Synthing have no package for such NAS. It seems you need the support of Drobo to know exactly in which state of installation sequence you can use a root user or you need to use a low level user to install the Syncthing software from start to end.
To specify your request also with regard to the running software. You should check whether your Syncthing installation has created a user or a group and in which way and also which rights they may have.
First a comparison. The Syncthing package for Synology creates a user syncthing.net and a user group syncthing. These line up with the other users and user groups. The user group syncthing is visible in the user interface of Synology and in this is given the desired directory rights. Maybe you need a similar setup with your Drobo.
You also write that the scan of the contents of a folder is about 65% complete. Doesn’t it go any further, or what happens then?
The Syncthing scan on the Drobo completed. I installed Syncthing on my Synology and paired the two devices, then I set up my desired “photo” directory to be synced. As of this time, the Synology reports that it is 8% done syncing the 2.79 TB of data. So I have Syncthing working as desired. It took me a little while to understand how the group was defined on the Synology and what I needed to do, but I got through that and the synching is working. I’ve specified the GUI user and password on both devices, so I think I’m safe, but I’d like to change the configuration on the Drobo so that it is not running as a root user.
With root user I mean that only during installation, not for normal use.
When you use the software, is not possible, that root is using a software package. Maximum is that a software is using the admin group. At the end, is more secure to have a normal user or group as you have in the Synology package.
In addition, I recommend activating the “Ignore Permissions” in the Advanced Tab for each peer for smooth functioning. In any case, I would deposit to activate that with Synology with every peer, I think that would be good with Drobo too.