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Serv-u 15.4.0.194 - New file Share Link

Hello everyone,

I'm curious to know if any of you are encountering a similar issue in your Serv-U environments. We have several instances where Serv-U is utilized by end users for sending very large files.

In these cases, we've observed that users are now utilizing the New File Sharing web interface and are utilizing Sent File option to create new  file sharing links which is great to see. And they are uploading files of any size  without any issues. However, when the share link is provided to recipients or guests for downloading the uploaded files, we've encountered a recurring problem. Specifically, individual files of larger sizes trigger an error message, "Some files failed to download," appearing in the Serv-U interface on the top right and yes  they do not download.

We have multiple Serv-U setups deployed across various environments, and upon testing with a different instance, I found the issue to be reproducible on all of them and I use a generic 5 GB ISO for my testing. Currently, all our Serv-U builds are running version 15.4.0.194, and unfortunately, I don't have an older instance to test against. 

Here's the intriguing part:

Upon returning to the "New File Sharing" section and accessing the sent file share. In this section, i am aware guests won't have access, but I was curious whether the creator of the share link could download the troublesome file after they uploaded it in this location. The answer is no; attempting to download results in an error: "The specified file or directory does not exist." Interestingly, this issue doesn't seem to affect a 100 MB size file in the same share.

Now, what's the next test? We still have access to the legacy file-sharing web interface conveniently named "File Sharing" in the dropdown navigation menu. Fortunately, we can still view secure file sharing links we created  in this location as well, and here's what's noteworthy. Those large files—yes, in this interface location, they download without a hitch. The URL that guest users will use to access the file share  in legacy interface works seamlessly as well. It's essential to note that this is the same Share Token. The only difference is webclient being "New File sharing" vs  "File Sharing"

Just a very odd thing to be a problem presented in New Web Clients interfaces. 

TLDR: Curious findings across multiple Serv-u Setups. That large individual files are unable to be downloaded from New File Share  Sent links. But can be downloaded just fine from legacy File Share Sent link. Face palm

  • All I can say is that we do not use the new file sharing client anymore, as we always had troubles with it in the past. (downloading files did not work properly)

    Maybe in 15.4.1 these problems are resolved, but we did not wanna put more time and effort in "beta" testing the new web client anymore (also the URL for the old one is nicer)

    So we most likely will just use the old one like forever and never try the new one again....at least till Solarwinds decides to remove the old one completely.

  • Absolutely, I completely understand your perspective. It's crucial to rely on tools and systems that have proven to be reliable and efficient. It seems there's a section in 15.4.1 update specifically addressing the download of large shared files in private browsing mode. We'll see if this addresses our issue as well. Although our problem was reported on 12/4, the last time I checked, there wasn't an update available for Serv-U.  So I'm glad to see that an update has come just in the nick of time.

  • We have seen this issue in few environments. Please, try the 15.4.1 version and let us know your experience. The old clients are scheduled to be removed for two years now and its getting close to not have them in future Serv-U release.

    I will wait for your feedback to move this topic further.

  • The upgrade to newest release did resolve the issue thankfully. Though ill need to test further to see any new issues where introduced. 

  • I am really happy to hear it. The presence of old clients is at the end, therefore any issue preventing usage of new webclients is crucial for us.