Sync has NOT been disabled by the administrator (me)

[SBlack4897]

Hello all.

I love Vivaldi Workspaces. I am a Private Investigator, and being able to maintain many open pages for each one of my cases separately, while bouncing around back and forth between cases, is awesome.

My usual OS is Ubuntu, but there are certain cases that I will use Kali Linux for, on a Virtual Machine. In layman's terms; I use a different device, with a slightly different operating system.

I can install Vivaldi, I can login, but for some reason I can't get it to sync across with my other devices. It tells me the "sync has been disabled by your administrator", but that's nonsense as I am the administrator.

I have tried everything. Any help would be appreciated; I have much better tools available to me on the OS installed on the Virtual Machine, but I need my Bookmark stack and Workspaces to really take advantage.

[mib2berlin]

@SBlack4897
Hi, this happen if you have added policies to /etc/chromium for example.
You can check this with open vivaldi://policy.
I have set some:

EDIT: Checked this in a clean profile and sync work with enabled policies, must be something else.

[SBlack4897]

Yeah, this doesn't make sense in my case. Under settings where I can turn "Sync across devices" on/off, I have turned them all on.

I can't help but think it must be on the Vivaldi side. As a Linux user, with a VPN to boot, I've gotten used to automatic blocks on websites, with software, etc. Thing is, where it is something that is supposed to be Linux compatible, I am always able to verify my way around the problem.

In this case, the issue is that I am locked out of sync options completely. I can't even see them, all I get is the message that the settings have been turned off by the administrator.

Is there someone who works with Vivaldi on here?

[Pathduck]

@SBlack4897 said in Sync has NOT been disabled by the administrator (me):

Under settings where I can turn "Sync across devices" on/off, I have turned them all on.

This does not make sense. There is no "Sync across devices" setting in Vivaldi.
Please make a screenshot of this setting.

And make a screenshot of this "disabled by your administrator" message.

Also check the content of vivaldi://policy as suggested.

[mib2berlin]

@SBlack4897
Yes, the first view you have to see in vivaldi://settings/sync/ is:

The second is:

[SBlack4897]

@Pathduck There is no need to be short with me.

I should not have put quotes around sync across devices. The setting for this does not use the word "devices". It isn't senseless, however, to describe the sync function this way; Vivaldi's own website describes the sync function using the word "devices", and the actual wording - "All data is synchronized, and synchronization of new data types is automatically enabled" - only excludes the word because it goes without saying.

Here are your screenshots, 1.) From the Vivaldi website, 2.) 'Sync' settings under my account, logged into the browser on my host computer running Ubuntu, 3.) 'Sync' settings under my account, logged into the browser on a Virtual Machine running Kali Linux:

[mib2berlin]

@SBlack4897
Hi, these new information change a lot, sync on the same device with a VM.
Please add wich VM you use.
We have users running Vivaldi on VM's, maybe @DoctorG can help here.

Cheers, mib

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 I am using a Windows 11 PC (VirtualBox, host) and a Linux (VM guest) in my LAN (192.168.10.*).
Sync between my Windows PC (Host) and Linux (Guest) is ok.

Check your VM Guest and Host firewall and network your routing!

[SBlack4897]

I am using VirtualBox. The host OS is Ubuntu, Linux; the guest OS on VirtualBox is Kali, Linux.

@DoctorG This is about the limit of my tech expertise. Would you mind directing me to where I can check those settings? Is this something I would do using the command line?

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 Which Vivaldi on which OS can sync?

[Pathduck]

@SBlack4897 You got a very good hint by mib2, first reply.

Hi, this happen if you have added policies to /etc/chromium for example.
You can check this with open vivaldi://policy.

Vivaldi is based on Chromium, so any policies set on your system for Chrome/ium will also apply to Vivaldi. AFAIK there's no separation between Chromium and Vivaldi policies on Linux as there is on Windows.

Read:
https://www.chromium.org/administrators/linux-quick-start/

https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/#SyncDisabled

As to the why this policy is applied on your system, you'll have to ask your systems admin (i.e. you)
(some packages will do this I believe)

[SBlack4897]

@SBlack4897 Vivaldi on the host (Ubuntu) syncs with any other operating system I use. I have a dual OS on the host computer i.e. Ubuntu/Windows 11, and Vivaldi syncs okay either way.

I also have another, older laptop running Ubuntu. Vivaldi syncs fine on there also.

It is just Kali Linux on the VirtualBox - which, as it happens, is where I need access to those workspaces most

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 I do not know if Kali Linux has a firewall.
But you are root and should check if one is installed.

1. firewall is active, check in its log if outgoing/incoming to bifrost.vivaldi.com is blocked.

2. Are Ubuntu (VM host) and Kali (guest in VM) in the same LAN?
   Check their IPs.
   ip a
   Check route:
   netstat -rn
   Poste here.

[SBlack4897]

@Pathduck The 'very good hint' assumes a level of tech expertise I don't have. I don't mess around with files of any kind from the command line unless I know exactly what I'm doing.

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 said in Sync has NOT been disabled by the administrator (me):

assumes a level of tech expertise I don't have

And as a beginner you use Kali Linux which is mostly for pentesting!?

Do you use Kali Linux as premade VMWare Machine from https://www.kali.org/get-kali/#kali-virtual-machines?

[Pathduck]

@SBlack4897 It doesn't take much "tech expertise" to copy+paste a link and let others know what you see there.

• Copy the link: vivaldi://policy
• Paste the link into the brower url field, press Enter
• What do you see?

Alternatively:

ls -R /etc/opt/chrome/policies
ls -R ~/.config/chromium/policies

Copy+paste the results.

[SBlack4897]

@SBlack4897 I am a private investigator. I use it for OSINT research, not for pentesting

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 It was not my goal to hurt you

OK. I will try to test your Kali issue tomorrow.

//EDIT 2024-08-09T09:40: Sync between Debian 12 and Kali works nice for me on VirtualBox VM.
And i have no such message about blocked sync by administrator.

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 I do not see any policy in Vivaldi 6.8 on Kali.

Can you please check:
Open vivaldi://policy
Type sync in field with the lens
Activate Show policies with no value set

Are there values in Status??

//EDIT:
Can you open Terminal
and run this command
sudo find / -name policies
If there are any folders with filename chrome or chromium, config files in these folders may contain the Disable of Sync.
https://www.chromium.org/administrators/linux-quick-start/

---

I am out of ideas now.

[DoctorG]

@SBlack4897 If you have a managed chromium browser, you see this in root Terminal

┌──(root㉿kali)-[~]
└─# find / -name policies
/etc/ipsec.d/policies
/etc/chromium/policies
find: ‘/run/user/1000/gvfs’: Keine Berechtigung
find: ‘/run/user/1000/doc’: Keine Berechtigung
                                                                                                                         
┌──(root㉿kali)-[~]
└─# ls -alR /etc/chromium/policies 
/etc/chromium/policies:
insgesamt 16
drwxrwxr-x 4 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:31 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:31 ..
drwxrwxr-x 2 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:32 managed
drwxrwxr-x 2 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:31 recommended

/etc/chromium/policies/managed:
insgesamt 12
drwxrwxr-x 2 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:32 .
drwxrwxr-x 4 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:31 ..
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root   27  9. Aug 12:32 test_policy.json

/etc/chromium/policies/recommended:
insgesamt 8
drwxrwxr-x 2 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:31 .
drwxrwxr-x 4 root root 4096  9. Aug 12:31 ..
                                                                                                                         
┌──(root㉿kali)-[~]
└─# cat /etc/chromium/policies/managed/test_policy.json 
{
  "SyncDisabled": true
}
                                                                                                                         
┌──(root㉿kali)-[~]
└─# 

and in Vivaldi chrome://policy with search of "sync" shows:

---

If this is Disabled in Chromium, Vivaldi 6.8 can not Sync.