Barrier: keystroke/mouse delays

[jtara]

Operating Systems

Operating Systems
Server: MacOS Catalina 10.15.1

Client: MacOS Catalina 10.15.1

Barrier Version
2.3.2-Release-210c2b70, Build Date: October 3, 2019

Steps to reproduce bug

• Start server and client
• Work on client screen
• After just a few minutes, delays start to occur. Keystrokes are noticeably delayed and "batched". Mouse movement (particularly scrolling) becomes sluggish.

Other info

• When did the problem start to occur? Not sure - probably at least the past year
• Is there a way to work around it? Yes, but painful. Close, then re-open the client.
• Does this bug prevent you from using Barrier entirely? No, but quite painful. It takes only a few minutes for the delays to start occuring

I had thought this was related to memory leaks which have been extreme in the past. However, in current version - IF you disable SSL - there seems to be no memory leak. Both server and client are showing two processes in Activity Monitor using only a few MB each. (As opposed to 1GB or more after less than a day with SSL enabled!)

I've experimented with closing/reopening server, closing/reopening client. Close/reopen client seems to do the trick. I've just recently realized this after throwing in the towel on SSL.

Client/server are on 1GB Ethernet (e.g. not WiFi).

I have disabled "synchronize screen savers" and file copy. I NEED copy/paste, but I will do some experimenting with it disabled and update here with results. I have SUSPECTED that this might be related to copy/paste and/or file copy. Note that I don't need to actually copy/paste between systems for the problem to occur. But I've noticed some extended delays when the little popup comes up about the clipboard.

[jtara]

Perhaps unrelated, but I can be a bit more specific about the "pasting" bit.

I notice from time to time, a popup on the server machine "pasting from " and it says "connecting". It will get stuck there for perhaps 10 seconds.

What is it doing? Why does it take 10 seconds to "connect"? Isn't it already "connected"? Does it have to open another connection for the paste?

Is there something I have to do with network configuration?

Do others see this behavior?

I do not enable MacOS firewall FWIW.

OK, now I will shut off clipboard sharing for a bit and see what happens.

I've also set logging level to Error in case too much logging.

[jtara]

Alas, after only a few minutes with clipboard sharing turned off, I get the delays.

I don't get the clipboard sharing popups, which at least is SOME improvement, and when those come up the entire UI is frozen on the server machine.

[jtara]

"restart" of client does not fix the problem. You have to "quit" and then open again. Then it is OK for just a few minutes.

[WreckWren]

+1 for this issue but it occurs constantly, from startup. The app is totally unusable for me now.

I also have unified remote installed and it works -flawlessly-, so the issue is 100% native to Barrier.

[crisward]

Not sure if this helps, but in the logs I'm seeing lots of disconnected from server not always following clipboard events, so I think that's just coincidental.

The spacing between the disconnects isn't constant,
eg

[2020-06-16T09:04:19] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:05:04] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:13:35] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:15:09] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:22:08] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:31:51] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:32:04] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:33:44] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:37:11] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:38:05] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:38:47] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:38:59] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:39:51] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:40:11] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:41:00] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:43:08] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T09:45:04] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T11:28:20] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T11:32:21] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T11:34:59] NOTE: disconnected from server
[2020-06-16T11:35:11] NOTE: disconnected from server

each of these is proceeded by a WARNING: cursor may not be visible and followed by a NOTE: connecting to

I've connected my two machines with a network cable and configured barrier to work over the direct connection with some static ip address so this isn't a network issue, as there is nothing in-between the two macs.

Using 10.15.5 - catalina on both machines.

If you'd like any further debugging information, let me know.

[crisward]

Think I have a work around for this bug, and possible cause.

I think, in my case the disconnect event is being triggered when the locally connected mouse is nudged as I have both mice on the same desk.

If I disable bluetooth on the client machine, the disconnects stop.

Obviously this isn't ideal, but does seem to work as a rough work around.

Hope that helps debug this issue.