Persistent local server connection attempts

[Injall]

Hi all,

I have an issue with an app that tries many times to connect to the local server of my previous job. Of course it fails and send me multiple error messages.
The app is Papers3 legacy (a library manager). It's not supported anymore by the customer service so I'm all by myself.
When I open it, it would try about 8-10 times to connect to the missing server. I usually receive two error messages at once

I am 100% sure that it's that app causing the issue. I could correlate them with the console (but I don't remember how). Plus, I only get that error message after I open Papers3 and not at the computer startup or whatsoever.
The server is not in the login items or in the server list anymore.

A search in the console for the IP address doesn't return the Papers3 app but instead processes like SystemConfiguration (com.apple.SystemConfiguration) and NetAuthSysAgent (com.apple.NetAuthAgent, com.apple.network.libinfo).

It looks like some process still have the server in memory that papers tries to connect to.

So, is there any way to (1) stop Papers3 from trying to connect to the server, (2) block that connection/connection attempt or, (3) remove that server from my Mac's memory?

I'm using a MBP 2012 with Catalina (10.15.7)

 

[Slartibart]

Please check wether the old smb-share is included in your TimeMachine-setup (and if, delete them there) as well as System Preferences>Accounts and see if there is something set up in the Login Items-tab related to the server; similar for System Preferences>Networking>Advanced and Macintosh HD>Library>LaunchDaemons for a file related to mounting that smb-server.

Then check and get rid of any additional saved prefs related to that smb-connection open a terminal and execute:

cd ~/Library/Preferences/ and then

sudo grep -R "the-servername-you-looking-for" .

Each file returned is related to that smb-server. Move them to a different directory e.g. (mv filename(s)-you-found-previously ~/Desktop/testb4delete/), restart and check. Then delete the pref-files you just moved.

 

[Injall]

Hi.
Thanks for your answer.

I found no trace of the server in the:

• Login items
• Advanced network preferences

I ran the grep search in the following folders and found no hit:

• ~/Library/Preferences/
• ~/'Library/Papers3/'
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons
• /Users/UserName/Library/Preferences
• /Users/UserName/Library/Papers3
• /Users/UserName/Library/Application\ Support/Papers3
• /System/Library/Preferences
• /System/Library/LaunchDaemons

I really have no idea where that MF is hiding.

 

[Slartibart]

What about deleting the Papers3 preferences? something along the lines defaults delete com.myapp.* && rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.myapp.*.
Did running the grep-command over ~/?
Or a just treat the symptom-remedy: pointing it to local host via: sudo nano /etc/hosts adding 127.0.0.1 the-servername-you-looking-for to it and then restarting DNS: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.

 

[Injall]

Hi.
I moved all Papers3-related plist files from the Preferences folder into another one. The app behaved like it was new (no licence and all) but surprisingly it didn't fix the connection issue.

Do you mean to run the grep search on the whole disk? This gonna take forever, doesn't it?

Sorry, could you give more details about how to do your "just treat the symptom-remedy"? I couldn't save the edit list via the Terminal so I edited the host file with Textedit (created a copy, saved it, removed the extension, and replaced the original one). I ran the restarting DNS command and restarted the computer. Now I see my edits in the Terminal but Papers3 still tries to connect to the damn server.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Make sure there's nothing in there Papers-related with other possible product-related names such as "readcube" or "Digital Science Research & Solutions Inc.".