Access lost to server even though it is running

Server Version#: Version 1.31.1.6782

Seemingly since the most recent update, I (and my users) keep losing access to my PMS even though the server and the PlexMediaServer.service is running.

So far, a restart or two has brough access back, but I have no idea why its dropping to begin with. I can’t see my server or libraries when I try to reach it via direct IP (x.x.x.x:32400) instead of through the Plex.TV link either.

@ckronengold

Can you Stop Plex.

Next please make a tar.gz of the “Logs” directory under “Plex Media Server” and attach it.

Yes, I’m able to systemctl stop the service and restart it, but that hasn’t fixed the problem when I tried it.

I should also add, for clarity, that when the server disappears, it completely disappears from my list of libraries and servers. It doesn’t show the yellow triangle/exclamation point icon for when a library or server is unreachable. It completely disappears and only shows me Plex’s (yours) content on the home screen, not any of my own.

One of the other things I noticed was that my Plex Token has also changed.

Plex Media Server Logs_2023-03-13_18-33-34.tar.gz (3.6 MB)

Just had a fresh crash, rebooted, and all was fine, so I’m uploading new logs.

Plex Media Server Logs_2023-03-14_11-06-59.tar.gz (4.2 MB)

1 Like

Just had another crash and rebooted.

Any suggestions are certainly appreciated.
Plex Media Server Logs_2023-03-16_13-40-49.tar.gz (4.1 MB)

@ckronengold

What I’m seeing in your logs is a commanded shutdown

ar 16, 2023 09:16:53.619 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Activity: Ended activity 47122b5f-23d8-4e82-bf69-26eb24a78013.
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.619 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - Activity: ended sub-activity 695d2c27-2c9c-45e7-b825-632d6ecac2e4 parent: 53890eb4-b426-4443-9480-6939a825523a overall progress: 100.0% (1963/1963)
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.619 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - Activity: updated activity 53890eb4-b426-4443-9480-6939a825523a - completed 100.0% - Butler tasks
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.620 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - Activity: registered new sub-activity d091a0b3-2d33-4e3c-a0b5-d979eee8c7f1 - "ButlerTaskGenerateCreditsMarkers" parent: 53890eb4-b426-4443-9480-6939a825523a overall progress: 99.9% (1963/1964)
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.620 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - Activity: updated activity 53890eb4-b426-4443-9480-6939a825523a - completed 99.9% - Butler tasks
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.620 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - Butler: Scheduling credits marker creation for: 226184
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.626 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] It took 0.000000 ms to retrieve 120 items.
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.865 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Running credits detection for item 226184
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.865 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager] Activity: registered new activity fd31ef45-9d03-4487-a107-6d2b382a5097 - "Detecting Credits"
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.900 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager/JobRunner] Job running: FFMPEG_EXTERNAL_LIBS='/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application\ Support/Plex\ Media\ Server/Codecs/7e8dc7a-4467-linux-x86_64/' X_PLEX_TOKEN=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Media Scanner" -C -f "/nasmount/nasvideo/MOVIES/Godfather (1972) - [RF22truehd]/The Godfather (1972) - [RF22truehd].mkv" --log-file-suffix " Credits"
Mar 16, 2023 09:16:53.900 [0x7ff6586bcb38] DEBUG - [CreditsDetectionManager/JobRunner] Jobs: Starting child process with pid 1912510
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:00.448 [0x7ff6513c7b38] DEBUG - EPG[cloud]: Purging 0 airings which completed in the past.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.750 [0x7ff66d60ab38] DEBUG - Shutting down with signal 15 (Terminated)
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.750 [0x7ff66d60ab38] DEBUG - Ordered to stop server.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.751 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - Stopping server...
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.751 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - HttpServer: Stopping server.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.759 [0x7ff66cedab38] DEBUG - MetadataItemClusterRequestHandler: a shutdown event has been received
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.760 [0x7ff66cedab38] DEBUG - TranscodeJobManager: [Running] onServerShutdown
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.760 [0x7ff66cedab38] DEBUG - TranscodeJobManager: [Running] -> [Shutdown]
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.760 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - Server stopped.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.760 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - NetworkService: Stopping advertisement.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.761 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - Killing plug-ins.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.789 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - [com.plexapp.system] Killing.
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.793 [0x7ff66d60ab38] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 4858
Mar 16, 2023 09:17:17.799 [0x7ff66dab9aa0] DEBUG - ChildProcessMonitor: Waiting for Plex Tuner Service to exit.

Did the machine’s OS log show that /tmp was full ? (that can cause a ‘crash’)

None of my disks are more than 25% full, and the /tmp folder shows is has 342gb of free space.

I’m not speaking of what the disks report.

On most Linux systems, /tmp is a memory-based “tmpfs” filesystem.

If that fills, some distributions will “crash” the offending application (force shutdown)

things to look at

sudo journalctl -xe | grep -i plex

This is the system’s logfile. What you’re interested will either be first thing you see --or-- all the way at the bottom (distros sort differently)

You’re looking for any errors recorded in the system journal for Plex.

Mar 16 18:55:24 coreybuntu whoopsie-upload-all[212385]: /var/crash/_usr_lib_ple mediaserver_Plex Media Scanner.998.crash already marked for upload

so clearly there’s crashing. getting the bottom of it might be above my paygrade in Linux.

The scanner crash is known. The credits detection feature (built into the scanner) is what’s broken.

It’s also fixed just this past Monday and already coming through the testing & QA chain to make it out in (probably) the next release (please don’t quote me but it looks high enough priority to be in it)

For now, you should be able to turn off Credit Detection in each library section.

When the fixes are released , you’ll see it

1 Like

Thank you, @ChuckPa . Appreciate the help.

Well, after moving the server over to a new Ubuntu install and getting the NFS share issue solved, I’m still back to random crashing.

My users have also lost their access to my shares, I needed to grant everyone new access. Hoping I can restore that with one of the backup db files.

I had previously turned off all of the credit detection scanning, but I may have missed one library. Any way to tell what caused the crash this morning between 10:30a and 11:30a?
Plex Media Server Logs_2023-04-02_11-28-55.zip (4.0 MB)

In your account, I see four servers with the same name. This tells me the server has been recreated (at least Preferences.xml) from scratch four times.

Given you moved to a NEW ubuntu installation, I suspect you have a new SERVER ID again.

Sharing is on a Server ID basis (stored in Preferences.xml) .

Go into Settings - Users & Sharing (upper left). Everyone is still there.
You just assign them again to this new SERVER ID.

=========================================================

There are easy ways to prevent this from happening but takes a little planning upfront.
( Moving PMS is detailed in Linux Tips How-Tos

  1. When installing the OS, make a /home partition
    – OS is 64 or 128 GB (I use 128)
    – Swap is 16 - 32 GB
    – Home is the rest of the volume (unless an SSD you want to carve up further / finer)

  2. Install PMS and get it initialized

  3. Stop PMS and create a new home for it on the /home partition
    – mkdir /home/plexmediaserver
    – chown plex:plex /home/plexmediaserver
    – using ‘tar’, copy all of /var/lib/plexmediaserver to /home/plexmediaserver

sudo bash
cd /var/lib/plexmediaserver
tar cf - . | (cd /home/plexmediaserver ; tar xf -)
  1. Create a systemd override to change the Envirionment="PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR=/home/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support"

  2. After this is complete, PMS is now kept safe (stored independent of the OS) on the /home partition ; which you’re not forced to erase should a fresh OS install be needed…

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