Again - "No write access to destination"

[bferrell]

So, I’ve looked at several threads, and I can’t figure my issue out. Here’s my deal.

I have a QNAP NAS that has my media files, and I would like to save recordings there, but this is not the Plex Server.

I have an R720 running Plex server in a VM, and it mounts the QNAP share on boot, and has no issues playing content. I have an HD HomeRun that I would like to use to record live TV. I have created a new share for this, and added the libary within Plex on the 720, and scheduled recordings, but get the “no write access error”.

I have checked the QNAP share permissions and they are read/write, and I have checked the plex VM from the command like and I can create files no problem, so I have write permissions when connected to the share… but still I get the error. Why?

Attachments:
VM Plex Server - DVR Content directory perms, PlexServer user owns and 777
VM Plex Server - Touch result - able to create files
QNAP Share - perms - RW for all allowed users

[bferrell]

Seriously, nobody knows how this is meant to work? This folder has 777 perms, how can Plex NOT be able to write to it, you can see it’s mounted, and the libarry exists…

[MwC_Trexx]

First off… patience…

Secondly,… you are only showing part of the permissions. On top of these permissions, if you click the user/group drop down, you will get options for SMB (Microsoft) or NFS.

What OS is your Plex Server VM running? How are you mounting the QNAP share (SMB/NFS/etc.)?

What share did you create for the Plex DVR info? Attaching your Plex Debug Logs would also be of value.

[bferrell]

Plex is running in a Ubuntu 16.04 VM.

I’m mounting the share with fstab -
//192.168.10.44/itunes /mnt/samba/itunes cifs username=user,password=passwd,uid=1000,gid=100 0 0

I didn’t specify the share type, just created the share and the user, and it reads fine (all media types from the QNAP play fine), it just can’t create files. I don’t see within the QNAP shared folders settings how to prove the type of share it created, but since it allows me to mount it with cifs, I believe it is an smb share. After reading this, maybe it allows all types of connections, but looking at the MS dropdown, I don’t see anything that would disallow access.

The librarys are “Movies”, “TV Shows”, “Home Videos” and “Music” that point that similarly named folders within “itunes”. The permissions above are for the selected “itunes” share. Here is a screenshot from Plex of me pointing the library at this mounted subdirectory.

The share is “itunes”, where I store all of my media, and I created a folder within that called “DVR Content” and created a Plex library that points to this folder for recordings. I also tried to enable “allow full guest access” on the QNAP perms, but it did not help. Also, my Mac can mount this share with SMB and I can add files to it with this userID.

Here are the other two sets of options.

I’m not sure how much of the log you want or need, but here is the output when I just tried to record something. Also attached, I turned on debugging, and tried a recording, and excerpted the entries from around that time.debug.log (195.2 KB)

Feb 17, 2019 22:39:17.860 [0x7faf36be6700] WARN - DVR:Subscription: No container available for /tv.plex.providers.epg.onconnect:2/metadata/com%2Egracenote%2Eonconnect%3A%2F%2Fepisode%2FEP001528700063
Feb 17, 2019 22:39:17.863 [0x7faf36be6700] ERROR - downloadContainer: expected MediaContainer element, found html
Feb 17, 2019 22:39:17.863 [0x7faf36be6700] WARN - DVR:Subscription: No container available for /tv.plex.providers.epg.onconnect:2/metadata/com%2Egracenote%2Eonconnect%3A%2F%2Fepisode%2F826078%2F2019-02-15
Feb 17, 2019 22:56:32.671 [0x7faf327fe700] ERROR - Failed to calculate available disk space for path ‘“/mnt/samba/itunes/DVR Content/.grab”’: 1 (Operation not permitted)
Feb 17, 2019 22:56:32.672 [0x7faf327fe700] ERROR - DVR:Grabber: No write permission.
Feb 17, 2019 22:56:32.677 [0x7faf327fe700] ERROR - DVR:Grabber: Starting media grab failed.

[MwC_Trexx]

You need to add your VM’s IP address under the shared folders MS Network settings to start with.

Also did you verify the uid gid for the Plex account?

[bferrell]

UPDATE: Adding your ‘by IP address setting’ actually breaks the share, when I list my MAC it doesn’t allow me to mount the share. Note that both the Mac and the Plex VM had the share mounted previously. Is true whether I list individual IP address or the /24 subnet, and as soon as I remove that IP address or range, it mounts perfectly and allows me full permission. So, I’m pretty sure there is some other issue, specifically with the Plex app.

I will try that, but am skepitcal. My Mac is not listed, and creates files just swimmingly, and when logged onto the VM, the share is mounted, and I can create files on it from the command line. Why would these things be possible/true if it were a permissions issue?

And, yes, I’ve confirmed the uid/gid. Attached are screenshots of the MS priv being added, the uid/gid for both users I’ve tried (mine and the Plex user I created) as well as a shot of the the file I created from the Plex VM command line (touched-“Icreatedthis.file”) and one I copied from my Mac to this share with this same userid (Interior.jpg), and the IP address of the plex server.

The share is working for this user from all linux-based comptuers, with this userID. I don’t believe the problem is with the share. And I get the same error in the logs “DVR:Grabber: No Write Permissions”.

Can you explain your theory as to why I would need to list the VM IP address when the VM is not excluded, has the drive mount, the drive has 777 perms, and the user user can write to it from the command line, why would the Plex app not be able to write to it? Did you see anything in the Debug logs?

SPOILER: I set the permission, and it didn’t help, even after reboot.add_dumb_IP_perms|486x472

[bferrell]

More info… here I’m showing that the PlexServer credentials do work, via SMB, from my Mac.

find smb mount
use “PlexServer” creds
copy file to “DVR Content” folder

[bferrell]

MwC_Trexx Another piece of data… when I ssh into the QNAP here are the directory perms. user “PlexServer” is the owner, and everyone has 777 to the directory.

[ChuckPa]

@bferrell

In your screenshot, you show SETGID tagging.

what have you done to the PMS install ?

[bferrell]

ChuckPA - In which screenshot? I posted like 8, and in a bunch of them (including the one I think you’re worried about) are from my QNAP NAS, not the Plex VM, because I have done nothing to the PMS install. Literally nothing.

MwC_Trexx I figured out my issue, and it had nothing to do with the share from the QNAP NAS, the fstab command on the PMS server under Ubuntu needed to have the “noperms” option added.

For anyone following later, this fstab entry allows the share to be written to properly in Ubuntu 16.04.

//192.168.10.44/iTunes /mnt/samba/iTunes cifs username=user,password=passwd,uid=1000,gid=100,rw,user,noperm 0 0

[ChuckPa]

Username PlexMediaServer ?

QNAP does not have a setuid-launch capability (su command)

If you are doing this from within the VM, running PMS in there, this will make a mess.
This is because PMS runs as admin on QNAP due to the lack of su capability.
Artificially creating a username is going to complicate the “expletive-deleted-here” crap out of it.

Since it looks like you also have network mount / SMB issues. this is what has me really confused…

What are you trying to accomplish?

[bferrell]

ChuckPA I’m not sure what’s so hard to understand, but let me be clear. I think I stated most of this in my original problem statement above, but…

I did previously run PMS on the QNAP, but I do not anymore. The QNAP (Core i7 and 32GB ram) did not have the processing power to properly transcode media, and so the remote quality in particular was not acceptable.

So, on the QNAP I have created an SMB share, with the user “PlexServer”, which you can see in the above screenshots. This user has nothing to do with the previously-running PMS instance on the QNAP, this IS ONLY FOR THE SHARE. It does not run any processes or do, really, anything.

I run PMS on an Ubuntu VM on a Proxmux cluster, to which I allocate a lot of ram and processor. This cluster has an fstab entry to mount the QNAP share on boot, and so the VM has a very small drive, and all of the storage is on the QNAP. I find that this arrangement works very well for transcoding and I have no issues. Both devices have 10G NICs, incidentally. To be clear, it reads the mp4 files from the QNAP, transcodes them, and puts them on the wire. That’s it. Note that the “PlexServer” user doesn’t even exist on the VM, it’s only for the QNAP share. Again, it runs NO PROCESSES.

I have a HD Homerun that I had used with the QNAP previously, and it could record fine there, but would not record (to the QNAP share) on the Ubuntu PMS VM. This was despite the “PlexServer” username having full permissions, and the fact that I could write to this share from the command line as this user, or mount the share as this user from my Mac and copy files there.

So, the issue I’ve been working is, why could not the VM write media to the QNAP. Obviously it normally only reads when playing movies and TV shows from the share, but the DVR funciton requires write. It had permission, but there was some issue, possibly with the user that the PMS software is running as.

Incidentally, QNAP firmware does have sudo. Just to to /usr/etc and edit the sudoers file and add yourself, I did and it works a treat.

SOLUTION: When I searched and found the “noperm” entry for the fstab boot/mount entry, PMS now can write to the share, and they all live happily ever after. I may find that there is some terrible evil I’m committing here, but I don’t see it, and so far it works beautifully. And, the nice thing with the VM, is I can give it as much processing as it needs, so if I ever move to 4k, I just give it more resources…

Again, to be clear, the Ubuntu VM is the PMS server here. the QNAP is just a mounted drive. Could be internal, could be external, in this case it’s just a mounted share.

Attachment: An example of me "sudo"ing to admin to change a file’s permissions.

[ChuckPa]

First,
Thank you for sharing that sudo now exists . I have been requesting su or sudo from QNAP for some time. I suspect it was silently added in 4.3.6. I do not like running PMS on QNAP as root (admin). It is a very dangerous practice because media can be deleted if enabled in PMS independent of what you, as admin, define for the share’s permissions.
I’m waiting for QNAP to confirm when they slipped it into QTS so I may gauge implementing PMS properly across the fleet of QNAP products.

I apologize for misunderstanding what you’re doing with Proxmox and QNAP.

Given the permission issues you’re having with the QNAP, maybe how I use it will be of help?

1. Create the Plex Username on the QNAP with matching UID/GID as you have in your VM OR give guest full R/W on the QNAP share you are recording to
2. Mount the QNAP with NFS, v4, sec=sys option included.

sec=sys lets your Linux instance perform all the security control. The QNAP NFS server validation is removed from the equation.

[bferrell]

You’re welcome. I’m no longer having permissions issues, it is working fine now, and I didn’t have to enable guest write access.