# Dpkg error 1 - ubuntu server **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux\ **Created:** [July 23, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738 "2022-07-23T03:29:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mattkoop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mattkoop](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mattkoop)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/1 "2022-07-23T03:29:58Z")
Server Version#:1.26.2.5797 → cannot upgrade to 1.27.2.5929 Player Version#: N/A I am in dpkg hell - have tried so many “solutions” and still stuck. Error: PlexMediaServer install: Pre-installation Validation complete. Errors: 0, Warnings: 1 dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/plexmediaserver\_1.27.2.5929-a806c5905\_amd64.deb (–unpack): new plexmediaserver package pre-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1 Errors were encountered while processing: /var/cache/apt/archives/plexmediaserver\_1.27.2.5929-a806c5905\_amd64.deb needrestart is being skipped since dpkg has failed E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1) What have I tried: sudo dpkg --configure -a sudo apt install -f No luck. Then sudo apt remove --purge plexmediaserver sudo ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info | grep -i plexmediaserver sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/plexmediaserver.\* /tmp sudo apt update sudo apt install plexmediaserver Still the same error. I even edited the dpkg status list: sudo nano /var/lib/dpkg/status Plex entries: Package: plexmediaserver Status: install ok not-installed Priority: optional Section: video Architecture: amd64 I have changed the second line to: Status: install ok installed Because it is installed and running 🙂 I really don’t want to reinstall Plex, and rebuild the database - there is a lot of music on it and it took me a great deal of time to get all the albums correct in the database The version I have runs just fine, but I would like to receive the updated functionality when it arrives. Anyone having a pointer to what I should be doing next? ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 5:13am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/2 "2022-07-23T05:13:40Z")
Please go get the file `/tmp/plexinstaller.log` and share it here. I will look and see what if anything there provides a clue. Have you run out of space in `/tmp` or the root partition where DPKG unpacks? ---
**Author:** ![mattkoop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mattkoop](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mattkoop)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/3 "2022-07-24T01:48:26Z")
Thanks @ChuckPa - I appreciate the help 1. /tmp folder does not hold a plexinstaller.log file - ☹ 2. the root partition has 190 GB free space I tried: sudo find / -iname plexmediaserver.log - it rendered no result ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 2:21am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/4 "2022-07-24T02:21:18Z")
OK, we need to do some hard work. 1. Get the DEB file and put it in its own subdir in your home directory and get into it. 2. `ar x name_of_package.deb` to extract the components 3. You’ll see `control.tar.gz` 4. `tar xf control.tar.gz` to pull out the scripts 5. Now you’ll find the preinstall script 6. Preinstall is inventory only so there is no harm running it. 7. `sudo ./plexmediaserver.preinst` 8. it’ll spit out the errors & line number where it complains. Please relay that info to me. If you’ve got an 11th or 12th gen CPU then I know what the problem is. “Illegal number” or similar error on an IF (`[xxxx -gt something]` ) ---
**Author:** ![mattkoop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mattkoop](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mattkoop)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 5:49am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/5 "2022-07-24T05:49:25Z")
Thanks again @ChuckPa I folowed the instructions - note that plexmediaserver.preinst would not run, but there was an executable named preinst… so I ran sudo ./preinst Here is the output PlexMediaServer install: Pre-installation Validation. PlexMediaServer install: Systemd configuration error detected: PlexMediaServer install: File “/etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service” is leftover from an earlier Debian/Ubuntu bug. PlexMediaServer install: Please transfer any customizations (APP\_DIR, User, Group, TMPDIR, and/or UMask) to a proper “/override.conf” PlexMediaServer install: and reinstall. PlexMediaServer install: Unit override “/etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service” found. PlexMediaServer install: Only “/etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.d/override.conf” is supported. PlexMediaServer install: Warning: “/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support” isn’t owned by “plex”, UID: 998. Found “matt”, UID: 1000 instead. Continuing. PlexMediaServer install: PlexMediaServer install: Pre-installation Validation failed. PlexMediaServer install: Configuration information discovered: PlexMediaServer install: Installation Type: Update PlexMediaServer install: Process Control: systemd PlexMediaServer install: Plex User: plex PlexMediaServer install: Plex Group: plex PlexMediaServer install: Video Group: render PlexMediaServer install: Metadata Dir: /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support PlexMediaServer install: Temp Directory: /dev/shm (set in Preferences.xml) PlexMediaServer install: Lang Encoding: en\_US.UTF-8 PlexMediaServer install: Processor: i7-6700 PlexMediaServer install: Intel i915 Hardware: Found PlexMediaServer install: Nvidia GPU card: Not Found PlexMediaServer install: PlexMediaServer install: Pre-installation Validation complete. Errors: 0, Warnings: 1 Could this line: “/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support” isn’t owned by “plex”, UID: 998. Found “matt”, UID: 1000 instead. Continuing." be the culprit? Thanks, Matt ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/6 "2022-07-24T13:52:11Z")
Matt, The error is just above that. > PlexMediaServer install: Systemd configuration error detected: > PlexMediaServer install: File “/etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service” is leftover from an earlier Debian/Ubuntu bug. > PlexMediaServer install: Please transfer any customizations (APP\_DIR, User, Group, TMPDIR, and/or UMask) to a proper “/override.conf” > PlexMediaServer install: and reinstall. You have the Unit Override file in /etc/systemd. I can’t support that because it conflicts with /lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service. What I do support is the official Service Override in /etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.d/override.conf The installer message is telling you what to do – Take your customization variables and put them in a proper `override.conf` then delete the full unit override. Details are here 🙂 > [@Linux Tips](https://forums.plex.tv/t/linux-tips/276247/3): > > Customizing your Plex configuration on systemd based systems This information is intended for those systems where cat /proc/1/comm returns systemd. On systems which use Systemd (Ubuntu 16+, Fedora, Centos 7, Debian 8,) you create this customization file which SystemD reads prior to launching PMS. This file is independent of the default configuration and service control mechanisms in /lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service. Your customization override is preserved across updates, uninstal… ---
**Author:** ![mattkoop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mattkoop](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mattkoop)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/7 "2022-07-24T21:42:50Z")
Thanks @ChuckPa That is very interesting - especially since I did not do any customisation on this (trust me, I would not know how, let alone why! 🙂 ) I will see if I understand how to fix this - and post my steps. ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/8 "2022-07-24T21:55:35Z")
@mattkoop Easy-peasy 😈 Please show me the contents of `/etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service`. From there, I’ll help you sort it out. ---
**Author:** ![mattkoop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mattkoop](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mattkoop)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 7:01am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/9 "2022-07-25T07:01:22Z")
thanks again ! There will be no surprise with the damage unwitting fingers can do if controlled by an inexperienced mind 🙂 Here is the requested data: [Unit] Description=Plex Media Server for Linux After=network.target [Service] Environment=“PLEX\_MEDIA\_SERVER\_APPLICATION\_SUPPORT\_DIR=/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support” Environment=PLEX\_MEDIA\_SERVER\_HOME=/usr/lib/plexmediaserver Environment=PLEX\_MEDIA\_SERVER\_MAX\_PLUGIN\_PROCS=6 Environment=PLEX\_MEDIA\_SERVER\_TMPDIR=/tmp Environment=LD\_LIBRARY\_PATH=/usr/lib/plexmediaserver Environment=LC\_ALL=en\_US.UTF-8 Environment=LANG=en\_US.UTF-8 ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c '/usr/bin/test -d “${PLEX\_MEDIA\_SERVER\_APPLICATION\_SUPPORT\_DIR}” || /bin/mkdir -p "${PLEX\_M\> ExecStart=/bin/sh -c ‘/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex\ Media\ Server’ Type=simple User=matt Group=matt Restart=on-failure RestartSec=5 StartLimitInterval=60s StartLimitBurst=3 [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target Note - I had changed both User and Group to plex (from matt). After that Plex Media Server simply would not start. plex as the group does have read/write access to the media server folder and subfolders The mud is clearing up, but cannot yet see the bottom of the pond Regards Matt ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/10 "2022-07-25T13:45:49Z")
🚨 > [@mattkoop](#): > > User=matt > Group=matt So you did make a customization! 🤣 1. `/etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service` is either left over from a non-upgraded PMS installation for Ubuntu 16 -OR- 2. “Inexperienced hands” unwittingly following some “Internet Expert’s” advice , 🙂 1. Here’s how we fix this. (You’ll laugh) ```auto sudo bash systemctl stop plexmediaserver (it should already be stopped) rm /etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service <- this is the No-No mkdir /etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.d ``` Now, using your favorite text editor (I like gedit or vi), and still in `sudo bash` mode, ```auto gedit /etc/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.d/override.conf ``` In that file, we create the following (if you still want to run as user `matt:matt` ```auto # [Service] # # Change plex to run as user 'matt' # User=matt Group=matt ``` 1. Save the file 2. Tell systemd that the service files have changed `systemctl daemon-reload` 3. Restart Plex `systemctl start plexmediaserver` Please let me know if: 1. You still want to run as user `matt:matt` 2. If `ls -la "/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support"` shows the files and directories owned by `plex:plex` or `matt:matt` ---
**Author:** ![mattkoop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@mattkoop](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mattkoop)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 10:21pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/11 "2022-07-25T22:21:13Z")
The unwitting hands strike again… but this time guided by someone who actually knows what he is doing… SUCCESS! 😃 I did need to update /var/lib/dpkg/status file to include Version and Description in the plexmediaserver entry - once that was done, the program update completed without a hitch. As for the customisation - think when I just installed it, I may have (read: had - as nobody else would have) given ownership to me - unwitting fingers and all… Thanks a bunch @ChuckPa ! I am really grateful for your persistence in solving this puzzle. I hope this trail is useful to others with the same issue. ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/12 "2022-07-25T23:11:39Z")
> [@mattkoop](#): > > There will be no surprise with the damage unwitting fingers can do if controlled by an inexperienced mind 🙂 > [@mattkoop](#): > > I did need to update /var/lib/dpkg/status file to include Version and Description in the plexmediaserver entry - once that was done, the program update completed without a hitch. 🙈 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2022, 11:11pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/dpkg-error-1-ubuntu-server/801738/13 "2022-10-23T23:11:43Z")
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