Fedora 31, 5.5.17 and 5.5.13, plexmediaserver-1.19.1.2645-ccb6eb67e.x86_64.rpm CANNOT add folder to library

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Hi all,

I am not sure if this is the correct place so apologies in advance.

I installed Plex on Fedora 31. I was able to install it and I am able to get to the web interface but I cannot add any folders to a library because there is no option to add a library anywhere. I have tried setting SELinux to permissive mode and I have also chmoded my directories to 777. Still no luck. I have spoke with others and they are reporting the same issue. Any suggestions?

Server Version#: plexmediaserver-1.19.1.2645-ccb6eb67e.x86_64
Fedora 31: 5.5.17 and 5.5.13

2

Where is the media mounted?

Remember Linux is strict about permissions.
Gnome imposes hidden / invisible barricades

3

Can you expand on this point a bit? Are you unable to add a library at all? If so, you’ll have to resolve that before you even get to the point of adding a folder to the library.

The process of creating libraries is described in this support document:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200288926-creating-libraries/

If the interface you see doesn’t match what is described in that document, the web client may not see the server. On Linux in particular, this can happen if you’re attempting to configure the server from a different network than that on which it is installed. If so, see the “On a Different Network” section of this document:
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200288586-installation/#toc-2

4

Hi @ChuckPa,

My movies are on a LVM if that makes a difference. The folder is listed below and all permissions are set to 777.

$ll lv02_r

total 4
drwxrwxrwx. 14 root root 4096 Apr 19 17:49 movies

I am not using Gnome. I am using Xfce. Does that play a roll as well?

5

That is correct. I am asked to sign into Plex and I provide all my information but then there no options for Libraries.

All machines are on the same network and I am able to get to the Plex server from another machine on the same subnet. I have an ssh session on the Plex machine right now as well. I am not experiencing this issue with Jellyfin on the same server.

6

Is the media automounted or mounted properly via /etc/fstab?

If automounted, it will end up in /run/<username>/mount point

That’s where the problem is realized – the automounter.

Making a mount point, which runs when the system boots, is the correct method.
Doing so mounts at the system level which means it’s accessible to all usernames versus mounting under your username.

7

I am using /etc/fstab as follows:

#moutn logical volumes lv00_r, lv01_r, lv02_r, lv03_ssd_r
UUID=ac56e6a4-4582-49a6-9f06-371350f399e5  /lv00_r xfs defaults 0 0
UUID=793fa1ae-ea51-499d-8b05-1ad4d9c20e20  /lv01_r xfs defaults 0 0
UUID=1b03ad1e-4ada-4f98-8ff7-154915da4f6e  /lv02_r xfs defaults 0 0
UUID=cf10e4a7-0d28-4543-805a-30fe4640aac6  /lv03_ssd_r xfs defaults 0 0

the mount command gives me the following results:

$ mount | grep lv02_

/dev/mapper/vg02-lv02r on /lv02_r type xfs (rw,relatime,seclabel,attr2,inode64,logbufs=8,logbsize=32k,noquota)

8

A common , and extremely subtle point,

what are the directory permissions BEFORE mounting?
It shouldn’t matter but on some kernels, it does.

As for perms, dirs get 755 with you as owner, files get 644. (safest)

9

Have you tried logging in from a browser running on the server itself, using the localhost address:
http://127.0.0.1:32400/web

If it’s headless, try using an SSH tunnel as a proxy to the server, as described in the second document I linked earlier.

10

This is what I get when I restart without mounting the LVM volumes

$ ll -d lv0*
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 6 Apr 18 16:08 lv00_r
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 6 Apr 18 16:08 lv01_r
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 6 Apr 18 16:08 lv02_r
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 6 Apr 18 16:08 lv03_ssd_r

Looks like 755 perms for just the directories. The directories have nothing in them so don’t know about the files but when mounted I set everything to 777 to just try to get it to work.

11

I tried this too with the same results:(

12

With mount point directory, and perms open after the mount,

You should be able to navigate directly to it.

XFS isn’t going to be a problem. I use it a great deal.

As for adding, (going over the basics again to be certain)

Get to the server (left panel) and click the +

image1
image1868×576 231 KB

image2
image2867×577 144 KB

Once you define the type, Browse to add directories. You may need to navigate up to the root or just start typing the pathname .

Screenshot from 2020-04-25 13-23-31
Screenshot from 2020-04-25 13-23-31877×570 104 KB

13

I restarted and auto-mounted all my LVs. I am able to CD into all media directories and Jellyfish is able to play all movies from these same directories. I just can’t get that in Plex :frowning: I don’t get these options and cannot find them anywhere :frowning: It is like the server is not there or something. Selecting “YOUR MEDIA” gives the below-listed screen with “Get Plex Media Server” which takes me to a download page. But I already have the server :frowning:

01_Plex_Screenshot_2020-04-25_13-34-45
01_Plex_Screenshot_2020-04-25_13-34-45667×750 96.1 KB

14

You’re on a public IP address with your server. For this to work, for the initial setup, you must use the SSH tunnel/proxy method described in the second document I linked. Here it is again:

See the section title “On a Different Network.”

Here are the relevant steps:

  • Open a Terminal window or your command prompt
  • Enter the following command (substituting the IP address of your server as appropriate):
    ssh ip.address.of.server -L 8888:localhost:32400
  • Open a browser window
  • Type http://localhost:8888/web into the address bar
  • The browser will connect to the server as if it were local and load Plex Web App

Obviously for this to work you must have SSH enabled on the server. After the initial setup, you can login and use Plex as normal.

15

Thank you very much @pshanew,

I got a bit further by following the instructions. I got to a page where I was told that the server was unclaimed. The page also offered more options and looked like previous Plex versions. I tried claiming the server but something error out and I cannot get to that page again. It seems like I am being redirected every time.

16

Can you show a screenshot of what your page looks like when you access your server via the the SSH tunnel?

17

This is one is right from the server

Plex_via_http_localhost_8888_web_Screenshot_2020-04-25_15-44-29
Plex_via_http_localhost_8888_web_Screenshot_2020-04-25_15-44-29874×572 180 KB

18

Sorry, I should have been more specific. What does the settings page look like?

19

This?

Plex_via_http_localhost_8888_web_Screenshot_2
Plex_via_http_localhost_8888_web_Screenshot_2804×622 111 KB

20

Yes, that. Try signing out at the top-right and close that browser window. Open a new private browser window and access the server again through the tunnel. See if it allows you to claim the server and log in.