First new movie files were not visible - reinstalled and now no movie files are visible

[rob_in_SD]

Server Version#: 4.51.3
Player Version#: 1.29.0.1885-67668ec3
<If proLogs.zip (3.8 MB) viding server logs please do NOT turn on verbose logging>

My original problem was that my server did not seem to be detecting a couple of new movie files I’d added. I hadn’t used Plex in some time, FWIW. I tried scanning the media directories and replacing the meta-data several times but no joy. Finally I uninstalled Plex from my NAS and re-installed it. Not only did I re-scan the media directories and meta-data but I also double-checked that it was using /Public/Media/Movies as the movie location.

I’ve attached the log files. Please let me know what else would be helpful to untangle this mess.

Thanks in advance,
Robert

Media is stored as
/Public/Media
/Movies
/Television
/Music

[FordGuy61]

It appears to be a file permissions problem. There are several hundred “Permission denied” messages in the Plex Media Server.log file:

Mar 13, 2021 17:21:08.561 [0x7f46fd6fb700] ERROR - Couldn't check for the existence of file "/volume1/Public/Media/Movies/.grab": boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/volume1/Public/Media/Movies/.grab"
Mar 13, 2021 17:21:08.562 [0x7f46fd6fb700] ERROR - Couldn't check for the existence of file "/volume1/Public/Media/Movies/.grab": boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/volume1/Public/Media/Movies/.grab"
Mar 13, 2021 17:21:08.562 [0x7f46fd6fb700] ERROR - Couldn't check for the existence of file "/volume1/Public/Media/p/.grab": boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/volume1/Public/Media/p/.grab"
Mar 13, 2021 17:21:08.562 [0x7f46fd6fb700] ERROR - Couldn't check for the existence of file "/volume1/Public/Media/Television/.grab": boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/volume1/Public/Media/Television/.grab"
Mar 13, 2021 17:21:08.562 [0x7f46fd6fb700] ERROR - Couldn't check for the existence of file "/volume1/Public/Media/Television/.grab": boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/volume1/Public/Media/Television/.grab"

The user plex must have at least read-only access to your media files.

Reset the file permissions for your media folders, even if File Station says plex has permission. This will ensure the main shared folder and all sub-folders and files have the correct permissions set.

Login to the NAS using a userid with admin rights.
Using File Station, right click on the shared folder and choose Properties.
Select the Permission tab.
Make sure the user plex has at least read-only access.
Check the “Apply to this folder…” box.
Select OK.
DSM will then set the permissions for the folders/sub-folders/files.

Once the process finishes, login to Plex and re-scan your libraries.

[rob_in_SD]

Just tried that. First made /Public/Media read only as suggested. Ran Analyze, Scan Library Files, Refresh Meta-data and still Movies shows as Empty. Went back and changed /Public/Media to Full Control including folder, sub-folders, and files and restarted Plex. Then re-ran Analyze, etc. and Movies still shows as empty.

Further ideas? What else diagnosticPlex Media Server Logs_2021-03-14_13-27-08.zip (3.2 MB) can I supply?

[FordGuy61]

Try creating a new shared folder for your media, not using Public or any of the other Synology default shared folders.

The Installation & Setup of Plex Media Server on Synology and Synology FAQ (DSM 5 & 6) both state to not use the pre-defined shared folders.

Neither document specifically mentions Public. However, it is on the list of Synology pre-defined folders (linked above).

As a test, make a new shared folder, such as /volume1/Media/, add a Movies subdirectory, copy over a few files, check permissions, then create a new movie library and point it at the new location.

FYI, both the Install & Setup and FAQ are very good documents. Give them a read if you have not done so. They definitely help when running Plex on a Synology NAS.

[rob_in_SD]

I’ll give that at shot. It will take awhile to move the folders.

[FordGuy61]

You also have to change your file naming to conform to Plex requirements, especially for TV shows. Plex is extremely picky about TV show structure and naming. Get it wrong and the media will not appear in Plex.

See Plex Docs → Your Media for naming and organization requirements.

This will not work:
/Television/Black Adder/Black.Adder.S04.DVDRip.DD2.0.x264-Hi10P-LiGHTSPEED/black.adder.e27.blackadder.back.and.forth.ws.pal.dvd.dd5.1.x264hi10-lightspeed.mkv

Required naming & organization:

/Television    <-- TV Library points here.
../Black Adder  <-- A folder for each show
..../Season 00  <-- A sub-folder for each season
....../Black Adder - s00e03 - Blackadder Back and Forth.mkv  <-- Naming structure for an episode. 
 The episode name is optional and not used by Plex.

Plex uses the season & episode structure from TheTVDB.com. You can choose to use the Aired Order, DVD Order, or Absolute Order. If you use the new beta TV agent you can also choose ordering from The Movie Database. Pick one and go with it. Do not try to rename/re-order the episodes differently. It will not work.

[FordGuy61]

@rob_in_SD

It will take awhile to move the folders.

Make the new folder then move over one or two movies to test. You don’t have to move them all.

[rob_in_SD]

Um, I understand that but everything was fine a few months ago with the current naming and structure.

[FordGuy61]

You got lucky, especially with the TV shows.

Non standard naming might work for awhile, but at some point it breaks.

[rob_in_SD]

I’ve taken your advice and moved /Media and everything under it to a new structure that’s directly below /volume1 and set off Analyze/Scan/Refresh Meta-data.

Just checked in from a Plex player and it appears things are back to normal. Movies and TV shows are visible again. Thanks for the assistance!

[FordGuy61]

Glad you have things working.