How can I get Plex to work on my Synology DS216+II post DSM Update?

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

Hi.

I recently purchased a Synology NAS DS216+II. Upon setup of the NAS on 14 Dec 17 - I loaded Plex and was able to utilise all functionality via my NAS.

However, an update to DSM 6.1.4-15217 Update 5 resulted in Plex being stopped and the short-cut being removed from my Control Panel.

I have read several threads of how to re-establish the link with Plex but none of the methods suggested are working. I keep getting the same error ‘Failure to run Package Service’.

On my last attempt - I shutdown my NAS, router/modem and restarted; thereafter, I uninstalled the Plex software from my NAS, confirmed that ‘Trust Level’ settings were correct before adding in the correct Plex certificate and downloading the lastest version of Plex from the website i.e. Intel 64 - DSM +6.0. Encountered a failure to run.

I have also tried to install Plex (i.e. version 1.10.1.4602.f54242b6b) using the link from the synology NAS interface with no success.

Can anyone assist with this challenge; I cannot understand why Plex does not work anymore?

2

During the upgrade, PMS was probably stopped. Occasionally DSM does this.

Control Panel - Plex Media Server - Actions - Run

When running again, go to the main menu (Upper left corner) and drag the Plex icon to the desktop.

Regarding your inability to install, Can you screen capture the error it’s giving you?

3

Hi ChuckPA,

Thank you for the quick response. The error message is attached in this message. I am unable to run the installed version of Plex - it ‘starts’ and then ‘stops’.

4

I would like you to uninstall PMS and reinstall it after rebooting.

Your metadata will not be deleted. I keep the program and data (your library) in different locations.

5

Hi,

I uninstalled PMS, rebooted and reinstalled the PMS. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem - I attached a screenshot of the view from Package Centre (refer: Attachment).

6

Now I need you to get in deeper (shell level) OR we go at this from a complete wipe.

To perform shell-level diag

  1. Attempt to start PMS again. Now we have fresh data to look at.
  2. Control Panel - SNMP & Terminal - Enable SSH
  3. Sign in via ssh -l admin ip.of syno.box or user `admin via putty. Use the admin password (if you created one) or your password (one of the two)
  4. sudo -su root (get root permissions). Ignore the message about not having a home directory if they appear
  5. cd /
  6. grep -i plex /var/log/messages | grep -i error (this will produce a lot of output)
  7. The specific start errors are at the bottom of the log output. You will see date/time correlation with your current time

If the errors are about /volume1/Plex and of the nature Permissions denied, then we have root cause. You can advise of this.

To force a completely cold restart of PMS

  1. Uninstall PMS
  2. Control Panel - Shared folders - Delete the Plex share
  3. Control Panel - Users - Delete user plex
  4. Reboot the Syno
  5. Install PMS and begin as new installation
7

Okay, I would like to follow your suggested shell-level method, but am a complete novice with the NAS. I was able to complete Step 1 and 2 i.e. Enable SSH. Beyond that point I am lost…

Am i supposed to log-off as DNaidoo77 and re-log on as Admin. I am the only user with administrator permissions.

8

No, you do not need log off the GUI .

I have highlighted the commands for you to use in purple. You can copy & paste them into the shell terminal session exactly as I typed them.

As you go through the steps, perform the action.
When you encounter my highlighted text, copy & paste that text in the window and press Enter to have the NAS execute the command

At the end of Step 7, there should be some errors regarding PMS for us to see. If there aren’t too many, please copy & paste them here. If there are a lot, it may be better to copy/paste into a text document which you can attach with your next post

9

Hi

I performed a complete cold start of PMS. Plex seems to have recognised/located my server :). Thank you for this step in the correct direction. However, it does not find my movies.

I have the all movies files nested in folders located in a Folder called ‘Movies’. I am uncertain whether I need to apply specific permissions to ensure Plex can locate these movie files.

10

On Synology you must make certain that user plex has permission to access your top-level shares. Without that permission, it will not be able to see them (Linux is very strict on security and plex is not a privileged user in the Synology environment).

Here is the screen shot of what you the minimum permissions you should see for PMS on Synology.

Regarding structure, PMS prefers:

Top level share (Movies)/
  |
  Movie (year)/
    |
    Movie (year).ext
    MovieExtra-type.ext (if you have any)
11

Hi ChuckPA,

Thank you for your assistance with my problem. Plex is working on my NAS again. I have successfully established a Movie and Music Library. Hopefully, this will not be impacted again. I appreciate you patience in addressing my queries…

12

I recommend manually Optimizing the Database after you create each section. This is because NAS processors are slower than desktops. The database is becomes harder to navigate when large amounts of media are added (like music). Optimizing it puts the database in pristine ordering and greatly speeds up operation.