How do I add a second server to my account?

Server Version#:1.15.8.1198
Player Version#:1.15.8.1198

I want to setup a second server. (No problems with the first one, working fine.) I’ve installed the deb on Debian 9, navigated to the URL, and logged with my Plex account. The UI that loads shows only my old server, and not my new one, with no apparent way to add the new server as an actual server, even though the Web UI is coming from there.

How do I add the second server to my account?

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Caching in Plex/web is a bit annoying. it’s being helpful except for here.

  1. Sign out of your Plex account (Upper right corner)
  2. Open an Incognito window
  3. http://lan.IP.of.host:32400/web
  4. Now set it up.
  5. It will sign in to your account and associate.
  6. close the incognito window
  7. go back to the regular and sign in.
  8. Magic should happen now and both there.
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Thanks for the reply. Following these steps didn’t help, the result is exactly the same.
Can you explain by what you meant by “Now set it up” in step 4? When I navigate to the web UI of the new server in the incognito window, I just get a plex account login prompt, with no other useful links.

If it is not asking you to claim the new server install. Open a new incognito window, when you get the login prompt on the bottom right click the “what’s this” link. Some text will appear at the bottom of which is another link that will allow you to skip sign in.

You should now be on that server. go to settings and hit the claim button which will again ask you to sign in but it should sign into/claim that server at the same time.

Going to server-ip/web redirects immediately to app.plex.tv/auth, even in an incognito window. There is no “what’s this” link on that page.

on that machine can you look at the preference.xml file and see if there are any entries for any of the four things listed here. file location and the Value names listed in article below. Seems like what happens when it thinks it is already signed into/claimed by another account.

https://support.plex.tv/articles/204281528-why-am-i-locked-out-of-server-settings-and-how-do-i-get-in/

On the assumption that you mean “Preferences.xml”, here’s the entire file. There’s not much in it, and apparently nothing referenced by the support article you linked.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Preferences OldestPreviousVersion="1.15.8.1198-eadbcbb45" MachineIdentifier="48ad0576-bf99-487e-96e5-16daf1a0cb5e" ProcessedMachineIdentifier="1020c4d4952b130d6af4ce3191a9478a61371dbe" AnonymousMachineIdentifier="dd3e8a82-7053-44f2-a873-74183f81cd1f" GracenoteUser="WEcxA4J5KuRfb1GQTrOCcLZr8mmqaoLB4BVF76db35TRJWFf0+lSMfxNxX7EW3IKu3bpbX6o+MFyvWtUMaTEcTpysifLkThmXHFymrNx9XMnAFeahXpT43zmewfdUYED4PADU7OqKWO/l0mvT9HYhvhANisRUSD8XLJxwtHtL1tZyOoja14JT351gBBvxhf1B5aiiJg=" MetricsEpoch="1"/>

However, since this is a brand new server, I already tried deleting the entire contents of /var/lib/plexmediaserver to start from scratch, and this did not change anything. I am still immediately redirected to app.plex.tv/auth

you’re always going to be directed there the first time. strange it does not have the link on bottom right.

can you stop/quit the server and just just delete that preferences.xml file start it up again. then try again a new incognito window.

I am assuming the sever logs show that seems to have started up fine without any problems (besides this issue)

OK. I’ll be as verbose as possible as I follow your steps.

Stopping the server, deleting the file, starting the server again:

root@plexc:/var/lib/plexmediaserver# systemctl stop plexmediaserver
root@plexc:/var/lib/plexmediaserver# rm "Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Preferences.xml"
root@plexc:/var/lib/plexmediaserver# systemctl start plexmediaserver

Checking the service status:

root@plexc:/var/lib/plexmediaserver# systemctl status plexmediaserver
* plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (running) since Sat 2019-06-15 08:06:26 UTC; 41s ago
  Process: 4018 ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c /usr/bin/test -d "${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}" || /bin/mkdir -p "${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}" (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 4020 (sh)
    Tasks: 72 (limit: 4915)
   CGroup: /system.slice/plexmediaserver.service
           |-4020 /bin/sh -c  PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_INFO_VENDOR="$(grep ^NAME= /etc/os-release | awk -F= "{print \$2}" | tr -d \" )"  PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_INFO_DEVICE="PC"  PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_INFO_MODEL="$(uname -m)"  PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_INFO_PLATFOR
           |-4030 /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Media Server
           |-4043 Plex Plug-in [com.plexapp.system] /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Plug-ins-eadbcbb45/Framework.bundle/Contents/Resources/Versions/2/Python/bootstrap.py --server-version 1.15.8.1198-eadbcbb45 /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Res
           |-4092 /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Tuner Service /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Tuner/Private /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Tuner/Shared 1.15.8.1198-eadbcbb45 32600 /waitmutex
           |-4093 /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex DLNA Server
           `-4135 Plex Plug-in [com.plexapp.agents.imdb] /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Plug-ins-eadbcbb45/Framework.bundle/Contents/Resources/Versions/2/Python/bootstrap.py --server-version 1.15.8.1198-eadbcbb45 /usr/lib/plexmediaserve

Jun 15 08:06:26 plexc systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed to reset devices.list: Operation not permitted
Jun 15 08:06:26 plexc systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed to set invocation ID on control group /system.slice/plexmediaserver.service, ignoring: Operation not permitted
Jun 15 08:06:26 plexc systemd[1]: Starting Plex Media Server...
Jun 15 08:06:26 plexc systemd[1]: Started Plex Media Server.
Jun 15 08:06:38 plexc Plex Tuner Serv[4092]: Plex Tuner Service: Critical: libusb_init failed

Going to the web UI of the server in an incognito window, after the immediate redirect:

After logging in, only my old server (“Solitude”) is displayed:

Where does it take you when you sign out form the top right. back to app.plex.tv or the IP:32400?

It goes very briefly to the ip, which then redirects back to app.plex, as so:

Can you try editing that preferences.xml by adding this value at the end (Just before the />). Then stoping and starting server. it should allow skipping of authentication on that server when doing so from that IP

allowedNetworks="Your.Macs.local.IP"

Try this:

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Adding my Mac’s IP to allowedNetworks didn’t change anything, exact behavior as before.

This script failed with the following error:

plex.tv Username: DavidXGA

plex.tv Password: 
plex.tv Password Repeated: 
IP Address of PMS server: 172.16.64.128
Comparing entered passwords
Comparing entered passwords ok
Validating IP address
Getting PMS Server Identifier
Getting PMS Server Identifier ok
Getting User Token from plex.tv
Getting User Token from plex.tv ok
Getting PMS Claim Token
Getting PMS Claim Token ok
Claiming server
Fatal error happened
HTTP returned Status 401

When running on your Mac, use 127.0.0.1 as IP when asked for it

Also see:

OK. Using 127.0.0.1 as the IP for the script did work (though it’s running on Linux, not a Mac, but I ran the script directly on the server) and the problem is now solved.

But I am still frustrated that I don’t know what caused the problem in the first place. This has to be a bug, right? I tried everything suggested and nothing worked. Using that script surely is not standard procedure.

Sorry for that :wink:

Did you ran it initially on a workstation, and if so, was/is that workstation on the same IP Net?

No I was always running the script directly on the server, however, my Mac workstation is on the same subnet as the server, yes.

Then sadly no idea, but one of the reasons I wrote the script in the first place…

So many things can have an impact, like browser used, browser plugin’s, IP Net, firewalls etc.