Movie Scan takes forever, won't get any metadata or poster

General Discussions
1

I’m using a Mac Mini (mid 2011) running macOS 10.12.4 as my server. PMS version 1.5.5.3.3634.

3 months ago, out of the blue, plex couldn’t get metadata or poster for any movie added to the library. Tv Shows worked and still work just fine. Even when tried to match manually it would take forever, sometimes find the correct movie but when I chose the movie it would still not match. I’ve read several similar reports, some recent, some older, but none of the solutions worked. I’ve uninstalled the PMS, erasing all files/plug-ins, etc, but after the reinstall the scan is taking forever and I can see that is not working. Any suggestions?

2

You log shows 2 things.

  1. Slow database access Apr 15, 2017 21:40:39.067 [0x70000595e000] WARN - SLOW QUERY: It took 290.000000 ms to retrieve 75 items.
  2. Plex modules timing out while waiting for other modules to reply. Apr 15, 2017 21:40:50.432 [0x700006294000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28

I suggest you first Optimize the Database (In ‘Libraries’, under the ellipsis, the dropdown menu has ‘Optimize Database’… click it) then restart PMS. This is a good first step.

This happens naturally as you add / remove media. Normally the butler (if enabled in Scheduled Tasks) optimizes the DB for you weekly). If not enabled, this can happen. Also, if a lot of media is added, removed, or moved, it will be almost immediate.

3

Thank you very much for the quick reply. Optimizing it now. After it’s done I’ll post an update.

4

In the time it’s taken me to get your reply, it’s already done. It only takes a few seconds (maybe 30 with a huge database).

5

Ok, I guess I was optimizing the files, not the database. Ok, it’s done, but it doesn’t seem to be any different. New Log attached.

6

Actually, scan is pretty quick now, but it still won’ fetch metadata/posters.

7

metadata aside, there is also something new…

Apr 15, 2017 21:37:54.162 [0x7000054c3000] DEBUG - NetworkServiceBrowser: SSDP departed after not being seen for 20.425861 seconds: 192.168.0.13
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.370 [0x7000067b2000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.370 [0x7000067b2000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.371 [0x700004e9f000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.371 [0x700004e9f000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.372 [0x700005858000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.372 [0x700005858000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.372 [0x700005df9000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.372 [0x700005df9000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.373 [0x70000639a000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.373 [0x70000639a000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.373 [0x700006629000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:38:00.373 [0x700006629000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout

Curl 28 is a communications timeout. Without knowing more of your actual network, this is hinting at a loss of wifi / network connection intermittently. Not the metadata issue but definitely confuse the heck out of everything else.

A little further down we see the network timeut as it tries to reach for the image file.

Apr 15, 2017 21:39:08.130 [0x70000595e000] DEBUG - HTTP requesting GET https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w780/awywBhq6RuUhrNW1gTZBoTorkQ8.jpg
Apr 15, 2017 21:39:23.144 [0x7000059e1000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:39:23.144 [0x700005858000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:39:23.144 [0x700005b6a000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Apr 15, 2017 21:39:23.144 [0x7000059e1000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:39:23.144 [0x700005858000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Apr 15, 2017 21:39:23.144 [0x700005b6a000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout

I don’t see IPv6 turned on in Plex, but will ask if you have V6 turned on anywhere else on your network? Just to check everything, If you have V6 on, and are not required to use it on the LAN, stay with IPV4. Some ISPs are trying to force it but V6 is still in its infancy and won’t work with TVDB or those services (they don’t even offer a V6 address)

Please check the networking and let’s go the next step… you can even ping thetvdb.org` and see the response time / check for dropped packets.

8

I don’t think I’m using IPv6. See the screen capture below.

— thetvdb.org ping statistics —
64 packets transmitted, 64 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 9.773/11.455/55.488/5.651 ms

To be clear, Tv Shows work flawlessly, my only problem are the Movies.

9

Hi, there. Any news? I’ve noted that this topic is marked as “answered” but my issue was not solved. What’s the next step? Thanks

10

This is still open. I have been offline the entire weekend rebuilding my NAS (which I need to provide support with). I’m able to do some things today but am not still up to speed.

This thread was a discussion and could not be marked as ‘answered’. I have changed it to a Q&A so it can be properly answered and closed at the right time.

11

Thanks. It’s the first time I ask for help here, I’m not sure of the proceedings.

12

Things are returning to normal here :confused:

Just to verify what’s happening and seeing what normal latency is, please ping the following sites:

www.thetvdb.org
www.plex.tv
www.themoviedb.org
www.imdb.org

this will establish a reasonable baseline to work with.

13

— www.thetvdb.org ping statistics —
82 packets transmitted, 82 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 9.612/11.205/31.816/3.039 ms
— www.plex.tv.cdn.cloudflare.net ping statistics —
58 packets transmitted, 58 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 9.371/10.749/22.440/1.936 ms
— www.themoviedb.org ping statistics —
53 packets transmitted, 53 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 9.275/10.702/21.556/2.342 ms
— us.dd.imdb.com ping statistics —
56 packets transmitted, 56 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 141.386/143.132/153.643/1.694 ms

14

Thanks. I did not have much concern your internet speeds or loss packets would be a factor but with some it is very marginal.

Next question: Are you using Jumbo Packets in your LAN? If so, please turn them off. For 99.9% of users, they cause more problems than they are worth. Jumbos are only meant to be used when the ping time , which is the same an ACK would take, is large. Jumbo packets allows more data to be sent over the line per ACK message but at increased risk. When they are mismatched, chaos follows.

And now for the part I would like to see.

Please create for me:

  1. A library section containing one movie.
  2. Let PMS find it in all the normal ways.
  3. After it fails, collect the ZIP’d log files (settings - server - help - download logs)
  4. Attach them here.
15

There it is

16

Hi, there. Any news?

17

Yes, I’ve found a lot but not yet been able to answer everything. I can share what I have and we can try to start there if you’re ok with it?

  1. I’m finding that your networking is complaining very badly about not being able to do any network discovery.
  2. It then goes into timeouts trying to retrieve metadata
  3. Additional complications show as it’s looking for existing metadata it should already have.

Here are a few snippets from your logs:

Plex Media Server.1.log:Apr 18, 2017 15:55:37.160 [0x7000054c3000] WARN - NetworkServiceBrowser: Error sending out discover packet from 192.168.49.138 to 192.168.49.255: Can't assign requested address```

```com.plexapp.agents.lyricfind.log.1:2017-04-19 21:11:45,856 (7f0ec9ffb700) :  ERROR (model:205) - Cannot read model from /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Metadata/Albums/b/5f311e71abdc858bcbf96cbeecca3b16ff0e630.bundle/Contents/com.plexapp.agents.lyricfind
com.plexapp.agents.lyricfind.log.1:2017-04-19 21:11:52,654 (7f0ec9ffb700) :  ERROR (model:205) - Cannot read model from /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Metadata/Albums/d/8a70df4e1090dabba16a151405246e1192159e6.bundle/Contents/com.plexapp.agents.lyricfind

and

Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:39:07.903 [0x700005b6a000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:39:22.957 [0x7000059e1000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:39:40.939 [0x700005b6a000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:39:55.985 [0x7000058db000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:40:11.060 [0x7000059e1000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:40:27.060 [0x70000595e000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:40:27.438 [0x700005e7c000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:40:27.438 [0x700005e7c000] DEBUG - HTTP simulating 408 after curl timeout
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:40:42.176 [0x7000058db000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:40:57.230 [0x70000595e000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Plex Media Server.log:Apr 18, 2017 17:41:12.336 [0x7000056cf000] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
[chuck@lizum user.118]$ ```

This indicates two problems to me.   First and foremost,   networking.     Next:  Metadata present and what PMS thinks you should have aren't in sync.  Whenever metadata is retrieved,  it's written to disk and then recorded in the DB.     The 'cleanup' of this is the standard 'update Library', "empty trash", and followed by a 'clean bundles" , letting it quiesce before attempting to move forward and a "Refresh All" to attempt metadata retrieval again.

I did notice in your logs that some of your content downloaded (based on directory names and files in those directories) could either be actively downloading or just containing a lot of extra files which PMS doesn't like  ( blah.blah.com  , etc )     It is a good practice to download in one location and then move the final content into your library.    If your content files are constantly being written to,  and you have 'automatically update my library when changes are detected' enabled,   PMS will be stuck in a non-stop 'Update' cycle.   This will drive it crazy and lead to unpredictable behavior.


If this were my Library,   I would do the following

1.  Stop PMS
2.  Rename the `Library` folder in `Application Support/Plex Media Server` to `Library.save`
3.  Start PMS and initialize it again for testing purposes
4.  Create only 1 library with only 1 folder in it.  (use a media folder which is not activity being changed/added to by your download activities)
5.  See how PMS behaves there.    

I fully expect to still see the network broadcast issue (indicative of an IPv4/v6 problem.. especially if V4 is disabled or inoperative to the router but expect the metadata issues not being present to no longer exist
18

Ok. I’m gonna give it a try. But what I don’t get is why TV Shows works and Movies don’t, since the files origin are the same, the network is the same, etc.
Do you know why or have any clue?

Thanks

19

clarify that last point for me? Are TV shows and Movies in the same folders?

Other things which come into play… What is your Agent prioritization for TV (Settings - Server - Agents - Shows -

Is “Local Media Assets” at the top? If so, do you have NFO files in the directories with the TV shows? If so, and they don’t contain the tt= string, PMS don’t find the metadata. As long as ‘Local Media Assets’ is enabled, even if at the bottom of the stack, all local assets (trailers, etc) will be found.

20

No, different folders on the same external HD.

Agent Priorization (Shows):
Personal media shows
Local media assets

I don’t have .nfo files.

I’ve done the same thing you asked above:
(Please create for me:
A library section containing one movie.
Let PMS find it in all the normal ways.
After it fails, collect the ZIP’d log files (settings - server - help - download logs)
Attach them here.)

with a tv show episode instead of a movie. It worked perfectly, as always. Please check the log below.