Plex Media Server 1.13.5.5291 fails on Ubuntu 16.04

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

When I execute

sudo dpkg -i plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64.deb

I get the following output and the installation fails:

sudo dpkg -i plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64.deb 
Selecting previously unselected package plexmediaserver.
(Reading database ... 282326 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking plexmediaserver (1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8) ...
Setting up plexmediaserver (1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8) ...
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/plexmediaserver.service to /lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.
Job for plexmediaserver.service failed because the control process exited with error code. See "systemctl status plexmediaserver.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
dpkg: error processing package plexmediaserver (--install):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (229-4ubuntu21.4) ...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.22-1ubuntu5.2) ...
Processing triggers for bamfdaemon (0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20180209-0ubuntu1) ...
Rebuilding /usr/share/applications/bamf-2.index...
Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-6ubuntu3.1) ...
Processing triggers for mime-support (3.59ubuntu1) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 plexmediaserver

sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver.service

gives me

● plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server for Linux
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: activating (auto-restart) (Result: exit-code) since Thu 2018-08-09 16:46:53 EDT; 1s ago
  Process: 8048 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,

Aug 09 16:46:53 Wheatley systemd[1]: Failed to start Plex Media Server for Linux.
Aug 09 16:46:53 Wheatley systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Unit entered failed state.
Aug 09 16:46:53 Wheatley systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.

I’ve uninstalled my previous plex installation by executing

sudo dpkg -r plexmediaserver

and attempted to re-install without any luck.

I’ve even deleted the /var/lib/plexmediaserver and /usr/lib/plexmediaserver directories to be sure I was starting from a clean slate. I’m out of ideas!

Thanks for your help!

2

If you remove the package and directories, also (user group)del plex to take it back to clean.

This time, after install, sudo journalctl -xe | grep -i plex and see what it’s actually complaining about

3

Thanks for the quick response. I deleted the plex user and group and started from scratch again. After running the install, the result was the same unfortunately.

Here is the output of sudo journalctl -xe | grep -i plex

Aug 09 17:24:15 Wheatley sudo[3196]:    chris : TTY=pts/2 ; PWD=/media/chris/Raid ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/dpkg -i plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64.deb
Aug 09 17:24:17 Wheatley gnome-session[2343]: (gnome-software:2565): As-WARNING **: failed to rescan: Failed to parse /usr/share/applications/plexmediamanager.desktop.dpkg-new file: cannot process file of type text/plain
Aug 09 17:24:20 Wheatley gnome-session[2343]: (gnome-software:2565): As-WARNING **: failed to rescan: Failed to parse /usr/share/applications/plexmediamanager.desktop file: cannot process file of type application/x-desktop
4

Those two stray desktop files can be deleted. It’s not used anymore and Gnome looks for a reason to complain.

You might find more information in /var/log/dpkg.log

5

Well what’s strange is that after executing sudo dpkg -r plexmediaserver those desktop files done exist. It sounds like the install is trying to put them there, but failing and that’s why the installation fails.

Thanks for the tip about /var/log/dpkg.log. I don’t really see anyting useful in there though.

2018-08-09 17:24:17 install plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status half-installed plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending ureadahead:amd64 0.100.0-19
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending systemd:amd64 229-4ubuntu21.4
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending ureadahead:amd64 0.100.0-19
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending desktop-file-utils:amd64 0.22-1ubuntu5.2
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending bamfdaemon:amd64 0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20180209-0ubuntu1
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending gnome-menus:amd64 3.13.3-6ubuntu3.1
2018-08-09 17:24:17 status triggers-pending mime-support:all 3.59ubuntu1
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status unpacked plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status unpacked plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 configure plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status unpacked plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status unpacked plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status unpacked plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status unpacked plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured plexmediaserver:amd64 1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8
2018-08-09 17:24:21 trigproc ureadahead:amd64 0.100.0-19 <none>
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured ureadahead:amd64 0.100.0-19
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status installed ureadahead:amd64 0.100.0-19
2018-08-09 17:24:21 trigproc systemd:amd64 229-4ubuntu21.4 <none>
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured systemd:amd64 229-4ubuntu21.4
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status installed systemd:amd64 229-4ubuntu21.4
2018-08-09 17:24:21 trigproc desktop-file-utils:amd64 0.22-1ubuntu5.2 <none>
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured desktop-file-utils:amd64 0.22-1ubuntu5.2
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status installed desktop-file-utils:amd64 0.22-1ubuntu5.2
2018-08-09 17:24:21 trigproc bamfdaemon:amd64 0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20180209-0ubuntu1 <none>
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured bamfdaemon:amd64 0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20180209-0ubuntu1
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status installed bamfdaemon:amd64 0.5.3~bzr0+16.04.20180209-0ubuntu1
2018-08-09 17:24:21 trigproc gnome-menus:amd64 3.13.3-6ubuntu3.1 <none>
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured gnome-menus:amd64 3.13.3-6ubuntu3.1
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status installed gnome-menus:amd64 3.13.3-6ubuntu3.1
2018-08-09 17:24:21 trigproc mime-support:all 3.59ubuntu1 <none>
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status half-configured mime-support:all 3.59ubuntu1
2018-08-09 17:24:21 status installed mime-support:all 3.59ubuntu1
6

I’m tracing through the build system to see if/how those files might have gotten into the package binary.
They are not on the source server so I have no results there yet.

This can’t be a global systemic problem else many others would have the same issue.

Is there a means by which you can reset apt and what it knows about itself equivalent to rpm --rebuilddb ?

7

So I’m sure this isn’t the right way to do it, but I went into the .deb file with an archive manager and just deleted the desktop file and re-ran the installation. It seems to be working now. I still have no clue what the problem is, but I guess it’s not that important.

Thanks again for your help!

8

Which file did you download please (Full name)? I need to see precisely what’s in the file on the downloads site.

9

I have pulled the master from the CI. Our file is clean. Where did you get it?

[~/Downloads/plexmediaserver_1.13.6.5312-ce1292a15_amd64]$ find . -iname *manager*
./data/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/libgnsdk_manager.so.3.07.7
./data/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Python/lib/python2.7/multiprocessing/managers.py
./data/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Plug-ins-ce1292a15/Framework.bundle/Contents/Resources/Versions/1/Python/PMS/__objectManager.py
./data/usr/share/pixmaps/plexmediamanager.png
./data/usr/share/applications/plexmediamanager.desktop
[~/Downloads/plexmediaserver_1.13.6.5312-ce1292a15_amd64]$ cd ..
[~/Downloads]$ cd plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64
[~/Downloads/plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64]$ find . -iname *manager*
./data/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/libgnsdk_manager.so.3.07.7
./data/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Plug-ins-6fa5e50a8/Framework.bundle/Contents/Resources/Versions/1/Python/PMS/__objectManager.py
./data/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Resources/Python/lib/python2.7/multiprocessing/managers.py
./data/usr/share/pixmaps/plexmediamanager.png
./data/usr/share/applications/plexmediamanager.desktop
[~/Downloads/plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64]$
10

The file I downloaded is named plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64.deb from https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/

11

I do not know what happened because I checked that file and the master.

The files are clean.

To confirm, I asked another colleague to look… He found nothing either.
We traced every source file from beginning to end. We walked through the entire build sequence (we both are on the packaging team) and found nothing.

If this were in all the files, everyone would be reporting it. This is the first case seen.

12

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