Plex Media Server Crashing (I think)

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Server Version#: 1.13.5.5332

Over the last couple of months the Plex Media Server that I have been running for years of a Mac mini has started crashing. At least I think. I only find out that something is wrong when I try to watch something off the Roku or Apple TV client and then they give the server not found error message. Then I go downstairs and check the Mac mini and find that Plex Server isn’t running in the menu bar. So it has seemingly crashed.

Looking for help for troubleshooting this,
Jonathan

2

My PMS on Mac with Mohave now crashing intermittently during play back. Client is a Roku streaming box.

Need help - been running PMS since its inception and this is unbelievably the first annoying problem.

3

Forgot to say. Started I think when upgraded from high sierra to mohave.
I think I will see if it crashes with the LG TV client.

4

Get some logs and make sure crash reporting is enabled and also debug logging

see settings / server / general / show advanced

Restart the server to get fresh logs
On next crash, restart and get the logs zip and attach here
See
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/

5

Sorry did not respond to your post. But my response to @dwcoleman would apply

I have located a crash report but to have it investigated would need the logs from the server covering time of the crash - of course with debug logging enabled beforehand

See
https://support.plex.tv/articles/201643703-reporting-issues-with-plex-media-server/
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/

6

Hi
There are no crash reports. There is however a debug log which I have attached to this email.

Plex Media Server.1.log (394 KB)

7

What I can see is roku playback of The Dark Knight Rises (2012) started at 19:28:15 at offset 48 minutes and 24 seconds and continued playback to position 1 hour 19 minutes and 16 seconds reached at 19:59:17 on 22nd September

and the server was shutdown at 19:59:27

Sep 22, 2018 19:59:27.076 [0x10a121580] DEBUG - Shutting down with signal 0
Sep 22, 2018 19:59:27.076 [0x10a121580] DEBUG - Ordered to stop server.
Sep 22, 2018 19:59:27.076 [0x7000019b4000] DEBUG - Stopping server...
Sep 22, 2018 19:59:27.076 [0x7000019b4000] DEBUG - HttpServer: Stopping server.

Did you shut it down? / Exit Plex Media Server
If not, may be Mac OS forced shutdown - anything in these locations relating to Plex

~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/
~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/
8

I have the same problem, my server restarts every few seconds, then it disconnects, and then it is active again. On my Apple TV it is continuously rebooting. since the last update does not work hardly. On my Mac it goes out continuously disconnected and I give it to restart and although it connects, it fails again.

9

see if anything gets written to the logs
For location of the logs see this support article
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/

If we can’t see anything in the logs, then may need to start the Plex Media Server.app in terminal and see what you get back

1 Like
10

The problem can be duplicated and occurs randomly during playback of media on PMS.
There is nothing in either of the locations to which you referred.

I did not shut it down nor have any apps that shut it down (I think I will stop Norton come to think of it)

Next step - restore High Sierra to Fusion VM see if problem still occurs

Any other ideas

Much thanks

Don Coleman

11

Ok, thanks! I try it

12

We need to find what is shutting down Plex Media Server app. May need to look into Mac OS tools such as those available for Windows from Microsoft - SysInternals Process Monitor

13

Yep, started activity monitor - stopped Norton. However there are over 100 processes running. Might be like finding a needle in a haystack. Last point of change was either the installation of Norton and removal of Avast or Installation or OS X Mohave. My gut tells me that it is Norton.

Thanks

14

Ok, here is my log files.Plex Media Server Logs_2018-09-23_21-24-45.zip (2.0 MB)

15

I have an idea of what causes plex to terminate. CleanMyMac X was installed and runs a process that kills other processes that it believes are hung. I have changed that option to NOT force a quit of the process. Testing now.

16

Something weird here. I am seeing two instances of Plex Media Server.app running at the same time.

There is one that was launched from here /Users/juanpablodiazperez/Applications/Plex Media Server.app/Contents/MacOS/Plex Media Server at 18:24
and there is one that was launched from here /private/var/folders/40/4r79f7t97p1ffvghdlpq_3dc0000gn/T/AppTranslocation/5CCF7D2F-02A9-494C-827A-A986A7455AE7/d/Plex Media Server.app/Contents/MacOS/Plex Media Server at 19:06

You can only have once instance of Plex Media Server app running on a machine

What time was the issue ? and what was the issue?

17

the problem is that it constantly restarts and the server is constantly dropped, I try to connect via wifi from my apple tv to the mac and this restarts the app constantly and connects and disconnects at all times

18

I need exact times for issues to relate to logs

And I need you to answer the point about you running two instances of Plex Media Server at the same time at 19:06 on Sep 23 - one was already running when another was launched and it would of course interfere with the other -

19

Sorry, But i dont understand, exactly, the problem is continuous, during the last week

20

What restarts ? The Plex Media Server or a Plex client app ?

You provided logs for these periods
Sep 21, 2018 16:12 to shutdown at Sep 22, 2018 00:41
Sep 22, 2018 11:47 to shutdown at 23:40
Sep 23, 2018 10:49 to shutdown at 17:21
Sep 23, 2018 18:24 to time logs captured at 21:24

So I need to know at what times the issue were and what were the issues so I can look at the relevant parts of the logs

If there is a client app issue as well then would need corresponding logs from the client app as well - see https://support.plex.tv/articles/201869908-log-files/

Now the logs also showed the following and I need to find out how this arose as it may impact the operation

Plex Media Server app was launched at Sep 23, 2018 18:24 from this location
/Users/juanpablodiazperez/Applications/Plex Media Server.app/Contents/MacOS/Plex Media Server
It continued to run till 21:24 when you got the logs
But at a couple of hours before at 19:06 another instance of Plex Media Server was launched from location /private/var/folders/40/4r79f7t97p1ffvghdlpq_3dc0000gn/T/AppTranslocation/5CCF7D2F-02A9-494C-827A-A986A7455AE7/d/Plex Media Server.app/Contents/MacOS/Plex Media Server
Was this running from a temp directory ?

You should not launch it if it is still running and shows up in Activity Monitor