Plex Media Server instability: Server randomly stops listening

Plex Media Server Remote Access
1

I have started witnessing this within the last week.
The server occasionally goes down and does not come back online unless I manually restart it. The symptoms are timeouts when trying to access the 32400 port, and no connection from app.plex.tv.
The service itself is not dead and is running, which suggests that the server is having issues to some degree with connecting outwards.

As this issue seems to appear randomly, I have not started gathering more verbose logs. Let me know if now would be a good time to start.

I have provided the logs from whatever I thought could be appropriate. Please let me know if more info is needed.

Crash logs are being uploaded to Plex under the same email this account is registered with

Server Version#: 1.21.4.4054 (Beta update channel)

Plex Media Server.log:

Feb 23, 2021 09:03:37.019 [0x7f5c61f65700] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 3066228
Feb 23, 2021 09:03:46.137 [0x7f5c61f65700] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 3066462
Feb 23, 2021 09:03:50.319 [0x7f5c61f65700] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 3066515
Feb 23, 2021 09:03:51.523 [0x7f5c61f65700] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 3066545
Feb 23, 2021 09:03:54.321 [0x7f5c61f65700] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 3066633
Feb 23, 2021 09:03:56.970 [0x7f5c61f65700] WARN - JobManager: Could not find job for handle 3066676
Feb 23, 2021 09:09:06.670 [0x7f5c59f50700] WARN - [CERT] TLS connection came in with unrecognized plex.direct SNI name '<server-ip>.<a-long-hexdec-value>.plex.direct'; using installed plex.direct cert
Feb 23, 2021 09:52:45.260 [0x7f5b6dffb700] WARN - NAT: PMP, timed out waiting for response.
Feb 23, 2021 09:52:45.262 [0x7f5bd67fc700] WARN - NAT: PMP, timed out waiting for response.
Feb 23, 2021 09:52:48.267 [0x7f5bd67fc700] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Feb 23, 2021 10:52:45.170 [0x7f5b6dffb700] WARN - NAT: PMP, timed out waiting for response.
Feb 23, 2021 10:52:45.200 [0x7f5b6ffff700] WARN - NAT: PMP, timed out waiting for response.
Feb 23, 2021 10:52:48.204 [0x7f5b6ffff700] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28
Feb 23, 2021 11:52:45.156 [0x7f5c1ffff700] WARN - NAT: PMP, timed out waiting for response.
Feb 23, 2021 11:52:45.184 [0x7f5b84ff9700] WARN - NAT: PMP, timed out waiting for response.
Feb 23, 2021 11:52:48.188 [0x7f5b84ff9700] ERROR - Error issuing curl_easy_perform(handle): 28

journalctl -u plexmediaserver

Feb 22 22:52:16 ssgcld systemd[1]: Stopping Plex Media Server...
Feb 22 22:52:18 ssgcld systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Succeeded.
Feb 22 22:52:18 ssgcld systemd[1]: Stopped Plex Media Server.
Feb 22 22:52:18 ssgcld systemd[1]: Starting Plex Media Server...
Feb 22 22:52:18 ssgcld systemd[1]: Started Plex Media Server.
Feb 22 22:57:57 ssgcld Plex Media Server[2626512]: Connection to <Redacted IP> closed by remote host.
Feb 22 23:35:20 ssgcld Plex Media Server[2654930]: Connection to <Redacted IP> closed by remote host.
Feb 22 23:59:55 ssgcld Plex Media Server[2677833]: Dolby, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and the double D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
Feb 23 05:09:59 ssgcld Plex Media Server[2915339]: ERROR: Empty fingerprint

sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 32400

tcp6       6      0 :::32400                :::*                    LISTEN      3243291/Plex Media

Player Version#:

2

This still keeps coming back. I have to keep manually restarting the apparently “running” service even though it does not work fine.

3

The Debug logs around the time this reproduced is polluted with blocks like these

Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.943 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.943 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Notified of network changed (force=0)
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.943 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change notification but nothing changed.
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.992 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=1316, type=RTM_NEWLINK, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.992 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink information message family=0, type=65534, index=671609, flags=0x100d1, change=0x1
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.992 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.992 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Notified of network changed (force=0)
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:32.994 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change notification but nothing changed.
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:35.736 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=1316, type=RTM_NEWLINK, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:35.736 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink information message family=0, type=65534, index=671609, flags=0x90, change=0x41
Mar 23, 2021 19:39:35.736 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
4

@flying_sausages

May I have the full DEBUG logs ZIP file?

Excerpts don’t give enough of a picture.

That said, RTM_NEWLINK messages are 100% indicative of the adapter state changing.

Possible causes:

  1. DHCP server re-issuing addresses too frequently (e.g. misconfigured DHCP server)
  2. Loose / faulty cable.
  3. (unlikely) failing adapter.
5

Absolutely, I got disconnected at about 19:27 so I suppose something went down before that. I added the previous debug log as well just in case.

Archive.zip (1.0 MB)

I have now restricted Plex to just one adapter in the meantime, and disabled IPV6 just in case.

I am not seeing issues with networking with any other application but I’ll keep an eye out and see if I can find some logs for network biz going weird.

6

I would have preferred seeing all the logs but, using what was provided,

This cycle repeats over and over.

  1. Delete Link
  2. Delete Address
  3. New Link
  4. Get Address

The duration between repeating New Link is almost exactly 5 seconds.

Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.556 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=1316, type=RTM_NEWLINK, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.556 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink information message family=0, type=65534, index=671687, flags=0x90, change=0x41
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.556 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.556 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Notified of network changed (force=0)
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.558 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change notification but nothing changed.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.558 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=80, type=RTM_GETADDR, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.558 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink address message family=2, index=671687, flags=0x80
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.558 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.558 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Notified of network changed (force=0)
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.559 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change notification but nothing changed.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.560 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=560, type=RTM_DELLINK, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:15.560 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink information message family=0, type=65534, index=671687, flags=0x90, change=0xffffffff
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.876 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=1316, type=RTM_NEWLINK, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.876 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink information message family=0, type=65534, index=671688, flags=0x90, change=0xffffffff
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.876 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.876 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Notified of network changed (force=0)
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.877 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change notification but nothing changed.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.915 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=80, type=RTM_DELADDR, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.915 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Netlink address message family=2, index=671688, flags=0x80
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.915 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.915 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: Notified of network changed (force=0)
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.916 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - Network change notification but nothing changed.
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.976 [0x7fa7a37fe700] DEBUG - NetworkInterface: received Netlink message len=1316, type=RTM_NEWLINK, flags=0x0
Mar 23, 2021 19:50:20.976

As initial diagnosis steps.

  1. Let’s remove DHCP from the equation.
  2. Do this by manually setting IP, Netmask, and Gateway address for all involved adapters.
  3. Restart the host which will also restart PMS

If the messages continue, DHCP is no longer suspect.
If they continue, this is a hardware / cabling matter.

7

Thanks for taking the time.

I have cross-checked my syslog and noticed there was a WireGuard service that was going up and down all the time. I’ve since disabled and masked the service.

I’ll follow the steps you’ve given me tomorrow morning.

Thanks again!

8

So it looks like those messages about the interface going up and down were indeed about the WireGuard. When I disabled that specific service those log messages went away in both dmesg as well as plex server logs, but I still experience the same issue.

I’m an uptime sort of guy so I’ve been reluctant to reboot the machine. I’ll do that now, so in case you don’t hear from me again, that’ll be what fixed it ha.

9

Nothing helped.

I’m going to start a new library on a new machine altogether. Sigh…

10

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.