Plex Server blocked at Hetzner (Custom Hosting) NOT USING Plex REMOTE Services!

Plex Media Server Remote Access
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Server Version: latest Docker: https://hub.docker.com/layers/plexinc/pms-docker/latest/images/sha256-c0a9bf98e65a3b012a013ff0fe38d6158b8b3921f0d694ccbff928161dc445ea?context=explore

1.32.6.7557-1cf77d501

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Hi i have setup a Plex Server on my OWN Private Server with a Custom Domain.
Everything was working fine, but now after 4 Days the Server completely disappered, i did nothing.

Where is my Server Gone?
It is startet and i also can reach the Web Portal via my Custom URL + Port.

See Screenshots:

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2 Likes
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I suggest you check your email 1 month back

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Hi @dane22,

Yes I know, therefore I did a complete custom setup without the official Plex relay!
But my server disappeared if I try to contact local.

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Then do what the mail says, and move your server

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How is this a reasonable way to treat paying customers, none of whom have been accused of violating the TOS?

Your email doesn’t say which hosting providers are implicated. Nor does it say which hosting providers are approved. Are your paying customers supposed to move from provider to provider in the hopes of finding one that meets Plex’s unspecified criteria?

And since some idiot who thinks owning your own stuff = virtue is likely to respond: for many people, running a home server is not an option.

1 Like
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Why i need to move my Server as Paid Customer, and only want to use it local without the Plex Remote thing.
I can remote the Server my OWN without any of the Plex Remote Services.
But also the local Connecttion on the Server itself isnt working anymore.
Thats crazy!!

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Very reasonable way of speaking to a paying customer you have there. It’s actually laughable.

FYI OP, do not move your server, use Emby or Jellyfin.

1 Like
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Im switched over to Jellyfin.
I really like it no problems yet.
Only one thing is missing, the Intro and Credits detteection.
I hope the Team at Jellyfin can come up with these feeatures. :slight_smile:

Bye Plex!

2 Likes
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Poor taste dane22. I did not even receive an email, and yes i went back through looking for it and found nothing, not in spam/junk either, which is probably the likely location for an email from Plex as they are currently showing us they are junk. I spent my entire evening after work trying to figure out what was going on. Plex’s solution is for me to what, spend my weekend setting up a new server somewhere else because you don’t like the host I use?

2 Likes
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I’m on same boat. Haven’t received the mail, can I get one so I know whats happening?

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Here’s what it said:

Important notice about the hosting service you may be using.
We’re contacting you to let you know about an upcoming action that is likely to affect your Plex Media Server setup. You’re receiving this notice because the IP address associated with a Plex Media Server on your account appears to come from a service provider that hosts a significant number of Plex Media Servers that violate our Terms of Service.

Due to the large-scale violations occurring from that hosting provider, we will be taking action soon to block access and activity from Plex Media Servers hosted by that provider. We will start these blocks on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

If you leave your current installation as-is, you will have issues connecting to it from Plex apps as well as managing it. To avoid these issues, we suggest that you consider alternative hosting options, including hosting it from your home.

When moving your Plex Media Server installation, we encourage you to review our article on moving a server install to another system. These instructions will assist you with migrating the install as-is, so that you don’t have to set it up from scratch.

If you do run into migration issues, please post specific details in our Plex Media Server forums.

We appreciate your understanding and we apologize for the inconvenience.

It’s worth noting what this email doesn’t say:

  1. It doesn’t accuse the recipient of having violated the terms of service. It only states that the recipient is using a hosting provider on which TOS violations are widespread. A bit like saying: “you can’t come into our shop because you live in an apartment building where a lot of thieves live.”

  2. It doesn’t say the name of the hosting company in question.

  3. It doesn’t say that only home servers are allowed.

  4. It doesn’t say what hosting providers would be acceptable.

  5. It doesn’t say you cannot continue to use Hetzner, only that “if you leave your current installation as-is, you will have issues connecting to it . . . as well as managing it.” So it’s a block not a ban. It’s a tacit invitation to modify the installation to overcome the block…

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Yikes, what a poor response.
And if I move to another provider and 3 months after, Plex decides that they also violate your TOS?
Dear lord this company is surviving from things they did 5+ years ago, after that is all tragedy.

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Random Canadian here, same, and I haven’t received the email; thank you for posting the email, even as it’s terrible news, thank goodness Hetzner didn’t ban me from using Plex. I am confused because I’ve used the same server for 5 years approximately the same way.

I have been using Plex on Hetzner (Frankfurt, Germany) to host for a long time since COVID-19 (2019). I like Hetzner because I made that server into my sentimental battle station. I shared it with my friends, and some continue to use it for remote hangout times, video game servers, etc. Even after COVID, and when their friends join, I invite them to my Plex server. We watch videos together while talking in Discord, sharing laughs and cries. This widespread ban is hurting me a lot. I feel like we were just paint-brushed under the same company. What happens if Plex finds OVH, Amazon, or even ISPs in local hosts at home? It’s not feasible to expect people to swap servers so casually, maybe Plex is asking them to change their IPs.

I find it cheaper to provide remote TV watch parties to my friends worldwide from this server in Germany. If they live across the ocean, we all have similar pings. It’s harder for someone like me to migrate this remote server I maintained for 5 years just for Plex than to switch to Jellyfin. I hope this company reconsiders to ban IP ranges that violate TOS. And if you consider sharing video content with friends in violation of TOS, I think this is a sad farewell.

Additionally, the email that wasn’t sent out had me trying to troubleshoot for 8 hours for two days; luckily, I found this thread and had friends that local hosted their own servers. Theirs being up and mine being down meant that Plex wasn’t down globally.

Hosting a Plex Media Server in Canada (ON) is ■■■■ due to home ISP costing almost 100 CAD per month for speeds datacenters get for both competent upload and download bandwidth capacities (due to the oligopoly of Rogers/Bell/Telus). In contrast, we only get competent download speeds. Additionally, if it’s used as a game server, it will have a longer distance to travel to those across the ocean (Europe, Australia, etc.,).

Thank you for your services it’s been a good 5 years.

PS. To anyone reading this, if they allow hetzner again, or it’s not just Frankfurt Germany, please reply here. I’m going to try to migrate to Jellyfin but the Https certification is a PITA.

PSS. Just found the email Sept 14th Received.
image

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Simple, don’t use plex or move to another host.

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Hi @Dorfson , mine Server was located at Helsinki Sweden @Hetzner!
So its not only Germany.
Complete Hetzner seems to be blocked!
I have switched to Jellyfin and using NginX Proxy Manager for the Certificate and “publishing the custom URL.”
Its pretty easy todo and run it with Docker :slight_smile:

Best regards