Plex server unclaimed after every reboot

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Server Version#: 1.31.3.6868
Player Version#: N/A

Hi all
I have just installed Plex Server on a fresh Ubuntu 22.04. As I am new to Linux, I installed the Snap package through the GUI (not knowing the difference between Snap and Deb yet).
After the initial Plex installation, the setup page was hanging and I could not complete the setup. I uninstalled Plex, rebooted the machine, and reinstalled Plex.
This time the setup completed without problems.
However, after every restart of the machine, the Plex Server now shows as unclaimed. Once I claim it, everything works fine - but it is a bit annoying having to do that.
Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Thanks in advance !

2

Download the server logs ZIP file from it and attach that ZIP file here.

3

Thanks @ChuckPa

Here are the logs
Plex Media Server Logs_2023-04-06_14-52-15.zip (135.4 KB)

4

You played with “Allowed networks” ???

Remove all that, including the spaces.

Apr 05, 2023 17:54:53.236 [0x7f40c39d3aa8] INFO - Running migrations. (EPG 0)
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:53.471 [0x7f40c39d3aa8] INFO - Running migrations. (EPG 0)
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:53.494 [0x7f40c148bb38] INFO - Preemptively preparing driver icr for GPU Alder Lake-S GT1 [UHD Graphics 770]
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.452 [0x7f40c32e0b38] ERROR - Error parsing allowedNetworks ' 192.168.0.56': Invalid argument
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.452 [0x7f40c32e0b38] ERROR - Error parsing allowedNetworks ' 192.168.0.45': Invalid argument
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.452 [0x7f40c32e0b38] ERROR - Error parsing allowedNetworks ' 192.168.0.30': Invalid argument
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - NetworkService: Couldn't join multicast group: set_option: No such device
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - Error broadcasting message: send_to: Network unreachable
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - NetworkService: Couldn't join multicast group: set_option: No such device
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - Error broadcasting message: send_to: Network unreachable
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - NetworkService: Couldn't join multicast group: set_option: No such device
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - NetworkService: Couldn't join multicast group: set_option: No such device
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.845 [0x7f40beaa2b38] ERROR - NetworkService: Couldn't join multicast group: set_option: No such device
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.894 [0x7f40bfcf7b38] INFO - Refreshing paths watched by LibraryUpdateManager
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:54.895 [0x7f40bfcf7b38] ERROR - Error broadcasting message: send_to: Network unreachable
Apr 05, 2023 17:54:55.054 [0x7f40bcc25b38] WARN - Crash: Crash reporting disabled

Your default network settings are broken too.

If you’re using the server to talk to me here – there’s a bigger problem

Apr 05, 2023 17:54:59.853 [0x7f40c1159b38] WARN - [HttpClient/HCl#5] HTTP error requesting GET https://plex.tv/api/v2/user/privacy?X-Plex-Token=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (6, Couldn't resolve host name) (Could not resolve host: plex.tv)

When you install Linux, don’t try to micro manage it until you know what you’re doing. All those YouTube-experts — Forget them.

PMS , on stock Ubuntu installation, with all the updates applied, Works out of the box

5

Thanks a lot, @ChuckPa

Yes, I put these in a long time ago on my old server because some of the clients with fixed IP could not access the server
Have removed it now

No, am using a different PC to post here
The only things I have done on my new server after fresh installation was NFS mounts to my Synology and Ubiquity Unifi network application. I have not changed any network settings (fixed IP assigned by router)
I am running a pfSense router with VPN and DNS Resolver. Firewall rules for server to connect straight to internet (bypass VPN) and Google DNS set for server in DHCP server
Could this have something to do with it?

Should I start over again and do another clean Ubuntu install? And is it better to install PMS via Snap or terminal?

6

Regarding the VPN in the pfSense

  1. Plex won’t work with VPNs unless you hand craft a bunch of static routes so
  • All stop there.
  1. The reason it won’t work is because Plex sees the real WAN IP at the pfSense. (what the SSDP query reports).
    The VPN makes your exit IP different than you real IP. Remote access will not work.

Regarding DNS

Any Ubiquity equipment here should be as switches. You don’t want routers behind routers 
 There’s no need – especially with a pfSense which can create those different subnets easily through one interface ( I have two subnets coming from mine)

In the Linux box,

  1. Default gateway should be the box closest to the WAN (Internet). I presume this is the pfSense.

  2. DNS should also point to the pfSense box.

Here, you see both subnets coming from the trusted (LAN) side of the pfsense and how I did it.

  1. ixl0 = WAN
  2. ixl1 = LAN
  3. IXL1.1003 = wIfi (1003 is used for apple guest network devices).
    my Netgear switches use tag 1003 to control the switching / visibility. Guest devices can only see the internet.

Screenshot from 2023-04-06 10-58-11
Screenshot from 2023-04-06 10-58-111065×394 30 KB

Regarding Ubuntu

  1. You don’t need to reinstall it. Just get into the GUI (static) or, if it has a DHCP reservation in pfSense, configure it to point to the pfSense for everything. (The DHCP reservation page in pfSense allows you full control over everything for the host.)

  2. Given you have a new and powerful machine, I wouldn’t use SNAP.
    – Too restrictive: For the NFS and for the awesome transcoding power of the UHD 770 QSV.
    – sudo snap remove --purge plexmediaserver (remove and purge it all)

  • Download PMS from https://plex.tv/downloads
  • sudo dpkg -i package_file_name.deb
  • Now enable the repository in /etc/apt and you have automatic updates if you wish.
7

Thanks a lot for all your advice @ChuckPa !!!

Yes, I have also realized that this is not an easy task. I did previously try this with my older server, put in a bunch of static routes, but still struggled. Remote Access in PMS would go green for about 3 seconds and then revert back to red.
But I am fine without Remote Access and have it disabled in PMS

Yes, I only have Unify switches and APs. Only pfSense set up as router, no double NAT or so. Multiple WLANs, everything correctly configures both on pfSense as well on the switches. The rest of my network runs fine

Thanks for these details. This is the first time that I am playing around with Linux, so I don’t know these tricks

One other question on this: How do I keep my server settings and the episode markings (which ones are watched and unwatched)? Where do I find these files in the Snap version and where do I have to put them afterwards?

8

Answering in reverse order:

Ubuntu & PMS

  1. Keeping preferences requires manually copying them out of the old server , saving them, then putting in place in the new server (changing ownership/permissions as required after placement)

  2. If you want to keep the watch history, you have two choices
    – Let PMS upload to Plex.tv (cloud sync watch status)
    – Import the watch history directly from the desired database into the new server.
    ( I have a tool which assists with this should you wish it)

Multi-WAN

Not sure why your switches need configuring but then I never understood Ubiquity’s (everything in the cloud philosophy)

PMS will work with it but, as you well know, Remote Access is no-go.

I do not know what will happen if plex.tv sees the same host at two different WAN addresses. It’s likely to start blocking (ignoring) both

PMS itself will arbitrarily grab the first it sees. There’s no guarantee how it will work.
( it was not designed to work in a multi-wan environment. Almost everyone has only one WAN address )

9

Thanks - I did not know about this feature

Let me start with Cloud Sync. If I can’t get that to work, I would appreciate your tool

EDIT: I just realized that I probably need to run your tool over the existing database before I remove the Snap version of PMS - correct? In that case, I would appreciate your tool please :slightly_smiling_face:

This is more about VLAN tagging

And sorry - my earlier post should have also read VLANs, not WLAN. I only have 1 WAN (but multiple VPNs on it). But pfSense is configured that the machine with PMS on it is directly attached to WAN (not via VPNs)

10

Don’t remove the snap until AFTER you have the DPKG native package installed.

  1. install the DEB file
  2. add your media
  3. Run the tool to pull from the snap
  4. purge the snap package

Thanks for correcting on WLAN vs VLAN. A friend of mine does run multiple WLAN through his pfSense. pfSense will load balance between the two

11

Thanks a lot, @ChuckPa

Would you mind sharing your tool please?

I have stopped the Snap PMS, enabled the repository, and installed PMS

12
1 Like
13

Thanks a lot, @ChuckPa

I’ve run into some other problems with my server (ACPI bios error) and it would not boot - so am busy re-installing Ubuntu


14

I have an ACPI bios error which gets sprayed across my display EVERY time Ubuntu boots.

The NUC8 is UEFI boot. Firware is current.

Running down the ‘error’ messages were all non-errors.
(claimed devices weren’t supported/can’t communicate prior to initializing them)

My best guess is a timing problem between probing hardware and display initialization.

15

Yeah, I’ve also started tracing the error messages - they also seem to be non-errors. But they cause a serious delay sometimes both in shutdown as well as boot process. I don’t know if I just was not patient enough or if the system really did not want to boot across several hard restarts


But thanks again for all your help here :pray: I have learned a lot

16

what’s the machine? that new RaptorLake?

17

No, it’s an Alder Lake. It’s an i5-12500T in a Dell Optiplex 3000 MFF, which I picked up used for a good price

18

Ubuntu has gotten “slow” to shutdown.

To combat my impatience, I use XFS as the filesystem. It’s more resiliant than ext4 better performing than butterballFS

If it’s slow shutting down, I’ve found:

  1. It’s awaiting for USB devices to get their act together
    -or-
  2. it’s deploying pending changes for the next startup

Both cases are normal. It just happens as it bloats (like Windows)

 and hence my use of XFS

19

Thanks - don’t have any experience with XFS but will look into it

For me the system is hanging on an ACPI error on both shutdown as well as start-up. On shutdown sometimes around 10s, on start up I had it hanging for more than 2 mins. I will need to google a bit more to see if I can better suppress / speed up those error messages

EDIT:
Oh, and the cloud synching of the watch history worked like a charm. Thanks again for that tip

Other than mounting a RAM disk for the temp transcoder directory, are there any other good PMS tweaks that I am missing?

20

Is the firmware up to current release ?

Willing to bet that it’s not.

I fixed a great deal of my issues with the firmware / BIOS / UEFI update