Server Version#: latest
Player Version#: latest
I have asked before and really get no good reason why, so I will attempt to heal my OCD and ask again…
Why does plex continuously ping (snoop) my entire network? What good does it do to continuously look at my DirecTV XML files or my ECHO files all day and night? plex is busy doing things like:
“HTTP requesting GET http://169.x.x.x:63444/upnp/xml/devices/ManageableDevice1.xml” it requests this stuff 24/7. WHY? it is a waste of resources and really none of its business what my echo dot or DirecTV device is doing. The PMS is busy chatting up my LAN for no reason. It is a waste of resources. It really doesn’t seem to be a good reason for this activity. It does just fill up my log files again, for no GOOD apparent reason. PLEASE explain to all of us what crucial need plex has to read my fan remote XML files for? Now I am sure some will be like what version what operating system and a bunch of questions that are pertain to this issue. For those, I have been a plex user since the beginning. I have used it on both Windows and Linux platforms. It has been doing this for as long as I can remember. Every version of PMS on both OS platforms. So to the developers of this Amazing app. Thats right I really like PMS (funny, 'PMS") It is just my OCD that goes crazy every time I look at the console. I know, just don’t look at it. I would if I could, but I can’t, so I shan’t. So for all that is good in the world, please help me and I am sure many others with file log OCD (yes it is a thing) and explain why, PLEASE.
These requests are innocuous and completely expected. Plex uses the Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) to discover other Plex Media Servers, networked TV tuners, players, etc… on the local network. To do so, it sends out search requests. For those devices which respond, additional queries are sent to find out if they’re devices in which Plex is interested. Here’s a packet capture showing the search/response flow:
As far as I can tell, this repeats every ten seconds or so, and there’s no way to completely disable it as some of Plex’s essential functions require it. There’s a setting under Settings -> Network called Enable local network discover (GDM) which may impact it to an extent. You could block the SSDP port (UDP 1900) on your network (or in your PC firewall), but I’m fairly certain that would break some things that normally happen automatically. Or, perhaps, you could just block UDP port 1900 for those devices for which Plex will never need access. UPnP also uses SSDP for its underpinnings; so, disabling any UPnP functions of devices on your network may serve to reduce the amount of SSDP responses received from PMS’ queries.
To sum up though, Plex Media Server isn’t indiscriminately pulling data from devices on your network. It’s part of a search/response/query flow intended to find media-related devices. So, there is a good reason this traffic exists and it’s essential to some of Plex’s functions.
I was going to start yet another “Please stop UPnP messages” thread, but thought this one, as it’s currently active would suffice.
So let’s start. Please stop with the UPnP and SSDP messages. I don’t want them, I don’t need them, and all they do is clutter up my various firewall and threat protections logs.
The server I run Plex on has 2 interfaces, an external one to the WAN and an internal one to my LAN. Plex insists on running these protocols on both interfaces.
On the WAN interface, I’m guessing it’s the UPnP messages being thrown out. Why. Everything I’ve read states that manually setting the external port will stop these. Well, guess what, it doesn’t. This causes my threat protection software to classify the messages as non-routeable bogons and log them at the rate of about 360 per hour.
On the LAN interface I’m guessing it will be the the SSDP messages. Again why. I have the “Enable GDM” setting disabled, which should be the only use for these messages, so why is Plex still sending out the “Is there anybody out there” request, which in itself doesn’t cause any issues. What does is all the devices in my LAN replying “Me, me”. This is an issue because this machine has an active firewall with then blocks these replies and logs them. And the rate of this logging is way worse, currently running at over 3,000 per hour.
So, neither of these services is doing anything useful or anything I want, other than filling my logs and skewing my threat protection statistics.
Have you tried blocking outbound traffic to port 1900 (UDP) from your server? That will completely eliminate the queries from egressing the server, thereby precluding any responses from devices on your network. I just tested a simple ufw rule on my test server: ufw deny out from any to any port 1900 proto udp
This effectively eliminated all SSDP traffic originating from that server. It also broke network tuner discovery, but if you don’t need that, it may help your sanity.
If you’re looking for a means by which you can completely disable Plex Media Server’s use of SSDP, I don’t think it exists. Because even with GDM disabled and manual configuration of remote access, it still uses it for network tuner discovery. And there’s no way to disable that, as far as I know. So, you may be better served by creating a feature request.
