PMS stopped populating Recently Added, Aired, Unwatched etc

General Discussions
1

I've been enjoying PMS, PHT, Plex via LG Smart TV and Roku 3 for some time now.  My thanks to all for such an amazing software!

 

Last night, I was editing a TV episode of Frontline which I had just copied into one of the TV directories monitored by PMS.  In the process of providing  a poster and summary text via the browser interface, there was a hiccup.  PMS didn't appear to like the input data.

 

Subsequent to this event, the TV library will NOT publish recently added, recently aired or unwatched data.  (The movie library appears to not be affected.)

 

I currently am using / have installed the following:

 

PMS v0.9.1.12.1 on a MS Windows 7 Ultimate Lenovo Desktop

 

LG Smart TV Media Link (have disabled LG's update ability on three TVs) 

ROKU 3 both standard and the recent fabulous "PREVIEW"

PHT on a Compaq Windows 7 laptop

 

The problem described appears to be the same regardless which device I use to access the server.  Additionally, the ROKU 3 PREVIEW app does not display any data on the HOME screen any longer and shows the following:

 

No content available on tis server  Please add content and / or check that "Include in dashboard" is enabled in your library sections.

 

I strongly suspect that during that "hiccup", I managed to corrupt the database for the TV library.  I've done some preliminary searches in the PLEX forums and see that the MS Windows platform requires me to do a PLEX software download in order to investigate the database.

 

BTW, I have installed a second Music library for the PLEX music overhaul which has been scanning for well over a week now.  I have left the previous library intact while this latest iteration provided by my ROKU 3's PLEX PREVIEW is populated.  I have named the libraries ZMusic and YMusic respectively so that they are scanned last in the library list.

 

I decided that before I pulled out my "golden screwdriver", I had better check in with those many folks who know so much more than I about PLEX.

 

Thanks for any and all advice folks!

3
 

Last night, I was editing a TV episode of Frontline which I had just copied into one of the TV directories monitored by PMS.  In the process of providing  a poster and summary text via the browser interface, there was a hiccup.  PMS didn't appear to like the input data.

Subsequent to this event, the TV library will NOT publish recently added, recently aired or unwatched data.  (The movie library appears to not be affected.)

Did you add / set Release Date when editing? Recently discovered bug is that it allows you to enter wrong syntax and after that it / library not accessible

Debug Plex Media Server.log will show the problem

4

Based on your description, it would appear that you have managed to corrupt the library. The bad news is that you will most likely need to delete that library and create a new one.

If you are comfortable diagnosing the databases using the aforementioned tools then by all means you should attempt that, but do not be surprised if you are unable to correct the problem.

I wish you well and I sincerely hope you are able to correct the issue, but if not, simply create a new library and delete the old.

re "corrupt the library:

I need to fully investigate / understand the definitions of "library" and "database"

If I can resolve the problem by deleting the library, I should first try using "the tools" to diagnose the database-- might learn something that I didn't know before.

Btw, if I was not clear, the TV library is still accessible (almost 300 series); it is that the "recently added" etc fields are not being populated. I muse how long it will take to scan the TV library after deleting the current one. (I have untic'd the "Empty trash automatically after every scan" ; will the art and meta data be deleted when I delete the library?)

I have found that rather than moan about a computer related problem, I enjoy working to discover something new that I didn't know before. Thanks for your advice!

5

Did you add / set Release Date when editing? Recently discovered bug is that it allows you to enter wrong syntax and after that it / library not accessible

Debug Plex Media Server.log will show the problem

By Release Date, do you mean the field titled Originally Available? Truth be told, I might have-- not certain. I know that I changed the Title, added a Summary and downloaded a Poster and applied it using "choose an image". However, I will note your advice regarding syntax which I believe to be YYYY-MM-DD (hyphens included?)

I am mostly ignorant about the Server logs and will have to investigate further in the forums to understand the many log titles. Additionally, I need to check to see how long the logs are kept before being deleted and what controls PMS affords the user to keep them. I do not believe that there are log files available currently from when this event happened.

Many thanks for your time! I see your posts everywhere on the forums.

6

By Release Date, do you mean the field titled Originally Available? Truth be told, I might have-- not certain. I know that I changed the Title, added a Summary and downloaded a Poster and applied it using "choose an image". However, I will note your advice regarding syntax which I believe to be YYYY-MM-DD (hyphens included?)

I am mostly ignorant about the Server logs and will have to investigate further in the forums to understand the many log titles. Additionally, I need to check to see how long the logs are kept before being deleted and what controls PMS affords the user to keep them. I do not believe that there are log files available currently from when this event happened.

Many thanks for your time! I see your posts everywhere on the forums.

We have had a number of users enter this date as for example Jan.10 2010 not knowing that the syntax should have been 2010-01-10. Once it is entered incorrectly then access to the library or other filtered views fail with error 500 (in the log) and lead to no thumbs being displayed

But with a debug Plex Media Server.log it would be easy to spot if that was the cause - just searching for this error line following request from the client

Soci Exception handled: Cannot convert data to std::tm

You do not need to look for old logs, just set debug logging and restart plex media server and then load plex/web to view the library and other views and current log would be ok

8

Library usually refers to the collection of media presented by Plex once you have created a 'library' in Plex. Hope that makes sense?

Database usually refers to the hidden data that is collected and stored in a database file. In Plex, the databases are stored in the Plex folder. It consists of actual database files, images, and text files. The actual database files contain pointers to locate the images and files associated with any entry, like any database file does. The databases are in SQLite3 format.

The images and text files are generally stored in various locations where they can be retrieved quickly.

If you delete the library, then in most cases yes, all artwork and metadata associated with that library will be removed.

You can save your watched/unwatched status though if you follow this guide: https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201154527-Move-Viewstate-Ratings-from-One-Install-to-Another
 

Again, it requires some skills though, so it's success is dependent upon you.

If successful you could remove the existing library, create a new library and then when all metadata etc. has been retrieved, restore the watched/unwatched status.

Thanks for affirming my thoughts regarding "library" and "database".  I was fairly certain but wanted to verify that I knew what was being spoken of.  Thank you for spelling out what must seem self-evident to those experienced with PLEX.  Again, I assumed what you explained but didn't wish to act on assumptions.

I'm going to chew on this for a couple of days.  The desktop computer that I am running this PMS has a habit of locking up every couple of days.  I am toying with the idea of letting this PMS continue to run while setting up another Windows desktop and connecting the backup data drives to that one.  (I've ordered an additional powered 7 port USB hub to connect the 6 3tb hard drives to the second PMS.)  Once the libraries from the second PMS have completed populating, I would swap it out with the first and then begin my adventures.  Whatever the case, I will update this thread with my findings (or perhaps more questions) as I discover them.

Thank you so much for validating my assumptions; you've saved me much time in seeking answers from other threads!

10

My thanks to all of you who chimed in.  Sadly, I took the easy way out and didn't enhance my learning curve.  I deleted the TV library and then recreated it.  The almost 300 series (approximately 24,000 episodes) repopulated in less than 24 hours.  With the exception of a few series that needed to be corrected. PMS did a great job.  Also, the ROKU PLEX "PREVIEW" home page once again displayed the wonderful new user interface.

12

@trumpy81 said:
If you are using USB external hard drives then that could easily explain why you are having issues with Plex. USB drives can easily disconnect/reconnect without you even noticing but that can effect Plex particularly if it is in the middle of writing data of any sort.

I strongly recommend that you either fit the drives internally via use of a PCIe SATA card and the on board SATA controller or purchase a NAS or even build a NAS from an old PC. That would be far more preferable than relying on USB external drives.

In passing: I have been using a USB v2.0 hub on my PLEX PC Tower for some time. Currently, this “C2G 7 Port USB 2.0 Aluminum Hub” with external power supply has ALL 7 PORTS connecting WD external drives WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. There are half a dozen local PLEX clients as well as four remote clients accessing my server without problems-- since the original date of this post. Additionally, I have the same device connected to my Synology NAS without problems as well.