I have my PMS setup on manual port 32400. Normally this works just fine, everyone connects from their external IP addresses and PlexPy logs everything. For the past few days, when I turn off port forwarding, external users are still able to connect via Chrome browser and PlexPy is showing their IP as 127.0.0.1. If port forwarding is turned off and remote access is disabled in PMS… how are they still getting in?
When you create a Manual Port Forward you had to of also gone into your route to create the portforward.
To now disable remote access you will again have to go into your router and disable the portforward there too.
From Settings → Server → Remote Acsess:
You currently have Remote Access enabled through a manually-specified port. If you wish to disable Remote Access, you will need to remove your manual port forwarding from your router
Oh, and if you have already gone into your router and turned it off there than take a look at the new Plex Relay feature.
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/216766168-Accessing-a-Server-through-Relay
If you are still sharing with them they may be accessing this way
@hthighway, my statement of turning off port forwarding was meant to say disabling that specific port forward in the router.
How would the Relay return a 127.0.0.1 loop back address?
Why would Plex make a feature that bypasses the only feature they have for disabling remote playback?
@hthighway are you saying the only way to disable remote users (that are not me) from accessing my content is to remove everything that is shared with them??
Have you also disabled/deleted UPNP port forwarding rules?
No UPnP rules are setup. UPnP is disabled in the router.
@blurb2m said:
@hthighway, my statement of turning off port forwarding was meant to say disabling that specific port forward in the router.
How would the Relay return a 127.0.0.1 loop back address?
Why would Plex make a feature that bypasses the only feature they have for disabling remote playback?@hthighway are you saying the only way to disable remote users (that are not me) from accessing my content is to remove everything that is shared with them??
I think one needs to look at logs to understand what is happening. Plex Media Server.log would help
Also info on your setup. Any reverse proxy in use?
With regards to remote access - if you have Manually Specify Port ticked then it should not be using uPnP. If the port forward for this manually specified port number is deleted in the router then remote connections quoting this port number should not find their route to Plex Media Server. Furthermore clicking on Disable Remote Access on the Server Settings Remote Access screen should also stop Plex Relay from running.
@sa2000 here is a snip from the log when a user connected remotely with what I think was everything disconnected. (port forwarding in router and remote access disabled) If you need more of the log, I will PM it over?
Aug 28, 2016 08:02:55.607 [8340] DEBUG - Request: [127.0.0.1:64192 (WAN)] GET / (3 live) TLS GZIP Signed-in
Aug 28, 2016 08:02:55.607 [8340] DEBUG - Auth: We found auth token (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx), enabling token-based authentication.
Aug 28, 2016 08:02:55.607 [8340] DEBUG - Auth: authenticated user 31xxx53 as jxxxxxxxxx90
I always like full log files to get the bigger picture and also best to provide one after restarting the server and then reproducing the problem
I do not know much about reverse proxies but do you have such a setup?
Is the PC connected to a router ?
What router are you coming through ?
What version of Plex Media Server? The full log file would tell me that
I need screenshot of the Remote Access settings page with show advanced and full log file after restart and reproducing the problem
Meanwhile - I will look into when the server logs 127.0.0.1 as (WAN)
If you have tokens being logged you can zip and send me the log by private message
And please let me know whe plex processes are running and showing in windows task manager when this happens.
Also if you are using any proxy
@sa2000 said:
I always like full log files to get the bigger picture and also best to provide one after restarting the server and then reproducing the problemI do not know much about reverse proxies but do you have such a setup?
– No reverse proxy
Is the PC connected to a router ?
– PC to 16 port switch and then up to cisco E4500 router (comcast business class modem. does nothing but media convert coax to eth)
What router are you coming through ?
What version of Plex Media Server? The full log file would tell me that
– Plex Media Server v1.1.2.2680-09e98fb - Microsoft PC x64 - build: windows-i386 english (log files sent over PM. latest log and log with 127.0.0.1 connection)
I need screenshot of the Remote Access settings page with show advanced and full log file after restart and reproducing the problem
Meanwhile - I will look into when the server logs 127.0.0.1 as
(WAN)
If you have tokens being logged you can zip and send me the log by private message
Not sure how to replicate the issue… I am unable to login to Plex but other people seem to find a way externally.
- I’m wondering if users had a link in their web history to a movie they were watching prior to me turning off access and that authentication was still valid and able to get in if they clicked that link in their history?
Thank you for the logs
First I need to explain how the new Plex Relay works.
If remote access is enabled but the port forward does not work then Plex Media Server will try and establish what is called a Plex Relay connection through internal port 32401 which gets listened to on 127.0.0.1 - this connection would be through a Plex relay server.
When Plex Relay runs you will see a PlexRleay.exe process running in Windows Task Manager.
Log Entries will appear as coming from 127.0.0.1 but flagged as (WAN)
Once you disable Remote Access then Plex Media Server will ensure that Plex Relay is also shutdown and the PlexRelay.exe process is killed.
The evidence you sent me shows a Plex Relay connection at 08:04 on the 28th August
It shows that you disabled Remote Access at 11:24am
I cannot see any Plex Relay connections after that and cannot see any evidence of Plex Relay being started
If the problem comes back - please check the Remote Access setting web page and provide me with fresh evidence so that it can be investigated. The evidence supplied does not show any Plex Relay or any other WAN connection coming in after Remote Access was disabled on the 28th August at 11:24am
Thanks @sa2000 ! I guess I forgot to turn off Remote Access and just did the disabling of the port forward in the router. Relay is an annoying feature. Just need to remember to kill both when I don’t want external connections.
This is the support page that covers this feature
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/216766168-Accessing-a-Server-through-Relay
My apologies for bringing this thread back from the dead but I was wondering why relayed connection would be triggered when a direct connection is possible:
- The server settings -> Remote Access shows “Fully accessible outside your network”.
- While outside of a network, people can successfully connect via the external IP address.
This seems to be happening on Windows, Linux and OS X. (a.o. https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1257899#Comment_1257899).
Any idea why this can occur? Thanks in advance
@a.jongsma said:
My apologies for bringing this thread back from the dead but I was wondering why relayed connection would be triggered when a direct connection is possible:
- The server settings → Remote Access shows “Fully accessible outside your network”.
- While outside of a network, people can successfully connect via the external IP address.
This seems to be happening on Windows, Linux and OS X. (a.o. https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1257899#Comment_1257899).
Any idea why this can occur? Thanks in advance
Could be a transient / temporary glitch with the remote connectivity test that is leading to Relay triggering. Would need server and client app logs to investigate further
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200250417-Plex-Media-Server-Log-Files
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201611836-Plex-Web-App-Logs
@a.jongsma said:
While outside of a network, people can successfully connect via the external IP address.
As long as you have your router setup properly, this will always work. Remote Access is for configuring using Plex.tv to tell clients how to connect. If you don’t setup remote access properly you will get Relayed connections.
So is there no way to block an IP from connecting?
I setup a firewall rule to block a certain IP, yet it comes in over relay. Is it impossible?
@blurb2m said:
So is there no way to block an IP from connecting?
I setup a firewall rule to block a certain IP, yet it comes in over relay. Is it impossible?
You have another layer of control and that is through user authentication. Is the remote user using your plex.tv account ? His / Her own account :? Did you share the server with that account?
Also Relay should get disabled if Remote Access is disabled.
A friend left his account logged into his gf’s house. Wanted him to be able to watch something while blocking his gf from watching anything from her house.
Sounds like his only option would be to change his password and sign out of all devices…
This goes back to being able to actually setting a limit on concurrent streams per account and LET ME TURN OFF RELAY! Great feature if networks are having issues, but give me the option of saying “NO, I know what I’m doing and I really want to block this IP”
