Problem loading page (Mint 19)

[ZiRiS]

Server Version#: plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5332-21ab172de_amd64.deb
Player Version#:

┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server]
└──╼ cat /etc/linuxmint/info
RELEASE=19
CODENAME=tara
EDITION=“Xfce”
DESCRIPTION=“Linux Mint 19 Tara”
DESKTOP=Gnome
TOOLKIT=GTK
NEW_FEATURES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_tara_xfce_whatsnew.php
RELEASE_NOTES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_tara_xfce.php
USER_GUIDE_URL=help:linuxmint
GRUB_TITLE=Linux Mint 19 Xfce
┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server]
└──╼

I just updated from plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5291-6fa5e50a8_amd64.deb. It was working until the update.

The plex service is running:

┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~]
└──╼ sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver
● plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server for Linux
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Thu 2018-08-23 20:11:08 CDT; 2s ago
Process: 2965 ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c /usr/bin/test -d “${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}” || /bin/mkdir -p “${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}” (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
Main PID: 2967 (sh)
Tasks: 4 (limit: 4915)
CGroup: /system.slice/plexmediaserver.service
├─2967 /bin/sh -c LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/plexmediaserver “/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Media Server”
└─2968 /usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Media Server

Aug 23 20:11:08 DREAMCATCHER systemd[1]: Starting Plex Media Server for Linux…
Aug 23 20:11:08 DREAMCATCHER systemd[1]: Started Plex Media Server for Linux.
┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~]
└──╼

I have gone into /etc/default/plexmediaserver and changed the default plex user to ziris, myself, so that it has permissions to access everything, including my library.

┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server]
└──╼ ls
total 48K
drwxr-xr-x 11 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 23 19:00 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 20:36 …
drwxr-xr-x 5 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 23 18:59 Cache
drwxr-xr-x 3 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 20:42 Codecs
drwxr-xr-x 4 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 20:42 ‘Crash Reports’
drwxr-xr-x 2 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 23 00:04 Diagnostics
drwxr-xr-x 3 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 23 18:58 Logs
drwxr-xr-x 3 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 21:05 Media
drwxr-xr-x 4 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 22:46 Metadata
drwxr-xr-x 3 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 20:37 Plug-ins
drwxr-xr-x 7 ziris ziris 4.0K Aug 18 20:36 ‘Plug-in Support’
-rw------- 1 ziris ziris 1.6K Aug 23 18:58 Preferences.xml
┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server]
└──╼

What else can I show you to help me figure out why the Dashboard won’t load?

Help?

[ChuckPa]

tar.gz of the Logs directory, in their entirety is a good start. We can see what it’s not liking

[ZiRiS]

Awesome. Where do I upload it to?
Also, a big thanks, ChuckPA!

[ChuckPa]

You have two choices:

1. Drag & drop and let upload

or

2. Use the “Document Attach & Upload” button at the top of the reply window

[ZiRiS]

Nevermind?

Edit: I guess I figured it out.

[ChuckPa]

That you did

Reviewing now

[ZiRiS]

Something I’m noticing in all of my logs, they all seem to end around 19:00.
Current local time is 20:54. I’ve rebooted and restarted the service several times since 19:00.
I performed the update at around 19:00, though. I’m wondering if something went wonky with the upgrade and it’s maybe putting everything somewhere else? Maybe?

[ChuckPa]

Errors found:

Aug 23, 2018 17:32:30.926 [0x7f209da27840] ERROR - Error creating directory "/media/ziris/SaTaN/Temp/": boost::filesystem::create_directories: Permission denied: "/media/ziris/SaTaN/Temp"

Aug 23, 2018 17:32:44.622 [0x7f20753ff700] ERROR - Error opening file '"/media/ziris/SaTaN/MoViEz/MoViEz/Sci-Fi/Jurassic Park/Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom (2018)/Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom (2018).mp4"' - No such file or directory (2)
Aug 23, 2018 17:32:44.658 [0x7f2089ffc700] DEBUG - Request: [::ffff:34.244.6.8:28014 (WAN)] GET /identity (7 live) TLS Signed-in Token (ZiRiS)

Aug 23, 2018 17:34:55.875 [0x7f2084bfe700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - libva: va_getDriverName() failed with unknown libva error,driver_name=(null)
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:55.875 [0x7f2084bfe700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Failed to initialise VAAPI connection: -1 (unknown libva error).
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:55.875 [0x7f2084bfe700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: opening hw device failed - probably not supported by this system, error: Input/output error
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:55.875 [0x7f2084bfe700] DEBUG - Codecs: testing h264_nvenc (encoder)
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:56.132 [0x7f2084bfe700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: testing API vaapi
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:56.133 [0x7f2084bfe700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - libva: va_getDriverName() failed with unknown libva error,driver_name=(null)
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:56.133 [0x7f2084bfe700] ERROR - [FFMPEG] - Failed to initialise VAAPI connection: -1 (unknown libva error).
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:56.133 [0x7f2084bfe700] DEBUG - Codecs: hardware transcoding: opening hw device failed - probably not supported by this system, error: Input/output error
Aug 23, 2018 17:34:56.133 [0x7f2084bfe700] DEBUG - Scaled up video bitrate to 3300Kbps based on 1.500

You have some much bigger issues to resolve. as shown here.

1. A VM? Docker? LXC?
2. Did you install a GPU card and graphics drivers on your own?
3. Media / directories are missing throughout your logs.
4. IPv6 is enabled and provides NO benefit. (It is OFF by default)

May I suggest:

1. Stop PMS
2. Open a shell
3. Rename Libary to Library.keep
4. Start PMS
5. Setup a new server, with a new text name easily identified
6. Using stock settings for everything.
7. Start adding your media, one section at a time, “Optimize Database” after each is fully complete. Yes, this takes time but guarantees everything is performing optimally.

If the above works better, we will transfer the identifiers from the old to this new one.

[ZiRiS]

1. This is not a VM. It is an install onto a Desktop computer.
2. I did upgrade graphics drivers today.
3. I don’t understand. all my media is on /media/ziris/SaTaN and has been visible until the update.
4. I’m not opposed to disabling IPv6. Tbh, Idk how it got enabled in the first place. I’ll go disable it.

A possible missing piece here:

┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server]
└──╼ cat /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
# / was on /dev/sda1 during installation
UUID=878fdf1c-5781-44fe-9769-d52f53b0b7e5 /               ext4    errors=remount-ro 0       1
/swapfile                                 none            swap    sw              0       0
┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server]
└──╼

My fstab is pretty barren and stock. I tried editing it as per your suggestion in another thread. Mint died and I had to reinstall. Because of this, I’m not excited about editing it again and would rather not unless absolutely necessary for Plex to work. So far, though, it hasn’t been an issue for me to manually go mount my other 3 drives.

You may make that suggestion, yes. In order to keep you from waiting on me to rebuild my database, which takes quite a while, would you mind telling me how to transfer the identifiers from the old to the new one ahead of time? A more important question, (to me) is: what are identifiers?

And just for clarification, since it’s bolded and all, on step 5 there, you mean name the new server something that is not DREAMCATCHER or DREAMCATCHER1 or something else close to that? Will this be a permanent new name? Or just temporary and when we switch identifiers (whatever those are) the name will go back, too?

I’m sorry for all the questions, but how can I learn if I don’t ask?

[ZiRiS]

As I’m going through your steps above, i decided I should just reinstall PMS in order to setup a new server, and noted the following:

┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼ sudo dpkg -i plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5332-21ab172de_amd64.deb
(Reading database ... 329418 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack plexmediaserver_1.13.5.5332-21ab172de_amd64.deb ...
Removed /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/plexmediaserver.service.
Unpacking plexmediaserver (1.13.5.5332-21ab172de) over (1.13.5.5332-21ab172de) ...
Setting up plexmediaserver (1.13.5.5332-21ab172de) ...
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/plexmediaserver.service → /lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service.
Job for plexmediaserver.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status plexmediaserver.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
dpkg: error processing package plexmediaserver (--install):
 installed plexmediaserver package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Processing triggers for systemd (237-3ubuntu10.3) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-20) ...
ureadahead will be reprofiled on next reboot
Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-11ubuntu1.1) ...
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.23+linuxmint3) ...
Processing triggers for mime-support (3.60ubuntu1) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 plexmediaserver
┌─[✗]─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼

Errors were encountered and they don’t look good. Is there another way to setup a new server that I missed?

[ZiRiS]

Also, I should note, that after renaming /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library to /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library.Keep I tried to start PMS and got the following error:

┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼ sudo service plexmediaserver start
Job for plexmediaserver.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status plexmediaserver.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
┌─[✗]─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼

That doesn’t look good, either.

[ZiRiS]

Also:

┌─[✗]─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼ systemctl status plexmediaserver.service
● plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server for Linux
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Thu 2018-08-23 21:40:44 CDT; 1min 44s ago
  Process: 7113 ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c /usr/bin/test -d "${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}" || /bin/mkdir -p "${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}" (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
 Main PID: 5996 (code=killed, signal=TERM)

Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Service hold-off time over, scheduling restart.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 3.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: Stopped Plex Media Server for Linux.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: Failed to start Plex Media Server for Linux.
┌─[✗]─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼ journalctl -xe
-- 
-- Unit plexmediaserver.service has failed.
-- 
-- The result is RESULT.
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Service hold-off time over, scheduling restart.
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 2.
-- Subject: Automatic restarting of a unit has been scheduled
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Automatic restarting of the unit plexmediaserver.service has been scheduled, as the result for
-- the configured Restart= setting for the unit.
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: Stopped Plex Media Server for Linux.
-- Subject: Unit plexmediaserver.service has finished shutting down
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Unit plexmediaserver.service has finished shutting down.
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: Starting Plex Media Server for Linux...
-- Subject: Unit plexmediaserver.service has begun start-up
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Unit plexmediaserver.service has begun starting up.
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS sh[7113]: /bin/mkdir: cannot create directory ‘/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library’: Permission denied
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Control process exited, code=exited status=1
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS systemd[1]: Failed to start Plex Media Server for Linux.
-- Subject: Unit plexmediaserver.service has failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Unit plexmediaserver.service has failed.
-- 
-- The result is RESULT.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Service hold-off time over, scheduling restart.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 3.
-- Subject: Automatic restarting of a unit has been scheduled
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Automatic restarting of the unit plexmediaserver.service has been scheduled, as the result for
-- the configured Restart= setting for the unit.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: Stopped Plex Media Server for Linux.
-- Subject: Unit plexmediaserver.service has finished shutting down
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Unit plexmediaserver.service has finished shutting down.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Aug 23 21:40:44 TARDIS systemd[1]: Failed to start Plex Media Server for Linux.
-- Subject: Unit plexmediaserver.service has failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
-- 
-- Unit plexmediaserver.service has failed.
-- 
-- The result is RESULT.
┌─[ziris@DREAMCATCHER]─[~/Downloads]
└──╼

[ChuckPa]

look at the result.

Aug 23 21:40:39 TARDIS sh[7113]: /bin/mkdir: cannot create directory ‘/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library’: Permission denied

Systemd does not use /etc/default/plexmediaserver

You must recustomize PMS properly using systemd

sudo systemctl edit plexmediaserver is how you do it.

Details here, should you want to move PMS back to your home directory (NOT advised but your choice)

Customizing your Plex configuration

Customizing your Plex configuration on systemd based systems This information is intended for those systems where cat /proc/1/comm returns systemd. On systems which use Systemd (Ubuntu 16+, Fedora, Centos 7, Debian 8,) you create this customization file which SystemD reads prior to launching PMS. This file is independent of the default configuration and service control mechanisms in /lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service. Your customization override is preserved across updates, uninstal…

[ZiRiS]

Well, I gave up. I renamed my server, deleted /var/lib/plexmediaserver and reinstalled fresh. I’m rebuilding my database now.
It worked, after I removed the plexmediaserver folder, but when I renamed the Library folder, it didn’t work and failed to install.
It worked out for the best, though. I made sure the plex user had access to not just my media folder, but the entire path to the media folder. There was a folder it didn’t have full access to, it was more like drwxr-x—+ until I chmod’d it to 777, plex couldn’t see it. The plex user is a member of the ziris group and ziris is a member of the plex group. Regardless, plex couldn’t see the contents of that folder or any folders under it, until I gave plex access to that one folder in the middle of the chain. Strange, but it works now and that’s all that matters.
Thanks very much, ChuckPA for your assistance. It is very much appreciated!