Random buffering issues on Windows Server PMS

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Context :
Server Version#: 1.13.9.5439 on Windows Server 2016
Player Version#: 2.5 and 2.20 on Mac OS X 10.12.6
Player Version#: 2.20 on Windows 10 1803/1809

Network : Gigabit LAN Direct Play to a PMP Client
Network : Gigabit WAN Direct Play to a 100Mbit fiber PMP client
Network : Gigabit WAN Transcode to a 10Mbit ADSL PMP client

I need to troubleshoot a buffering issue that randomly cropped up in the past three weeks on all the PMP clients I’ve tested, the only common point being the server.
Randomly, there is some strange 300/400KB/s hard cap to streams once the initial network buffer is consumed by the client (default still at 75MB and it’s done instantly at linerate). If I exit PMP and restart the stream, the issue is cleared in 95% of the cases.

Are any of the plex logs relevant in this case?

I have troubleshooted nearly every possible venue :

  • OS network performance is at linerate, impact on local resources is inexistant beyond the expected disk I/O
  • NIC Firmware and Drivers are up to date (intel i219-LM)
  • the Switches and router operate at linerate without any packet loss or delay
  • happens on any kind of video media (H264, H265, with bitrates ranging from 1800kbps up to 20Mbps)
  • I’ve wiped clean the PMP installs on the clients

Untested yet :

  • Transcode to iOS Plex players
  • Completely wiping the PMS install
2

here’s a fresh PMS log where it happened.
I’ve skipped ahead a few times in this playback session, and after the last skip it started buffering out of nowhere.Plex Media Server.log (461.0 KB)

3

The attached network graph shows the issue very clearly. The stream starts fine, and then it becomes capped. After a short while the client side buffer is exhausted, it chokes and grabs a full 75MB buffer. This is all Direct Play on Gigabit wired LAN

Capture

4

I have upped the buffer on the PMP direct play clients to 500MB and it hasn’t happened since

5

I have a friend running PMP on MAC. Where is the client buffet size setting located? He experiences buffering from my server much like you’ve described.

6

It’s at the bottom of the Video section in PMP’s Settings (network cache)

7

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