Well, this is bizare. Since downgrading for the first time to 1.16 and getting remote access working longer than a few minutes, I just upgraded back to 1.18, and it’s been on for awhile and hasn’t quit yet. Weird thing is now one of my users is not able to see my Movies or TV Shows folder, but when clicking on the shared server homepage, I see not only Movies and TV Shows, but other media sections not shared and Music as well. So I reset the user prefs “Reset Customization” and when I clicked on my server from another user, it says “This library is currently empty” through web interface, and “Server unavailable” through AppleTV app. So, I trashed 1.18 and downgraded back to 1.16, and all works fine again with the users sharing my library. PM sent with logs. And on 1.18 I still can’t delete users, but can on 1.16.
Where are you guys getting the old version?
I was given link for older version for my DS1019 (can see my thread where I asked for help) - not sure where others are as Plex takes them down vs. managing an archive like years ago. Scour the internet for whatever version of PMS you need for your device.
The logs you sent me show some issue with the security tokens that are being used. Was this server cloned from another machine ? Is it hosted built by a 3rd party or you set it up on your network?
Any manipulation of Preferences.xml ? Requests to our pubsub servers are being rejected with a 403 error - which is returned if the server token is invalid.
Also there is an issue with the token validation for your remote user.
Have you got some inconsistent cache files for tokens? Have you edited / deleted / copied any config files for Plex Media Server ? Have you changed accounts during such action ?
What WAN IP address / user id access that worked in your test on 1.16.5 and not 1.18.8 - you can send me that by PM
@sa2000 This was copied from a Mac Mini PMS, and then directions followed in the Synology FAQ as I moved it to a DS1019+. I don’t recall editing my Preferences.xml except for the two machine ID areas (unless those changes weren’t in preferences.xml, I don’t remember where it was). Didn’t want to lose my watchlist and 10GB of metadata that had been downloaded.
What do you mean what WAP IP worked? I don’t understand you there. Are you asking what my WAP IP is? I wasn’t able to get outside access anywhere when running 1.18. Outside access from anywhere (VPN, outside direct, cell phone, etc.) when running 1.16.
But, even after I upgraded to 1.18 after running 1.16 to pull those logs you asked for, the shared/c_kooger user wasn’t able to see my server outside the network, but when I logged in locally I was able to see sections of media that weren’t shared with this particular user. But I wonder if that was just some weirdness as I also have DLNA enabled, and when I logged into that user locally to check some things (when normal access for said user is remote), it was able to see DLNA shares… ? Whatever it is, the big issue is that nobody (not even myself) can access my DS1019 directly outside of the network when on 1.18.
Add me to the list.
Running on a fairly robust Intel i3 with 8Gigs of DDR4. Zero configuration changes for over a year, and now suddenly people are having issues accessing content remotely. Server shows connected. All devices are remotely accessible for non-Plex software. All of my other servers are working normally.
Full Ubiquity managed setup with controller for my network.
Would like to add my voice to this. The problem i’m having is Smart TV applications of Plex are showing network connection issues, but if I log into the server on a browser (no on the home network) or via 4G/LTE, I have access to everything and it plays no problems.
My guess at the moment is that you did this step of editing the ProcessedMachineIdentifier and MachineIdentifier on the new Synology server whilst the new server was signed in and claimed.
So we end up with it using a token for the old identifier that you now replaced and recently token validation has become stricter
The general support article for moving install to new machine https://support.plex.tv/articles/201370363-move-an-install-to-another-system/ states that the server has to be signed out when data is updated
Sign Out and Stop the Plex Media Server on the Destination System
This Support Article also advises signing the server out and in after copying the application data and launching Plex Media Server
Sign Out and Back in to the Server
Under Settings > Server > General in Plex Web App, sign out of the server (if you’re signed in) and then sign back in. This will update connection information for your apps to use and will also ensure you have a valid certificate to make use of secure connections.
Any specific instructions followed for migrating from forum posts or external sources must fall within these general principles. The machine identifier can only be changed whilst the server is signed out and unclaimed. If this is not adhered and the server ends up with incompatible token and machine identifier then signing the server out and reclaiming it ought to refresh the token and resolve the issue. It will also ensure the secure connections certificate is setup correctly.
I will wait for outcome of trying out signing the server out and reclaiming it and look at new logs
xFinity & Unraid Server - Plex Version 1.18.8.2527
FIXED - Hello all - If you have this issue and xFinity, here is what I had to do to regain Plex remote access.
xFinity made changes that somehow lost / mangled my port forwards. Port forwards are no longer accessible on the router interface and only available on the xFi site or app. This is not new, but something happened in the last month or so to make my historical port forward settings stop functioning. After trying to set up a new port forward, I found I could not because my server was not in the drop down list on the xFi port forward page. Calls to Comcast to have them set up a port forward for me also did not work. They were not able to set a port forward for my server either and they had no reason why. I was NOT running IPv6 which they admit they don’t handle, so they could not explain and offered up Port Triggers that did not work.
While my server would not show up in the list of devices on the port forward screen, it was listed in the connected devices section on xFi. However, when I clicked on the server and looked at the details, it showed connected but did not list the IP address. I could see the IP address via the router interface, but on the xFI pages the server showed connected, but the IP address was not listed. Hmmm… problem?
Here is my adventure - There may be a more efficient sequence and steps to skip, but this is what I had to do!
I factory reset the xFi gateway and reestablished my WiFi in the hopes of regaining control of port forwarding via the router interface. Sadly, the port forward section still redirected to the xFi pages. So this may have been unnecessary. However, prior to the reset I did clean up all the old mangled port forward settings on the xFi site and started fresh on my router. I also turned off the dreaded xFi Advanced Security service via the xFi site since it had been reenabled due to the factory reset I performed.
My server used to have a reserved IP address on the router before the factory reset. I shut down and disconnected my server. Had to reset the xFinity gateway, navigate to the xFi pages and make xFi forget my server under the connected devices section. Reset of xFinity gateway again and the server was then forgotten from the router interface as well. Connected my server to the network and started it up. Was then able to see my server on both the router interface and xFi connected device page, but the IP address was still not showing up in the details for my server. -Bad. The IP address for my server was no longer reserved in my router interface -Good It was the same IP address that I had reserved before, but now showed up as DHCP on the router interface.
I went to my server and changed the network settings to dynamic instead of static and deleted the IP address I had in there, and then waited for it to connect. Once connected, I saw a new IP address show up on my router and on xFi under the details of connected devices for my server. - Excellent. I went to the port forward page and now my server showed up in the list of devices in the drop down - Hallelujah! I gleefully set up the new port forward.
I have since placed the network settings of my server back to static and updated the new IP address there. So far so good! Plex remote access is back and Canyouseeme sees my port open for the last hour+.
xFinity has some real problems with this half router interface part xFi app / site situation they have created. If only they would give us control of the router once again and stop the xFi nonsense.
Wow, I went through almost the same process with Cox. The ONLY difference was that I could not find my laptop/server as a connected device anymore before and after the factory reset. I found my Mac address and it was listed under am unknown device with a different IP. I renamed it, reserved an IP again, cleared and forwarded the port again. By the way, Cox told me that this wasn’t possible anymore. I have been up and running for the last 24 hours in the green🤞 . All of this done from their app on my phone, because I couldn’t log onto the router from my laptop anymore.
@chuckie59 - My server was also added as an unknown device and I renamed it too! 
People having the remote access issue, what is your transcoder quality setting set to? Mine was on ‘Make my CPU hurt’ and I changed it to ‘Automatic’ and my remote access going up and down stopped. Possibly a fix for me, or a coincidence lol.
@S4NBAT
was set @ automatic for me already.
Ok, now what the H#LL?? I was able to reset everything, and the remote icon stays green. A day later only 2mb is allowed, stating that i’m on relay. Now, No one can access remotely, and I can only access thru the server app on my laptop. It says that my server is offline on all my other devices: Shield, firestick, cell, smart tv, etc. Every setting is on maximum, original or automatic, my port is forwarded on the router and server, and the remote icon is still green!! I signed out and back in and now i’m back on relay. I have followed everything from the help page, and it’s only getting worse.
Oddly, I have no problem seeing Plex Movie & TV…
I read with much curosity about your workaround on getting the remove access working on your versun of Plex. For many months I was not having ay difficulty whatsoever, and then one of the versions that I updated Plex wipped out the remote access viewing feature… Can you possible elimbrate on eactly what verious you used in order to reinstate a working verson. It would be gratly apprecited by myself as well as may others.
Roy J. Scellato
The new cloud based xFinity admin interface is quite bad. In an attempt to simplify it ends up obfuscating everything. It wont even tell me device IPs… it insists on using “device name”, so half the entries are something like “generic pc”. This will only make it harder for plex users to get remote access to work with xFinity.
I’m on 1.18.8.2527 Synology, and have the exact same thing happening. It’s fine at home, but remote is horrible at times. Some family can still access when its red, others can’t.
Im not using xfinity or comcast…
There have been no recent changes to Plex Media Server in this area. So a problem arising after an update is a coincident and could be just different timing or some other things changing as well
Recent Remote Access failures I have investigated were caused by:
- xFinity xFi Advanced Security
- xFinity Port Forward not working and Port Triggering used by user
- Server migrated from another system and machine identifier copied across but this was done when the server was claimed by an account and ended up having a machine identifier that does not match the security token (There was recent change to strengthen token validation)
- infrastructure issue on plex.tv backend systems used for remote access connectivity testing. This was addressed and resolved
I totally agree. I wanted to help my fellow Plex enthusiasts who might have Xfinity and are unable to replace a prior working port forward. No IP @ and listed as generic PC - yep!
