Scanner not finding files. Permissions issue?

[jcarr77]

Server Version#: 4.59.2

I’ve run Plex Media Server successfully for years, on multiple Linux distributions. I recently switched back to Ubuntu MATE from Linux Mint. I have my video files set up in the same structure, with the same directory and file permissions. After reinstalling Plex Media Server, and configuring my library directories, no files show up. I checked the scanner logs, and every time a scanner runs, it reports a message similar to this: "ERROR - Couldn’t check for the existence of file “/path/to/videos”: boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: “/path/to/videos”.

[ChuckPa]

Where did you get “/path/to/videos” from?

If you copied that, literally, from the documentation, ummm, you missed the message.

You’re supposed to put in the “Path to your video files - the directory”

If your media is stored in /mnt/hdd1/movies, then that’s the value you give Plex. You don’t type ‘/path/to/videos’ .

Is that what happened? Brain-hand disconnect? (it happens to me so dont’ feel bad if it did)

[jcarr77]

No, that was just meant as an example. The path is /home/username/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/Movies

[ChuckPa]

Media in your home directory – Always problematic.

PMS runs as its own UID/GID. (plex:plex) just as I run with (chuck:chuck).

Safest to do is:

find /home/username/Videos -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /home/username/Videos -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

You still maintain R/W, Plex gets R/O.

If I have to put media in the /home partition, I do three things.

1. make a generic /home/media
2. set myself as owner
3. Apply persistence bits so perms always attach 755/644

[jcarr77]

Thanks, but same result. Still failing with the permissions issue.

I’m really perplexed with this one. This setup has worked for literally years, through many system updates and reconfigurations, multiple distros, etc. I just don’t get it.

[ChuckPa]

Show me please? (ls -la) and attach the PMS logs ?

[jcarr77]

Directory example:

drwxr-xr-x 2 jimc jimc 4096 Jul 15 21:52 TED

File example:

-rw-r–r-- 1 jimc jimc 121208633 Nov 26 2018 ‘Teaching Kids Real Math With Computers - Conrad Wolfram (TED).mp4’

Plex Media Server Logs_2021-08-18_23-21-12.zip (316.8 KB)

[ChuckPa]

Thanks for the logs.

I found it immediately.

Aug 18, 2021 22:46:08.367 [0x7fe03a31bb38] ERROR - Couldn't check for the existence of file "/home/jimc/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/Music Videos/.grab": boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/home/jimc/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/Music Videos/.grab"

Apparently you have DVR set to record and store into “Music Videos” ?

DVR is looking for WRITE permission – which it doesn’t have and therefore generates “permission denied” because it can’t create the .grab (DVR temp) directory.

This one is more puzzling and likely more to the root cause.

Aug 18, 2021 22:46:09.953 [0x7fe0395dcb38] ERROR - IsDirectory failed boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/home/jimc/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/Movies"
Aug 18, 2021 22:46:09.953 [0x7fe0395dcb38] ERROR - IsDirectory failed boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/home/jimc/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/Music Videos"
Aug 18, 2021 22:46:09.953 [0x7fe0395dcb38] ERROR - IsDirectory failed boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/home/jimc/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/Other Video"
Aug 18, 2021 22:46:09.953 [0x7fe0395dcb38] ERROR - IsDirectory failed boost::filesystem::status: Permission denied: "/home/jimc/Videos/Video Library/Media Server/TV Shows"

Are you using symlinks which resolve to a location PMS can’t access ?

[jcarr77]

Apparently you have DVR set to record and store into “Music Videos” ?

I don’t have a DVR, and a DVR is not set up in Plex. Not sure where to disable that.

Are you using symlinks which resolve to a location PMS can’t access ?

No, all literal paths.

[jcarr77]

I was able to get it working by adding the plex user to my login user’s group:

sudo usermod -a -G jimc plex

[ChuckPa]

By adding user plex, that confirms you do have a permissions problem in there somewhere.

This is an odd one.

Thank you for letting us know. I’ll keep this on the watch list but this does happen a lot and varies from distro to distro when media is in the home directory. Some distros get ‘weird’.