Transcoded files stuck in Transcode directory

Plex Media Server
1

Server Version#: 1.25.0.5246
Player Version#: Unknown

I’m noticing that Plex isn’t cleaning up the Transcode directory every time, and it’s leaving large mkv files (output.mkv) in there long after people have stopped watching a movie. I notice this because I get an error like “you don’t have enough free space to transcode this file”, and then I check my Plex transcode directory (RAM drive on Unraid) and it’s almost full with a single Session folder and a single transcoded file.

Once I manually delete the Session folder, everything returns to normal.

2

I’m having a similar/related problem with the Transcode directory.

No matter what directory I specify in Transcoder temporary directory (I am trying to use /mnt/ssd/plex-transcode), Plex still uses /tmp/Transcode. The directory eventually fills up, and gives me (and anyone trying to stream) the same “you don’t have enough free space to transcode this file”. I have to restart PMS to make everything right again. This most recent time I was camping 1.5 hours from home, so that was fun.

I tried sym-linking /tmp/Transcode to point to my plex-transcode directory, but then the transcoder exits prematurely with an error (no transcoding at all).

Why have an option to provide a temporary directory if you’re not going to use it?

3

@tinycheese

None of the Plex configurations use /tmp/transcode of the physical device.

Are you using a docker container ?

4

Straight up Arch actually… 5.10.56-1-lts

5

Cannot help you.

We do not package for nor support Arch.

Contact the package maintainer.

6

My problem turned out to be a basic Linux permissions issue …

/mnt/ssd/ had permissions root:sddaccess, which I had set up for access to the secondary drive.

Once I added the plex user to group sddaccess everything is running smoothly again.

Package maintainer had no issues modifying the Transcoder temporary directory so this one was all on me. sigh