Trouble Installing plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm

Plex Media Server
1

Server Version#:
Player Version#:
Operating Linux, CentOS 7
Hi so I was trying to update Plex recently from 1.18.0.1913-e5cc93306.x86_64 to the most current update as of December 12, 2020: plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm. Whenever I would download the .rpm and try to install it using the Software Update program, I would always receive a response saying “sorry, an error occurred.” Apparentely the data from the old version was conflicting with the new version. I then took steps to uninstall the old version, to which, considering my literacy in linux is minimal, I’m unsure if I did it.

So I then took it that I had to run the .rpm update manually. Working from a couple of links (these two exactly: https://bit.ly/3ncLaFK and https://bit.ly/2W93YKd) I had it suggested to me to run
“rpm -U new version.rpm”
“rpm -i new version.rpm”

I eventually ran this command:
[root@localhost Downloads]# rpm -U plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm
warning: plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm: Header V4 RSA/SHA1 Signature, key ID 3adca79d: NOKEY
package plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64 is already installed

However, whenever I would try to start up Plex, I would get this message after running “systemctl start plexmediaserver”:

plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: failed (Result: start-limit) since Sat 2020-12-12 12:19:39 PST; 3h 47min ago
Process: 3287 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)

Would anyone know what I would need to do now? I’m just a damn video editor who has base literacy in linux and could definitely use some help lol.

2

Why go the easy way if there’s one more complicated :wink:
Have you already tried the instruction from the Plex Media Server installation support article?

Fedora/CentOS

  • Download the .rpm package
  • run sudo yum install plexmediaserver-1.19.4.2935-79e214ead.x86_64.rpm (replacing the last filename with the name of the package you downloaded)

Edit: as an alternative and if you’re not particularly literate in Linux… how about enabling a repository update. That’ll be a one-time thing and Plex will subsequently be updated alongside your system.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/235974187-enable-repository-updating-for-supported-linux-server-distributions/

3

Hey there tom. So I ran that command with the updated file name and it said “Error: Nothing to do”. So I believe it is installed now.

And whenever I run systemctl start plexmediaserver, it says “code=exited, status=1/FAILURE”. Do you know if I need to change some settings in a text file somewhere?

4

This error message could mean a number of things – everything being properly installed is one of them.
What does it say before that error message? That’ll be the more interesting part.

I would recommend not to blindly change configurations. That’s a sure path to doom your platform.

5

Tom, it says the following after I ran systemctl status plexmediaserver.service

“Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: failed (Result: start-limit) since Sat 2020-12-12 16:46:59 PST: 10s ago
Process: 10329 ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c /usr/bin/test -d “${PLEX_MEDIA_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}” || /bin/mkdir -A_SERVER_APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR}” (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)"

There is also something about the “start request being repeated too many times.” If that’s the case, I have no clue on how long to wait for this to reset. Someone else set up this server for me and I lost contact with them. I just had instructions for starting up the server and loading new content on it. I have certainly tried googling these things but all of the forum posts are outdated.

6

we were talking about the failed install.
anything before the line Error: Nothing to do?

7

Oh i see.

It says, after running “sudo yum install plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm”:

“Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Examining plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509c236.x86_65.rpm: plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711=b509cc236.x86_64
plexmediaserver=1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm: does not update installed package.
Error Nothing to do.”

8

My bad… to update you’ll need to use yum update instead of yum install.

9

Now it’s saying this after running “sudo yum update plex…”

“Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Examining plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm: plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc239.x86_64
plexmediaserver-1.21.0.3711-b509cc236.x86_64.rpm: does not update installed package.
No packages marked for update”

10

May I be of assistance?

May I suggest:

From the command line:

  1. ls -la /var/lib/plexmediaserver
  2. grep plex /etc/passwd

Those two will tell us if there’s a logical reason for Pre-start to fail.

13

Chuck,
Here’s what I get when I run both

  1. from “ls -la /var/lib/plexmediaserver”
    total 4
    drwxr-xr-x. 4 plex plex 33 Aug 7 2017.
    drwxr-xr-x. 59 root root 4096 Dec 1 2019 . .
    drwxr-xr-x. 2 plex plex 33 Nov 15 2019 Library
    drxw------. 2 plex plex 6 Aug 7 2017 .ssh

  2. from grep plex /etc/passwd
    “plex:x:989:984:RPM Created PlexUser: /var/lib/plexmediaserver:/sbin/nologin”

14

Thanks.

that looks good.

There are two possible cases here at this point.

  1. Something scrambled the basic file permissions deeper in
  2. There is a database problem (abrupt power fail/off can cause )

First, let’s try the easy one:

  1. Forcibly reset all permisions and ownership

sudo bash
chown -R plex:plex /var/lib/plexmediaserver
find /var/lib/plexmediaserver -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /var/lib/plexmediaserver -type f -exex chnod 644 {} \;
systemctl restart plexmediaserver

  1. Manually create some logs

sudo tar cfz /tmp/PlexLogs.tar.gz “/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs” (this is all one line)

Attach the tar.gz from /tmp here for me to read through

15

whenever I run the “find /var/lib…” commands as phrased above, it says “find: missing argument to ‘-exec’”

16

the trailing \ is important.

sudo bash
chown -R plex:plex /var/lib/plexmediaserver
find /var/lib/plexmediaserver -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /var/lib/plexmediaserver -type f -exex chmod 644 {} \;
systemctl restart plexmediaserver

EDIT: I made a typo: chmod –NOT– chnod

17

noted and addresed.

Now whenever I run “systemctl restart plexmediaserver” I get:
“Job for plexmediaserver.service failed because start of the service was attempted too often. See “systemctl status plexmediaserver.service” and “journalctl -xe” for details.”

18

please grab those log files for me and attach here (drag & drop & let upload until you see a URL listed in their place)

19

and when I run: sudo tar cfz /tmp/PlexLogs.tar.gz “/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs”

I get:
tar: Remvoing leading ‘/’ from member names
tar: /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Logs: Cannot stat: No such file or directory
tar: Exiting with failure status due to previous errors

20

May I rewind here?

  • Has Plex ever been run on this machine?

Based on what you show above:

It seems as if some of it is there but there is no “Logs” directory.

This makes me ask; If no Logs directory, what else is missing ?

21

Yes, plex has been run on this machine for a while

22

Let me see please.

sudo la -la "/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server"