Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Plex crashes when playing to any non-computer device

Plex Media Server
1

Server Version#: plexmediaserver/public,now 1.21.1.3830-6c22540d5 amd64
Player Version#: 4.49.2

I moved my homeserver to a much more capable device (Dell PowerEdge T430) with a fresh install of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Plex works 100% fine playing through the browser to any mac or windows computer but the server will crash when playing through the Android app, the iOS app, the Playstation app, or through the smartTV app (visio in this case).

This is 100% a server crash, not an app crash. Example entry in the /var/log/syslog:

Jan 4 12:04:18 bespin Plex Media Server[5014]: ****** PLEX MEDIA SERVER CRASHED, CRASH REPORT WRITTEN: /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Crash Reports/1.21.1.3830-6c22540d5/PLEX MEDIA SERVER/5a60e3bf-1306-20b9-590a76f4-2323e3a7.dmp
Jan 4 12:04:18 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Main process exited, code=killed, status=7/BUS
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: State ‘stop-sigterm’ timed out. Killing.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5048 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5112 (Plex Tuner Serv) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5113 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5180 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5218 (Plex Relay) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5142 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5145 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5192 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 5252 (Plex Tuner Serv) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 12:05:48 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed with result ‘signal’.
Jan 4 12:05:53 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 1.
Jan 4 12:05:53 bespin systemd[1]: Stopped Plex Media Server.
Jan 4 12:05:53 bespin systemd[1]: Starting Plex Media Server…
Jan 4 12:05:53 bespin systemd[1]: Started Plex Media Server.

And again, the server does NOT crash when playing through a web browser to a PC or Mac.

The server itself memtests ok, cpu tests ok, and all storage is clean.

And the dump file the above crash references is attached. (File removed)

ive reinstalled plex more times than i can count, but the dump file looks like machine code so i cant tell what else I should be doing

2

There have been some hotfixes applied.

Please download and retest with PMS 1.21.1.3842

https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/

3

NICE! trying it out now!

4

Sadly, it crashed right off the bat playing from the PS4 app.

New dump is attached. Syslog is below.

Jan 4 19:22:58 bespin Plex Media Server[89920]: ****** PLEX MEDIA SERVER CRASHED, CRASH REPORT WRITTEN: /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Crash Reports/1.21.1.3842-b0c7a97d9/PLEX MEDIA SERVER/0d297d04-620a-1a22-2eaf7fa1-7338908e.dmp
Jan 4 19:22:58 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Main process exited, code=killed, status=7/BUS
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: State ‘stop-sigterm’ timed out. Killing.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 89954 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 89998 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90001 (Plex Tuner Serv) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90075 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90010 (Plex Tuner Serv) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90030 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90034 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90097 (Plex DLNA Serve) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90102 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90104 (n/a) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90105 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90106 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90107 (Plex Script Hos) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90109 (n/a) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90122 (n/a) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Killing process 90175 (Plex Tuner Serv) with signal SIGKILL.
Jan 4 19:24:28 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Failed with result ‘signal’.
Jan 4 19:24:33 bespin systemd[1]: plexmediaserver.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 1.
Jan 4 19:24:33 bespin systemd[1]: Stopped Plex Media Server.
Jan 4 19:24:33 bespin systemd[1]: Starting Plex Media Server…
Jan 4 19:24:33 bespin systemd[1]: Started Plex Media Server.

(File removed)

5

posting log snippets doesn’t help. it just makes the thread longer.

please go to Settings - Server - General - Show Advanced.

  1. Disable Crash Reporting for now & save
  2. When it crashes:
    a. Capture the logs of the failure
    b. Get the DMP file (put in a ZIP file of its own)
    c. Attach both ZIP files here.

I will forward to Engineering immediately.

6

0cb75c1a-705e-94e6-5eacedb6-7dfc1921.dmp.gz (73.1 KB)

(File removed)

7

Just upgraded to plexmediaserver amd64 1.21.1.3876-3c3adfcb4
Problem persists

37cabf5f-f416-6a11-4ee5c534-7dae4a0d.dmp.gz (75.3 KB)

(File removed)

8

@mspk7305

one user reports –

Downgrade to something a bit earlier (a few steps back) then skip over to land here.

9

Not sure what is meant by ‘skip over to land here’
and if it means install a previous version, which version & where do I get it?

10
  1. Downgrade to a previous version which is known to work.
  2. Skip over the intermediate version(s) - do not install.
  3. End up (Land on) – install directly the version 1.21.1.3876
11

Where are pervious versions available for download? @ChuckPa

12

Plex doesn’t keep any available.

Most folks download and keep a copy themselves.

13

I didnt pay for Plex to maintain previous versions of it myself.

14

Plex doesn’t keep any available.

Well this says different. Found this via a reddit post. Do better with your documentation, plex! Make a previous versions page already.

https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-media-server-new/1.20.5.3600-47c0d9038/debian/plexmediaserver_1.20.5.3600-47c0d9038_amd64.deb

Anyhow did the downgrade

Unpacking plexmediaserver (1.20.5.3600-47c0d9038) over (1.21.1.3876-3c3adfcb4)

And then the upgrade

Unpacking plexmediaserver (1.21.1.3876-3c3adfcb4) over (1.20.5.3600-47c0d9038)

And plex still crashes when playing to a remote device.

(File removed)

7f40f360-68da-5387-08b1cb21-6ec1ef35.dmp.gz (67.2 KB)

15

I didn’t say they don’t exist.
They aren’t available from a selector on the web page
Yes, they are in the repo, until they get purged, if one has the URL.

This is a problem.

Jan 06, 2021 11:10:04.000 [0x7f0bd37fe700] WARN - Error scanning directory, we’ll skip and continue: boost::filesystem::last_write_time: No such file or directory: “/mnt/eraid/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Cache/Transcode/Sessions/plex-transcode-nnipjeyxuoj7ivec5hm6k42u-7b75f063-d62b-49ff-a21f-bb5001ddf1c7”

Where did you set the transcode temp directory?
Did you purge anything from within the PMS directory when you moved it?

Most importantly: Is that a local file system mount?

16

Where did you set the transcode temp directory?

No idea. Never messed with it. Where should it be?

Did you purge anything from within the PMS directory when you moved it?

The drive was blank, fresh install.

Most importantly: Is that a local file system mount?

Yupp raid0 on intel hardware raid controller mounted by fstab at boot

17

The transcoder temp is, by default, inside the AppSuppDir location.

Your log shows me you’ve moved from /var/lib/plexmediaserver,

“/mnt/eraid/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/Cache/Transcode/Sessions/plex-transcode-nnipjeyxuoj7ivec5hm6k42u-7b75f063-d62b-49ff-a21f-bb5001ddf1c7”

Not an issue when done as a service override and on a local file system.

I’m concerned why the transcoder , having created the session file and written output to it, then can’t find it. It’s as if inotify watches is full and the EAE is active but this isn’t showing the typical EAE symptoms.

18

ah no ive just got /var/lib/plexmediaserver as a hardlink to the raid array

plexmediaserver → /mnt/eraid/plexmediaserver

this is the same way I had it on the previous server for several years (just to prevent the os drive from filling)

if theres a better way to do this, im all ears

19

directories dont hardlink.

do you mean symbolic link?

The proper way to do this in Linux:

20

I just wiped my plex install and reinstalled after changing the hardlink to a bind via fstab.

so far no crash, will update if it fails again

really concerning that a link would suddenly be a problem for plex