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Initial Setup

Ultra.cc Plex requires Secure connection to be at least set to Preferred in Plex Media Server settings or you will face the error "Can't connect securely".

Plex Media Server is a proprietary media player suite that organizes video, audio, and photos from a user's collections and online services, enabling the user to access and stream the content from the server from any device.

You can learn more about the app in this link.

In this section, we will be detailing the initial configuration of your Plex Media Server. This assumes that you have stored your media in ~/media. Our Plex installation automatically creates your media folders inside ~/media as follows: ~/media/Movies ~/media/TV\Shows ~/media/Music

No further step needed, although if you require to change your libraries path in Plex you can read guide about it [here].

Prerequisites

  • A Plex account - you can make one at https://plex.tv.
  • A media server(Plex) supported Ultra.cc plan.
  • Plex Pass - This is optional but is required if you want to take advantage of GPU acceleration for Pro NVMe Streaming Plans.~~ GPU servers are being replaced with more powerful CPU servers. GPU is no more relevant to our offerings.

Initial UCP Configuration

Like all applications, Plex Media Server is installed from the Ultra.cc Control Panel, this application, however, has one extra step. When you click on Install and are prompted with this screen, you will need to visit https://www.plex.tv/claim/

If you have not done so already, sign in to your Plex account and copy the claim code provided. Paste this into the prompt and then click Install.

Your Plex Media Server is also configured out of the box. Just connect to your Plex Media Server instance by following the link in the UCP - as is typical with all your other applications.

Plex Plug-in Installers

Listed below are scripts that install some of the popular Plex Plug-ins into your PMS instance. To use it, just run the commands of the plug-ins that you need on your seedbox's SSH terminal and access your Plex afterward. Some post-installation notes are detailed on each plug-in.

Absolute Series Scanner/Hama Bundle

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Plex/Plex-Plugins/hama-ass.sh | bash
Post Installation

Sub-Zero

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Plex/Plex-Plugins/subzero.sh | bash
Post Installation

Webtools

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Plex/Plex-Plugins/webtools.sh | bash
Post Installation
  • After running the script, do the following:
    • Connect to your Plex server
    • On Plugins section of your Plex server Settings, configure Webtools plug-in (click the Gear icon) and do the following
      • Uncheck SSL
      • Set HTTP port to 33433
      • Save settings
        • If plug-in timeouts on Save, just proceed to the next step
    • Restart Plex from UCP or from SSH with app-plex restart
    • Then access the Webtools interface by accessing the Direct URL under Plex in UCP - 2 on the port
      • For example, if your plex runs on this port 12625, Webtools web interface will be available on 12623
  • More info here: https://github.com/ukdtom/WebTools.bundle
Removal

Should you need to remove Webtools running each of these commands one by one will remove it from your system along with all settings.

cd ~/.config/plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/"Plug-in Support"/Preferences

rm com.plexapp.plugins.WebTools.xml

cd ~/.config/plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/"Plug-ins

rm -rdf WebTools.bundle

app-plex restart

Extended Personal Media Shows

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Plex/Plex-Plugins/epms.sh | bash
Post Installation

Trakt.tv Scrobbler

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Plex/Plex-Plugins/trakt.sh | bash
Post Installation

Troubleshooting Information

How do I update Plex?

Our Upgrade/Repair Plex image is locked to a version/image we deemed as stable. This is due to some clients reporting issues on the newest Plex releases.

To upgrade to the latest Plex, you can do this via SSH. You may refer here to how to upgrade your Plex to the newest version.

My Plex is down. What are some Troubleshooting Steps to resolve it?

Usual causes of this are Plex updates, or the server cannot read or write to the library, which is a common occurrence with rclone mounts. In these cases, the RAM usage of Plex would go up, and the system will kill your Plex instance.

It's also worth mentioning that some of Plex's features, especially logins, Server Claiming API, and Web apps, are hosted by Plex. Please check here for any announcements on their system: https://status.plex.tv.

  • First, try to restart Plex and see if it returns after 5 minutes.
  • Check if the container is not damaged. Try to use the upgrade/repair option from your UCP action menu under Installed Applications -> Plex and wait for 5 minutes.
  • Try to claim your server again, as your server token is expired. Visit https://plex.tv/claim to get your claim code. Then, use the Claim option from your UCP action menu under Installed Applications -> Plex. Paste your code and click claim.
  • If it's still not running, log in to your slot's SSH and run the following command:
ps aux | grep [p]lex
  • If it returns any sort of "D" state or <defunct>, something is holding the Plex process.
    • If Plex is Defunct, this is usually caused by a broken rclone mount. To fix that, you may visit this guide here and restart Plex after. After restarting the mounts and Plex, run ps aux | grep [p]lex, and if it returns nothing, your Plex is running normally. If not, repeat the guide.
    • If it is still D state, then another 3rd party app is holding the process. Stop any application that is affiliated with your instance of Plex.
    • If grep returns normally, is not in a defunct state, but you cannot access Plex, your Plex database may be corrupted, and you may need to view the logs. You can either run the following command on SSH and look for any errors. You can also download your logs via https://app.plex.tv in your Plex settings.
cat .config/plex/Library/Application\ Support/Plex\ Media\ Server/Logs/Plex\ Media\ Server.log
  • Any SLOW QUERY and SQLite errors/warnings are signs of a corrupted database. You may attempt to repair your database, as stated by the guide here.
  • If it doesn't work, the last resort is to back up your old configuration to confirm that your database is corrupted and see if Plex comes online with a new configuration. Execute the following commands:
mv ~/.config/plex ~/.config/plex.bak
  • Then afterward, reinstall Plex. If it runs, you may need to do a fresh install of Plex.

Why is Plex producing a transcoder error?

The Plex Transcoder exited error is a general error for not playing back the media using the video player or transcoder, and you may need to view the logs. You can either run the following command on SSH and look for any errors. You can also download your logs via https://app.plex.tv in your Plex settings.

cat .config/plex/Library/Application\ Support/Plex\ Media\ Server/Logs/Plex\ Media\ Server.log

The most common bug was found recently is that we overlooked that the installer did not mount /transcode with .config/plex/transcode correctly, which results in the following error in your log:

ERROR - Error creating directory "/transcode": Permission denied

This can be resolved by running the following command:

app-plex upgrade

ERROR - ERROR - An error occurred reading the file: /homeXX/username/SOMEMOUNT/path/to/File.mp4 (5).

Something is wrong with your mount, and this will need to be troubleshot separately. In this case, it is usually Error 403: Rate Limit Exceeded, rateLimitExceeded, or a wholly dropped mount endpoint.

Any sort of SQLite/Database errors here will be a problem and could indicate your Plex database is corrupt or in the process of doing so. You may attempt to repair your database, as stated by the guide here.

Extra Guides

Upgrading Plex Media Server

When you install or update Plex from the UCP or via SSH using app-plex upgrade, it'll update to the latest build that we've verified as stable. Ultra recommends to use the verified PMS build for the best experience.

If you want to switch to another build, you may do so via the seedbox's SSH terminal. The following commands are listed below.

Take note that everytime you run the command, it will overwrite whatever Plex Media Server you're running. Your media and configuration is not affected.

Plex Stable Build

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=public
  • This defaults to the latest public stable build

Plex Pass Build

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=latest
  • Running this command allows you to update to the latest Plex beta build
  • This requires your account to have a Plex Pass subscription.
    • If you do not have Plex Pass and you run this command, it'll update to the public stable build instead.

Upgrading/Downgrading Plex

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=<version number>
  • This allows you to specify any version of Plex from v1.15 onward.
  • Take note that you have to put in the full version number of the build you want to install or the command will fail.
  • For instance, if you want to install version 1.20.3.3483. After checking for the full version on the Docker Hub page, you will run the following

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=1.20.3.3483-211702a9f

::: info Take note that everytime you run the command, it will overwrite whatever Plex Media Server you're running. Your media and configuration is not affected. :::

Latest PMS Stable Build

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=public
  • This defaults to the latest public stable build

Latest PMS Plex Pass Build

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=latest
  • Running this command allows you to update to the latest Plex beta build
  • This requires your account to have a Plex Pass subscription.
    • If you do not have Plex Pass and you run this command, it'll update to the stable public build instead.

Upgrading/Downgrading Plex by Specific Version

app-plex upgrade --plex-version=<version number>
  • This allows you to specify any version of Plex from v1.15 onward.
  • Take note that you have to put in the full version number of the build you want to install, or the command will fail.
  • For instance, if you want to install version 1.20.3.3483. After checking for the full version on the Docker Hub page, you will run the following
app-plex upgrade --plex-version=1.20.3.3483-211702a9f

Repairing Plex Database

Written by fringillidaes

This section guides you in recovering your plex database. You may get this error if your library fails to scan, or maybe your plex logs contain the following lines, Jun 11, 2020 03:57:22.781 [0x7f59bce20b80] ERROR - Database corruption:.

Prerequisites

To repair your database, you will also need sqlite3. To install sqlite3:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Language%20Installers/sqlite-installer.sh && bash sqlite-installer.sh

Download and run repair script

To repair your database automatically, run the following command on your slot.

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ultraseedbox/UltraSeedbox-Scripts/master/Plex/plex-database-repair.sh && bash plex-database-repair.sh

Why is Plex showing Red Trash Cans? If you are running a Cloud Mounting system, It may have crashed. Double-check this as plex now believes that media is removed. It will keep the metadata as long as you disable “empty trash on scan” in Library settings which should be disabled for anyone running cloud mounting. If your cloud mount is functioning, then you can safely remove old metadata by manually triggering trash from the 3 dot menu in the Server Name listing on the left.

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