Can't install plugins? mapping?

[sporty2k]

I cant for some reasons install plugins. Here is what i get.

Request Method: POST
Request URL: https://192.168.1.53/plugins/plugin...38decebec2cb0302888024d15188b8d609487787d046/
Software Version: FreeNAS-9.2.0-RELEASE-x86 (ab098f4)
Exception Type: TypeError
Exception Value:
format requires a mapping
Exception Location: /usr/local/www/freenasUI/../freenasUI/plugins/plugin.py in download, line 122
Server time: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 04:58:00 -0800

 

[dlavigne]

Is this system's CPU capable of 64-bit? If so, you'll have better luck if you install the 64-bit version of freenas.

 

[cyberjock]

Well, plugins require ZFS, and ZFS requires 8GB of RAM minimum per the manual. Even if you have 8GB of RAM installed, since you are using the x86 version you definitely will never use >4GB of RAM.

So which problem do you have?

-not using ZFS
-not using 8GB of RAM minimum
-using the x86 version
-combination of the above

Just like the manual says, if you don't have 8GB of RAM minimum for ZFS you should consider better hardware before using FreeNAS.

 

[Smitterson]

I am having the same issue. I am using the 64 bit version of freenas, am using ZFS, and have 16GB ECC RAM.

The traceback of the error I receive is below.

Environment:

Software Version: FreeNAS-9.2.0-RELEASE-x64 (ab098f4)
Request Method: POST
Request URL: http://192.168.1.20/plugins/plugin/...705cb46995083a1a8847fce7b4972b0a4ac01a0852b8/


Traceback:
File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/core/handlers/base.py" in get_response
109. response = middleware_method(request, callback, callback_args, callback_kwargs)
File "/usr/local/www/freenasUI/../freenasUI/freeadmin/middleware.py" in process_view
159. return login_required(view_func)(request, *view_args, **view_kwargs)
File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/contrib/auth/decorators.py" in _wrapped_view
25. return view_func(request, *args, **kwargs)
File "/usr/local/www/freenasUI/../freenasUI/plugins/views.py" in install_available
251. if not plugin.download("/var/tmp/firmware/pbifile.pbi"):
File "/usr/local/www/freenasUI/../freenasUI/plugins/plugin.py" in download
122. e,

Exception Type: TypeError at /plugins/plugin/install/f4fd762553bafb30d2c7705cb46995083a1a8847fce7b4972b0a4ac01a0852b8/
Exception Value: format requires a mapping

 

[Smitterson]

Factory resetting the install of freenas fixed this issue for me.

 

[zwaregast]

Well, plugins require ZFS,...

That's not true. I tested a setup with UFS and the plugins worked fine.

 

[cyberjock]

On FreeNAS 9? The jails live and die by the snapshots.. there are no snapshots for UFS...
There's a comment about it in the manual that they aren't supported or tested.

 

[zwaregast]

On FreeNAS 9? The jails live and die by the snapshots.. there are no snapshots for UFS...
There's a comment about it in the manual that they aren't supported or tested.

Hmm, then how come miniDLNA worked for me?

 

[Bairesman]

Hi there, I am having the same issue since I try to update the Plexmediaserver plugin. I have tried almost everything, I tried resetting to factory and installing plexmediaserver again but didn't work. I will try a new pendrive in case the one I have been using has any issues.

 

[dkh]

I had this exact problem (on 9.2, 9.2.1.3, and 9.2.1.5), and solved it by increasing the size of my system pool.
I had this problem every time I tried to install a second plugin (any plugin; the first always installed fine, and the second always threw this error).

My system partition (small, only 3GB) wasn't displaying a disk-space alert most of the times the error occured, but I'd imagine this is because even at 60% used, the space needed to create a a second plugin's jail/other items was more than was available.
Rather than growing the pool (which would work as well), I just destroyed the volume on which my system pool lived (it was dedicated; no other storage used that volume), added a disk, and re-created it. After re-pointing the system pool to that device (via the option in System -> Settings -> Advanced), I was able to install as many plugins as I needed.

On FreeNAS setups where the system pool is on another volume that holds other data, make sure there are at least a few GB free on that volume if you're trying to install plugins. If not, plugin installation may succeed after freeing up space (plugins take up more space than you'd think they would, which I think is because their jails are provisioned for extra space so that plugin-internal databases and the like have room to grow).

I highly recommend creating a dedicated volume for your system pool. This gives you assurance that the only space-related conflicts that occur on it are due to other system-level things; not just ordinary user data filling up the volume.

This may not be the only/single cause of the mapping error, but it certainly resolved the issue for me.

It would also be nice if FreeNAS changed the error message in a future release to be something more informative than "format requires a mapping", e.g. "could not create space for plugin jail on volume ____".

Tl;dr: plugins take up space on your system pool, and trying to install them without sufficient space is one of the causes of the "format requires a mapping" error.