Plex: Not able to pull posters/embedded MP3 art

[Mark Holtz]

I'll state up front, some of this is my fault. I moved halfway across the country, and had to reset my FreeNAS server to some new IP space. I have a working Plex distro in the legacy 11.1, and unintentionally deleted it. So, I have to reset Plex under a new jail instance, and have been encountering issues. Maybe it's me, maybe it's a defect. I don't know. I already had to deal with several FreeNAS defects that have been resolved under 11.2-U4 (See this thread).

My current configuration is as follows:

• FreeNAS 11.2-U4 (hardware config is detailed here).
• Plex Media Server (PlexPass) 1.15.5.994 from the PlugIns interface. I have the Lifetime subscription.
• Arris TR4400 Gateway
• Plex Media Mount Point (Source): /mnt/pool/plex
• Jail Mount Point (Destination): /mnt/pool/iocage/jails/plex/root/Plex Media Server/Vaultron
• Verified that remote access is enabled outside of the network

My home IP space is configured as follows:

• Gateway: 192.168.1.1
• Static IP Space: 192.168.1.2-192.168.1.9
  • FreeNAS Server: 192.168.1.2 - pointing to em0
  • Plex Server: 192.168.1.3 - pointing to em0
  • Transmission: 192.168.1.4 - pointing to em0
  • Unused: 192.168.1.5-192.168.1.8
  • Printer: 192.168.1.9
• DHCP Space: 192.168.1.10-192.168.1.254

Here is a list of issues that I have encountered in my new Plex instance which I just installed this morning along with some troubleshooting:

Music

• All of my files are in MP3 format, and have embedded cover art.
• The CD collection along with the embedded metadata appears to be successfully pulled into Plex.
• I am able to play the media from the web interface and mobile app within my network. I am able to play the media through the web interface externally.
• However, the embedded cover art isn't being located.
• I have tried unchecking "Local Media Assets" and re-pulling the metadata... no luck.

Movies

• All of my files are in MP4 format.
• The collection appears to be successfully pulled into Plex.
• I am able to view the media from the web interface and mobile app within my network. Doesn't seem to work externally.
• Matching isn't taking place. I'm not seeing actor photos.
• Cover art isn't being imported. When I try to exit the poster, all I see is internal-generated snapshots.
• When I attempt to search for a match, I get no results.
• I have tried unchecking "Local Media Assets" and re-pulling the metadata... no luck.

TV Shows

• All of my files are in MP4 format.
• The collection appears to be successfully pulled into Plex.
• I am able to view the media from the web interface and mobile app within my network. Doesn't seem to work externally.
• Matching isn't taking place. I'm not see any art.
• Cover art isn't being imported. No pictures are being generated.
• When I attempt to search for a match, I get no results.
• I have tried unchecking "Local Media Assets" and re-pulling the metadata... no luck.

Something tells me that I don't have the network configured correctly for the Jail. Where do I set the DNS for the jail? What other items should I be checking?

 

[Mark Holtz]

So, it appears that I have to enable DHCP for IPv4 to get the scanning to work. This, in turn, turns on VNET and Berkley Packet Filter.



The problem I have with this configuration is that it pulls from the DHCP pool. I have to set up port forwarding in my firewall so that my server is externally accessable. If I disable DHCP and leave only VNET and Berkley Packet Filtering on, then I can't access my plex server locally.

Sigh....

 

[Mark Holtz]

Just as a addendum.... I found an update script to update the Plex within the Jail. My piece of advice.... put the last two lines of the script in it's own script and run that script.... using the web shell is a pain.

 

[Mark Holtz]

After consulting this Plex thread, I found the 'secret sauce':



I had to change the interface from em0 to vnet0, along with checking off the VNET and Berkeley Packet Filtering. This allowed me to set a fixed IP address of 192.168.1.3 to my Plex instance.