Hi there,
Been having this frustrating issue for many PMS versions now at least as far back as .9.12.* and up to the current plex pass version .9.16.0.
I run PMS on a remote Debian 8 machine and use linux on my desktop at home with an ethernet connection (Manjaro -- although this particular issue has been reproduced using Debian as well). I maintain many connections to this sever for many reasons (IRC, Plex, SSH, etc). Once I begin using the linux desktop to access the server, Plex begins to have trouble playing media from other devices like my Chromecast and Roku. It seems to be if I have any sort of connections to this server from my Linux desktop that the server appears offline to many of the clients (Roku). I can still browse the library via my android (using dd-wrt as my firmware on my router); however, when I push it to my chromecast, the media is unplayable. Often times, I can still use the browser to play media from PCs; however the plex apps across various other platforms grind to a halt
The moment I disconnect all connections from my linux desktop plex comes back online, media is playable again and there are no issues. It's worth noting this issue does not exist while using Windows on the same machine -- as many connections as I like, no matter which port I use, Plex never falters if I use windows on this machine.
I am trying to move away from windows as I do prefer Linux for work. I know I am not the only one with this issue as a friend of mine with the same usage scenario has the exact same problems -- if he disconnects his linux desktop from the network, plex is visible by all clients once again.
I have poured over my own network settings trying to find some sort of router setting that could be the cause of such an issue and have found nothing.
I am using an R7000 and have tried Stock/DD-WRT/Tomato firmwares. On the Stock and Tomato firmwares, the server disappears entirely to my Android, while the library remains browsable on DD-WRT. Regardless, none of the firmwares allow chromecast/roku playback if this Linux computer has connections open to the server.
I have attached the PMS log of two instances -- attempting playback of a file while the desktop is connected, ultimately resulting in a "Media Unplayable" error, then disconnecting server sessions and trying again with success.
Any insights here would be welcome. This issue has been driving me and my friend a bit nuts. Disconnecting the computer from the network is a workaround, but certainly not a solution.
Server: Debian 8.3, PMS 0.9.16.0 bug traced back to 0.9.12.*
Desktop: Manjaro 15.12/16.02 & Debian 8.3 (All clients using Cinnamon DE)