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[RedJ]

Since upgrading to MC27 (on Monday), I've been unable to start a Media Server using the standard port 52199. I can start the server on another port as long as it isn't in the 51661-54999 block, so it can run. If running on another port outside this range, it says the library is not reachable from the internet, however that is incorrect, it works just fine (with port forwarding adjusted).

I have spent days trying to solve this on my own, but can't crack it. Here's what I've done to date:

• I have checked all active ports and confirmed there is nothing using these ports.
• disabled the firewall
• disabled any and all virus/malware protection
• reset the router and switch
• uninstalled all other versions of MC
• uninstalled all version of MC, 27 included, using full remove registry and libraries method
• started from an absolutely pristine version of MC27, with no imported library, tracks, or settings
• deleted firewall rules for all Media Center related entries and let them be automatically re-added by MC use
• Checked firewall logs for dropped connection to the port (no drops anywhere and also have also turned the firewall off without difference)
• countless reboots in-between steps

This behavior has remained constant since the initial upgrade to 27, although there's nothing that guarantees it actually triggered the problem. While I can now use the library fine, I'd love to solve this since the port number is rather ingrained in my habits after 2+ decades of use- not to mention it bothers me that this problem remains unexplained.

[JimH]

Something still running on that port?

[RedJ]

I have checked using a number of different methods and port 52199 is not being used by anything.

Something still running on that port?

[JimH]

Firewall?

[RedJ]

Firewall?

Here's what I've done to date:

• I have checked all active ports and confirmed there is nothing using these ports.
• disabled the firewall
• disabled any and all virus/malware protection
• reset the router and switch
• uninstalled all other versions of MC
• uninstalled all version of MC, 27 included, using full remove registry and libraries method
• started from an absolutely pristine version of MC27, with no imported library, tracks, or settings
• deleted firewall rules for all Media Center related entries and let them be automatically re-added by MC use
• Checked firewall logs for dropped connection to the port (no drops anywhere and also have also turned the firewall off without difference)
• countless reboots in-between steps

[JimH]

MC doesn't automatically open the firewall.  That's done by the firewall itself.  If it's in a verbose mode.

Both sides must be open on 52100 to 52200.  SSDP should be open on 1900.

Take a look at the wiki on Media Network.  It's possible you've forgotten something.

If, as you describe, you cannot run Media Server on 52199 but you can on another port, then something else is using 52199.  Media Server from MC26 or MC27?

[RedJ]

Take a look at the wiki on Media Network.  It's possible you've forgotten something.

I went through the Network section of the wiki. Probably should have listed that too.

MC doesn't automatically open the firewall.  That's done by the firewall itself.  If it's in a verbose mode.

I didn't mean that MC opened the firewall itself, just that Windows firewall automatically asked to add the entries once MC attempted to use that functionality.
Also checked Firewall rules against previously functional MC26 rules to make sure they were the same.

If, as you describe, you cannot run Media Server on 52199 but you can on another port, then something else is using 52199.  Media Server from MC26 or MC27?

If something is using that port, it isn't visible to the operating system. I have checked with netstat via PowerShell, Microsoft's PortQry, and the NirSoft CurrPorts utility. It also isn't responding to external port check tools (forwarding was left in place for 52199). Meanwhile, Media Server's ports all appear to these tools when not using 52199.

I completely removed all versions of MediaCenter including 26 and 27 before reinstalling 27. So it's not running any others. A sanity check of running services and processes confirms this.

Both sides must be open on 52100 to 52200.  SSDP should be open on 1900.

Nothing is blocking MC- it's wide open for it, including SSDP, but that port doesn't work even with firewall completely disabled and no other security software services running. It worked on port 52199 for a long time up until the upgrade. BTW- I couldn't ever locate any definitive Windows Firewall settings to use with Media Center/Media Server. That seems like something that should exist so it can be compared against.

[AndrewFG]

You say you have been “unable to start a server”: What do you mean by that? What happens when you try? What dialogs do you see?

[RedJ]

Under Media Network settings:

• Advanced>TCP Port:          Set to 52199
• Click the "..." marching ants menu next to Access Key where the "Test connection to this server" option would be

Errors with dialog "Information: Library Server has failed to start. Double-check that the configured port is not already in use and that your firewall software is not blocking it."

You say you have been “unable to start a server”: What do you mean by that? What happens when you try? What dialogs do you see?

[JimH]

Antivirus could stop Library Server from running.

[RedJ]

Jim, thank you for responding, but I get the impression you are not reading my posts as you keep suggesting things I explained up-front that I accounted for.

I completely shut off AV/malware protection without any effect. I had firewall and AV turned off at the same time and no change.

Additionally, merely changing the port fixes the problem, so Library Server does run- it just won't start on the default port anymore.

Antivirus could stop Library Server from running.

[RedJ]

At this point, without any suggested new leads to look at, I think I'm going to just do a system restore and hope whatever is clogging the pipes get's cleared out by that.

[JimH]

Jim, thank you for responding, but I get the impression you are not reading my posts as you keep suggesting things I explained up-front that I accounted for.

I have definitely read them, but it's possible you missed something.

Disabling antivirus sometimes isn't enough.  Uninstall it.  Configure Windows Defender as advised on the forum.

[RoderickGI]

A System Restore is probably the easiest, but it will mean redoing lots of work and the problem may happen again.

You could try running WireShark to see if there is any activity on Port 52199.

You could also uninstall MC27, then find the JRiver trees in the Registry and delete them, then reinstall MC27 and Restore a MC26 Library Backup from just before you installed MC27. If that works but would mean you lose some work you have done in MC27 (tagging or whatever), then you could Restore your most recent MC27 Library Backup but without settings. You may need to tweak some settings after that, since there have been some changes and the defaults would be put in place.

You obviously have Media Network running in MC27, and it is just the Access Key test that fails. Can you connect to the MC Server from a Client using the IP Address of the MC Server? i.e. Add a Library and use a URL such as 192.168.0.xx:52199.
For that matter, does Panel work, even on the MC Server PC?

You can test the Access Key lookup on the JRiver servers using http://webplay.jriver.com/libraryserver/lookup?id={Your Access Key}. Does that work, and show valid information?
If not, and you are comfortable with changing the Access Key (I know I have had mine for years, and a change would seem strange now), can you access the "Reset" menu option when you click on the "Media Network > Access Key" menu item?

That's probably enough to try for now.

[RedJ]

A System Restore is probably the easiest, but it will mean redoing lots of work and the problem may happen again.

This is what I've ended up doing and it has resolved the issue. We'll see if it returns but, for now, I have MC27 with library server running on port 52199 using a restore of my previous library and settings with Windows Defender and Windows Firewall both running. It's as if nothing ever happened.

After all that troubleshooting, would have been nice to pin down a cause and avoid redoing some setup, but will just have to chalk it up as one of those unexplained things that goes wrong proximal to MC from time to time.

Roderick- thanks for stepping in and I've answered your remaining suggestions so they are available in the record for searches if anyone else is unlucky enough to run into this problem as well.

You could try running WireShark to see if there is any activity on Port 52199.

I guess that could be useful if I needed to log activity over time, but I was already monitoring that port with a handful of other similar tools and there was never anything running in a port number even close to 52199 at the same time I was trying to start the server.

You could also uninstall MC27, then find the JRiver trees in the Registry and delete them, then reinstall MC27 and Restore a MC26 Library Backup... from just before you installed MC27. If that works but would mean you lose some work you have done in MC27 (tagging or whatever), then you could Restore your most recent MC27 Library Backup but without settings. You may need to tweak some settings after that, since there have been some changes and the defaults would be put in place.

I did do something like that. Full uninstall deleting registry and started with clean MC- no library, no settings. Went straight to server settings and ran the test and it failed.

Can you connect to the MC Server from a Client using the IP Address of the MC Server? i.e. Add a Library and use a URL such as 192.168.0.xx:52199.
For that matter, does Panel work, even on the MC Server PC?

Prior to the system restore fix, the server wouldn't start at all on 52199, so couldn't connect to the library from Panel, MC Server, Gizmo, etc. Could see it wasn't running in windows services and that port was empty. Now that it's running, can see MC on 52101-4 and 52199 with associated connections.

You can test the Access Key lookup on the JRiver servers using http://webplay.jriver.com/libraryserver/lookup?id={Your Access Key}. Does that work, and show valid information?

Yes. And that was expected because the key always worked fine if the server was running on a different port. However, when I did a full uninstall (registry and all) and started with a clean install, no library, I received a different key and it also did not work on port 52199.
[/quote]

Disabling antivirus sometimes isn't enough.  Uninstall it.  Configure Windows Defender as advised on the forum.

Windows Defender is integrated into the operating system, so can't be completely "uninstalled"- but all functionality was fully disabled (when not disabled, Defender is configured as per the forums and MC 27 was immediately added to exceptions upon install).

[dmeinl]

Had the exact same problem today all of a sudden. 52199 wasn't blocked at all. I even configured and started another http service on 52199 which was working without any issues. MC27 on 52199 just says "Library Server has failed to start". This happens even if I left open the options dialogue without restarting the mc media server - set the port to 52199 => Library server failed, directly within the open dialogue set the port to 52198 => success! http://webplay.jriver.com/libraryserver/lookup?id=**** is always ok with both ports.

[Drakonas]

I wanted to say that I also have this issue. Port is open. Wireshark sees no activity on ports 52199 or 52200. The ports are not used. I have checked using the methods here. I have the firewall allowing ports 1900, 52100-52200 across my entire system. MC just refuses to take the port. Other ports do not work.

This is in the log file, after I enable the server and close the popup error:

Code: [Select]

0012056: 35228: General: CMCResourceHelper::GetIsModalPopupShowing: Main window disabled
0013087: 35228: General: CMCResourceHelper::GetIsModalPopupShowing: Main window disabled
0013760: 35228: General: CMCResourceHelper::GetIsModalPopupShowing: Main window disabled
0013761: 35228: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 3484
0013761: 35228: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52199
0013761: 35228: Sharing Plugins: CListener::Setup: Can't bind to port 52199 for our listener.
0013761: 35228: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 1672
0007501: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CDLNACore::StopMediaServers: Start
0007501: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CDLNACore::StopMediaServers: Finish (0 ms)
0007501: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CDLNACore::StartMediaServers: Start
0007502: 13456: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind success: Socket: 3216 Size: 16 Address: 192.168.1.16 Port: 1900
0007502: 13456: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 3224
0007502: 13456: Sharing Plugins: VHTTPMessage::Write: Wrote 0 bytes
0007502: 13456: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 3216
0007502: 16968: Database: CMediaFileIOLoad::Load: Loading: C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 27\Data\Default Resources\browser (dlna).jmd
0007502: 16968: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 3268
0007502: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CListener::Setup: Searching for an open port to listen on between 52100 and 52198.
0007502: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52100
0007502: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52101
0007502: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52102
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52103
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52104
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52105
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52106
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52107
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52108
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52109
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52110
0007503: 16968: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind failed: Unknown error (10013) Socket: 3280 Size: 16 Address: 0.0.0.0 Port: 52111
[... repeated]
0007504: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CListener::Setup: Can't bind to port 52198 for our listener.
0007504: 16968: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 3284
0007504: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CDLNACore::StartMediaServers: Running
0007504: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CDLNACore::StartMediaServers: Finish (2 ms)
0007504: 16968: Sharing Plugins: CMCDLNA::DLNACore_DevicesChanged: Start
0007504: 15680: Sharing Plugins: VSocketReader::Bind: Socket bind success: Socket: 2880 Size: 16 Address: 192.168.1.16 Port: 1900
0007504: 15680: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 3248
0007504: 15680: Sharing Plugins: VHTTPMessage::Write: Wrote 0 bytes
0007504: 15680: General: CReferenceCountedSocket::Close: SOCKET_DEBUG: closesocket() closing 2880
As you can see, port 1900 succeeds. The others all fail.

I think the team needs to stop looking at this as a customer issue.

[JimH]

As you can see, port 1900 succeeds. The others all fail.

I think the team needs to stop looking at this as a customer issue.

I've asked someone else to look at this thread, but if this was a generic MC problem, a lot of things just wouldn't work for anyone.

It's likely that something is blocking ports somewhere.

Security software running on your machines.  A firewall is sometimes part of it.

Firewall on the router.

Check the Weird Problems thread in my signature for ideas.

I don't think it's a customer issue.  I do think it's a network configuration issue on your end.  Sorry.

[Drakonas]

I don't think it's a customer issue.  I do think it's a network configuration issue on your end.  Sorry.

This was really strange. Doing more digging, you may be right.
Windows utilities said the port wasn't in use and there was no traffic on the port, but attempting to bind it from other tools found it to error out as well.

I'm not sure if this was it, but I had a Netgear A6210 wireless dongle a few weeks ago and returned it. I found it still had a service running on my machine. I uninstalled the Netgear Genie and its driver. All of the sudden I could bind the port again. MC binds now. What the...? Was it holding all kinds of ports hostage or something?

Anyway, thank you. Sorry if I sounded short. But this didn't make any sense because no tool saw activity on that port and no tool reported the port in use. But it wouldn't bind.

[Toshi.Shimizu]

On Jan.4, 2023 I have a same problem with MC30.
My first try to configure a MC30 DLNA server, it pops up a message related to a firewall setting.
Anyway, my JRemote had connected to my MC30 server, but it didn't work next day.
So I tried to reconfigure a media network setting page, but it shows the same message 'Library Server has failed to start.  ...'.
Please dig in this problem as the problem happens with MC30 latest version.

Thanks, Toshi

[JimH]

I'm sorry, but this is very unlikely to be a problem with MC.  It's almost certainly a problem with your network. 

Either the firewall or antivirus could cause it.  Another program using the same port could also cause it.

Start with the Windows Defender thread on the MC30 board.

Do not run any other security software.

Read the posts above.

[Toshi.Shimizu]

Jim, I saw your comment in the previous thread and I think this problem doesn't relate with any firewall or security services of Windows 10.
In fact, I realized that I probably need to uninstall any previous versions of MC,
so I did uninstall MC26 thru MC29 and restart my MC30.
I didn't touch a Windows registry.
As a result, DLNA server of MC30 is working now, and my JRemote can connect to the server.
I'm a bit afraid if the system still works tomorrow, but I hope this should be OK.

Normally the installation of a new version will look for a previous setting, so I didn't realize I must remove previous versions with a Windows setting.