I am very much a noob to networking/homelab/server things. I am an aircraft mechanic by trade so please excuse my ignorance on some topics. I am trying to add indexes to prowlarr but when I select the option to open prowlarr it times out every time. The same goes for all of the different ports every one times out and I cant seem to find the problem.
32 replies
tomspark wrote:
You haven't broken anything, and no need to apologize — this is a really common one. When every app times out at once like that, it's almost always one thing sitting behind all of them: the VPN. Prowlarr and the other media apps all run their traffic through the VPN, so if it isn't connected they go quiet and the pages just spin forever. Quick check for me: on your SparkBox dashboard, look at the VPN tile — does it say connected, or is it red/unhealthy? And do the app tiles (Prowlarr and friends) show green or red? Tell me what those two things show and we'll get you sorted. Which VPN provider did you set up?
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Everything shows green on my dashboard the only red is indexers because i haven't been able to add any to prowlarr.
tomspark wrote:
Good news — green across the board means the apps themselves are running fine, so nothing's actually broken. And red on indexers is totally normal: Prowlarr stays red until you add your first indexer, so that's not the cause. The timeout is really just your browser not loading the app's page. Two things will let me pin it down: which VPN provider did you set up? And when you open your dashboard, is its web address your SparkBox's home-network IP (something like 192.168.x.x)? If it is, try typing that same IP with :9696 on the end straight into your browser — that opens Prowlarr directly. Tell me whether that loads or also times out, plus the provider, and we'll sort it.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
You did ask about the VPN my bad. I was already using surfshark and you recommended it so i went ahead used it again here. the wireguard set up. My SparkBox IP address is not the same as my home network it comes from my docker bridge. For example prowlarr tries to open 172.17.x.x:8181 that is what times out in my browser. Changing 8181 to 9696 results in it timing out as well. I am able to access my Sparkbox dashboard with the docker bridge IP address
tomspark wrote:
That detail nails it — thank you. The problem is the address: 172.17.x.x is SparkBox's internal Docker address, and the apps (Prowlarr and the rest) deliberately don't answer on that one, which is why the page just spins forever. The dashboard happens to reply there, but the apps won't. The fix is to reach your SparkBox by its normal home-network address instead. On the SparkBox, run this one command: hostname -I — it prints a few addresses; grab the one that starts with 192.168 (that's your home-network one). Then open your dashboard at that address, like http://192.168.x.x:8443. Once you're in through that address, the Prowlarr button and all the others will open properly. Give that a try and tell me how it goes.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Running that command only produced the bridged IP address no other address was included. Is this because I installed WSL on a NucBoxK8Plus mini PC running windows 11 Pro?
tomspark wrote:
Great catch — yes, that's exactly it. WSL runs SparkBox inside a little virtual machine with its own private network, which is why hostname -I only shows that internal address. The good news: from the browser on that same Windows PC you can reach it a simpler way — go to http://localhost:8443 (literally the word localhost). Windows quietly forwards that into WSL. Open the dashboard that way, and the Prowlarr button should open as localhost too and actually load — try adding your indexers from there. Give that a go and tell me whether Prowlarr opens or still times out. One heads-up for later: reaching it from your phone or TV (not just this PC) takes one extra WSL step, and I'll walk you through that once Prowlarr's working.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
First the localhost worked great and got me moving again. Once I got the indexes set up and ready to go then opened jellyfin and logged in then went to seerr and it took me straight to step 3 Configure Media Server. I am softlocked to that step, I can type into the fields but I can not sync library or scan and I also cant save the API or external URL. I tried to read some guides on SparkBox just to make sure I didn't miss something but I don't see this exact issue. On another note during this process I noticed that the libraries that were made are on my MiniPC and not my NAS. Is there a way to have the media saved to my NAS without having to move the whole arr stack over to it? It is a synology DS425+ and I was struggling with it running the arr stack before I found SparkBox but that could have also been me making some mistakes. 😂
tomspark wrote:
Awesome — localhost cleared the WSL hurdle. Let's get Seerr unstuck. That softlock at 'Configure Media Server' is almost always the Jellyfin address Seerr is trying to use. Since Seerr and Jellyfin both live inside SparkBox, Seerr needs Jellyfin's internal name, not localhost or an outside URL. In that Jellyfin server URL field, try http://sb-jellyfin-media:8096 — that's how one app talks to another in here. Then the Sync Libraries button should wake up and let you save. Tell me if that frees it. And yes on the NAS question — you can keep the whole stack on the MiniPC and store media on your Synology by mounting its shared folder and pointing SparkBox at it; let's clear Seerr first, then I'll walk you through that part step by step.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
I think it got too late for me. I woke up this morning and attempted what you said to no success but then went back to the documentation and found troubleshooting for seerr. I was having the "Validation failed. Please toggle the libraries again to continue." issue, I followed the step and got it fixed. This is just a great time for me to mention that you have built an awesome tool here. I believe I just need to point the arrstack to the NAS and I am ready to give it the first test run. thank you for all of the help
tomspark wrote:
Glad it's running, and thank you, that means a lot. For the NAS part: the trick is to make a folder on your Synology show up as a normal folder on the PC that runs SparkBox, then point SparkBox's media storage at it. Since you're on WSL, that's one mounting step inside WSL, then a quick SparkBox setting change so the apps save there. Two things and I'll write you the exact commands: what's your Synology's home-network address (192.168.x.x), and the name of the shared folder you want the media to live in? With those I'll give you the mount step and the SparkBox change, one at a time.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Synology home-network address (192.168.0.35) Name of the folder is (Media)
tomspark wrote:
Perfect, thanks. Two short steps and your media lives on the Synology. First, let's make that Media folder show up inside SparkBox. Open your WSL terminal and run this (swap in your Synology login where it says YOUR...): sudo apt install -y cifs-utils && sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas-media && sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.0.35/Media /mnt/nas-media -o username=YOURSYNOLOGYUSER,password=YOURSYNOLOGYPASS,uid=1000,gid=1000,vers=3.0 Success looks like this: run ls /mnt/nas-media and you see your Synology's files listed. Once that works, reply here and I'll give you the one SparkBox change that sends all new movies and shows there, plus how to make the mount stick after a reboot (WSL forgets it otherwise). If the mount command throws any error, paste it and we'll sort it.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
I got an error because of special characters in my PW but i fixed it and it is all sorted out now. I am ready for the next step.
tomspark wrote:
That's the one I wanted to see, mount's working. Now point SparkBox's media at it. One line (it updates the setting and restarts just the media apps): sudo sed -i 's|^MEDIAROOT=.|MEDIAROOT=/mnt/nas-media|' /opt/sparkbox/.env && cd /opt/sparkbox && sudo sparkbox up media Success looks like the media apps recreating with no errors, and then folders like movies and tv appearing on the NAS, check with: ls /mnt/nas-media . From here on, everything downloads straight to your Synology. Anything already on the MiniPC stays where it is, only new stuff goes to the NAS. One last thing before you lean on it: that mount drops if WSL or the PC reboots, which would leave the apps with nowhere to save. Once you see the movies/tv folders show up, reply and I'll give you the quick way to make it reconnect on its own. Paste any error if the command complains.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
The cmd seemed to work fine but It did not build the folders in my NAS. This was the the output from the cmd. The only folder that shows is the recycle folder that is already in the media folder. I guess that means it sees the path I'm not sure why the folders weren't made. [INFO] Starting SparkBox... [INFO] Targeted up: media [WARN] sbproxy exists but its network bridge is missing (stale after a crash) — recovering so containers can attach... [INFO] Prepared 2 module config dir(s) for PUID=1000 PGID=1000 [INFO] .env changed since last up — recreating containers to pick up new values [+] up 12/12 ✔ Container sb-seerr Started ✔ Container sb-gluetun Healthy ✔ Container sb-bazarr Started ✔ Container sb-jellyfin-media Started ✔ Container sb-prowlarr Started ✔ Container sb-radarr Started ✔ Container sb-sonarr Started [OK] SparkBox is running! Service URLs: TomSparkBox Dashboard: http://172.17.104.x:8443 Media Center: Prowlarr: http://172.17.104.x:8181 Sonarr: http://172.17.104.x:8989 Radarr: http://172.17.104.x:7878 Jellyfin: http://172.17.104.x:8096 Seerr: http://172.17.104.x:5055 $ ls /mnt/nas-media 'recycle'
tomspark wrote:
Good progress, the path is connected, which is the hard part. The folders didn't appear because something blocked SparkBox from writing to the share, it tries quietly and moves on, so you get no error. Almost always that's the Synology share's permissions. Quick test, run this: mkdir /mnt/nas-media/test If it says 'Permission denied' or 'Read-only file system', that's the answer: on the Synology, go to Control Panel Shared Folder pick Media Edit Permissions, give your login Read/Write, then we re-run the SparkBox command and the Movies/TV folders will show up. If instead the test folder gets created fine (check with ls /mnt/nas-media ), tell me, that points somewhere else and we'll dig in. Let me know which one you get.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
The test worked but rerunning the cmd is not making the other folders. The test folder was put into the correct spot. Just to be sure I went to the NAS and gave full read/write access to the user sign in I'm using then tried the cmd again. It did not make the folders inside media or anywhere else.
tomspark wrote:
Thanks, that rules out the NAS permissions. Two quick checks pin down exactly where it's stuck, run both and paste what they show: grep MEDIAROOT /opt/sparkbox/.env sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas-media/Movies && echo MADE && ls /mnt/nas-media First line confirms SparkBox is actually pointed at the NAS folder. The second is the real tell: your earlier test worked as your own login, but SparkBox does this step as the system admin (sudo), and network shares often let your user write while quietly blocking the admin account. If that second line ends in 'Permission denied', that's our culprit and I've got a one-line mount tweak to fix it. If instead it prints MADE and you see Movies appear, then the setting just isn't pointing where we think, and the first line tells us. Paste both and we'll close this out.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Ohhh is this hitting the PW ask and getting stopped? This is a pure guess from me. This is the output from those 2 cmds andrew@NucBoxK8Plus:/opt/sparkbox$ grep MEDIAROOT /opt/sparkbox/.env MEDIAROOT=/opt/sparkbox/data/media andrew@NucBoxK8Plus:/opt/sparkbox$ sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas-media/Movies && echo MADE && ls /mnt/nas-media [sudo: authenticate] Password: MADE 'recycle' Movies test andrew@NucBoxK8Plus:/opt/sparkbox$
tomspark wrote:
Mystery solved, and it's good news on both counts. Your earlier repoint didn't actually stick, the setting still reads MEDIAROOT=/opt/sparkbox/data/media (the local disk), which is why the folders kept landing there. And your second test proved the admin account CAN write to the NAS (Movies appeared), so nothing's blocking us now. Let's set it for real and confirm it took: sudo sed -i 's|^MEDIAROOT=.|MEDIAROOT=/mnt/nas-media|' /opt/sparkbox/.env && grep MEDIAROOT /opt/sparkbox/.env That should print back MEDIAROOT=/mnt/nas-media . Once you see that exact line, run cd /opt/sparkbox && sudo sparkbox up media one more time, and the Movies/TV folders will populate on the Synology. (The sudo password prompt you saw is normal, not the problem.) Tell me what the grep prints.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
it looks like we are all fixed no more issues with that. Do we still need to make SparkBox reconnect on its own in case WSL or the Mini PC drops? Also is this a good time to set up the extra WSL step for phone access? or should i run a test real quick to make sure everything is working first? andrew@NucBoxK8Plus:/opt/sparkbox$ grep MEDIAROOT /opt/sparkbox/.env MEDIAROOT=/mnt/nas-media andrew@NucBoxK8Plus:/opt/sparkbox$ ls /mnt/nas-media 'recycle' Movies Music TV downloads
tomspark wrote:
That's the finish line, Movies/Music/TV/downloads all sitting on the NAS now. Nice work sticking with it. Yes, let's make it reconnect on its own, otherwise a Windows or WSL reboot drops the share and the apps lose their folder. Run this once (put your Synology login in the first two lines): sudo tee /etc/nas-media.cred /dev/null <<EOF username=YOURSYNOLOGYUSER password=YOURSYNOLOGYPASS EOF sudo chmod 600 /etc/nas-media.cred echo '//192.168.0.35/Media /mnt/nas-media cifs credentials=/etc/nas-media.cred,uid=1000,gid=1000,vers=3.0,nofail 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab sudo umount /mnt/nas-media && sudo mount -a && ls /mnt/nas-media If that last line still shows your folders, it'll auto-mount from here on. And good instinct, run a quick download test to be sure a file actually lands on the NAS before we add phone access. Ping me once that works and we'll do the phone step.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Good morning. All of the automation works great but after grabbing one of my favorite linux ISO's it doesn't appear in my jelly fin. The paths in jellyfin is /config/root/default/Movies, /config/data/playlists, /config/root/default/TV Shows I think this is a straight forward fix I just want to make sure i don't accidentally break it trying to fix it myself. 😂
tomspark wrote:
You're right, quick one, and you won't break anything. Those library folders are pointing at Jellyfin's own settings area (/config/...) instead of where your movies actually land (/data). Radarr and Sonarr are saving to /data/Movies and /data/TV (that's your NAS now), but Jellyfin's looking in the wrong place, so it sees nothing. Fix it inside Jellyfin: Dashboard - Libraries - edit your Movies library, remove the /config/root/default/Movies folder and add /data/Movies instead. Do the same for TV Shows - /data/TV. Save, then click Scan All Libraries. Your movie should pop up. Tell me if it shows.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Following your path it was already set to /data/Movies The area I looked at was Dashboard-Metadata Manager then the folder paths there are where I found the path.
tomspark wrote:
Ah, then your library's set up right — good. That /config/root/default/Movies in Metadata Manager is just Jellyfin's internal label for the library, not where the files live, so ignore it, that's normal. So the movie just isn't making it from the download into the Movies folder yet, or Jellyfin hasn't scanned it. One check, run this on the PC: ls /mnt/nas-media/Movies If your movie's folder shows up there, open Jellyfin - Dashboard - Scan All Libraries and it'll appear. If it's NOT there, it's still importing — check Radarr - Activity to see if the grab finished. Tell me which one you get.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
Scanning the library did not result in the download appearing. The grab from yesterday is finished and says that it downloaded successfully in the history.
tomspark wrote:
Good clue. "Downloaded successfully" means the file landed in your downloads folder, but Radarr still has to import it (move it into Movies with a clean name) before Jellyfin can see it. That import step is what didn't happen, and one likely reason: you grabbed it yesterday, before you repointed storage to the NAS, so it may have finished onto the old local disk. Two quick checks: ls /mnt/nas-media/downloads If your movie isn't in there, that's why. Then in Radarr open Activity (top menu) — if the download is stuck in the queue with an orange warning, hover it and it'll say why it won't import. Paste what you see in both and we'll finish this off.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
on the NAS: The movie from yesterday is in both folders in the movies folder with a clean name and also shows in downloads without the clean name. On Radarr: The download in activity is one that I am trying today but does not show the download from yesterday in the queue. I only see yesterdays download in the history tab where it says that it was completed. lol sorry I am adding the NAS and Radarr part to keep it easier for me to read
tomspark wrote:
That tells us import worked — clean name in Movies means Radarr did its job. So it's purely Jellyfin not seeing the folder, and I think I know why: when we set up the auto-mount earlier (the unmount/remount step), the running apps lost their live link to the NAS folder. They keep pointing at the old empty one until they're recreated — the host sees the movie, the apps don't. Check what Jellyfin actually sees: sudo docker exec sb-jellyfin-media ls /data/Movies If that's empty even though the host shows the movie, that's it. Fix — recreate the media apps so they re-attach to the NAS: cd /opt/sparkbox && sudo sparkbox down media && sudo sparkbox up media Then hit Scan All Libraries in Jellyfin. Tell me what that ls showed.
SenorMuffinTop wrote:
That fixed it! Thank you very much!