HELP! AC86U - kernel error messages after power outage

[nemo82]

Hello all,

this is my first post here but i've used ASUS Merlin (current Firmware Version 386.3_2) on my AC86U for a few years now, and I'm normally able to fix the occasional issue that comes up. I had a power outage yesterday that caused some kind of problem, but i cannot figure out what is going on. I have Entware installed on a USB 3.0 external hard drive with a 2GB swap file, running Debian Buster with basically the sole purpose of having Plex Media Server.

I have unusually high RAM usage (only 13MB free). If I remove the hard drive the router behaves normally so that's the source of the issue, but even after checking for disk errors nothing changes. Here's what I see in my logs, these messages pop up over and over again:

Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: Plex Tuner Serv[4348]: syscall 403
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: Code: 4618b950 f2404671 463a1c93 df004667 (f1104617)
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: CPU: 0 PID: 4348 Comm: Plex Tuner Serv Tainted: P O 4.1.27 #2
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: Hardware name: Broadcom-v8A (DT)
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: task: ffffffc0120af500 ti: ffffffc0113e8000 task.ti: ffffffc0113e8000
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: PC is at 0xf771cb2c
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: LR is at 0xf5832320
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: pc : [<00000000f771cb2c>] lr : [<00000000f5832320>] pstate: 40000030
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: sp : 00000000f5832310
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x12: 0000000000000193
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x11: 0000000000000000 x10: 00000000f6148674
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x9 : 00000000f58323d0 x8 : 0000000000000000
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x7 : 0000000000000193 x6 : 00000000f5fb9548
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x5 : 00000000ab092041 x4 : 00000000f5832390
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : 00000000f58323c8
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x1 : 00000000f5832320 x0 : 0000000000000000
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: Hardware name: Broadcom-v8A (DT)
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: task: ffffffc01204f440 ti: ffffffc0072d4000 task.ti: ffffffc0072d4000
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: PC is at 0xf7582b2c
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: LR is at 0xf4751550
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: pc : [<00000000f7582b2c>] lr : [<00000000f4751550>] pstate: 60000030
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: sp : 00000000f4751540
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x12: 0000000000000193
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x11: 00000000f736ff11 x10: 0000000000000000
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x9 : 00000000f4cbe790 x8 : 00000000f5d16800
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x7 : 0000000000000193 x6 : 00000000f47e6bc0
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x5 : 0000000000000000 x4 : 00000000f4751568
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : 00000000f4751588
Sep 29 22:56:14 kernel: x1 : 00000000f4751550 x0 : 0000000000000000

I'd be grateful for any help!

 

[nemo82]

Up please

 

[L&LD]

Have you tried rebooting the system (via the GUI)? Letting DC (via amtm) do what it needs to do? You may have to reboot it more than once to fix it fully.

If the power outage was actually a power surge and/or brownout, then the hardware may be unsuitable for your full requirements going forward.

 

[nemo82]

Hello and thanks for your kind reply! I did reboot several times and ran DC via amtm a couple of times. The router functionality appears to be completely fine, including using Plex for streaming across devices. However, the error log is constantly filled with these messages...do you think I should expect the router to abandon me sooner than later?

 

[L&LD]

You don't 'run' DC via amtm (that simply installs it), DC runs when the router reboots, (automatically, if needed).

Have you tested the latest Alpha firmware? It has proven very stable for me and worth a shot in your environment too (many fixes included).

Download | Asuswrt-Merlin

I do not know what the error messages may mean to the long-term reliability of the router.

That power outage may have corrupted something, A full reset may be all that is needed to 'fix' this again. But you're running the router way beyond what it was meant to do.

You may also try a new power supply to see if that is what is faulty, now.

[Wireless] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset | Official Support | ASUS Global

Fully Reset Router and Network

Fully Reset / Best Practice Setup / More

 

[nemo82]

Hello again! So of course you're right about the disk check, my mistake, but I checked it and there are no errors in the DC log. Meanwhile I tried to reset the router, remove and reinstall debian+plex. As soon as I stop debian, the error messages disappear, which makes me wonder if it's a router issue or something else...perhaps I can try to install debian+plex on a separate USB drive? Thanks for any suggestion you may have...

 

[L&LD]

Rebuild (from scratch, format the USB drive again first) your Debian plex fully. Do not use anything you may have saved from the last time you installed it (it may have no relevance today).

Start from scratch and consider that the USB drive may need to be replaced too (the power outage may have crippled it).

Also, consider that you may have to fully reset the network/router and plex setup too (all of them at once) before everything behaves again as you want.

 

[Donga120]

Plex looks like the cause...?

 

[nemo82]

Rebuild (from scratch, format the USB drive again first) your Debian plex fully. Do not use anything you may have saved from the last time you installed it (it may have no relevance today).

Start from scratch and consider that the USB drive may need to be replaced too (the power outage may have crippled it).

Also, consider that you may have to fully reset the network/router and plex setup too (all of them at once) before everything behaves again as you want.

Hi again! I just did all you suggested and the error log is still showing those messages...clearly Plex is causing some kind of issue although streaming across several devices actually works flawlessly at the same time. I'll just keep using it and see if any actual problem comes up...what I don't understand is the meaning of these messages.

Oct 23 23:24:32 kernel: Plex Media Serv[18496]: syscall 403
Oct 23 23:24:32 kernel: Code: 4618b950 f2404671 463a1c93 df004667 (f1104617)
Oct 23 23:24:32 kernel: CPU: 1 PID: 18496 Comm: Plex Media Serv Tainted: P O 4.1.27 #2
Oct 23 23:24:32 kernel: Hardware name: Broadcom-v8A (DT)

It apparently says that Plex is "tainted"...what would that mean? And the hardware name is what exactly? I googled them but couldn't find anything relevant. Any idea?