[BUG] Memory Leak possible when using .strm with "Auto Merge Series"

[VladTepz 47]

Just a FWIW, spent the day tracking down this issue. (Uninstalling plugins/full reinstall/etc...) 

If you have a .strm file while also having a video file of the same episode & have "Automatically merge series that are spread across multiple folders" enabled, trying to play/view/view metadata, the episode will cause the server to proceed to rapidly gobble up all the available memory on your system. (32GB within 5 minutes, in my case )

My Specs:
Operating system: Windows 11 Pro (22H2)
OS.Build: 22621.2070

Emby Server: 4.7.13.0

It's fairly easy to replicate. Add 2x folders to merge, one containing a .strm, the other containing a video. (.mp4/.mkv/.mov/etc)
- Create a new Library
- Select "TV shows" as the content type
- Add folder "TV Stream" & "TV Video"
- Enable "Automatically merge series that are spread across multiple folders"

 \TV Stream
    \Seinfeld (1989)
       Seinfeld S01E01 - 720p.strm

 \TV Video
    \Seinfeld (1989)
       Seinfeld S01E01 - 1080p.mkv

Once merged, if you try to interact with the episode(s) in any way, (play/view episode details/view metadata), the server will do nothing & start eating up all the system memory.

Nothing shows in the logs either, even with debugging on, hence why it took 6hrs of trial & error to track down what was causing the leak.
(I can still send logs if requested but figured it's fairly easy to replicate.)

I also know it's kind of a super "edge case" scenario, but figured I'd post anyways because any memory leak = bad...

[Luke 42077]

Hi, please attach the emby server log from when the problem occurred:

How to Report a Problem

Thanks.

[VladTepz 47]

Sorry Luke, I thought I still had the logs at the time.

After spending the whole day testing, restarting, importing, removing, reinstalling... I had a directory full of logs and couldn't track down a (clean) log from the time I had discovered the source of the issue.

I was too focused on getting Emby reinstalled & setup ASAP for the wife, kids, & parents before I created my post on the issue, and I was too far into it to reset everything to get you a new, clean, log.

_____________________

I did discover that the memory leak isn't specific to just folder merging though. If you put a .strm file next to the media in the same folder, the memory leak happens.
 

 \TV Video
    \Seinfeld (1989)
       Seinfeld S01E01 - 1080p.mkv
       Seinfeld S01E01 - 1080p.strm

 

[rbjtech 5284]

Is the strm pointing to the mkv in the same folder ?

strm files work ok if you link to other folders (I've used them without issues to link 'crossover' episodes from other shows but in the same library) but have seen issues with recursive memory run-away when accidently linking them to the same show - which is, I think, what you are seeing.

There probably should be some sort of protection to stop this - but I'm not sure why your would want to do this in the first place - why have an strm point to the mkv next to it ? 

[VladTepz 47]

1 hour ago, rbjtech said:

Is the strm pointing to the mkv in the same folder ?

strm files work ok if you link to other folders (I've used them without issues to link 'crossover' episodes from other shows but in the same library) but have seen issues with recursive memory run-away when accidently linking them to the same show - which is, I think, what you are seeing.

There probably should be some sort of protection to stop this - but I'm not sure why your would want to do this in the first place - why have an strm point to the mkv next to it ? 

4K version of show - The .strm is contain a web link. "https://URL-TO-MEDIA"
(SHOWNAME - S01E01 - 2060p.strm)

1080p version of show - Media is normal .mkv video file.
(SHOWNAME - S01E01 - 1080p.mkv)

I can see the confusion with the example I provided above with both of them being "1080p"... It was a random, quick, example.

Edited August 25, 2023 by VladTepz
couldn't edit other post

[rbjtech 5284]

38 minutes ago, VladTepz said:

4K version of show - The .strm is contain a web link. "https://URL-TO-MEDIA"
(SHOWNAME - S01E01 - 2060p.strm)

1080p version of show - Media is normal .mkv video file.
(SHOWNAME - S01E01 - 1080p.mkv)

I can see the confusion with the example I provided above with both of them being "1080p"... It was a random, quick, example.

Ah ok - gotcha.

So I need to investigate this myself, as I've only ever strm linked to other items in the same library - never external items.

[Luke 42077]

5 hours ago, VladTepz said:

Sorry Luke, I thought I still had the logs at the time.

After spending the whole day testing, restarting, importing, removing, reinstalling... I had a directory full of logs and couldn't track down a (clean) log from the time I had discovered the source of the issue.

I was too focused on getting Emby reinstalled & setup ASAP for the wife, kids, & parents before I created my post on the issue, and I was too far into it to reset everything to get you a new, clean, log.

_____________________

I did discover that the memory leak isn't specific to just folder merging though. If you put a .strm file next to the media in the same folder, the memory leak happens.
 

 \TV Video
    \Seinfeld (1989)
       Seinfeld S01E01 - 1080p.mkv
       Seinfeld S01E01 - 1080p.strm

 

Please attach the Emby server log from when the problem occurred.

How to Report a Problem

Thanks.

[VladTepz 47]

I've moved on Luke... I've changed my workflow to eliminate .strm files from my library.

I posted just to give a heads up after the fact.

If you had taken the time to read the 4-5 posts/replies, instead of just using your generic copy/paste template, I might have felt inclined to volunteer more of my free time to help out, like I've done in the past.

That said, I do understand that you get tons of bug reports, and some of them are complex & logs are needed and invaluable to track down issues that are not easily reproduceable, so I'm not going to lay into you that much about it.

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This issue is easy to replicate. Look into it... or don't... My conscience is clear because I gave the "heads up". (Something I might be more hesitant about doing in the future.)

If you state that you took the 5 minutes to investigate/replicate, and couldn't replicate the issue. I would be more than happy to use my time to figure out a way to reinstall & replicate, providing all the logs I could, without disrupting my current install.

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If you're not interested in investigating, you can close this thread if you want. (Just don't mark it as solved)

[VladTepz 47]

Screw it... I took the 5 minutes, installed the portable version, replicated the issue & sent the logs in a PM....

[Luke 42077]

HI, Whatever this is has been resolved already in Emby Server 4.8. Thanks.