Advanced Troubleshooting

Comprehensive troubleshooting guide for complex issues in your Usenet Media Stack. This guide covers systematic debugging approaches, advanced diagnostic tools, and resolution strategies for challenging problems.

Troubleshooting Philosophy

Systematic Debugging Approach

Diagnostic Framework:
├── 1. Problem Identification
│   ├── Symptom analysis and classification
│   ├── Impact assessment and urgency
│   └── Initial hypothesis formation
├── 2. Information Gathering
│   ├── System state analysis
│   ├── Log examination and correlation
│   └── Performance metrics review
├── 3. Root Cause Analysis
│   ├── Component isolation testing
│   ├── Configuration validation
│   └── Environmental factor analysis
├── 4. Solution Implementation
│   ├── Staged remediation approach
│   ├── Change impact assessment
│   └── Rollback planning
└── 5. Prevention and Documentation
    ├── Process improvement
    ├── Monitoring enhancement
    └── Knowledge base updates

Issue Classification System

Severity	Description	Response Time	Examples
Critical	Complete service outage	Immediate	All services down, data corruption
High	Major functionality impacted	2 hours	GPU transcoding failed, storage unavailable
Medium	Partial functionality affected	24 hours	Single service issues, performance degradation
Low	Minor issues, cosmetic problems	72 hours	UI glitches, non-critical warnings

Advanced Diagnostic Tools

Built-in Diagnostic Framework

bash

# Comprehensive system analysis
./usenet diagnose --comprehensive --export-report

# Component-specific diagnostics
./usenet diagnose hardware --deep-scan --benchmark
./usenet diagnose storage --performance-analysis --health-check
./usenet diagnose network --connectivity-matrix --latency-analysis
./usenet diagnose services --dependency-graph --api-validation

# Performance profiling
./usenet profile --duration 30m --output detailed-profile.json

Enhanced Logging and Monitoring

bash

# Enable debug logging across all services
./usenet logging set-level debug --all-services

# Centralized log analysis
./usenet logs analyze --pattern-detection --anomaly-detection

# Real-time monitoring with alerting
./usenet monitor --live --alert-threshold high --duration continuous

System State Capture

bash

# Generate comprehensive support bundle
./usenet support bundle create \
  --include-configs \
  --include-logs \
  --include-metrics \
  --include-system-info \
  --anonymize-sensitive \
  --compress

# System snapshot for state comparison
./usenet snapshot create --name "pre-troubleshooting-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M)"

GPU Transcoding Problems

Issue: Hardware Transcoding Not Working

Symptoms:

High CPU usage during transcoding
Slow transcoding speeds (2-5 FPS instead of 30+ FPS)
Error messages about GPU not found

Diagnostic Steps:

bash

# 1. Verify GPU detection
./usenet hardware list --detailed

# 2. Check GPU drivers
nvidia-smi  # For NVIDIA
vainfo      # For AMD/Intel

# 3. Test GPU access in containers
docker run --rm --gpus all nvidia/cuda:11.0-base nvidia-smi

# 4. Verify Jellyfin GPU configuration
./usenet services logs jellyfin | grep -i "gpu\|hardware\|nvenc\|vaapi"

# 5. Test transcoding manually
docker exec jellyfin ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -i /media/test.mkv -c:v h264_nvenc -t 10 /tmp/test_output.mp4

Common Solutions:

bash

# Reinstall GPU drivers
./usenet hardware install-drivers --force

# Reset GPU configuration
./usenet hardware configure --reset --auto-detect

# Update Docker GPU runtime
sudo systemctl restart docker
./usenet services restart jellyfin

# Generate new hardware-optimized configuration
./usenet hardware optimize --force-regenerate

Issue: GPU Memory Errors

Symptoms:

CUDA out of memory errors
Transcoding randomly failing
GPU utilization spikes to 100%

Diagnostic and Resolution:

bash

# Monitor GPU memory usage
nvidia-smi -l 1  # Monitor every second

# Check Jellyfin transcoding settings
./usenet services config jellyfin --show-transcoding-settings

# Optimize GPU memory allocation
./usenet hardware optimize --gpu-memory-tuning --max-concurrent-streams 4

# Configure transcoding limits
./usenet services configure jellyfin \
  --max-concurrent-transcodes 2 \
  --transcode-temp-path /mnt/fast_storage/transcode

Storage Performance Issues

Issue: Slow File Operations

Symptoms:

Long import times in Sonarr/Radarr
Slow media library scans
High I/O wait times

Diagnostic Steps:

bash

# 1. Storage performance analysis
./usenet storage benchmark --comprehensive

# 2. I/O monitoring
iotop -a  # Monitor I/O activity
iostat -x 1  # Extended I/O statistics

# 3. Filesystem analysis
df -h  # Check disk usage
mount | grep storage  # Verify mount options

# 4. Check for storage errors
dmesg | grep -i "error\|fail\|timeout"
smartctl -a /dev/sda  # Check disk health

Performance Optimization:

bash

# Optimize mount options for media workloads
./usenet storage optimize --workload media-server

# Enable filesystem optimizations
sudo tune2fs -o journal_data_writeback /dev/sda1

# Configure read-ahead for HDDs
echo 4096 | sudo tee /sys/block/sda/queue/read_ahead_kb

# Use faster storage for transcoding
./usenet hardware configure --transcode-path /mnt/nvme_cache

Service Integration Issues

API Communication Problems

Issue: Services Can't Communicate

Symptoms:

Sonarr can't connect to download clients
Prowlarr sync failures
Overseerr can't reach Sonarr/Radarr

Diagnostic Framework:

bash

# 1. Network connectivity test
./usenet network test --service-matrix

# 2. API endpoint validation
./usenet api test --all-services --verbose

# 3. Check service URLs and API keys
./usenet services config --show-api-endpoints

# 4. Container network analysis
docker network ls
docker network inspect usenet-stack

Resolution Steps:

bash

# Regenerate API keys
./usenet config generate-keys --force

# Reset network configuration
docker network rm usenet-stack
./usenet network create --optimized

# Restart services in dependency order
./usenet services restart --dependency-order

# Verify API connectivity
./usenet api test --comprehensive --fix-common-issues

Database Corruption Issues

Issue: Service Database Corruption

Symptoms:

Service won't start
Database errors in logs
Data inconsistencies

Recovery Process:

bash

# 1. Stop affected service
./usenet services stop sonarr

# 2. Backup corrupted database
cp config/sonarr/sonarr.db config/sonarr/sonarr.db.corrupted.$(date +%s)

# 3. Attempt database repair
sqlite3 config/sonarr/sonarr.db ".recover" | sqlite3 config/sonarr/sonarr_recovered.db

# 4. Verify database integrity
sqlite3 config/sonarr/sonarr_recovered.db "PRAGMA integrity_check;"

# 5. Restore from backup if repair fails
./usenet backup restore latest --services sonarr

Performance Troubleshooting

High Resource Usage

Issue: Excessive Memory Consumption

Diagnostic Process:

bash

# 1. Identify memory-hungry services
./usenet monitor memory --top-consumers --detailed

# 2. Memory leak detection
./usenet monitor memory --leak-detection --duration 2h

# 3. Analyze memory allocation patterns
docker stats --format "table {{.Container}}\t{{.CPUPerc}}\t{{.MemUsage}}\t{{.MemPerc}}"

# 4. Check for memory-mapped files
lsof | grep -E "(deleted|tmp)" | head -20

Memory Optimization:

bash

# Configure memory limits
./usenet services configure --memory-limits auto

# Enable garbage collection tuning
./usenet services configure sonarr --gc-optimization
./usenet services configure radarr --gc-optimization

# Clear caches and temporary files
./usenet maintenance clear-caches --all-services

Issue: High CPU Usage

Analysis and Resolution:

bash

# 1. CPU usage analysis
top -H -p $(pgrep -d',' -f jellyfin)  # Per-thread analysis
perf top -p $(pgrep jellyfin)  # Performance profiling

# 2. Identify CPU-intensive operations
./usenet monitor cpu --process-breakdown --duration 15m

# 3. Check for inefficient operations
./usenet services logs --pattern "slow query\|timeout\|retry"

# 4. Optimize CPU usage
./usenet hardware optimize --cpu-tuning
./usenet services configure --cpu-limits balanced

Network and Connectivity Issues

Cloudflare Tunnel Problems

Issue: External Access Not Working

Diagnostic Steps:

bash

# 1. Check tunnel status
./usenet tunnel status --detailed

# 2. Verify DNS records
dig jellyfin.yourdomain.com
nslookup jellyfin.yourdomain.com

# 3. Test local service access
curl -I http://localhost:8096/health

# 4. Check tunnel logs
./usenet tunnel logs --tail 100

# 5. Validate Cloudflare configuration
./usenet tunnel validate --test-endpoints

Resolution Process:

bash

# Reset tunnel configuration
./usenet tunnel reset --preserve-domain

# Recreate tunnel with debugging
./usenet tunnel setup --debug --domain yourdomain.com

# Test tunnel connectivity
./usenet tunnel test --all-endpoints --verbose

Container Networking Issues

Issue: Services Can't Reach Each Other

Network Troubleshooting:

bash

# 1. Inspect Docker networks
docker network ls
docker network inspect usenet-stack

# 2. Test inter-container connectivity
docker exec sonarr ping radarr
docker exec sonarr curl -I http://prowlarr:9696/api/v1/health

# 3. Check port bindings
docker port jellyfin
netstat -tlnp | grep :8096

# 4. Analyze network traffic
tcpdump -i docker0 -n host 172.20.0.5  # Replace with container IP

Network Reset and Optimization:

bash

# Complete network reset
docker-compose down
docker network rm usenet-stack
docker network prune -f

# Recreate optimized network
./usenet network create --mtu 9000 --subnet 172.20.0.0/16

# Restart services with network debugging
./usenet services start --network-debug

Configuration Issues

Environment and Configuration Problems

Issue: Services Using Wrong Configuration

Configuration Audit:

bash

# 1. Validate all configurations
./usenet validate --strict --all-categories

# 2. Compare with known good configuration
./usenet config diff --base backup-20240115.tar.gz --current live

# 3. Check environment variable propagation
./usenet config show --resolved --all-services

# 4. Verify file permissions
./usenet config validate permissions --fix

Configuration Reset:

bash

# Reset single service configuration
./usenet services reset sonarr --preserve-data

# Reset all configurations to defaults
./usenet config reset --preserve-api-keys --backup-current

# Apply hardware-optimized defaults
./usenet deploy --reset-config --hardware-optimize

Docker Compose Issues

Issue: Services Won't Start

Container Debugging:

bash

# 1. Check container status
docker ps -a

# 2. Examine container logs
docker logs jellyfin --tail 50

# 3. Inspect container configuration
docker inspect jellyfin | jq '.Config'

# 4. Test container startup manually
docker run --rm -it \
  --name jellyfin-debug \
  -v ./config/jellyfin:/config \
  jellyfin/jellyfin:latest \
  /bin/bash

Compose File Validation:

bash

# Validate compose syntax
docker-compose config --quiet

# Check for port conflicts
netstat -tlnp | grep -E ":8096|:8989|:7878"

# Validate volume mounts
./usenet storage validate --docker-mounts

# Test compose file with minimal services
docker-compose up jellyfin prowlarr

Advanced Debugging Techniques

System-Level Debugging

Kernel and System Issues

bash

# 1. Check kernel messages
dmesg | tail -50
journalctl -xe

# 2. Monitor system calls
strace -p $(pgrep jellyfin) -f -e trace=file

# 3. Analyze system performance
sar -A 1 10  # System activity report
vmstat 1 10  # Virtual memory statistics

# 4. Check system limits
ulimit -a
cat /proc/sys/fs/file-max

Container Runtime Debugging

bash

# 1. Docker daemon debugging
sudo dockerd --debug --log-level debug

# 2. Container resource analysis
docker stats --no-stream

# 3. Container filesystem analysis
docker exec jellyfin df -h
docker exec jellyfin mount | grep -E "(tmpfs|bind)"

# 4. Container process analysis
docker exec jellyfin ps aux
docker exec jellyfin top

Application-Level Debugging

Service-Specific Debugging

Jellyfin Debugging:

bash

# Enable detailed FFmpeg logging
docker exec jellyfin \
  sed -i 's/<LogLevel>Information<\/LogLevel>/<LogLevel>Debug<\/LogLevel>/' \
  /config/logging.json

# Monitor transcoding in real-time
docker exec jellyfin tail -f /config/log/jellyfin*.log | grep -i transcode

# Test hardware acceleration manually
docker exec jellyfin ffmpeg \
  -hwaccel cuda \
  -i /media/test.mkv \
  -c:v h264_nvenc \
  -t 10 \
  /tmp/test.mp4 \
  -v debug

Sonarr/Radarr Debugging:

bash

# Enable trace logging
./usenet services configure sonarr --log-level trace

# Monitor API requests
./usenet services logs sonarr | grep -E "POST|GET|PUT|DELETE"

# Database query analysis
sqlite3 config/sonarr/sonarr.db ".trace stdout"

Performance Profiling

Application Performance Analysis

bash

# 1. CPU profiling
perf record -g ./usenet services start jellyfin
perf report

# 2. Memory profiling
valgrind --tool=massif docker exec jellyfin /usr/lib/jellyfin/bin/jellyfin

# 3. I/O profiling
iotrace -p $(pgrep jellyfin) -d 60

# 4. Network profiling
nethogs -p
iftop -i docker0

Database Performance Analysis

bash

# SQLite query optimization
sqlite3 config/sonarr/sonarr.db << 'EOF'
.timer on
.explain query plan
SELECT * FROM Series WHERE TvdbId = 12345;
.quit
EOF

# Database statistics
./usenet database analyze --all-services --optimization-recommendations

Automated Diagnostics

Health Check Automation

bash

# Automated health monitoring
./usenet monitor health \
  --continuous \
  --auto-remediate \
  --escalation-policy email,slack

# Predictive failure detection
./usenet analyze trends \
  --predict-failures \
  --recommend-maintenance \
  --alert-threshold medium

Self-Healing Capabilities

bash

# Enable auto-recovery for common issues
./usenet configure auto-healing \
  --restart-failed-services \
  --clear-stuck-downloads \
  --cleanup-temp-files \
  --optimize-databases

# Configure recovery policies
./usenet recovery-policy configure \
  --max-restart-attempts 3 \
  --restart-delay 30s \
  --escalation-timeout 10m

Troubleshooting Workflows

Standard Operating Procedures

Critical Issue Response

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Critical issue response workflow

# 1. Immediate assessment
./usenet services health --emergency-mode

# 2. Create system snapshot
./usenet snapshot create --emergency --name "critical-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M)"

# 3. Generate support bundle
./usenet support bundle create --priority critical --upload

# 4. Attempt automated recovery
./usenet recover --auto --safe-mode

# 5. Escalate if needed
if ! ./usenet validate --critical-only; then
    ./usenet alert escalate --level critical --include-snapshot
fi

Performance Degradation Response

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Performance degradation workflow

# 1. Baseline comparison
./usenet performance compare --baseline last-week --alert-on-regression

# 2. Resource analysis
./usenet monitor resources --detailed --duration 15m

# 3. Bottleneck identification
./usenet diagnose bottlenecks --auto-detect --recommendations

# 4. Optimization application
./usenet optimize --auto --measure-improvement

# 5. Validation and monitoring
./usenet validate performance --continuous --duration 1h

Documentation and Knowledge Management

Issue Documentation

bash

# Create troubleshooting knowledge base entry
./usenet kb create \
  --issue "GPU transcoding failure" \
  --symptoms "High CPU, slow transcoding" \
  --resolution "Driver reinstall + config reset" \
  --prevention "Regular driver updates"

# Search knowledge base
./usenet kb search "transcoding" --similar-issues

# Update resolution procedures
./usenet kb update --issue-id 123 --add-resolution-step "Verify container GPU access"

Incident Tracking

bash

# Create incident record
./usenet incident create \
  --severity high \
  --title "Jellyfin GPU transcoding failure" \
  --description "Hardware transcoding stopped working after system update"

# Update incident with findings
./usenet incident update 456 \
  --add-finding "NVIDIA driver version incompatibility" \
  --add-action "Downgrade to driver 545.29.06"

# Close incident with resolution
./usenet incident close 456 \
  --resolution "Driver downgrade successful" \
  --prevention "Pin driver version in package manager"

Getting Expert Help

Support Bundle Generation

bash

# Comprehensive support bundle
./usenet support bundle create \
  --include-all \
  --anonymize \
  --compress \
  --upload-to support-portal

# Targeted support bundle for specific issues
./usenet support bundle create \
  --focus gpu-transcoding \
  --include-benchmarks \
  --include-hardware-info

Community Support

bash

# Generate shareable configuration (anonymized)
./usenet config share --anonymize --focus-issue transcoding

# Create reproducible test case
./usenet test-case create \
  --minimal-reproduction \
  --include-sample-media \
  --document-steps

Prevention and Monitoring

Proactive Monitoring

bash

# Set up comprehensive monitoring
./usenet monitor setup \
  --metrics performance,health,errors \
  --alerts progressive \
  --dashboards grafana \
  --retention 90d

# Predictive analytics
./usenet analytics configure \
  --failure-prediction \
  --capacity-planning \
  --trend-analysis \
  --monthly-reports

Preventive Maintenance

bash

# Automated maintenance schedule
./usenet maintenance schedule \
  --daily "cleanup temp files, check disk space" \
  --weekly "database optimization, log rotation" \
  --monthly "driver updates, security patches" \
  --quarterly "full system health check"

Performance Tuning - Optimize system performance
Custom Configurations - Configuration troubleshooting
CLI Reference - Command-line troubleshooting tools
Architecture Documentation - System design understanding

Advanced Troubleshooting ​

Troubleshooting Philosophy ​

Systematic Debugging Approach ​

Issue Classification System ​

Advanced Diagnostic Tools ​

Built-in Diagnostic Framework ​

Enhanced Logging and Monitoring ​

System State Capture ​

Hardware-Related Issues ​

GPU Transcoding Problems ​

Issue: Hardware Transcoding Not Working ​

Issue: GPU Memory Errors ​

Storage Performance Issues ​

Issue: Slow File Operations ​

Service Integration Issues ​

API Communication Problems ​

Issue: Services Can't Communicate ​

Database Corruption Issues ​

Issue: Service Database Corruption ​

Performance Troubleshooting ​

High Resource Usage ​

Issue: Excessive Memory Consumption ​

Issue: High CPU Usage ​

Network and Connectivity Issues ​

Cloudflare Tunnel Problems ​

Issue: External Access Not Working ​

Container Networking Issues ​

Issue: Services Can't Reach Each Other ​

Configuration Issues ​

Environment and Configuration Problems ​

Issue: Services Using Wrong Configuration ​

Docker Compose Issues ​

Issue: Services Won't Start ​

Advanced Debugging Techniques ​

System-Level Debugging ​

Kernel and System Issues ​

Container Runtime Debugging ​

Application-Level Debugging ​

Service-Specific Debugging ​

Performance Profiling ​

Application Performance Analysis ​

Database Performance Analysis ​

Automated Diagnostics ​

Health Check Automation ​

Self-Healing Capabilities ​

Troubleshooting Workflows ​

Standard Operating Procedures ​

Critical Issue Response ​

Performance Degradation Response ​

Documentation and Knowledge Management ​

Issue Documentation ​

Incident Tracking ​

Getting Expert Help ​

Support Bundle Generation ​

Community Support ​

Prevention and Monitoring ​

Proactive Monitoring ​

Preventive Maintenance ​

Related Documentation ​

Advanced Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Philosophy

Systematic Debugging Approach

Issue Classification System

Advanced Diagnostic Tools

Built-in Diagnostic Framework

Enhanced Logging and Monitoring

System State Capture

Hardware-Related Issues

GPU Transcoding Problems

Issue: Hardware Transcoding Not Working

Issue: GPU Memory Errors

Storage Performance Issues

Issue: Slow File Operations

Service Integration Issues

API Communication Problems

Issue: Services Can't Communicate

Database Corruption Issues

Issue: Service Database Corruption

Performance Troubleshooting

High Resource Usage

Issue: Excessive Memory Consumption

Issue: High CPU Usage

Network and Connectivity Issues

Cloudflare Tunnel Problems

Issue: External Access Not Working

Container Networking Issues

Issue: Services Can't Reach Each Other

Configuration Issues

Environment and Configuration Problems

Issue: Services Using Wrong Configuration

Docker Compose Issues

Issue: Services Won't Start

Advanced Debugging Techniques

System-Level Debugging

Kernel and System Issues

Container Runtime Debugging

Application-Level Debugging

Service-Specific Debugging

Performance Profiling

Application Performance Analysis

Database Performance Analysis

Automated Diagnostics

Health Check Automation

Self-Healing Capabilities

Troubleshooting Workflows

Standard Operating Procedures

Critical Issue Response

Performance Degradation Response

Documentation and Knowledge Management

Issue Documentation

Incident Tracking

Getting Expert Help

Support Bundle Generation

Community Support

Prevention and Monitoring

Proactive Monitoring

Preventive Maintenance

Related Documentation