JSON parse failed (settings.json)

[ghost]

The problem I've been using Transmission-OpenVPN for a while now, but after an update or reboot it suddenly stopped working. For some reason, Transmisison is complaining about an invalid number in settings.json.

Docker run command

  transmission-vpn:
    container_name: transmission-vpn
    image: haugene/transmission-openvpn
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    devices:
      - /dev/net/tun
    restart: always
    dns:
      - 1.1.1.1
      - 1.0.0.1
    volumes:
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - ${USERDIR}/docker/transmission-vpn:/data
      - ${USERDIR}/docker/shared:/shared
      - ${USERDIR}/media/downloads:/data/watch
      - ${USERDIR}/media/downloads/completed:/data/completed
      - ${USERDIR}/media/downloads/incomplete:/data/incomplete
      - ${USERDIR}/config.ovpn:/etc/openvpn/custom/default.ovpn
    environment:
      - OPENVPN_PROVIDER=CUSTOM
      - OPENVPN_CONFIG=config
      - OPENVPN_USERNAME=xxxx
      - OPENVPN_PASSWORD=xxxx
      - OPENVPN_OPTS=--inactive 3600 --ping 10 --ping-exit 60
      - LOCAL_NETWORK=192.168.87.0/24
      - PUID=${PUID}
      - PGID=${PGID}
      - TZ=${TZ}
      - TRANSMISSION_RPC_AUTHENTICATION_REQUIRED=true
      - TRANSMISSION_RPC_HOST_WHITELIST="127.0.0.1,192.168.*.*"
      - TRANSMISSION_RPC_PASSWORD=xxxx
      - TRANSMISSION_RPC_USERNAME=xxxx
      - TRANSMISSION_UMASK=002
      - TRANSMISSION_RATIO_LIMIT=1.00
      - TRANSMISSION_RATIO_LIMIT_ENABLED=true

Logs transmission.log [2020-05-28 18:36:45.571] transmission-daemon Error loading config file -- exiting. (daemon.c:825)

Docker logs

Using OpenVPN provider: CUSTOM
Supplied config config.ovpn could not be found.
Using default OpenVPN gateway for provider custom
Setting OPENVPN credentials...
adding route to local network xx.xx.xx.xx/24 via xx.xx.xx.xx dev eth0
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 OpenVPN 2.4.4 x86_64-pc-linux-gnu [SSL (OpenSSL)] [LZO] [LZ4] [EPOLL] [PKCS11] [MH/PKTINFO] [AEAD] built on May 14 2019
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 library versions: OpenSSL 1.1.1  11 Sep 2018, LZO 2.08
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 NOTE: the current --script-security setting may allow this configuration to call user-defined scripts
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 Outgoing Control Channel Authentication: Using 512 bit message hash 'SHA512' for HMAC authentication
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 Incoming Control Channel Authentication: Using 512 bit message hash 'SHA512' for HMAC authentication
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 TCP/UDP: Preserving recently used remote address: [AF_INET]46.166.143.98:1194
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 UDP link local: (not bound)
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 UDP link remote: [AF_INET]xx.xx.xx.xx:xx
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 WARNING: this configuration may cache passwords in memory -- use the auth-nocache option to prevent this
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 VERIFY OK: depth=1, C=CA, ST=ON, L=Toronto, O=Windscribe Limited, OU=Operations, CN=Windscribe Node CA
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 VERIFY KU OK
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 Validating certificate extended key usage
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 ++ Certificate has EKU (str) TLS Web Server Authentication, expects TLS Web Server Authentication
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 VERIFY EKU OK
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 VERIFY OK: depth=0, C=CA, ST=ON, O=Windscribe Limited, OU=Operations, CN=Windscribe Node Server 4096
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 Control Channel: TLSv1.2, cipher TLSv1.2 ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384, 4096 bit RSA
Thu May 28 20:36:38 2020 [Windscribe Node Server 4096] Peer Connection Initiated with [AF_INET]46.166.143.98:1194
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 Outgoing Data Channel: Cipher 'AES-256-GCM' initialized with 256 bit key
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 Incoming Data Channel: Cipher 'AES-256-GCM' initialized with 256 bit key
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 TUN/TAP device tun0 opened
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 do_ifconfig, tt->did_ifconfig_ipv6_setup=0
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 /sbin/ip link set dev tun0 up mtu 1500
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 /sbin/ip addr add dev tun0 xx.xx.xx.xx/xx broadcast xx.xx.xx.xx
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 /etc/openvpn/tunnelUp.sh tun0 1500 1553 xx.xx.xx.xx 255.255.254.0 init
Up script executed with tun0 1500 1553 xx.xx.xx.xx 255.255.254.0 init
Updating TRANSMISSION_BIND_ADDRESS_IPV4 to the ip of tun0 : xx.xx.xx.xx
Generating transmission settings.json from env variables
sed'ing True to true
Enforcing ownership on transmission config directories
Applying permissions to transmission config directories
Setting owner for transmission paths to 1000:1000
Setting permission for files (644) and directories (755)
Setting permission for watch directory (775) and its files (664)

-------------------------------------
Transmission will run as
-------------------------------------
User name:   abc
User uid:    1000
User gid:    1000
-------------------------------------

STARTING TRANSMISSION
NO PORT UPDATER FOR THIS PROVIDER
Transmission startup script complete.
Thu May 28 20:36:45 2020 Initialization Sequence Completed
[2020-05-28 18:36:45.570] JSON parse failed in /data/transmission-home/settings.json at pos 2213: INVALID_NUMBER -- remaining text "02,
    "upload-"

Host system: Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS

[xianoth]

It seems we have opened up the same issue, on the same problem, on the same Host System Type, at the same time.

Dude, if we don't get an answer, I am just gonna be happy about the odds of this happening. :)

[ghost]

It seems we have opened up the same issue, on the same problem, on the same Host System Type, at the same time.

Dude, if we don't get an answer, I am just gonna be happy about the odds of this happening. :)

That's hilarious! :D

I hope someone can help us with the problem.

Did you change any of the settings in the WebUI before getting the issue?

[sideshow-tech]

I am getting this same error now, it started happening yesterday. I was going to post it as an issue, but got sidetracked.

[xianoth]

So, I did go into the config file to take a look. I couldn't see anything that looked out of place, but I didn't write it either. So I am sure there is something there that I missed. But yeah, same thing happened. Was working before i went to bed, woke up to no access to the WebUI. Spent a couple days thinking about it and then poked around. Fully removed the docker folder for transmission, figuring if there was a bad config file, maybe an old file is causing it. That didn't work either. Came to the github and saw that the container update 3 days ago and I was like.... "Ya know, that's about when it started for me" and here we are. It's been an adventure to be sure.

[ghost]

From the error code:

[2020-05-28 18:36:45.570] JSON parse failed in /data/transmission-home/settings.json at pos 2213: INVALID_NUMBER -- remaining text "02,
    "upload-"

It looks like it is this part of settings.json that's the problem: "upload-slots-per-torrent": 14, That's the only line that starts with "upload-".

[xianoth]

From the error code:

[2020-05-28 18:36:45.570] JSON parse failed in /data/transmission-home/settings.json at pos 2213: INVALID_NUMBER -- remaining text "02,
    "upload-"

It looks like it is this part of settings.json that's the problem: "upload-slots-per-torrent": 14, That's the only line that starts with "upload-".

Yep, same here. I changed the number, i checked the spacing looked for symbols out of place. Nada, all looks like it did before it stopped working.

[pkishino]

please read answer here: #1210 your umask is wrong TRANSMISSION_UMASK=002 is not valid for json, set this to TRANSMISSION_UMASK=2

[pkishino]

please close if issue is resolved

[xianoth]

Have verified this fixes the issue. Remade the container with the umask from 002 to just 2. Everything came up fine.