Resolving Ghost Meeting Issues

What Are Ghost Meetings?

Ghost meetings are BigBlueButton meetings that appear active in the system but have:

• No participants
• Duration longer than expected (usually >24 hours)
• Cannot be ended normally
• Consume server resources

Identifying Ghost Meetings

Ghost meetings typically show these symptoms:

• Meeting duration > 24 hours
• 0 participants
• High CPU usage on server despite no users
• Meeting cannot be ended from web interface

Common Causes

1. Network interruptions: Users disconnected without proper logout
2. Browser crashes: Meeting creator's browser closed unexpectedly
3. API failures: End meeting API call failed
4. Server restarts: BBB server restarted during meeting

Resolution Steps

Method 1: End via API (Recommended)

Use the BBB API to force-end the meeting:

curl "https://your-bbb-server/bigbluebutton/api/end?meetingID=MEETING_ID&password=MODERATOR_PASSWORD&checksum=CHECKSUM"

Method 2: Restart FreeSWITCH

If API method fails, restart FreeSWITCH service:

sudo systemctl restart freeswitch

Warning: This will end ALL active meetings on the server!

Method 3: Restart BigBlueButton

As a last resort, restart BBB completely:

sudo bbb-conf --restart

Prevention

To prevent ghost meetings:

• Enable automatic meeting end after X hours of inactivity
• Set up monitoring alerts for long-running meetings
• Use meeting timeouts in your application
• Regularly check and clean up stale meetings

Automated Cleanup

You can set up automated cleanup with a cron job:

#!/bin/bash
# End meetings older than 24 hours with 0 participants

MEETINGS=$(bbb-conf --check | grep "has run for" | grep "0 participant")
# Parse and end each meeting via API

Monitoring in Scalelite Manager Pro

Our platform can detect ghost meetings automatically:

• Alert when meeting duration > 24 hours
• Show participant count over time
• Identify meetings with 0 participants
• Provide one-click end meeting action

Need Help?

If ghost meetings persist or you need assistance, contact our support team for personalized help.