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diff --git a/blog/2022-03-08-plex-migration.org b/blog/2022-03-08-plex-migration.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9087263 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/2022-03-08-plex-migration.org @@ -0,0 +1,233 @@ ++++ +date = 2022-03-08 +title = "Migrating Plex to New Server (+ Nvidia Transcoding)" +description = "A quick instructional guide on how to migrate Plex Media Server to a new server, including servers with Nvidia GPUs." +draft = false ++++ + +## Migration Phases + +I recently decided to migrate my server from an old OptiPlex desktop machine to +a custom-built tower with better hardware in every category. In order to do +this, I would need to properly migrate a full Plex installation. + +The second part of this migration is that the new server uses an Nvidia GPU and +does not have any integrated graphics, which requires extra work for +installation, but provides much better hardware transcoding options for Plex. + +Therefore, I have broken this migration down into three phases: + +1. [Configure the New Server](#phase-1-configure-the-new-server) +2. [Migrate Plex Data & Devices](#phase-2-migrate-plex-data-devices) +3. [Configure GPU Transcoding](#phase-3-configure-gpu-transcoding) + +--- + +## Phase 1: Configure the New Server + +### Choosing an OS + +In order to migrate Plex to my new server, I first needed to choose an +appropriate operating system (OS) and install it on the machine. Given that I +have encountered numerous issues installing other Linux distributions +properly with Nvidia graphics, I chose +[Ubuntu Server](https://ubuntu.com/download/server). + +The first step is to create a bootable USB with Ubuntu Server. This is easy with +[Etcher](https://www.balena.io/etcher/), an app that runs on many different +platforms. Just download the Ubuntu Server `.iso` image, launch Etcher, and +install the `.iso` on the USB. + +Once the USB is created, insert it into my server, reboot, and click `Esc` (or +any of the `F1-12` keys) until the BIOS menu appears. Finally, launch the USB +boot drive. + +### Booting with Nvidia + +In order to install Ubuntu Server with an Nvidia Graphics card (and no +integrated graphics on this device for some reason), you'll have to configure +the boot menu to allow different graphics drivers to be loaded. + +When booting from the USB, the machine will launch the initial installation +menu. From this menu, type `e` to view the default command options that come +with the device - it's a good idea to take a photo of this screen, so you can +enter these commands on the next screen (along with adding support for Nvidia). + +Finally, type `Ctrl + C` to enter the command line. From this command line, +enter the commands found on the `e` screen. **Remember to add `nomodeset` to the +`linux ...` line so that your Nvidia device will display the installation +screens properly!** + +Here's an example of the commands I pulled from the `e` screen and entered on +the command line. + +```sh +setparams 'Install Ubuntu Server' +setgfxpayload=keep +linux /casper/vmlinuz quiet nomodeset --- +initrd /casper/initrd +boot +``` + + + + + +Once the machine is rebooted, enter the `e` screen again and add `nomodeset` to +the `linux ...` line again and press `Ctrl + X` to save the boot options. + +The machine is now fully installed and can properly display on an external +display using the Nvidia GPU. + +Always remember to update and upgrade on a new installation: + +```sh +sudo apt update; sudo apt upgrade -y; sudo apt autoremove -y +``` + +--- + +## Phase 2: Migrate Plex Data & Devices + +This phase uses the great Plex article on migrations +([Move an Installation to Another System](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201370363-move-an-install-to-another-system/)) +and adds a bit more information to help with commands and context. + +### Terminology + +**Source:** The original server that is being replaced. +**Destination:** The new server. +**Client:** Any application that can be used to modify settings for both +source/destination. + +### Step 01: [Client] Update Settings + +Open up a Plex app and _disable_ the `Account` > `Library` > +`Empty trash automatically after every scan` preference for the source server. + +### Step 02: [Destination] Install Plex + +Open up the +[Plex Media Server download page](https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/) +and copy the link for the appropriate platform. + +Execute the following commands on the destination server to install Plex: + +```sh +wget <url> +sudo dpkg -i <filename> +sudo systemctl stop plexmediaserver.service +``` + +### Step 03: [Source] Stop Plex & Migrate Data + +First, stop the Plex service so that no data is created or modified during the +migration. + +```sh +sudo systemctl stop plexmediaserver.service +``` + +Next, copy the data to the new server. To find where the Plex data directory is +located, Plex has another excellent article available: +[Where is the Plex Media Server data directory located?](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202915258-where-is-the-plex-media-server-data-directory-located/). + +There are many ways to copy the data to the new server and will largely depend +on the size of the folder being copied. Personally, my data folder was ~23GB and +I opted to simply use the `scp` command to copy the files over SSH. + +This process was throttled by the old server's slow HDD and ports and took +approximately 90 minutes to complete. In comparison, moving the data from the +new server's `home/user/` directory to the `/var/.../Plex Media Server` +directory took 2-3 minutes. + +```sh +scp -r "/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server" your_user@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:"'/path/to/destination/'" +``` + +### Step 04: [Destination] Update File Permissions + +In case you move the data directory to a common area on the new server, it will +have to be moved to the proper location before Plex can function properly: + +```sh +mv "Plex Media Server" /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/ +``` + +To ensure permissions were retained properly, the server will need to show that +all files and folders in the data directory are owned by `plex:plex` (or +whichever user is running the Plex application). + +```sh +sudo chown -R plex:plex "/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server" +``` + +Finally, start the service and check the status. + +```sh +sudo systemctl start plexmediaserver.service +sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver.service +``` + +### Step 05: [Client] Update Libraries & Metadata + +The first step - now that the new server is up and running - is to sign out of +the client and sign back in. Once this is done, update any library locations, if +necessary. This was unnecessary in my case since I simply moved my storage +drives from the source server to the destination server. + +Next, perform the following actions in the client: + +1. On the left sidebar, click `More` > Three-Dot Menu > `Scan Library Files` +2. _Enable_ the `Account` > `Library` > + `Empty trash automatically after every scan` preference for the source + server. +3. On the left sidebar, click `More` > Three-Dot Menu > `Manage Server` > + `Empty Trash` +4. On the left sidebar, click `More` > Three-Dot Menu > `Manage Server` > + `Clean Bundles` +5. On the left sidebar, click `More` > Three-Dot Menu > `Manage Server` > + `Optimize Database` + +Finally, double-check the Remote Access settings to make sure no changes have +caused issues with accessing the server from outside the network. + +In my case, I use a single port forwarding rule in my router and needed to +update the Local LAN IP Address to the new server IP address. + + + +--- + +## Phase 3: Configure GPU Transcoding + +The final piece to the migration is enabling hardware transcoding so that Plex +can fully utilize the new Nvidia GPU available in the server. The first step is +to install Nvidia graphics drivers. This process may take a few minutes, but the +commands are pretty simple: + +```sh +sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa +sudo apt update +sudo apt-get install ubuntu-drivers-common +sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall +``` + +Finally, reboot so that the changes are loaded: + +```sh +sudo reboot now +``` + +To ensure that the Nvidia graphics drivers are working properly, run the +following command to view the available GPUs, statistics, and processes: + +```sh +sudo nvidia-smi +``` + + + +Finally, enable hardware transcoding settings in the Plex application: + + |