#+date: <2022-03-08 Tue 00:00:00>
#+title: Seamless Plex Migration: Setting Up Nvidia GPU Transcoding on Your New Server
#+description: Step-by-step guide to migrating Plex Media Server to a new server with Nvidia GPU hardware transcoding for optimal performance and smooth streaming.
#+slug: plex-migration

* Migration Phases
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: migration-phases
:END:
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
2. Migrate Plex Data & Devices
3. Configure GPU Transcoding

* Phase 1: Configure the New Server
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: phase-1-configure-the-new-server
:END:
** Choosing an OS
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: choosing-an-os
:END:
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
[[https://ubuntu.com/download/server][Ubuntu Server]].

The first step is to create a bootable USB with Ubuntu Server. This is
easy with [[https://www.balena.io/etcher/][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
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: booting-with-nvidia
:END:
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.

#+begin_src sh
setparams 'Install Ubuntu Server'
setgfxpayload=keep
linux /casper/vmlinuz quiet nomodeset ---
initrd /casper/initrd
boot
#+end_src

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:

#+begin_src sh
sudo apt update; sudo apt upgrade -y; sudo apt autoremove -y
#+end_src

* Phase 2: Migrate Plex Data & Devices
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: phase-2-migrate-plex-data-devices
:END:
This phase uses the great Plex article on migrations
([[https://support.plex.tv/articles/201370363-move-an-install-to-another-system/][Move
an Installation to Another System]]) and adds a bit more information to
help with commands and context.

** Terminology
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: terminology
:END:
*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
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: step-01-client-update-settings
:END:
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
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: step-02-destination-install-plex
:END:
Open up the [[https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/][Plex Media
Server download page]] and copy the link for the appropriate platform.

Execute the following commands on the destination server to install
Plex:

#+begin_src sh
wget <url>
sudo dpkg -i <filename>
sudo systemctl stop plexmediaserver.service
#+end_src

** Step 03: [Source] Stop Plex & Migrate Data
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: step-03-source-stop-plex-migrate-data
:END:
First, stop the Plex service so that no data is created or modified
during the migration.

#+begin_src sh
sudo systemctl stop plexmediaserver.service
#+end_src

Next, copy the data to the new server. To find where the Plex data
directory is located, Plex has another excellent article available:
[[https://support.plex.tv/articles/202915258-where-is-the-plex-media-server-data-directory-located/][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.

#+begin_src sh
scp -r "/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server" your_user@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:"'/path/to/destination/'"
#+end_src

** Step 04: [Destination] Update File Permissions
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: step-04-destination-update-file-permissions
:END:
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:

#+begin_src sh
mv "Plex Media Server" /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/
#+end_src

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).

#+begin_src sh
sudo chown -R plex:plex "/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server"
#+end_src

Finally, start the service and check the status.

#+begin_src sh
sudo systemctl start plexmediaserver.service
sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver.service
#+end_src

** Step 05: [Client] Update Libraries & Metadata
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: step-05-client-update-libraries-metadata
:END:
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
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: phase-3-configure-gpu-transcoding
:END:
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:

#+begin_src sh
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-drivers-common
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
#+end_src

Finally, reboot so that the changes are loaded:

#+begin_src sh
sudo reboot now
#+end_src

To ensure that the Nvidia graphics drivers are working properly, run the
following command to view the available GPUs, statistics, and processes:

#+begin_src sh
sudo nvidia-smi
#+end_src

Finally, enable hardware transcoding settings in the Plex application to
finish the process.