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|
+++
date = 2022-03-08
title = "Migrating Plex to a New Server with Nvidia GPU Transcoding"
description = ""
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
2. Migrate Plex Data & Devices
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 to finish the process.
|
