How To Upgrade Your Plex Server With A New NAS!
Hey y’all! I’m Shannon Morse. I’ve been making tech tutorials on youtube for well over a decade for a bunch of channels. A couple of years ago I built my very first Plex Server on a Synology NAS. It was so much fun but since then I’ve seen a need for an upgrade. My old NAS [hold up old NAS] is the DS414slim from 2014 - it’s almost as old as my youtube career. While it definitely worked to get started it’s a bit slow… it doesn’t give me much in terms of CPU speed, and isn’t very flexible in terms of functionality and upgrades.
So it is time for me to upgrade this baby to a bigger beast that can handle everything I throw at it.
Today we’ll go through the process of upgrading your Plex Server to new hardware - how to choose a new NAS box, backing up, moving media, and checking the new installation.
First off, this video is in partnership and sponsored by Plex. I’ve been a huge fan of Plex for years. Not only does Plex make it easy to manage my own personal media collection, but it also works like I’d expect it to - it keeps track of watch progress in videos, and it’s heavily customizable so it feels super personalized.
Plex also has more than 50,000 free titles on demand and 300 live TV channels, plus the app is available cross platform. So whether I’m accessing it on my smartTV or via my phone, I can watch movies like Train to Busan (highly recommend - I love that movie), or Farscape. Also I was super stoked when I found The Last Unicorn on Plex. I may have grown up with that movie and can straight up quote it from memory. So let’s get my old PlexBoi (that’s my old servers name) upgraded to a new beefier setup.
First: How do you choose a new NAS? Since I already am familiar with Synology’s Operating System and installing a Plex Server on this hardware, I’m sticking with that brand. But Synology makes a ton of NAS boxes, so which one do I choose? Well, after doing hours of research, these are the things I think matter most:
CPU - each NAS has a CPU, and that CPU needs to handle lots of processing for media files. When it comes to a Plex server, you may want to consider getting a NAS that can support QuickSync for Hardware Transcoding with an Intel CPU. Plex has a really handy article on their site explaining how this works, and a good reference to tell if your hardware supports it. This spreadsheet also breaks down a ton of info regarding transcoding of media files and shows which NAS boxes will support hardware transcoding. - script note: where is the link? Is this it? https://support.plex.tv/articles/115002178853-using-hardware-accelerated-streaming/ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MfYoJkiwSqCXg8cm5-Ac4oOLPRtCkgUxU0jdj3tmMPc/edit#gid=1274624273
Hardware transcoding may be a requirement and this isn’t included on all NAS’s. Hardware transcoding allows for you to use specialized hardware to convert video files from one format to another. You may need this for older devices that are streaming videos from your NAS, but lots of newer tech takes care of this via software transcoding.
For example, if you're storing your media in a newer codec like H.265, but the devices you're streaming to only support H.264, your server (in this case, my NAS) will need to do some transcoding. Your CPU will be able to handle a few streams using Software Transcoding, but if you have a busy household then Hardware Transcoding might be a better option. Using hardware transcoding, which happens via your GPU and QuickSync, can free up your CPU.
Memory - Your NAS also comes with RAM built in, and sometimes space for extra sticks of RAM. So consider if upgrades are available, and if the built in amount can keep buffering and lag times to a mimumum.
Ports / Connectivity - Does the NAS offer USB-C or USB-A slots to transfer files? What kind of ethernet port does it have? Check the speed of the ports based on your network. For example, a NAS might come with two 1GbE and one 10GbE RJ-45. Some NAS’s come with two ethernet ports, allowing for protection against network interface failures.
I won’t be setting up Link Aggregation on my own server, which would give me faster performance if multiple devices are accessing data on the same network - since I don’t currently need this for my two person household, that’s not a determining factor for me, but may be for you.
Scalability is important if you expect you may need more storage in the future. Some NAS boxes allow you to add an expansion unit to easily add more storage without having to buy a new NAS.
How many drive bays are available? For me, two is fine. I always need at least two so I can use a RAID setup. Some RAIDs need 3 drives to perform, but I usually just set up a RAID 1, which mirrors the data across two drives. That means if one fails, I have a second copy of all my data and can just replace the failed drive.
Lastly is cost! Of course! A NAS box can get pricey, so seriously weigh the pros and cons of each one that checks these boxes to determine if you can save some money. With storage getting less expensive, you may find it beneficial to buy a 2 bay NAS instead of a 4 bay, or buy the one with less RAM but with upgradable slots.
Next is choosing your hard drives and this comes down to a few important factors.
NAS dedicated drives are rated for continuous use, and will last longer than your regular consumer PC drives. The PC drive that I have installed in my gaming tower isn’t being accessed 24/7, but a NAS drive will be reading and writing at a much greater scale. Stick to NAS rated drives.
RPM and cache - A 7200 RPM drive means the disk literally spins faster, so you’ll get faster performance than on a 5400 RPM drive. 5400 RPM drives can be more efficient though, so look at the quality of the drives and compare lifetimes and warranties as well.
If your NAS has space for an SSD cache drive, then you can use SSD caching for memory dependent tasks, like file sharing.
Storage size is a definite must. Consider how much space you’ll need several years down the line. If you’re using a RAID, you’ll also need to consider how much storage you’ll actually need because the amount you buy will be halved because of that mirroring.
Cost is a factor as well. Drives have dropped in price compared to a few years ago, but you’ll find that as you dip into higher TB, the price difference is minimal.
The nice part of this is - the hardware you choose can be totally customized based on your needs, and it integrates perfectly with the Plex Web App and Plex Pass.
So Plex Pass is
No matter what hardware you choose, it’ll work great with Plex Media Server and the entire ecosystem of Plex client applications. This can even be enhanced with Plex Pass! Plex Pass is Plex’s special subscription tier that gives you DVR functionality for over the air (OTA) broadcasts, mobile downloads, hardware transcoding, bonus content you can enjoy like movie and TV show extras, and my favorite - highly detailed data about your server’s config and status. [ show PlexDash mobile app ]
I have a Plex Pass subscription and use it daily alongside my own Plex Server.
I’ve had a Plex Pass for like 4 years now and I use the included features daily.
Since I have already set up a Synology Plex Server on my channel before, I’m going to fly through most of this part.
I’ve already got my new NAS set up on my network. I’ve installed the Synology DSM operating system and enabled a RAID for data mirroring. [show this set up on camera via screen recording].
Now, let’s back up your old media server data and the server files. While this isn’t necessary, I absolutely think you should do this just in case of any issues. You don’t want to lose all your data. I say all the time that 2 is 1, 1 is none, make sure you have at least two copies of your files. Plex has a deal going on with Backblaze until March next year, and Backblaze is a great option for cloud storage and backing up your media files.
If you have a large library, a zip or tar file can speed up the process. This can take a really long time so start this process early and do somethin’ else while it’s working.
Since we’re using a NAS, you’ll notice this preferences.xml file in the main PMS directory. That has all your corresponding settings included in it, so make sure to back that up too.
Where do you find all the data? There’s a whole support page dedicated to different operating systems but this is where I’ll find it on the Synology NAS:
On DSM 7:
/volume1/PlexMediaServer/AppData/Plex Media Server
On DSM 6:
/volume1/Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server
Make sure not to save your zip file in the main PMS data folder as the media server could delete this without your knowing. Store it somewhere else on your PC til you’re ready to reinstall this data on your new server.
To start moving your files to the new server, start out on your old NAS. In the Plex Media Server settings, disable the option to empty trash automatically after every scan..
On the new NAS, go ahead and install the Plex Media Server DSM app, it’s located in the Package Center, update it, and set it up. I highly recommend duplicating the server name for your new plex setup to keep the workload to a minimum. You can also duplicate the drive name, file structure, and the metadata.
In the Plex Web App, sign out of your account by going to settings, server, general. Then, quit and exit the Plex Media Server.
Now you can start getting server data on the new system! You’ll need to replace any existing files or subdirectories from the installation with your own data. If you zipped your data, expand then place it in the new NAS. Make sure the directories and contents are all owned by plex:plex as the user on the new PMS. [ Make sure the PlexMediaServer system internal user is set to read/write permissions access for each directory ]
And Reboot!
Now all your old data should be in place on the new NAS. If you launch the Plex Web App, you will see your libraries, but chances are your content won’t work yet. That’s totally normal!
The content location needs to be relinked, so “edit” one of your libraries and add the new folder location. You’ll still see your previous folder location but leave it there for now. Do this for each library, one by one.
Once all the libraries have been relinked, you can click scan library files if it doesn’t automatically start on it’s own.
Once everything is scanned and updated, verify that things are lookin’ good and your content works. If all looks well, you can click edit and remove the old folder location from your libraries.
Finally, we’re moving onto a few little bits of clean up. Re-enable empty trash automatically after every scan. Empty the trash for your server. Clean Bundles for the server (you’ll need to give this setting time to complete), then Optimize Database.
You’ll also need to re-enable remote access and any forwarded ports on your router if you had this enabled previously.
You’re done!!!
