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I am moving from an older Windows PC to a newer one. I had the older/current server set up fine in Plex. I used Port Forwarding and it’s fully accessible outside my network. I also have a NAS set up in Plex and it also is working fine. What I want to do is add this new PC to Plex, get it set up and working and then delete my old PC server from Plex. I could delete it now I suppose but I kind of want to use it as a comparison. I would set up another port/port forwarding for this new PC. The problem I’m having is that I cannot find the “add a server” ANYWHERE in Plex. I’ve googled and looked as best I can but I just can’t seem to find it. I should be able to have multiple servers, right? I have lifetime pass. Can someone point out where/how to do this?
I originally thought of leaving everything as it is as far as the original server goes because the “music/folders” are replicated in the same exact spot (drive letter/folder) on the new computer as the old) and just changing the MAC addresses in my router (flipping between the old and new) while keeping the same IP)… It didn’t seem to work for me.
I’d appreciate any guidance and help. I’m on a new Windows 10 Pro machine. I’m coming from an older W7 Pro machine. Thank you!
Open the new server through its local IP address, e.g. http://127.0.0.1:32400/web if you’re on the same machine or http://[PMS IP address]:32400/web if it’s on a different device inside your home network.
To access both servers remotely, add a second port forward statement in your router pointing to the new server. Give it a different outside port. The inside port is always 32400. In Plex Remote Access settings, check the box to manually specify the public port and enter the outside port number for the second server.
Do not perform the steps in Copy Additional Server Settings From the Source System, since you want to run both servers at the same time. Copying the information from the registry would clone your existing server - same name, etc - and you do not want to do so.
Also, when copying the Plex Data Folder, you do not need to sign out of your existing server or remove it from Authorized Devices. You do need to stop Plex Media Server so the database will be closed.
I created another forwarded port but I’m confused a bit. The external port should be what? For the old server/PC it’s 32400 and the internal is 192.168… and the server number. I then did a new forwarded port and entered a new number for the eternal port (different than the other older PC) but with a different internal address. Is that what I should do? And on your instruction to enter the outside port number for the second server in Plex, I made sure the check box to manually specify the public port is still the 32400 but I don’t see where to enter the outside port for the second server. Please advise - and THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
If you’re using port forwards, each server needs an individual public port assigned. Otherwise your router won’t know what traffic to route to which server.
The public port doesn’t have to be 32400. Only the internal port of each connection must be 32400.
Here’s what I don’t understand (and it’s my lack of knowledge admittedly)… Can I not just add another server/computer? I’ll be decommissioning the old PC once I get the new one set up. The only way to enter in a new port number is by being inside the current server and entering the new port forwarding number I created for the new PC. Is that what I do? Why wouldn’t I just Add a new server and then add that number to remote access for it? If I change the number for the current server/old PC - then wouldn’t it look to the new PC/server - thereby losing contact with the old PC?
What I’m trying to do is just add brand new additional server/new PC. Once I do that, I’ll delete the old server. It can’t be that difficult (or am I just not understanding how it all works?). I don’t see ANYWHERE/ANYPLACE where I can just add an additional server. I’m good I think on the ports and port forwarding. I just need a little more clarity here. I do appreciate it. Thanks!!
It’s not at all difficult.
All it takes is a consistent configuration across your router and the Plex Media Server.
If you want to stick with the existing rule, you’ll need to update it to point to the new server’s local IP address – then all you need to do on the new server is to configure the public port in the server’s remote access settings.
As for creating a new server – the main job here is to finish the server setup and link it to your account so your clients can easily access it. To do that, you need to access your new server locally through its local IP address (that’s what I had posted before). Once you finished the setup, the server will show up elsewhere too. https://support.plex.tv/articles/200288586-installation/
People like myself must be maddening to try and help, haha - I just am not getting this for some reason. It’s me, not you obviously. If I have Plex with a NAS server running inside Plex (music, movies, playlists) and a PC server (music), why would I install another PMS? Can I not just add another server inside the same PMS that these other two ones are? Much like when you add a library for a specific server, is there nowhere in the PMS that allows me to add another server? I could just delete the old PC server inside PMS but I’d need to know how to add another server/PC. It’s been a while since I added something - but I must have added it in the same PMS.
Perhaps to put it another way, is there not a way to add a third server in the PMS that I have running? I tried changing the MAC address between the old and new PCs and then modifying the corresponding port forwarding but Plex keeps seeing the old computer. Someone told me to try that.
This is the PMS - and looking at forums here and on other google searches, it says to go to the account and select the add server icon - but as you can see, there is no icon here:
Sorry for being not as tech savvy as I should be. Seems like adding another server, then providing its remote access private and public port should be a no-brainer in doing - but again, no such button exists in Plex that I am finding.
I know you’re helping as best you can, but I’m still a bit lost. Again, installing PMS again doesn’t seem the right solution. I already have that running .and two servers are already part of it.
I just need to add a third one. As noted, I can delete my old PC but I’d still need to find how to add the other new PC first. Thanks!
I see. I have a NAS an a computer (well, two actually) but I will end up with only one. So does PMS only allow for one computer? So if I delete the existing computer server from Plex, will it then show up and allow me to add a computer back in?
I tried to just keep the same IP that Plex sees for the old PC, but change the MAC address (putting the new PC’s MAC in place of the old one and vice versa but that didn’t work. I’m kind of stuck as my knowledge is limited. I just thought my PMS would allow for more servers to be added, but maybe that’s not the case. Thanks for the clarity to your earlier reply.
No. You can have as many Plex Media Servers as you want (there is probably a limit, but going by the posts on the forum, some people have 10+ servers running).
That seems unnecessarily complex. You can run both at the same time. That will let you make sure the new server works acceptably before you decommission the old server.
I have two Plex Media Servers. Both accessible via remote access.
Plex 1 is a Synology DS918+ and was my main server for several years. Plex 2 is its replacement, an i5 based system running Ubuntu that NFS mounts the media on the DS918. I just finished migrating friends & family to the new server. Plex 1 will remain as a test system and emergency backup if the new server takes a dive.
Don’t concentrate on the remote access for now. First, add the new server machine to your Plex account.
If this is a newly installed machine, make sure that the network connection has been classified as “private” in Windows. Otherwise all ports are blocked by the firewall.
type in the address http://127.0.0.1:32400/web + Enter
if the web app opens, it is a sign that the newly installed server is running – good!
sign in to your already existing Plex account
WAIT – until you are notified that there is an “unclaimed” server in the local network. Claim it.
your new server is now connected to your account. You should be able to see and access it with every Plex app in the local network.
Make yourself familiar with how to customize the left side bar.
To make the above work, you should
use a stock web browser. Don’t use any of the nailed-shut special browsers which prevent scripts from running, prevent access to certain web addresses and prevent certain features of web apps
disable any web browser add-ins
disable or uninstall VPN software
disable “internet filter” and “privacy software” of any type
avoid 3rd-party firewall and anti virus software for now
If you go to
Settings - Server
there is a dropdown selector on the left side bar, which you use to select which server to configure.
This was really helpful. I discovered that I had forgotten to reinstall Plex last week when I had to reinstall Windows onto my machine. I previously did. I reinstalled many programs and set various settings as one does when setting up a new machine. So Plex got lost in all that.
So now I’m on my new PC without Plex being installed yet (at least it doesn’t show up in the %LocalAppData%, nor on any search.
So tell me if this is wrong:
Based on input I found, I basically backed up my plex files from %localappdata% and compressed all the Plex files under PMS as well as the registry on my Old PC. I would then export the registry.
On the new PC, I would install Plex (but only to the point where it’s ready to launch - the input I found said to not launch yet but then do this:
Merge this registry onto the new machine and also copy the zipped files back over the Plex folders that Plex would create when I started installation.
Given my lack of expertise here, let me ask a few questions if I may:
Does the above look like it is viable?
If Yes, I would then finish the install for Plex
If No, then if I just go ahead and install Plex (and not do any copying of folders over Plex folders and merge the registry), will it lose all the playlists and music/video attached to my NAS in Plex? Will it also remember my old PC music when I log in? Or is that part of the registry?
With respect to the NAS, it would NOT be good to lose any of that data (musc/videos/playlists/all my metadata, etc). I don’t mind losing my old PC data, but I absolutely cannot lose my NAS. On my old PC I only have some hi-res files I made a library for off my computer and could easily re-add them to the new PC. Everything else resides on my NAS.
Again, the #1most important element here for me is to NOT lose any settings for my Plex / NAS server which has all my 900+ playlists and my music and videos, metadata etc. So if I just install Plex and follow your steps 1-7 above, and then grab the “unclaimed” server (this new PC), it will then be a server on Plex, while also maintaining the NAS since I have logged into my account?
Again, the reason I would copy everything in the AppData Plex files from my old PC was that it essentially “moved” my stuff to the new computer so it kept all the data associated with my Plex account.
I hope I explained that well. And thanks again for your instructions here. It caused me to look and make sure Plex was (or wasn’t) installed and that’s when I saw it wasn’t even installed (after reinstalling Windows). So I don’t have to uninstall anyway.
Please let me know. Once more, it’s critical that I don’t lose the music and playlists on my NAS/Plex server. Otherwise, I can just delete the old PC in Plex and just roll with my NAS.
You said you migrated friends and family to the new server. That’s what I intended to do. (I zipped my Plex folders/files in %localappdata&. Then exported the registry. The plan was then to install Plex on the new machine (but not completely finish the installation) and then copy the unzipped folders over the folders Plex created in its installation, as well as merging the registry file).
My #1 most important thing is to not screw up anything in my account where I would lose my NAS and all associated music, videos and playlists. I imported 900+ playlists from iTunes (which was not an easy feat) so I need to make sure that isn’t lost.
If I simply install Plex on my new server and log in, will it have my NAS and Old PC without doing all the steps above? If I just install Plex and it keeps my NAS, I can just decide if I want to add my new PC and music from it.
I have the internal/external point stuff all nailed down. I just need to get the right steps here so I don’t lose the NAS server. Losing the Old PC is no big deal. It would take me 20 minutes maybe to re-add the files I had on that server that wasn’t on my NAS.
I sure appreciate the input from everyone. Sorry I’m not more seasoned at all this. I’m doing my best.
Each Plex server is independent. What libraries you configure, etc on one has no impact on another.
If you want to run multiple Windows based servers at the same time, you can copy the Plex data folder from the old server to the new server. Do not copy the registry information.
Copying the registry information would make one server a clone of the other. You do that only if you’re doing a “hard cut” where the new server replaces the old server and they do not exist at the same time.
The old PC will be decommissioned after I’m done setting up the new PC. I am just leaving it in place for now as I set up everything on the new one. I can then check and make I’ve not missed anything. So I don’t really need the old computer’s stuff - as long as the NAS and related music/videos/playlists are intact on my account when setting up this new PC. Please advise on that.
Otherwise, let me ask if this sounds workable:
A. Install Plex all the way through.
B. Follow the steps to claim this server from Otto.
open a web browser on this new computer
type in the address http://127.0.0.1:32400/web + Enter
if the web app opens, it is a sign that the newly installed server is running – good!
sign in to your already existing Plex account
WAIT – until you are notified that there is an “unclaimed” server in the local network. Claim it.
your new server is now connected to your account. You should be able to see and access it with every Plex app in the local network.
Would that then allow me to re-add the music to my new server/PC that I just installed and set up? AND keep my NAS server in place?
