Backup instructions don't work, metadata denied. Synology RS815+ SHR BTRFS

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Server Version#: 1.15.4.993-bb4a2cb63

Shut down Plex Server and followed:

Instructions here: https://support.plex.tv/articles/201539237-backing-up-plex-media-server-data/?_ga=2.147890163.571276531.1557361577-72547143.1523411327 Claims to grab preferences.xml, easy,

Also says “For your operating system, make a backup of the main Plex Media Server data directory.” For Synology it is /Volume1/Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/ https://support.plex.tv/articles/202915258-where-is-the-plex-media-server-data-directory-located/ Also fine.

But you can’t, Permission Denied on anything below the folder below Combined \NAS\Plex\Library\Application Support\Plex Media Server\Metadata\Albums\0\0b04c7d5d1d90811b0dab4d503f899bc3d40255.bundle\Contents_combined\posters
E.g. …posters/com.plexapp.agents.localmedia_9d663b7ac8713794547db8fa6743be2968d71393 all denied. Under Posters, Tracks, ectcetera all are denied, no matter what I do.

From the Synology I have forced permissions down (successfully seen change up and down the folder structure), from Windows file share as Domain Admin I have forced permissions down to child objects and at no time are these files ever touched.

So when the Plex article says “make a backup of the main Plex Media Server data directory. For Synology it is /Volume1/Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/.” Plex has contradicted itself with an impossible task (with no way to open a ticket), at least in this environment, and/or without some complex SSH mojo to the Synology with Linux CHMOD, that certainly I’ve not seen documented.

What will it take to make a Plex Server backup? Just grab the Preferences.xml and the databases %root%\Plex\Library\Application Support\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases and ignore the articles claiming otherwise?

Thoughts?

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Google btrfs balance

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Thank you for responding @trumpy81.

The first article says “For your operating system, make a backup of the main Plex Media Server data directory. The location will vary by platform” and has a link to the second article where it gives the statement: “Synology, Asustor: /Volume1/Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server/” for the path.

I had stopped Plex first as stated, and compressed Library using 7-Zip (from a W10 box) and that’s where all the access denied comes in.

Very specifically, the only files denied are the files without file extensions at the very end of the path: \NAS\Plex\Library\Application Support\Plex Media Server\Metadata\Albums\0\0b04c7d5d1d90811b0dab4d503f899bc3d40255.bundle\Contents_combined\posters or \lyrics, or maybe others, but not TV or Movies that I’ve seen.

e.g. 1: \NAS\Plex\Library\Application Support\Plex Media Server\Metadata\Albums\d\0e30eeeee1f1a307ff0185b48d05b0509ef0fe1.bundle\Contents_combined\tracks\a678258970f1b8547c31f55aa3121fb2bd9c8920\lyrics\com.plexapp.agents.lyricfind_41b4356045645c65d852e09ea2ab327f29238148

e.g. 2: \NAS\Plex\Library\Application Support\Plex Media Server\Metadata\Albums\0\6d88cbd9a30b987155b98301cc913d7d9423d0d.bundle\Contents_combined\posters\com.plexapp.agents.lastfm_c3fe9fab84f04b8f5aecf15b66f2ff24553792df

All files and folders above these are set as I wanted using the DSM control panel as both specified in my post, and you’re helpful instruction (DSM isn’t kicking an error, running as Admin).

I not only used R/W, but Custom, giving Domain Admins Group, and my specific user All R/W, and Administration/Ownership and watched the changes affect every single file/folder up and down the path except the ones being denied at the very end of the metadata path.

Since all permissions are perfect everywhere else, my plan is to not worry about it, zip up the files, ignore the errors, get the rest of the data including preferences.xml, throw that zip into the offsite backup rotations, and if a restore is ever necessary, then with the DBs in tact and the preferences, the only thing that will be missing is some of the metadata that can be downloaded again.

I’m not 100% certain if that logic is a correct assumption though. ?

These person(s) had similar issues: Migrating Metadata from Synology to Windows 10

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@trumpy81 Right, in short, solved, thank you for having me keep looking.

For others that may run into this: in fact I had thought about that before, using the Synology to compress the folder tree through root access, but the compression tool in the GUI of the Synology is only available in the File Station, and the Plex folder never showed up there, only in the Shared Folders.

The answer is that the Admin Account had been assigned No Access during the Plex install (hidden) through “Users” but not through shares, yet because of the LDAP connection, Domain Admins had all rights to control shares, set permissions etc, but as you noted, at some point there’s a problem coming at it from the Windows side, even if Domain Admins have full inheritance.

As soon as I got Plex%path% to show up in File Station, all the rest falls into place as expected.

Thanks again.

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If I might add the commands for a Synology “script” to run as root (scheduled tasks).

Assuming the Plex share is on volume1,
Run as user root (not admin)

cd /volume1/Plex
"/var/packages/Plex Media Server/scripts/start-stop-status"  stop
rm -f PlexBackup.zip 
zip -rq PlexBackup.zip *
"/var/packages/Plex Media Server/scripts/start-stop-status"  start

PlexBackup.zip will contain your backup (less the Linux permissions and ownership).

To maintain everything:

cd /volume1/Plex
"/var/packages/Plex Media Server/scripts/start-stop-status"  stop
rm -f PlexBackup.tar.gz
tar cfz PlexBackup.tar.gz  *
"/var/packages/Plex Media Server/scripts/start-stop-status"  start

The backup (PlexBackup) file can be written to any desired location. This includes a share which is already accessible by normal means.

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