Server Version#:1.28.1.6092.87136b92b amd64
I have ten drives, 8 are gpt partitions with btrfs data, and 2 are btrfs volumes.
The problem is that plex will not see any files on the btrfs volumes. Every other app I have sees them just fine. All drives are the same permissions and owner and group.
Plex only sees data on drives listed under the/dev/disk/part label. It will not see the data under /def/disk/by-label
I am going to move the data of the two drives that are btrfs and put up partitions on them and hope this can be fixed sometime in the future.
Plex doesn’t care what the formatting is.
Setting up the drive’s permissions properly is the key
have you set permissions for the mount-point directory BEFORE mounting the drive and then again AFTER ?
Synology NAS systems use BTRFS and PMS works ok there.
This is most likely a permissions problem at the mount point.
All drives have the same permissions; all folders, all directories, and all mount points are root. The only difference is that the two drives have btrfs, and 8 are GPT. All eight can be seen; I can aim plex at /mnt/volume 9 or volume10, which are the btrfs drive, and it will not see any files or folders.
This is all on Debian 12, an alpha version or mabie beta. Also every other app on the machine sees the files just fine.
I’m in the process of making the drives gpt and copying the files over I know that will make it work the problem is something in how plex is accessing the drives it does not matter if i aim plex at the merged volume created with mergerfs or the individual drives it will not see any files on the 2 that were partition with btrfs mkfs.btrfs -L mylabel /dev/disk
So you don’t even know if the OS is working correctly?
I will put very little effort into beta OS support. I have been badly burned more times than I can count.
Can you show me your partition tables ?
Also need to know where you’re mounting it / /etc/fstab record for it.
btrfs does not use partitions it makes volumes the drives that work have partitions
Volumes are if you want to use them. They aren’t required.
You can make a GPT partition table, format it with BTRFS, and use the entire filessystem without creating a subvolume.
The more complex it is, the more likely it will fail.
I spent a few months figuring this out. It has been driving me crazy why I added files but never seen them in plex. I think I had the same problem while on Debian 10 and 11 but cannot verify that as I am on 12 now. i only found out as I had created a new btrfs empty volume and added 1 folder with 1 file and plex would not see it.
you might be able to btrfs format a thumb drive to test this. make sure to use gparted and remove all partitions first then create the partition with mkfs.btris…
I did the following in my Ubuntu 20 VM
/butter with raw permissions 755/animated shared folder/butter to the Animated library section.Remember, when you format the drive, the entire drive itself is the first ‘Volume’ and you’re perfectly OK to use it that way.
Rule of thumb – Don’t overthink it
Subvolumes within the volume are painful.
If it’s of help:
$ sudo bash <- get root shell
# parted -l <- list the drives (how I found /dev/sdb)
# parted /dev/sdb <- this drive
mklabel gpt <- make a gpt label on /dev/sdb
mkpart <- Start 1, End -1 (whole partition)
# mkfs -t btrfs -L btr /dev/sdb1
# mkdir /butter
# chmod 755 /butter <- sets the mount point permissions
# mount /dev/sdb1 /butter
# chmod 755 /butter <- sets the filesystem internal permissions
Done.
how did you create the btrfs i used gparted and made sure no partition existed then use disks and did create a partition other, then btrfs it only allows 1 volume label and not a partition label
I used the cli parted (what gparted is built on).
Let me add another hdd to the VM and I’ll show you the entire command line.
i am pretty sure it has to do with plex the problem started in debian 10 files were disappearing i knew i added but i never bothered to trace it unill debian 12 i added another new drive and partitioned it all btrfs also and files were disappearing on it also. then i found the files were there just plex was not seeing them I verified all the folders partitions users group etc are same between working and non working drives.
im currently copying btrfs volume 9 to gpt/btrfs volume10 im 100 % sure when i get done all the files will be visible
you have to relise also ubuntu is not debian and things work different. debian 12 they have merged btrfs tools into btrfs and merferfs tools into mergerfs that is one difference. but the problem started back in 10 so it should be noticed on ubuntu.
the other thing is the mount in fstab needs to be created with disks so it is
/dev/disk/by-label/bvolume9 /mnt/volume9 auto nosuid,nodev,nofail,noaattime,autodefrag,compress 0 0
It’s fine that they merged it together but the CLI is the CLI and parted and mkfs will always be the base.
If you learn those, you don’t care what type of GUI is strapped on top.
VM booted, creating for you now.
it has something to do with mounting by volumelabel plex is only looking at the mount by partlabel
if plex lookes at mount by-label i would have no problem
ok more clear the btrfs parted drives can only be mounted /dev/disk/by-partlabel since btrfs has no volume label i thin
GPT DRIVES can be mounted /dev/disk/by-label these plex will see
Plex doesn’t give a darn about “mount-by-anything”.
Plex looks at the directory and the files within it. Please don’t get caught up in all the noise.
Writing this up for you now.
