I copied all plexdata from one server to another. Plex thinks they are both the same server now

Plex Media Server Metadata & Adding Files
1

Server Version#: 1.15.4.994
Player Version#: n/a

So I have 2 servers. 1 that i’ve had running for a while, and another that i just built.

Server1: Running in a FreeNAS 11.2 iocage jail.
Server2: Running in a docker container on Ubuntu 18.04 Server.

Server 1, being on FreeNAS, does not support GPU transcoding, so I built the second server to test out GPU transcoding. The goal is to have both servers running concurrently, look at the same content locations, and have synced meta data between them using the FreeNAS system as a master source.

Since I have spent a considerable amount of time making some manual edits to collections and certain files that don’t pull metadata automatically, I copied the entire “Plex Media Server” directory from the FreeNAS jail to the Ubuntu server where the docker stores it’s data.

Now all plex clients essentially think these two different physical boxes are the same server, so a user is not able to select between them. if i rename one of them, the server name on the other changes as well. I have a feeling this is somehow related to some kind of “server ID” somewhere in these files, but I’m not sure where.

what file do i need to delete or edit so that plex will pick them up as separate servers again. but i want to keep the metadata and other manual settings the same.

2

You copied Preferences.xml

In it, is the server ID number.

The easiest solution:

  1. stop Plex
  2. Delete Preferences.xml
  3. Start Plex
  4. sign-in/claim it/ Start the setup procedure – EXCEPT
  5. Don’t create any library sections. They persist through this soft reset
  6. Continue through setup to the Dashboard
  7. Go back into settings and set all values again (you are back to defaults)
  8. Save
  9. Done
3

Thanks, Chuck.

I have done this, and it did indeed pick it up as a new server.

However, it is not generating a new Preferences.xml file. So when I stop the server and start up again, it’s back to being a brand new server on the setup page. it also can’t seem to find any new files with a “Scan Library” operation, even though they are present in the mounted directories.

have any pointers on where to look for this?

4

nevermind. it was a permissions issue and plex wasnt allowed write access to the directory.

all fixed now :slight_smile:

5

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