Managing Plex's metadata: Request for feedback -- QNAP

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Over the past few years, Plex Media Server has been expanding and evolving across the fleet of NAS devices at a feverish pitch; from the initial few dozen models to it’s current 300+ discrete models.

As Plex has expanded and evolved, its implementation hasn’t always been the most consistent across the NAS products.

This makes moving from one NAS vendor to another not only difficult for you but also difficult for us to support.

For these reasons, having put together the lessons learned to date, a few of us came up with some restructuring ideas about where your Plex metadata is stored on your NAS and how to access it in the easiest fashion using the native NAS-provided tools.

The two most common vendors are Synology and QNAP. Other vendors either track these two or are somewhere in between. With Synology and QNAP as the two most common, it is hoped sharing how restructuring could happen, and what the end would look like, is the easiest way to communicate ,.

Currently:
On Synology, if you uninstall PMS, your metadata is preserved. You also have easy access to the log files, by navigating into the Plex share via File Station, to help us finding out why you’re having problems in those cases when Plex doesn’t start.

On QNAP, if you uninstall Plex, your metadata is removed (deleted). You also need to use the command line to access your log files. This requires a level of skill and Linux command line knowledge which shouldn’t be needed.

Synology has a publicly visible Plex share which is accessible in the graphical file manager (File Station). By simply navigating into the Plex share, you gain easy access to the log files in order to create a ZIP file for upload to the forum for diagnosis.

Looking forward:
Graphical File Manager-based access is the fundamental model we are considering to provide easy access to your Plex metadata for backup as well as your log files for catastrophic diagnostics, across all NAS platforms

Because some users accidentally put their media in the Plex share, it is also thought changing the name would help avoid some of this confusion.

Therefore, to share some of the details of how we envision this being implemented::

Synology

  1. The default location of your metadata would be renamed from /volume1/Plex/Library/Application Support/Plex Media Server to /volume1/PlexData/PlexMediaServer.
  2. The “Library/Application Support” directories will be removed as they serve no purpose.
  3. Should you decide to move the PlexData share, as always, it will be located when PMS starts automatically. This allows you to manage where your metadata is stored more easily.

QNAP

  1. The default location where your metadata is stored would be moved from /share/CACHEDEV1_DATA/.qpkg/PlexMediaServer/Library (or MD0_DATA if appropriate) to /share/PlexData/PlexMediaServer
  2. Your metadata will no longer be stored underneath the sofware. This would allow you to remove the package completely in order to downgrade. It makes the chance of accidental data loss much less likely.
  3. Should you decide to move the PlexData share, as always, it will be located when PMS starts automatically by accessing it through /share/PlexData. This allows you to manage where your metadata is stored more easily.

It’s hoped by presenting these two examples, you can see what we’re trying to achieve in order to increase flexibility, decrease complexity, and lower the effort required to manage PMS on your NAS.

Please feel free to comment and provide your thoughts.

All thoughts on how this might be best implemented on the other NAS vendors’ models now supporting Plex are welcome.

With thanks,
Chuck

1 Like
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Any updateson the /share/PlexData on QNAP?

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Anything on Netgear?

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This seems like a good change.

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Sorry for being slow to respond.

I have been dedicated to finish writing the new Linux installer for unified SYSV-init and Systemd.

That work is done… It’s being tested now.
Phase 2 testing after that.
Forum preview after that :slight_smile:
Then it goes live to all.

Once Linux desktop is in forum testing, I will start QNAP.

I’ve not heard any negative feedback but I’ve not heard much positive either beyond what is reported here.

I would very much like to have more feedback either way as to which to do.
I think we all benefit by the new configuration but there might be something I’m not foreseeing

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All,

I am very sorry for losing this bookmark. Very poor on my part.

Status update:

  1. SYSV INIT scripting for Debian is completed. Deployment to public imminent.
  2. Corresponding overhaul for RPM in development. taking a break (need it)
  3. Would like to visit and finalize managing Plex’s data on QNAP.

Managing / Protecting against accidental deletion of metadata

I recognize the fundamental nature of QNAP’s QPKG mechanism deletes the data when an app is removed but app data as large as Plex should receive special consideration given the CPU resources and time it takes to generate.

I had originally proposed a PlexData share. While this would parallel work done (at user request) for Thecus and Synology, it was contradictory to to philosophy. Secondly, it fundamentally breaks the ability to use QTS “Migrate To”. This did not sit well with me or others.

To this end, I believe I have a viable option.

  1. No special share will be created or used.
  2. PMS is free to be migrated by QTS wherever you wish
  3. When you uninstall PMS, instead of deleting your metadata, move it to an archive directory in the Public share on your QNAP (PlexData-Archive)
    a. If you’re like most users who have one volume (CACHEDEV1_DATA), the move will be instantaneous.
    b. If you have been using an SSD, there will be up to approx 3 minutes while the data is moved to Public (CACHEDEV1) otherwise the time required will be directly proportional to how quickly you can move data to/from CACHEDEV1_DATA.
  4. When PMS is later re-installed, IF an archive is found, it will be moved back to where PMS is installed and PMS will pick up where it left off.

The advantages:

  1. If you uninstall Plex by accident, it will recover by itself at next installation.
  2. If you want access to make a backup, you only need stop, uninstall, Backup from Public, reinstall.

The disadvantages:

  1. If you install or move Plex on a volume other than CACHEDEV1, there will be background after uninstall and delay prior to startup when re-installing.
  2. If you want to start your installation over, you must a) Uninstall then b) Remove the backup archive copy from Public ( Two Steps). This is perhaps the biggest detriment I see.

I invite everyone’s comments.

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