Moving from Windows to QNAP TS-453Bmini, couple questions

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

The old windows PC is aging and over heating so want to set up on this new NAS. Been reading the FAQs and all over the forums. I plan to keep the windows server running until I get the QNAP set up right and only then will cut over. So I have permission to mess up, but would prefer not to. I figure I’ll set up the NAS with it’s own server name so I can test it while my family (who have their own accounts under My Home and friends) blissfully remain unaware of any of this. I’m good with installing Plex and the media on QNAP from scratch, rebuilding etc. Also hoping that at the end, I can get a sibling to use both Plex installations to look for issues between the two. My concern is 1) ignorance of something I should know of in advance to make this plan work especially regarding handling these friend and family accounts and 2) can I, once ready on the QNAP, just rename the NAS Plex server to the old windows server name (again so friends and family again are clueless I’ve done all this)? Are there tips to making this work? Hope this makes sense. I get the NAS on Friday, just want to do it right.

2

I have a few recommendations and basics points. They will hopefully help you avoid the major issues that are often stumbled on.

  1. Pay attention to the warnings and cautions in the QNAP FAQ https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/175405/qnap-faq-read-me-first
  2. Don’t use the MultiMedia share QNAP will show you. Create a proper share for each type / logical grouping as you have them. By doing so, PMS and the QNAP apps will not interfere. QNAP loves to use MultiMedia. Their apps manipulate the conents of it because it’s a software presentation of your media. This is the root of interference and seemingly lost media in PMS. Use the ‘raw’ share and you’ll be fine… (direct name example: /share/music , /share/tv, and /share/movies) doing it this way, you’re completely free of physical location which gives you freedom to move / partition as you see fit.
  3. Setup the QNAP PMS server with a new name. After you’ve transferred ViewState (if you want) and custom posters, then we can transfer the “MachineID” from the old to the new and the QNAP will , from the Plex.tv perspective, have assumed the the identity of the old machine.
3

Thank you, I googled transferring ViewState and transferring MachineID and think I get the gist of it. Glad my old man command line background remains useful.