Moving Plex from a QNAP to a new QNAP

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Server Version#: 1.25.0
Player Version#: 4.84.1

I know that some changes were made on how plex works on qnap in the change to QTS 5. I was wondering if there was an updated discussion on moving from one qnap to another qnap? The posts that I found were all dated before 2020. Thanks.

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Moving your PMS installation from one QNAP to another is pretty easy.

I’ll refer to them as the OLD and NEW machines.

OLD machine

  1. Create a shared folder, named exactly PlexData, anywhere you want.

  2. This shared folder, after PMS restarts, will give you access to all your metadata.

  3. In Settings - Server - Library - Show Advanced, turn off
    a. Automatic detection of changes
    b. Periodic scan
    c. Empty Trash (very important)
    d. SAVE the changes.

  4. Stop Plex

  5. Open FileStation,

  6. Navigate into PlexData → click Plex Media Server.

  7. You’ll now see all the files which PMS uses.

  8. Highlight ALL of them.

  9. Right-Click and “Compress” them. (Give it a name which makes sense)

  10. When it’s complete, this file will now be what you take to the new QNAP.
    Save it on your computer or a thumb drive – whatever you wish.
    This is an image backup of your entire PMS internal databases and all metadata.

  11. From this point forward, DO NOT start Plex on the OLD QNAP

NEW machine

  1. Install PMS
  2. Again create the PlexData shared folder
  3. Restart PMS
  4. STOP PMS
  5. Open FileStation
  6. Navigate to PlexData and into Plex Media Server
  7. You’ll now see the internal files again – except these are for this new machine.
  8. Select all of them and DELETE them
  9. COPY the backup you made from the OLD machine and place it in this “Plex Media Server” folder.
  10. Right-click the ZIP file → Unzip here
  11. When it finishes, you’ll have all the data from the OLD machine here on this NEW machine.

You can now start PMS on this NEW machine.

  1. Open PMS using the LAN IP only. (http://LAN.IP.of.QNAP:32400/web)
  2. Make certain it responds (loads Plex/web for you and grants access)
  3. For each library section you have, do the following:
  • EDIT the library section
  • Folders tab
  • ADD the new location which points to your media IF it’s different.
    Do NOT delete the old location yet.
  • OK (Save) the changes.
  • Observe PMS scanning your files
  • When Scanning is complete – Open the library section
  • Make certain all your media files are accounted for (No trash cans)
    Correct missing media as you deem appropriate
  • When all files are accounted for -
  • EDIT the section again
  • Folders Tab
  • DELETE the old location from the list
  • OK/SAVE the changes
  • Observe PMS scanning again.
  • When Scanning complete -
  • Empty Trash
  • Clean Bundles
  • Optimize Database
  1. Go to the next section and repeat the above until done.
  2. Make a final sweep of your library sections and server settings.
4

Thanks for the guidance. There is one more concern I have. I am changing NAS’ because the Old Nas failed, hardware failed, and the raid got degraded to “read only mode.” I was able to pull the Plexdata subdirectory from it using FileZilla, but of course I had no way to guarantee that the “Empty Trash” part of your instruction was done. Can I still use the Plexdata subdirectory from the Old Nas, which seems to be intact otherwise, on my New one?

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Knowing the old nas had failed is important to know.

Now I must ask – Are you moving the entire HDD array to the new QNAP together as one piece?

This knowledge changes everything.

6

Qnap decided to replace the old nas, rather than fix it. In the meantime I had started to setup a new array with new drives on another Qnap I had which I tended to just migrate over to the nas upon its return. Although now I will be receiving a entirely new nas (different model #), the plan is still basically the same: 1) Complete the rebuild of the raid with new drives; 2) reinstall all my old data on that raid; 3) physically moving the raid to the new nas and migrating it; and 4) and then installing my old PMS build once everything is up and running.

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