I’m relatively new to plex. I used my main windows laptop to try Plex out, set up a Plex server and enjoyed the service. I decided to buy a refurbished laptop to use as my main plex server connected to multiple HDD’s, and always on.
I had trouble setting up the plex server on the refurbished laptop. I ended up having to create a new library and add files from the connected HDD’s.
I’m wanting to use both laptops to manage the same plex server. Is this possible? When trying to add files from my main laptop, the only folders visible are the HDD’s running through the refurbished laptop.
The short answer is no, you can’t add local media from multiple devices to a single Plex server.
The long answer is that while you can manage your server from any device that can communicate with it (e.g. your main laptop), your libraries are still limited to what your server has access to. Plex Media Server doesn’t upload content to some cloud location, it’s reading local/network files, so you can only add media that your refurbished laptop has access to. In theory you could share content from your main laptop and access it on your refurbished laptop if they’re on the same network, but if your main laptop ever goes offline, your Plex server on the refurbished laptop won’t be able to play that content.
Your laptop is not only the tool for managing the server. It is the server.
Hence if it’s not connected or powered off, you cannot access Plex server.
You can use more than one server with your Plex account. But the switch between them is not invisible. Also, you cannot synchronize the data between them (except the information about what was watched).
