I am am running the latest version of all software on my Synology DS918 + and Plex is preventing the NAS from hibernating. I want to use Plex for my streaming to my smart TVs. I use it randomly for a couple of hours several times a week.
Is Plex or Synology working on enabling Plex to allow the NAS to hibernate?
We are of course each entitled to our own opinions, but I personally don’t miss my Synology hibernations at all. It is much easier on your drives to have them simply spin than a never ending sleep and wake cycle. I don’t have to wait for it to wake to use it. The way I look at it I only want it to sleep when there is nothing to do, and with a media server, there always seems to be something for it to do.
The actual power usage and heat generated in a 918+ sleep versus idle is what maybe 15-25 W?
The changes Trumpy speaks of are:
a. Don’t query the Plex share unless PMS is actually running. (Package Center requests / checks status every 3 seconds whether running or not)
b. Put the status file in shared memory instead of the physical volume.
NAS systems have NAS-rated drives; designed to run 24/7/365 without ill effect. Destkop systems have different drives. Those drives are not rated to run constantly. Further, NAS drives have special firmware which is tailored to the environment. This is why one never puts desktop-rated drives in a NAS.
It is safer for the drive to keep turning, at stable speed, with heads out over the platter, at stable operating temperature. The analogy here is: When does a light bulb burn out? They burn out the moment you turn them on and are unable to accommodate the rapid heating of the filament due to the number of on/off cycles.
Drives don’t hibernate because every time a file is read, it’s “Time Last Accessed” field (in the directory block) is updated and written back to the directory. This is an infinite loop which occurs when processes are querying the drives.