PMS on Synology does not honor system http proxy settings

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Server Version#: 1.40.5.8921

I’ve installed Plex Media Server package (.spk) on my Synology NAS, which is currently running DSM 7.2.1U5. I noticed after the migration from DSM6 to DSM7 PMS no longer respects the system’s HTTP proxy settings.

This is particularly frustrating because my server is located in a region where internet is heavily censored. I can see that Plex attempts to fetch data, but the connection is immediately closed, resulting in no new metadata ever being retrieved. Consequently, any newly added content only displays a thumbnail without any additional information.

I’ve tried using a transparent proxy, which worked well, but I’ve been avoiding this as it has caused some stability issues for me.

(Just to clear things up, this is not related to running plex behind reverse proxy or anything, I just need the PMS to fetch metedata/connect to plex.tv or whatever through the http proxy)

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What you need to do is to install a VPN client software.

Such a VPN client software package will give you a tunnel connection to somewhere else
-AND-
allow all PMS traffic to flow through it.

While not endorsing this or any other product,
I have used this provider’s product reliably.

I’ve been able to connect through the tunnel to European locations and looked around “as if local”.

Consider this vendor, and others like it, as you do your research

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Thanks for the hint, but it’s not exactly what I’m asking. Installing separate VPN clients on my servers is a last resort and I’d much prefer to using my own transparent proxy, which I’m far more comfortable with than any commercial solutions.

My question is whether PMS removed (or possibly never had?) the support for http proxy on DSM7? Or it needs extra setup like passing env variables as mentioned in this blog. I’m not sure how to do that on DSM.

This old post mentions PMS didn’t have native proxy support, but that’s almost 8 years ago. So, I guess what I’m really asking is if that has changed or if there’s a special case for DSM.

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I understand what you’re asking for.

In the case of federal / municipal agents which do not permit certain connections, a simple proxy on your end will not be strong enough.

You need something which provides a conduit.

Now, rather than installing one on each of your servers, you can probably install the client side of the VPN on your modem/router (setup a VPN tunnel)

I have PfSense as my router. It has built-in VPN client capability.
With this, I establish one connection and everything on my LAN is VPN tunneled out to the other end of the tunnel.

As for your question about Plex and DSM,

  1. PMS relies entirely on the host. It’s not proper for PMS to get into the host’s network stack

  2. DSM provides a basic VPN client capability. Care must be given as they also provide remote desktop with that VPN. You would need disable the remote desktop in order to maintain maximum security

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