Restore from scheduled backups

Plex Media Server
1

Server Version#: 4.89.1

After updating my password, my server was offline. Locally y could only access it via http but since I set it to https only I could not re-claim the server like I’ve read in other posts.

Since I have scheduled backups of the databases (com.plexapp.plugins.library.blobs.db and com.plexapp.plugins.library.db), I deleted the whole Library directory and reinstalled Plex from scratch and checked I could now access it with https.

Then I followed the directions here to restore my databases.

Unfortunately this does not work. It creates a duplicate (same name) of the server that is offline.

The music I have is composed of thousands of albums (Flac ripped from my CDs) that I had to manually edit for years (album, artist, date, place, poster, etc…) and I can not imaging going though this again.

What am I missing here and how to restore my libraries from the backup?

Torpi

2

in your container definition, do you map /config to somewhere outside the container?

3

I have been exactly the same.

After the email of the security breach and we reset the passwords, I did it and everything has been “broken”, everything that I had in my plex.tv and in my private server has disappeared.
I am hallucinating with this and I have already tried several things, but nothing solves it

4

@ARCtheLAB

Do you still have your Preferences.xml file and rest of the server data intact ?

If so, I have a utility which will reclaim the server.

5

yes, I also did tests removing the username, email and 2 more but it doesn’t work either and I have left it as it was in the preferences.xml file

6

@ARCtheLAB

Excellent.

As long as the Machine ID’s (and other ID values) are in the Preferences.xml file, we can pull it back.

Here’s the link to the thread with the instructions, utility, and examples of it in action.

Reply here when you’re done or if have questions.

7

Yes, /config is mapped on a remote volume with iSCSI.
But it’s what I have deleted without backup since I trusted the scheduled backup. So I do not have any backup of /config anywhere.

8

I do not have the Preferences.xml intact since I deleted the whole Library to re-install clean.
I may have an old Preferences.xml from 3 years ago. Would it help in any way and could I then use schedule backup to get all my libraries and metadata back? If so how and how do you run the script in docker (cannot seem to stop the PMS server since it restarts automatically after kill -9 pid)

9

@conplex

Not having backups of /config (meaning all the metadata) means we at least have the core of what’s needed from your database backups.

I recommend:

  1. Delete both the server instances from your account.
  2. Stand up a new container (new PLEX_CLAIM token in the definition)
  3. Once running, stop it.
  4. Now, externally copy your databases ON TOP OF the default databases Plex created when it started.

What you’ll have is:

  1. A new server instance
  2. Empty metadata (posters)
  3. ALL your library definitions and edits which went into the database itself.
  4. Custom (uploaded) posters were stored in the metadata (which is now gone).
  5. Posters which you selected from external sources will still be available to download because the database knows which one you selected.

AFTER the copy is complete,

  1. Start up the container
  2. In Library settings, TURN OFF “empty trash” (don’t want to lose anything)
  3. Scan files and let it start pulling metadata
  4. If incomplete when scanning is done, Refresh All Metadata
10

It’s what I have done :

1 - Deleted all server instances from account
2 - Stopped container and pruned all data (docker system prune -a --volumes)
3 - Started a new container with new plex claim
4 - Stopped it
5 - Restored databases by coping backup on top of default database

When I start plex, I have still the server as down like before I deleted everything ;-(

11

Ok, I’m going to open a PM to you.

I’d like you to send me your Preferences.xml.

I’ll edit it.

When you put it back, we’ll reclaim the server back to your account.

(Claiming a docker container is a PITA)

12

I am using the tool, but I have stopped the PMS service, but the tool tells me all the time that it is still ON, but it is not ON

13

do a ps -ef | grep -i plex somewhere it’s finding a process named plex

If I need to tighten it, I will.

15

the tool has worked perfectly, i have been able to recover my plex and the libraries

many thanks ChunkPa

16

Excellent!

Was the tool correctly detecting a “plex” process or need I work on that ?

17

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