Trying to setup new server, "There are no items in this library"

[UltimatePeter]

I am experiencing the same issue.
I read through this whole thread, then somebody said the Forum went out to lunch and the problem was solved…
I don’t see where the solution is. How was this solved?

[ChuckPa]

@UltimatePeter

I am experiencing the same issue.
I read through this whole thread, then somebody said the Forum went out to lunch and the problem was solved…
I don’t see where the solution is. How was this solved?

Peter,
What are you trying to setup on? Linux? Windows? Mac? a NAS?

[UltimatePeter]

Hi Chuck,
Installed Plex on Linux Mint.

1. Attached external HD, Chowned it, Set rights to 777.
2. Changed Plex’s user in the config file to my user.
3. Whenever I try to add the directory on the external to my library, I navigate to the external drive, but plex doesn’t list the subdirectories to the right, so I type in the full path “/media/ultimatepeter/VOL1/Plex/Movies” (VOL1 is the ext HD).

It never finds any movie files, and I have 222 AVI’s and MKV’s in that directory.

[ChuckPa]

Peter,
The fact it’s in /media is the problem. Unknown to most, Gnome’s “Nautilus” mounts with exclusive R/W to your username when you log in. The drive is only active at that time and only visible to you. Default Linux security prevents user plex from seeing anything.

Three steps are needed:

1. The drives need to be identifiable and mountable regardless which slot they’re plugged into
2. They need to be mounted in a predictable location every time
3. User plex needs permission to read while your username retains ownership

To get around this, one sequence does it all.

Using EXT, NTFS, or other format drives (internal or external) on Linux

This document is of primary interest to anyone who has connected USB drives or has media on other internal drives but user plex can’t access it due to Linux’s default security mechanisms. WARNING: This procedure will not work for SNAP, Docker or other container mechanisms unless expressly handled within the confines of the container. This procedure is intended for use with the dpkg package. We will walk through the steps needed to add these external USB hard drives and internal hard drives…

[mwe21975]

Hello…I am brand new to Linux after being on Windows and Mac for years and years. I have this problem also and Im affraid I dont understand any of this. Is there a "plex on Linux for dummies"lol I added the “Movies” but it says “There are no items in this library”

[ChuckPa]

Please follow the steps, as I outlined them, in the How-To above.

It’s as close to a “Plex on Linux for dummies” as I can get.

[mwe21975]

Not having any luck. Here is a screen shot of my file manager. I have one 8TB HD(Movies1) plugged into my PC and one 8TB HD plugged into my router (network) and made shortcuts under “places” Plex sees Movies1 but says “no files are in it”. Plex doesnt even see the drives plugged into the network yet.

[ChuckPa]

Can you show me:

1. /etc/fstab lines where you mount that external HD in Linux
2. ls -la of the directory where you mounted it.

[mwe21975]

I did it with this simple information right here!! Finally..I plugged my information in obviously instead of “linuxbabe” but it worked in like a min!!!

[ChuckPa]

Sorry, that’s not how it’s done.

1. mounting in /media means all files in that area are exclusive-access to your username when you’re logged on. This precludes plex from seeing them
2. ACLs do not count. Linux uses permission bits. You can use ACLs for SMB/Windows cients but not a Linux application.

Please follow the procedure I’ve outlined above.

Now that I know the media is remote (router/nas), this applies to you as well.

NFS (the preferred way because NFS is native and is multi-session / multi-username

How to mount media from your NAS shares on Linux using NFS

Mounting NFS network shares for Plex use on Linux . The basic checklist A. Prepare the NAS: B. Create a ‘mount point’ directory structure on your Linux machine which will be where all your media shares are grafted and made available for Plex use. C. Create an entry in /etc/fstab for each share you wish to mount. D. Mount and debug as needed A. Prepare the NAS. This is unique to each NAS. In general, you only need grant read permission. Should you desire Read/Write for yourself, …

SMB

How to mount media from your NAS shares on Linux using CIFS / SMB

Mounting CIFS network shares for Plex use on Linux . The basic checklist A. Prepare the NAS B. Install , if required, cifs-utils (or appropriate client) on the Plex server system. C. Create the CIFS/SMB credentials file for use in /etc/fstab D. Create a ‘mount point’ directory structure on your Linux machine which will be where all your media shares are grafted and made available for Plex use. E. Create an entry in /etc/fstab for each share you wish to mount. F. Mount and debug as …

[linuxbabe]

Engineers have long recognized the deficiencies of the traditional permission model and have started to think about alternatives. This has eventually resulted in a number of Access Control List (ACL) implementations on UNIX.

Yes, Linux uses permission bits, but in addition to the file owner, the file group, and others, additional users and groups can be granted or denied access by using POSIX ACLs.

POSIX ACL is about user permissions on files and directories, not about clients or applications. I recommend reading the following USENIX paper to have a better idea of ACLs on Linux.

POSIX access control list on Linux

And also this article on Red Hat website:

POSIX Access Control Lists

[CyprienDlp]

Hi,

I think I need some help on my server set-up. I followed all the guide : Using EXT or NTFS drives (internal or external) on Linux
But I still don’t have any item on my library. I’m setting-up my library on an external drive.

Thanks