Upgrading Synology NAS hardware and migrating Plex content - FOLLOW-UP

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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I am in process setting-up a new Synology NAS with DSM 7 and migrating Plex Media Server meta data from legacy NAS with DSM 6. Legacy NAS shall remain operational for data back-up.
I have synchronised all media and the “plex” volume via Synology Drive ShareSync maintaining the same folder structure and names. I also installed Plex Media Server on new NAS (having stopped the service after installation).
I found the previous related forum article (Upgrading Synology NAS hardware and migrating Plex content), but am still not quite clear on the exact how-to. I am recreating the topic as the previous thread is closed. My questions:

  • Is a plex user on new NAS really needed (why)? Is it not possible to “copy” the database from legacy PMS instead of importing?
  • How exactly do I perform the “import” - Step 16 on previous article?
  • I read “Share” function will not be supported by PMS for DSM 7. However, I use the “Sharing” tag for movies to distinguish source (such as Internet, DVD, Blu-ray). Will this informaton get lost? Is there a possibility to migrate it?
    Any help is very much appreciated!
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Why didn’t you put the old hard drives on the old NAS.
If you bought new hard drives you can rebuild the volume by adding the hard drives one by one.
Otherwise if you want to copy the plex folder to your new NAS you have to put the same folders in the same place
Make a backup of the plex folder
When you have installed all this run plex:
it will be necessary to give the authorization on the new Nas
and go to the sharing settings and give access to the folder where you put your movies and series (this is the difference in DSM 6 and 7)
Normally it should be fine

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DSM 7 forced some changes for Plex Media Server.

DSM 6: Plex Media Server runs under userid Plex, and the Plex data folder is /Plex.
DSM 7: Plex Media Server runs under userid PlexMediaServer, and the Plex data folder is /PlexMediaServer. Also, PlexMediaServer is a system internal user, new for DSM 7, not a regular user.

The DSM 7 Plex Media Server installation routine looks for old DSM 6 installations and, if present, migrates the data to the DSM 7 compatible location.

In the document you linked, the steps outlined by @ChuckPa make the new NAS appear as if it has a DSM 6 compatible installation of Plex (not the binaries, just the userid and data folder).

When you actually install Plex Media Server on the new NAS, the data will be migrated to the DSM 7 compatible location (/PlexMediaServer) and be owned by the correct userid (PlexMediaServer).

Letting the installer migrate the data to the DSM 7 location is preferable to performing the steps manually. It ensures everything is in the correct location with the correct permissions.

The Plex userid is required for the migration. The Plex Media Server installer checks to make sure user Plex owns the /Plex shared folder and contents. After the migration is complete, the user Plex can be removed from the system. Also, the /Plex shared folder will be empty (except for a migration log file) and can be deleted or reused for other purposes.

The structure of the Plex data folder is slightly different on DSM 6 and DSM 7. The data could be moved manually, but the installer will perform the tasks automatically.

Step 16 is simply installing Plex Media Server on the new NAS. It will then migrate the Plex data folder to the correct location and set the correct permissions.

Do not install the beta version of Plex Media Server available in Synology Package Manager. It is not fully compatible with DSM 7. Download the current version from plex.tv and perform a manual installation.

Where did you see this?

I’m not aware of any functional differences in Plex Media Server on DSM 6 vs DSM 7.

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Thank you!

Why didn’t you put the old hard drives on the old NAS

I want the legacy NAS fully operational until migration is complete (and beyond as a back-up device). I also needed upgrade disc space.
(All other synchronisation is already in place.)

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Where did you see this?
I’m not aware of any functional differences in Plex Media Server on DSM 6 vs DSM 7.

I misunderstood something in the support article about Plex Media Server for Synology DSM. Migration worked amazingly smooth (only very few of the newest additions needed minor post-editing), and as much as I can see so far the functionality is fully preserved.
Thanks a lot!

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@music2018

You’ll also find:

  1. DSM 7 installation now has menus (radio selector buttons) to give you more options during install & uninstall
  2. It also provides a way to reclaim the server should it ever become disconnected.
  3. Lastly, it now supports the 8 most commonly spoken languages (as ranked by Synology)
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