This topic has been discussed over and over, and the more I read, and watch, the more confused I get. I’m just getting started on rebuilding my server, and want the best of BOTH worlds I guess. I just want to make a great Plex server. From what I’ve read, and watched, there is NO perfect server, just the best for you and your needs, and wants.
All this server will do is be a Plex machine. Nothing else but Plex.
I am not going to use Linux, because I don’t feel like typing all the code, and don’t feel proficient enough to do it in a fast manner to make it efficient for me. Which leads me to the other choices.
What will Plex work best in? Just a straight Windows 10 setup? Pros? Cons? Unraid? Pros? Cons?
TrueNAS? Pros? Cons? Snapraid? Pros? Cons? Storage Spaces? Pro? Cons?
I’m not looking for someone to answer all of this, I’m just kind of talking out loud I guess. I’m trying to understand how each of these work, and which will give me the most pros with the least amount of cons. Honestly, I’m more used to Windows, but do want to be able to have a bunch of drives, and be able to add to them, and have some parity along with all of this. I’m not so worried about the parity overall, since this will be backed up to a NAS, which is also backed up by another NAS. So, backups are not a problem. I don’t want to run Docker if at all possible.
I want ease of use, plus something that will give me a way of putting my drives into one space. Do any of these options work better with tone mapping than Windows 10 does?
What questions am I missing?
I’m in a learning state right now, so please don’t beat me down. Thanks.
If you want KISS use Windows
So, you’re calling me stupid? 
I had a Windows 10 based server for about a year, then tried my hand at a linux-based server out of pure curiosity and got it running with no previous linux experience at all. I had similar reasons to be intimidated, but they concerns were absolutely unwarranted.
Grab yourself a copy of a Ubuntu based distro like Ubuntu or Mint with Cinnamon/Mate (I use Linux Mint with Cinnamon). My server has a GUI that is super lightweight, and I have the server default login to a dummy account that loads the server on boot (*default install behavior for Plex Media Server), but allows me to login using my main account (since it is not the default login/always logged in) to customize settings. I currently am hosting about 10 different things through that server with Plex and I can remote into it via VPN from essentially anywhere in the world without having to have the Pro version of Windows for remote desktop connections. Currently, I can now run the entire server from my iPhone via GUI OR command line (you will find that the longer you use linux, the command line is quite powerful and is actually easier in some instances- I doubted this also when I first started, but it’s true). That server hasn’t had a monitor plugged into it for over a year because, when I turn it on, it automatically does everything that I need it to.
If I may ask, what exactly makes you think using linux equates to “typing all the code”? If you have to do any code/command line stuff, its 99.99% copy paste, and most of that is few and far between.
Install process on linux: I went to plex.tv, logged into my account, downloaded the .deb server file, clicked on it, put in my OS password to verify the install, installed it, then loaded into the localhost:32400/web. Easy as pie, and it automatically sets itself up to load on boot, which is convenient. There is not a system tray icon, it just runs on boot, and this was a confusing issue when I first started using it. I do recommend installing the main OS on an SSD, like windows. It makes cache searching easier (read as data loading in, movies, shows, etc.) and the client apps (Roku, etc.) tend to load much faster since the data is flowing to the clients faster.
Honestly, you should really do some reading on what linux is, because its absolutely fantastic, especially for servers. Furthermore, the desktop experience actually converted me away from using Windows (for over 20 years) on all of the other systems in the house. Best of luck.
When I watch some of the videos on it, I see people typing in code all the time. Maybe their just showing off??
You have to type in some commands to install software but it isn’t magic, it’s stuff you will quickly understand if you read a guide.
Listen to @KKBurch. It isn’t too hard and if it is a dedicated Plex server, Linux is arguably the best server platform.
You can always pop in a spare hard drive and try it out, if you don’t like it, you have only wasted some time.
[quote=“ingeborgdot, post:1, topic:812638”]
Unraid? TrueNAS? Snapraid? Storage Spaces? [/quote]
All these I assume are linux distros anyway. I know at least some of these use Docker containers that I think are held in an “app” store like repository. Based on seeing people get support for these on Emby and Plex forum, their containers have quirks that I don’t have to deal with on Ubuntu with Docker. I recommend Ubuntu over these, especially since you already have a NAS.
From what you say I’d just go with Windows if I were you. Otherwise Docker on Ubuntu. I suggest Docker because you can trail and error through stuff and you can just throw away a container and start over. Before Docker I occasionally broke Linux beyond my ability to fix while learning. I know you said no Docker though, so I suggest Windows.
I guess Docker is not out of the question.
Can I install Ubuntu on an SSD?
Absolutely. You just download the .iso, insert a good sized USB flash drive, and use a program called Balena Etcher to flash the .iso on to the drive.
Ubuntu:
Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu):
Balena Etcher for flashing the .iso on to the flash drive:
Restart your computer, open the boot menu and select the flash drive. It should boot right up and you will have an icon on the desktop that will give you the steps to install. As a precaution, disconnect all drives that you don’t want wiped, as inadvertent user-error could result in selecting the wrong drive and formatting it. I do the same thing when installing Windows, stuff happens. I wiped a 2 TB drive one time not paying attention doing this exact thing. That said, you can also just test drive it right off of the USB drive, though it will be a bit slower due to throughput limitations of USB ports.
**
IF IT DOES NOT BOOT, there are a few reasons for this, but the most common is…: there is a setting on the BIOS menu called SecureBoot that you need to disable/set to legacy mode, as this requires signed Microsoft keys to get secureboot certified (most distros don’t pay this fee). Ubuntu and RedHat/Fedora do get their installers/distros signed (they have a bigger corporate presence and have to have this), but many of the Ubuntu based systems do not. For our use case, its irrelevent.
Instead of balena I’d recommend ventoy, (https://www.ventoy.net). Install ventoy to the thumbdrive, copy the ISO file to the thumbdrive, reboot. I have yet to find an ISO that ventoy wouldnt successfully launch.
KKBurch mentioned 2 Linux distributions, I’d recommend Linux Mint over Ubuntu. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu but Mint has the added bonus of removing all snaps based software, apps are installed natively, which makes it run faster in my experience.
I have a Unraid NAS I built a few years ago. I have about 12 TB of disk storage on various sized drives and use a 1 TB NVME for a cache disk, 24 Gigs of ram, and run a AMD Ryzen 1600 on a B450 Tomahawk MB. It uses docker containers which is easy to install apps and have about 20 various apps running including Plex. In the few years I have been running this setup I have had very little issues with it and plex runs flawlessly. This server also has my tuner card and the supported software for it is running in a Windows VM on the server.
Before this server I used Windows as my Plex server and had all kinds of problems with Plex and other support software I was running. What I like about Unraid is there is good information and support for it, it is very flexible since it supports VMs and Docker right out of the box, and is very easy to setup.
I’ve been a Linux person since the 90s and around 2014 I moved my Linux server to FreeNas (now TrueNAS) and I am never going back. My server has been running since then with no problems with minimal work. It is like an Apple product, it just works.
Edit: The only con for Plex is I can’t do hardware transcoding, but I don’t really need it.
I have also been running Plex on TrueNAS for well over 6 years. TrueNAS is FreeBSD based which is an outgrowth of Unix so it’s “Linux like”. The Web GUI is very minnamalistic and the system is mostly intended to be use to make NAS systems. I run 2 identical systems so I’m not totally down if one needs work.
Pros
- The ZFS file system is rock solid, so there is little chance you will loose any data.
- Since it’s an outgrowth of Unix it is a strong nearly bullet proof OS designed to be turned on & almost never turned off.
- There are a host of plugins, official and community supported to expand it’s usefulness .
- I have found updating Plex to very easy.
- You can set up virtual machines w/ various different OS’s, Linux, Windows etc.
- Little if any CLI work needed, most tasks can be done through the Web GUI.
Cons
- If you are not familiar with the OS it can seem intimidating. There are lots of on-line how-to/help guides to help you along.
- Even with all the plugins it is primarily a headless NAS not a desktop OS.
- The virtual machines can be a bit slow/laggy.
- The Web GUI is very basic and some of the more advanced options/configurations will require the manual or how-to’s to set up.
- As mentioned above, no hardware transcode, it is all software so a strong CPU and plenty of RAM is needed.
If you are more comfortable w/ windows you could build a low power TrueNAS box for the storage and just map it’s storage as network shares on a high powered system for Plex to give you hardware transcoding and even possibly be used a work station for ripping CDs,DVDs& BlueRays.
With either option the cost of storage capacity will still be the same.
I LOVE FreeBSD and only used Linux for PMS because I do use hardware accelerated transcoding/tone mapping. It is a real shame that FreeBSD cannot do that.
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
