New Setup: Plex Access

[occxlr8ed]

Hi all,

First time install and user of FreeNas here - running version 11.3.

I'm using a HP N40L w 8GB ram, and 4x older 2TB Seagate Barracuda drivers, purely just for video access for my Plex server, note that i do not want plex running on the N40L, and simply want it to be for file/video storage for my Nvidia Shield to access.

I successfully managed to Pool my disks, and create two datasets, one for movies, and one for tv shows.

Also successfully managed to SMB share these two datasets, and transferred all my data from my desktop to the N40L/FreeNas.

Now this is where my issues are, i can see and browse the SMB share/folder from the Plex page, however it never finds any media?

I can play and open the files just fine on my desktop. I've set permissions to 'everyone' for simplicity sake, and it's only me in the network.

Can anybody help with this?

 

[Matt_G]

I assume you have Plex running in a jail.
I'm betting the plex user doesn't have permission to the files.

Try this:
Open a shell in the jail and run the following command:
chown -R plex /media/whatever dataset name the movies etc reside in.

 

[occxlr8ed]

I don't have Plex installed/running on the FreeNas - i just want SMB file sharing on the FreeNas for my Plexserver which is on my Nvidia Shield to be able to access the files.

Do i need Plex installed on FreeNas?

I don't think that will achieve what i need though, as then the server will run on the FreeNas which is not what i want

 

[Matt_G]

Sorry, I just assumed that Plex was running on the FreeNAS box.
I'm not familiar with the Nvidia Shield so I'm of no help to you.

 

[diedrichg]

As an aside; you don't need two datasets for your media, movies and TV folder can live inside one dataset. A dataset is a way to control permissions access to the content within.

 

[occxlr8ed]

As an aside; you don't need two datasets for your media, movies and TV folder can live inside one dataset. A dataset is a way to control permissions access to the content within.

Ah thanks - didn't know that! So from the one data set, i could have created two shares.

Anyway to clean it up to one dataset now that i already have my files on there?

Interestingly, i tested the file system on my Nvidia Shield, running Kodi - and Kodi found and played the files with no issue.

Thinking due to above, it must be a Plex issue?

 

[Spearfoot]

I don't have Plex installed/running on the FreeNAS - i just want SMB file sharing on the FreeNAS for my Plexserver which is on my Nvidia Shield to be able to access the files.

Do i need Plex installed on FreeNAS?

I don't think that will achieve what i need though, as then the server will run on the FreeNAS which is not what i want

No, you don't need to install Plex on your FreeNAS server.

I run Plex on Ubuntu 16.04.6 LTS. I store my media files on a FreeNAS dataset called -- surprise!, surprise! -- media, and share it as an NFS share. On the Ubuntu box, I mount this share with this line in /etc/fstab:

Code:

bandit.spearfoot.net:/mnt/tank/media /plex nfs auto,noatime,nolock,bg,nfsvers=4,intr,tcp,actimeo=1800    0    0

Hope this gets you started, and there's a ton of Plex info on the interwebs that will probably be useful if you need more help.

 

[occxlr8ed]

I haven't done any 'mounting' so to speak, only shared via SMB.

Do i need to mount?

The only thing i have done is added the folder under Plex (via web interface) which the server sees just fine, even the sub folders in the folder -just that it doesn't pick up the media.

 

[diedrichg]

Ah thanks - didn't know that! So from the one data set, i could have created two shares.

Anyway to clean it up to one dataset now that i already have my files on there?

Interestingly, i tested the file system on my Nvidia Shield, running Kodi - and Kodi found and played the files with no issue.

Thinking due to above, it must be a Plex issue?

If it's working for you then you are fine. If you'd like to clean it up then you could rename the dataset (I don't know if this can be done in the GUI or requires doing it in the command line)

How to rename dataset?

Hi, probably really dumb question or i am blind and i can't see an option to rename dataset. I made a typo in dataset name and it looks ugly. I already have approx 100GB files in it. Is there a non-destructive way how to rename dataset or do i need to move all of the files out of it, then...

www.ixsystems.com

From there just make two folders inside the dataset for movies and TV. Go to the dataset permissions and give it the permissions for the Plex user, making sure to set basic - full control - Inherit for the user and group. Then be sure to check the options to reset all permissions and to apply to all child datasets (just for completeness).

Next create a new share for your dataset with appropriate permissions.

 

[occxlr8ed]

I'm a bit confused with the permissions for the Plex user - is this more so the 'user' or device which holds the Plex server, as in the Nvidia Shield?

I mounted the storage (FreeNas) on my Nvidia Shield, via logging in via admin details, ie. 'root' details.

I would have thought this would have been the best way to go about it?

 

[diedrichg]

If you mean "root" as in FreeNAS root, then no, don't do that. Create a new FreeNAS user and allow them password login (checkbox if I remember correctly) and then set them, or at least their group, as the owner of the dataset and SMB share. Assuming you have yourself as a FreeNAS user, then add yourself to the new group you just created. Next, login through the Shield as the new user you created.

 

[occxlr8ed]

If you mean "root" as in FreeNAS root, then no, don't do that. Create a new FreeNAS user and allow them password login (checkbox if I remember correctly) and then set them, or at least their group, as the owner of the dataset and SMB share. Assuming you have yourself as a FreeNAS user, then add yourself to the new group you just created. Next, login through the Shield as the new user you created.

That might be the issue then - i've been using the FreeNas "root" login details - ie. the login details i use to login to the web UI.

Will give it a go cheers!

 

[occxlr8ed]

This didn't work - i setup a brand new user 'admin' with password login.

I set it to 'Full Control' permissions, and set it recursively for the Dataset - via ACL.

Same with the SMB Share - i set it via ACL which essentially brought it to the same Dataset permissions.

Same thing - i can see the SMB share under Plex, and add the folder (/storage/FREENAS/Movies), however it never actually adds any movies into Plex when i scan.

I can even see the individual folders in Plex.

I tried to add an individual movie folder as well to the library, and that also didn't pick up anything.

 

[occxlr8ed]

So it looks like my common sense prevailed with FreeNas - the issue was with the Plex Server on the Nvidia Shield end. A full reinstall fixed it.......!

 

[diedrichg]

That's strange. Well, I'm glad you got it fixed and you cleaned up your storage to boot.