Plex Folders gone after reboot

[MarshallArts]

Yesterday, I had to restart my FreeNAS (had to move it), and after restart, Plex was not working any more (did not find media files).

This is my setup:
- Plex running in a Jail (installed via Plugins)
- I created some folders within the Jail (e.g. /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/Fotos, /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/Videos/Serien etc.)
- Each folder points to a corresponding media folder outside the Jail (done via Plex Web Interface), there is no media inside the Jail itself
- This runs on a standard HPE Gen 10 Microserver

This all runs fine and smoothly, but after th reboot, the subfolders under /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/ were all gone. I re-created them and it works again, but obviously dont want to do that after every reboot. Any Ideas on how to fix this?

 

[nojohnny101]

Welcome to the forums.

Please post your full hardware and FreeNAS version so we can better help you. A relevant question is:

- is the jail a warden based one or iocage one?

 

[MarshallArts]

Thanks for the warm welcome

I am on FreeNAS 11.1.
My Hardware is a HPE ProLiant MicroServer Gen10 X3216, 8 GB Memory, 1.6 GHz with 2 (mirrored) WD Red Pro WD4002FFWX 4 TB SATA Drives

I installed Plex from the Plugins page from the Web-GUI. I don't know, what the default cage is (read a few posts and would assume that the default is still warden...)

 

[saikee]

Create a Dataset in /mnt of your FreeNAS filing system and put your media files there.

When Plex plugin is installed a plexmediaserver is created in the Jails. You then select "add storage" inthe plexmediaserver. The added storage require a source which is to be chosen from your Dataset folder like /mnt/my_data. The destination is a mounting point inside the plexmediaserver like /media.

This arrangement allows you access your Dataset via Plex permanently. In a way the destination works like symbolic link to your oringinal files and seems to be quite secure.

 

[MarshallArts]

Create a Dataset in /mnt of your FreeNAS filing system and put your media files there.

When Plex plugin is installed a plexmediaserver is created in the Jails. You then select "add storage" inthe plexmediaserver. The added storage require a source which is to be chosen from your Dataset folder like /mnt/my_data. The destination is a mounting point inside the plexmediaserver like /media.

This arrangement allows you access your Dataset via Plex permanently. In a way the destination works like symbolic link to your oringinal files and seems to be quite secure.

Thanks. Unfortunately, it is already setup like that. Its just that my destination folders are gone after a system reboot.

 

[saikee]

When it happened to me before my source was created by the normal "mkdir" command. When I create the folder as a Dataset everything works then.

A Dataset does not disappear suddenly and you can also create snapshot of it to make it bomb proof.

You did say "I created some folders within the Jail (e.g. /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/Fotos, /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/Videos/Serien etc.)"

To illustrate the above point my source is the /mnt/fx9590/Data and 18.2TB large yet the destination of the entire plexmediaserver is only 44.7GB large. My Plex accesses the entire content of my Source.

 

[MarshallArts]

When it happened to me before my source was created by the normal "mkdir" command. When I create the folder as a Dataset everything works then.

A Dataset does not disappear suddenly and you can also create snapshot of it to make it bomb proof.

You did say "I created some folders within the Jail (e.g. /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/Fotos, /usr/local/plexdata/Plex Media Server/Medien/Videos/Serien etc.)"

View attachment 22919
To illustrate the above point my source is the /mnt/fx9590/Data and 18.2TB large yet the destination of the entire plexmediaserver is only 44.7GB large. My Plex accesses the entire content of my Source.

Sounds like a good approach, indeed I created my source and destination folders with mkdir. I need to learn more about datasets and how to mount them in this specific context, though. I'll keep learning ;-)

Thanks!

 

[saikee]

MA,

In Web GUI when you select Storage you should see your created volume, highlight it and and 6 icons will appears at the bottom. The 5th icon is Create Dataset. A folder created as a Dataset will be used by FreeNAS automatically. You can still mkdir directories in your filing system but it is a job to get it appear permanently in FreeNAS GUI.

 

[MarshallArts]

OK, but my problem are the vanishing folders within the jail plex is running in. Is there a GUI method for creating a dataset within a jail?

 

[saikee]

I believe the Jails system is security layer FreeNAS wishes to protect its users as you can have different protection to your Dataset leaving the Jails to use the default security arrangement.

You could while having the data stored in Jails can copy them to a new Dataset in the main filing system.

In a standard Plex plugin your jail is created automatically, with plexmediaserver inside, as a subdirectory of your Dataset. You can change this arrangement but I am not experienced enough to advise on that.

If you follow the standard arrangement arranged by FreeNAS life is a lot easier. I have just move my entire FreeNAS system into a new PC, with different mobo, cpu and ram, without any work except moving physically 5x8TB hard disks and a USB boot drive across. Plex works exactly as before as nothing has happened.

I can confirm though if you create a Dataset to store your files you can't lose it as that is the power of the zfs system. You can delete the jails and the Dataset is always untouched.