Torrents -> Usenet: What should I know?

[ChiknNutz]

Okay, thanks for the feedback. Sure would be nice if there were clear usage guides on how to go about most of this stuff, especially on these since it appears the bulk of folks kinda bundle all these together. I already have Plex running and am so far pleased with how it's working. However, would there be any reason to approach it in the same way...dump them all into this one jails hopper? I am not married to it since I just recently started using it, just wanting to find out what the best protocol is and do that at the beginning if possible.

Also, do you use HTPC Manager? I am not totally clear on it's purpose or what the benefit of using it is.

 

[vilane]

From my usage/understanding, you don't need to have everything all pile into the same jail, and keeping them separated makes it simpler for updating/rebooting/altering the plugins.

To get the data to all talk to each other, just store them all in the same directory structure on your pool and map the directories into each jail. You won't need any more interaction other than folder visibility for the plugins to snatch/download/sort/transfer your media around and format it for you.

The bundling approach, from what I have read, was more of a legacy version of setting things up in prior versions of FreeNAS. All of my searches and guides that I used to set my FreeNAS up were using a multi-jail method instead of an all in a pile method.

I personally use Sickrage at the moment, but I may opt to give Sonarr a shot. There were tons and tons of updates and work done on Sickrage in the past couple months, but I have noted that it has halted in the past few weeks now without any major feature changes, updates, or bug fixes. Developers get busy though and have lives, especially when they aren't selling you the product they are working on.

Maybe I'll have to take a look at Sonarr just to see the interface and how I like it's tools. Does anyone know if Sonarr has an import database function so I can try to move over my Sickrage database to it? or would the recommendation be more to just start fresh and add the shows in manually?

 

[depasseg]

Does anyone know if Sonarr has an import database function so I can try to move over my Sickrage database to it? or would the recommendation be more to just start fresh and add the shows in manually?

I don't know if it has a database import, but it can scan your media folder and build your show list from that.

 

[vilane]

Awesome, thanks depasseg.

scanning directories are probably better than importing anyways.

 

[ChiknNutz]

F... All of my searches and guides that I used to set my FreeNAS up were using a multi-jail method instead of an all in a pile method...

Do you have any of these links and guides on setting up these various services? I have done my own searching, but not sure which ones will actually provide a working group of programs 8-s

 

[vilane]

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ssion-and-couchpotato-as-a-dlna-server.17165/

Is how I cut my teeth. everything since has been trial and error and searching for answers on specific new hurdles that come up.

 

[ovizii]

The most important part is giving different plugins write access to the same folders mounted within different jails. Here is the best advice I could find + the thread link:


Give permissions within jails:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...plugins-write-permissions-to-your-data.27273/

SOLUTION3 - GROUP WRITEABLE
In the jail, add a group with a matching GID as the group owner of the data dataset/folders.
pw groupadd -n GROUP -g GID

In the jail, add the user the plugin runs as to the newly added group.
pw groupmod GROUP -m USER

That is basically all you need to know

 

[depasseg]

Also, do you use HTPC Manager? I am not totally clear on it's purpose or what the benefit of using it is.

I haven't set it up yet. I've heard it's a simple front end into everything (add stuff, manage queues, view status, etc.)

 

[ChiknNutz]

One more question...does the type of dataset permissions matter? As in, should these media-based datasets only be Unix or can they be Windows? The reason I ask is because I am only using Windows clients and per another recent thread, mixing Unix datasets with CIFS shares is frowned upon (though it of course can easily be configured that way). From all I have seen so far, there is no mention of this and since new datasets always default to be Unix, that's how they all seem to be created.

 

[pirateghost]

One more question...does the type of dataset permissions matter? As in, should these media-based datasets only be Unix or can they be Windows? The reason I ask is because I am only using Windows clients and per another recent thread, mixing Unix datasets with CIFS shares is frowned upon (though it of course can easily be configured that way). From all I have seen so far, there is no mention of this and since new datasets always default to be Unix, that's how they all seem to be created.

I think you're confusing dataset and share permissions

 

[ChiknNutz]

Perhaps, but I thought I had figured that out. When you create a dataset, you choose if it is a Unix, Windows or Mac share type. Then when you go to make a share, aren't you supposed to make the same type of share as the dataset?

 

[pirateghost]

I don't know why you are changing things. You can leave them as UNIX permissions on the dataset. Doesn't matter what you do with them.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Based on this thread (which I know you disagreed with on some points).

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/cifs-permissions-and-linux.39194/

 

[pirateghost]

Based on this thread (which I know you disagreed with on some points).

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/cifs-permissions-and-linux.39194/

Managing all your users/permissions through Windows? Set dataset to windows

Managing users/permissions purely from freenas? Use UNIX

Managing a mix? Use whatever you like. It doesn't matter. Whatever you are comfortable with. But when you start messing with permissions you will break your jails and plugins. If a jail or plugin is touching the dataset, use UNIX. It's easier.

 

[diedrichg]

Based on this thread (which I know you disagreed with on some points).

Leave your "shared" media dataset as Unix. Shared, meaning - shared between Plex/Emby/SABnzbd/Couchpotato/Sonarr/Sickrage.

For the media dataset, add the user IDs from the software in the jails so that they have read/write access, (770).

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/27273/

 

[ChiknNutz]

Ya I finally got Couchpotato and Sabnzdb working last night. However, I am quite disappointed in the results. I downloaded a couple movies last night just to test & verify, only one of those would play. I then queued up about a half dozen more overnight, only to have ZERO of those successfully download, yet I have like 80GB worth of junk (which I assume are snapshots). I had everything set up, left the browser open with Plex. Got up this morning like a kid on Christmas. I then opened up Plex and it showed most of the movies. I hit Refresh and all but one disappeared. Checked the logs and they all got auto-deleted, no idea why. Then, the only one that did successfully download and rebuild properly was in French, which I specifically excluded in CP. I then tried a couple more this morning, got them to download and rebuild, only to have Plex (and every Windows program I tried) tell me that the file is unplayable (AVI file). ARRRRRGGGGGHHH! Is this just the nature of this stuff? If so, not sure how you all can tolerate it.

 

[pirateghost]

Ya I finally got Couchpotato and Sabnzdb working last night. However, I am quite disappointed in the results. I downloaded a couple movies last night just to test & verify, only one of those would play. I then queued up about a half dozen more overnight, only to have ZERO of those successfully download, yet I have like 80GB worth of junk (which I assume are snapshots). I had everything set up, left the browser open with Plex. Got up this morning like a kid on Christmas. I then opened up Plex and it showed most of the movies. I hit Refresh and all but one disappeared. Checked the logs and they all got auto-deleted, no idea why. Then, the only one that did successfully download and rebuild properly was in French, which I specifically excluded in CP. I then tried a couple more this morning, got them to download and rebuild, only to have Plex (and every Windows program I tried) tell me that the file is unplayable (AVI file). ARRRRRGGGGGHHH! Is this just the nature of this stuff? If so, not sure how you all can tolerate it.

You have some settings messed up. All my stuff is fine and requires no manual intervention

 

[diedrichg]

Is this just the nature of this stuff? If so, not sure how you all can tolerate it.

No. It's not. Sorry you are having problems. I personally don't use Plex so I can't help you there. I use Emby.

As for being deleted, it sounds like the movies are being downloaded to a "completed" folder but then CP is going in after the scan and cleaning up all files and folders in the completed folder.

Here is my application structure and function:
*disclaimer - I do not have these programs setup on my FreeNAS machine, this is how I have my settings on my HTPC. Pointers to folders or locations will vary depending on how you have your plugins or jails set up.

SAB

Config

• General
  • Tuning
    • Cleanup list
      • .sfv, .nzb, .srr, .info, .idx, .txt, .com, .db, .md5, .par2, .0, .1, .2, .3, .4, .5, .6, .7, .8, .9, .url, .lnk, .html, .ini, .bat, .com, .exe, .scr, .sample
• Folders
  • Temporary Download Folder
    • \Incomplete
  • Completed Download Folder
    • \Complete
  • Watched Folder
    • \nzb
• Switches
  • Queue
    • Abort jobs that cannot be completed
  • Post Processing
    • Everything enabled except Enable MultiCore Par2
• Categories
  • add "movies"
    • Normal, +Delete, Movies
• Sorting
  • It's not necessary to set this if you have CP or Sonarr or SR doing the post-processing

Couchpotato (CP)

Settings

• Searcher
  • First Search > Usenet
  • Set your retention
• Categories
  • Ignored (change this to your preference)
    • russian, german, dutch, french, truefrench, danish, swedish, spanish, italian, korean, dubbed, swesub, korsub, BLOW, tGc, pEa
• Downloaders
  • Sabnzbd
    • Enter SAB's jail IP
    • Enter SAB's API
    • Enter the movies category we set above "movies" - see above under SAB>Config>Categories
• Renamer
  • From
    • \Complete\Movies\ (SAB jail)
  • To
    • (your jail in SAB that is linked as storage in your dataset)
  • File Naming (this is how I personally like it
    • <thename> <quality> (<year>).<ext>
      • Output: Jurassic Park 720p (1993).mkv
  • Unrar
    • checked
• Metadata
  • XBMC - enabled
    • NFO, Fanart, Thumbnail checked
• Manage
  • Movie Folder
    • Enter the folder within the CP jail that is linked to the storage / dataset
    Cleanup After
  • Use this at your peril - but on my HTPC I have this enabled​

 

[ChiknNutz]

I just got another one to successfully download, repair and play. I noticed this file type is a ".mkv". I would have thought the AVI file would have been fine, but might have been something that corrupted it along the way, dunno. I have a few more queued up, we'll see how those turn out. Point is, at least most of my configuration is correct or else none of them would work.

 

[diedrichg]

What indexer(s) are you using? What qualities do you have CP searching? I set 720p as a minimum and 1080p as maximum with 720p preferred unless it's a computer graphics movie such as any sci-fi or Pixar flick.