Plex-Server-Setup/README.md

Plex Server Setup

One-script setup for a Plex Media Server on Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Handles drive mounting and Plex installation in a single run.

Requirements

• OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or Linux Mint 20+
• Plex .deb file: Downloaded from plex.tv to ~/Downloads/
• A media drive: Internal or external drive for storing your media

Quick Start

1. Download the Plex .deb from plex.tv/media-server-downloads

   • Choose Linux
   • Select Ubuntu (16.04+) / Debian (8+) → .deb package
   • Save to ~/Downloads/

2. Run the installer:

git clone https://github.com/28allday/Plex-Server-Setup.git
cd Plex-Server-Setup
chmod +x plexint.sh
sudo ./plexint.sh

3. Access Plex at http://<your-server-ip>:32400/web

What It Does

Part A: Drive Mount Setup

Mounts your media drive permanently so it survives reboots.

1. Shows all available drives and partitions (lsblk)
2. Asks you to select a device (e.g. /dev/sdb1)
3. Detects the drive's UUID (unique identifier that won't change)
4. Asks for a mount point (e.g. /mnt/media)
5. Asks for the filesystem type (ext4, ntfs, xfs, exfat)
6. Adds the mount to /etc/fstab and mounts it immediately

Why UUID? Device paths like /dev/sdb1 can change if you add or remove drives. UUIDs are permanent identifiers tied to the filesystem itself.

Supported filesystems: ext4, ntfs, xfs, exfat, btrfs, and any other type supported by your kernel.

Part B: Plex Installation

1. Installs prerequisites (curl, apt-transport-https, gnupg)
2. Finds the Plex .deb file in ~/Downloads/
3. Installs it with dpkg and resolves any missing dependencies
4. Enables Plex to start on boot (systemctl enable)
5. Starts Plex immediately
6. Opens port 32400 in UFW firewall

After Installation

Initial Plex Setup

1. Open http://<server-ip>:32400/web in a browser
2. Sign in with your Plex account (or create one)
3. Name your server
4. Add your media library — point it to the mount point you chose (e.g. /mnt/media)
5. Let Plex scan and organize your media

Organise Your Media

For best results, organise your media like this:

/mnt/media/
├── Movies/
│   ├── Movie Name (2024)/
│   │   └── Movie Name (2024).mkv
│   └── ...
├── TV Shows/
│   ├── Show Name/
│   │   ├── Season 01/
│   │   │   ├── Show Name - S01E01.mkv
│   │   │   └── ...
│   │   └── ...
│   └── ...
└── Music/
    ├── Artist Name/
    │   ├── Album Name/
    │   │   ├── 01 - Track Name.flac
    │   │   └── ...
    │   └── ...
    └── ...

Files Modified

Path	Purpose
/etc/fstab	Drive mount entry added (one line)

Services

Service	Port	Purpose
plexmediaserver.service	32400	Plex Media Server web interface and streaming

Troubleshooting

Can't access Plex web interface

• Check Plex is running: sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver
• Check firewall: sudo ufw status — port 32400 should be ALLOW
• Try http://localhost:32400/web on the server itself first

Drive not mounting after reboot

• Check fstab syntax: cat /etc/fstab
• Test it: sudo mount -a (mounts all fstab entries)
• Check the UUID is correct: sudo blkid

Plex can't see files on the media drive

• Check permissions: ls -la /mnt/media
• Plex runs as the plex user — it needs read access to your media:

  sudo chmod -R 755 /mnt/media
  sudo chown -R plex:plex /mnt/media
  

  Or add the plex user to your group:

  sudo usermod -aG your-username plex
  sudo systemctl restart plexmediaserver
  

"No .deb file found" error

• Make sure the file is in ~/Downloads/ (not a subdirectory)
• The filename must start with plexmediaserver (e.g. plexmediaserver_1.40.0.1234_amd64.deb)

Updating Plex

Download the new .deb from plex.tv and install it:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/plexmediaserver*.deb
sudo systemctl restart plexmediaserver

Uninstalling

# Stop and remove Plex
sudo systemctl stop plexmediaserver
sudo systemctl disable plexmediaserver
sudo apt remove --purge plexmediaserver

# Remove firewall rule
sudo ufw delete allow 32400/tcp

# Remove the fstab entry (edit manually)
sudo nano /etc/fstab
# Delete the line this script added, then:
sudo umount /mnt/media

# Remove Plex data (WARNING: deletes all library metadata)
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/plexmediaserver

Credits

• Plex - Media server software

License

This project is provided as-is.