This server is the media hub of the Trash Panda ecosystem. It manages media libraries, handles streaming, and performs transcoding. While the server is largely internet-adjacent for remote access, it is designed to separate storage and network duties across dedicated interfaces to maximize performance and stability. Proper hardware configuration ensures reliable media delivery and predictable transcoding performance.

This page covers OS installation, NIC configuration, storage setup, Plex Media Server native installation, and initial configuration. Detailed library management, remote access, and advanced Plex configuration are covered in their own guides.

The Plex Media Server:

• Hosts all media libraries
• Streams content to internal and remote clients
• Performs video/audio transcoding, leveraging GPU acceleration
• Connects to the NAS via NFS for media access

By dedicating this physical server to Plex, we:

• Reduce impact on other services
• Centralize media management
• Ensure predictable performance for streaming and transcoding
• Simplify troubleshooting and scaling

This server is the backbone of media access — it should be quiet, performant, and reliable.

• Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS or newer
• Minimal installation (no desktop environment)
• Automatic security updates enabled

Ubuntu LTS provides:

• Long-term security support
• Strong community documentation
• Stability for long-running media workloads

This server should run headless and be administered via SSH.

• OS SSD: NVMe SSD1 for OS and system packages
• Data SSD: NVMe SSD2 partitioned:
  1. 60% mounted at `/transcoder` for Plex transcoding
  2. 40% mounted at `/cache` for Plex cache

This separation ensures:

• Transcoding operations do not impact OS performance
• Cache and temporary files are isolated for efficiency
• Disk I/O to the NAS remains optimized

This server requires two physical network interfaces, following established NIC rules.

Purpose:

• Administrative access (SSH)
• Plex web interface and remote streaming
• Outbound access for updates

Characteristics:

• Routed
• MTU 1500
• Static IP recommended

Purpose:

• High-speed access to NAS for media libraries
• Dedicated file I/O for transcoding and caching

Characteristics:

• Layer 2 only
• Jumbo Frames enabled (9000 MTU)
• No routing to LAN or internet

Segregating traffic ensures:

• Predictable streaming and transcoding performance
• Reduced network contention
• Isolation of critical media operations

Install Plex natively on Ubuntu as a system service. Do not use Docker.
Follow these steps on the bare-metal server:

# Install HTTPS transport and necessary packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl apt-transport-https -y

# Add Plex repository key
curl https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-keys/PlexSign.key | sudo apt-key add -

# Add Plex repository
echo deb https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/deb public main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list

# Update package lists and install Plex
sudo apt update
sudo apt install plexmediaserver -y

# Check Plex service status
sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver

# Enable Plex to start at boot
sudo systemctl enable plexmediaserver

# Start Plex service if not already running
sudo systemctl start plexmediaserver

# Allow default Plex port 32400 TCP
sudo ufw allow 32400/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Open a web browser and go to: <server-ip>:32400

Notes:

• Plex runs as the plex user by default.
• Ensure that /transcoder and /cache directories have proper permissions for the plex user.
• If using GPU acceleration, verify that NVIDIA drivers are installed and accessible by Plex (e.g. RTX 3060).

Builder's choice unless otherwise noted

Builder's choice for:

• Account login
• Online media sources
• Authorized web devices
• Watchlist
• Webhooks
• Streaming services
• Plex Home
• Manage Library Access
• Privacy settings

General Section: Builder's choice

Quality Section:

• Video Quality: 8 Mbps, 1080p
• Check “Play smaller videos at original quality” (Internet Streaming)
• Check “Use recommended settings” (Home Streaming)

Debug Section:

• Debug Level: Disabled
• Check Direct Play
• Check Direct Stream

Player Section:

• Check “Normalize Multi-channel Audio”
• Remaining options: Builder's choice

General:

• Enter Plex Server friendly name
• Leave all checkboxes unchecked
• Server Update Channel: Public

Remote Access:

• Plex behind a reverse proxy may show “Not available outside your network” – this is normal
• Uncheck “Manually specify public port”
• Internet Upload Speed: 90% of ISP allocation
• Limit remote stream bitrate: 8 Mbps (1080p)

Agents (Legacy): Builder's choice

Library:

• Scan my library automatically
• Run a partial scan when changes are detected
• Include music libraries in automatic updates (if applicable)
• Scan my library periodically (15 minutes)
• Empty trash automatically after every scan
• Allow media deletion
• Database Cache Size: 256MB
• Remaining options: Builder's choice

Network:

• Client Network: IPv4 Only
• Secure Connections: Preferred
• Certificates: configure only if installed locally
• Preferred network interface: DMZ VLAN NIC (do NOT select NFS NIC)
• Uncheck Strict TLS configuration
• Uncheck Enable local network discovery (GDM)
• Remote streams allowed per user: 3
• LAN Networks: comma-delimited list of local subnets
• Terminate sessions paused longer than: 10 minutes
• Uncheck Treat WAN IP as LAN bandwidth
• Check Enable Relay
• Custom server access URLs: https://plex.mydomain.com
• Leave allowed IPs without auth blank
• Webhooks unchecked unless actively used

Transcoder (baseline: NVIDIA RTX 3060):

• Transcoder Quality: Make my CPU hurt
• Transcoder temporary directory: /transcoder
• Downloads temporary directory: /transcoder/temp_d
• Transcoder throttle buffer: 120 seconds
• Background transcoding preset: Fast
• Uncheck Enable HDR tone mapping
• Uncheck Disable video stream transcoding
• Check Use hardware acceleration when available
• Check Use hardware-accelerated video encoding
• HEVC encoding: Never
• Hardware transcoding device: explicitly select GPU
• Max simultaneous GPU transcodes: 5
• Max CPU transcodes: Unlimited
• Max background video transcodes: 1

Languages:

• Automatically select audio and subtitle tracks
• Remaining options: Builder's choice

DLNA: Builder's choice

Scheduled Tasks:

• Start time: 02:00
• Stop time: 05:00
• Backup database every 3 days
• Optimize database weekly
• Remove old bundles weekly
• Remove old cache files weekly
• Refresh local metadata every 3 days
• Update all libraries during maintenance
• Upgrade media analysis during maintenance
• Uncheck Refresh library metadata periodically
• Perform extensive media analysis during maintenance

Extras: Builder's choice

Libraries: Use the Add Libraries button to point to media paths.