Step 1: Get the Plex Installer File for Linux Plex media server is available on the official website of Plex TV. You just need to download and install the file with your Linux software installer. If you are a Debian or Ubuntu Linux user, you will find the.deb package file on the website. Build your Plex Media Server appliance with the Ubuntu Appliance image. Plex organises your media libraries and streams them to any device – including all your video, music and photo libraries.
Debian is distributed freelyover Internet. You can download all of it from any of ourmirrors.The Installation Manualcontains detailed installation instructions.And, the release notes can be found here.
If you simply want to install Debian, these are your options:
Download an installation image
Depending on your Internet connection, you may download either of the following:
- A small installation image: can be downloaded quickly and should be recorded onto a removable disk. To use this, you will need a machine with an Internet connection.
- A larger complete installation image: contains more packages, making it easier to install machines without an Internet connection.
Use a Debian cloud image
- An official cloud image: can be used directly on your cloud provider, built by the Debian Cloud Team.
Try Debian live before installing
You can try Debian by booting a live system from a CD, DVD or USB key without installing any files to the computer. When you are ready, you can run the included installer (starting from Debian 10 Buster, this is the end-user-friendly Calamares Installer). Provided the images meet your size, language, and package selection requirements, this method may be suitable for you. Read more information about this method to help you decide.
Buy a set of CDs or DVDs from one of the vendors selling Debian CDs
Many of the vendors sell the distribution for less than US$5 plus shipping (check their web page to see if they ship internationally).
Some of the books about Debian come with CDs, too.
Here are the basic advantages of CDs:
- Installation from a CD set is more straightforward.
- You can install on machines without an Internet connection.
- You can install Debian (on as many machines as you like) without downloading all packages yourself.
- The CD can be used to more easily rescue a damaged Debian system.
Buy a computer with Debian pre-installed
There are a number of advantages to this:
- You don't have to install Debian.
- The installation is pre-configured to match the hardware.
- The vendor may provide technical support.
If any of the hardware in your system requires non-free firmware to beloaded with the device driver, you can use one of thetarballs of common firmware packages or download an unofficial imageincluding these non-free firmwares. Instructions how to use the tarballsand general information about loading firmware during an installation canbe found in the Installation Guide.
Article overviewHelp article
In this Plex Media Server guide, you can read how to install Plex on a Debian 9VPS and use Big Storage as extra storage space for your media files.
Use sudo or follow the steps in this article as a root user.
Installing Plex Media Server in Debian 9
Step 1
First, copy the most current download link on the Plex download page before you begin the installation:
Select 'Linux'> 'Choose Distribution' and then right-click 'Ubuntu (16.04+) / Debian (9+) - Intel/AMD 64-bit' > 'Copy link location'.
Step 2
Connect to your VPS via SSH or the VPS console in your control panel.
Step 3
In this step of the Plex Media Server guide you download the latest version of Plex on your VPS with the wget command. The syntax for this is 'wget url', where you replace url with the link from step 1, for example:
Step 4
Once the Plex download is complete, install the media server with the command:
Replace the name plex media server-1.15.1.791-8bec0f76c.x86_64.rpm with the name of the Plex installation file that you downloaded in step 3. Plex starts automatically after installation.
Tip: Type yum -y install plex and press the tab key. The full name of the installation file is then automatically entered.
Step 5
Delete the installation file using the command:
Again, replace the name of the file with the name that you used in step 4.
Tip: Type rm -f plex and press the tab key. The full name of the installation file is then automatically entered as in the previous step.
Step 6
The Plex repo is not enabled by default; this means that apt -y update would not update Plex. This can be fixed with a small change in the Plex 'source list' file and by adding the Plex public key to the apt package manager.
Open the source list file:
In the file, remove the # at the start of the last line (i.e. uncomment the line), so that it looks like:
Save the changes and close the file with (ctrl + x > y > enter).
Plex Ubuntu Download
Finally, add the Plex public key to the apt package manager:
Before you can reach the Plex interface for the first time, set up an SSH tunnel to your VPS. Use the steps below for the operating system from which you want to connect to your Plex Media Server.
Step 1
PowerShell in Windows 10 has an SSH-client built into it (it's absent in older Windows versions). Click the Windows start button (bottom left) and type 'Powershell'. In the results, click on 'Run as Administrator'.
Step 2
Set up an SSH tunnel using the command:
Replace:
- 22 with your actual SSH port number,
- user with the user name which you use to connect to your VPS
- 123.123.123.123 by your VPS' public IPv4 address.
Proceed to step 8, but do not close PowerShell!
Start a terminal (command + space > 'terminal') and set up an SSH tunnel using the command:
Replace:
- 22 with your actual SSH port number,
- user with the user name which you use to connect to your VPS
- 123.123.123.123 by your VPS' public IPv4 address.
Proceed to step 8, but do not close PowerShell!
Now start a browser on your PC / laptop (not on your VPS) and go to the address http:localhost:8888/web. You will then be taken to https://app.plex.tv. Choose one of the three options to sign up for a Plex account.
Please note: Do you get to see an endless turning circle? In that case, try a different browser. Not every browser seems to work equally well with Plex.
Step 9
After logging in, you will see a welcome screen with a brief explanation of how Plex works. Click 'GOT IT!' to proceed.
Plex will now offer you a premium subscription. Click the cross in the top right to close it. You can always use this offer later.
Step 10
Name your Plex server and click 'NEXT'. Your hostname is entered by default, but if you are going to share your Plex server with others, it is of course more fun to give a more personal name.
Leave 'Allow me to access my media outside my home' checked. If you turn this option off, you can only access Plex from your VPS.
Step 11
Before you proceed with actually adding your videos, music and / or photos to your Plex server, via FTP for example, it is advisable to read the Plex Media Preparation manual first. This manual explains how to organize your folder structure and which names (i.e. name conventions) you need to give your files so that Plex can optimally recognize and index them. Failure to follow these guidelines can adversely affect the operation of your Plex server.
Click 'Add Library' once you have set up your files and folders for Plex.
Step 12
Choose a library type, give it a name, and choose a language. Make sure you accurately choose the library type. This ensures that your files can actually be found in Plex under the categories where they belong and, for example, that there are no series in your movie list.
Step 13
Click 'Browse for Media folder' to search your VPS for folders with media files.
Step 14
Navigate to the folder that you want to add and click 'Add'.
In the example above, this is a folder on the linked Big Storage. Later in this article, you can read how you use Big Storage together with Plex (spoiler: it is very simple).
Step 15
Click 'Next' if you no longer want to add folders (this can always be done later). You are now done with the installation of Plex Media Server!
Close the SSH tunnel from Step 7 and install the Plex app on all devices on which you want to use Plex (telephone, tablet, TV, etc.).
Step 16
The final step of the Plex Media Server manual for Ubuntu is to open the Plex port 32400 in your firewall. Ubuntu comes with ufw, in which you open the port with the commands:
Pro tip: Alternatively, only allow specific IP addresses to the Plex web interface by opening port 32400 per specific IP address. You use the following syntax for this:
Replace 123.123.123.123 with your own IP address (i.e. belonging to the client computer). You can find this on this website, for example.
Please note: some providers work with dynamic IP addresses. This means that the IP address of your internet connection at home changes regularly.
The installation of your Plex server is now complete! You can now continue to install the Plex app on your mobile devices / television or access your computer via a browser from 123.123.123.123:32400 (replace 123.123.123.123 with the IPv4 address of your VPS).
Using Big Storage with Plex
With Big Storage, you can easily add a lot of extra storage capacity to your Plex Media Server (minimum 2TB to maximum 400TB). All you have to do to be able to use your Big Storage in Plex is to connect your Big Storage to your VPS. The folder in which you mount your Big Storage in this process (/mnt/bigstorage in our manual) will then automatically be available in Plex when you add a new media library.
Please note: Plex scans the folders that you add to your library before they can be used. Depending on the amount of data, this may take some time.
Uploading files to Plex
Now that your Plex server is up and running, you of course need a method for getting media on your Plex Media Server. A relatively easy method to achieve this is to make use of SFTP or FTPS. For this, you can use one of our tutorials:
Should you have any questions left regarding this article, do not hesitate to contact our support department. You can reach them via the ‘ContactUs' button at the bottom of this page.
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