How to Create Your Own “Home Media Streaming Server” Using Plex with FreeNAS – Part 3

Everyone have there own collections of Movies, Songs, Video Songs, Pictures etc. Many of them wonder how we can stream to all of our home devices. Here is the solution we can use Plex Media Server to stream our videos over LAN network in our home using devices such as Smart TV, iPad, Mobiles, Tablet, Laptops etc..

Plex media available for some of the smart TV’s, Xbox One too. If our home devices have the feature of Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) we can use Plex in it.

Stream Movies With Plex in Linux
Home Media Streaming Using Plex with FreeNAS

In our previous articles, we’ve seen how to Install FreeNAS and how to configure Storage shares. Now in this post, we will show you how to setup a home based streaming server using Plex Media Server Plugin in FreeNAS.

Requirements

  1. Installing and Configuring FreeNAS 9.2.1.8 – Part 1
  2. Configuring and Adding ZFS Storage in FreeNAS – Part 2
My Server Setup
Hardware		:	Virtual Machine 64-bit
Operating System        :	FreeNAS-9.2.1.8-RELEASE-x64
IP Address	      	:	192.168.0.230
8GB RAM		        :	Minimum RAM 
1 Disk (5GB)	      	:	Used for OS Installation
8 Disks (5GB)		:	Used for Storage

Step 1: Creating a Volume for Plex Installation

1. Back in part I and II we have seen how to install FreeNAS and configuring Storage. Here we can see how to install plex media server for setting up a volume.

For this setup, I have used total 3 disks in my server. My first disk holds the FreeNAS installation and other two disks are used for Storage purpose. Here I’m going to configure Plex Using RAID1 Mirror method. Data’s will be safe and performance will be good.

  1. Volume name I’m going to use in this article is “tecmint_vol“.
  2. Dataset name I have choose as “tecmedia“.
  3. Dataset for jails as tecmint_jails.
  4. Sharing name for CIFS Dataset will be tecmint_broadcast.

2. Now login into the FreeNAS Dashboard, click on Storage from the top menu, then click on ZFS Volume Manager to create a new Volume for our media server.

Create New Volume
Create New Volume

3. Next, we need to define our Volume name, Here we going to use “tecmint_vol” as our volume name. Under available disks we can see + sign click it to add the available disks for our Plex storage.

While adding FreeNAS storage, it will ask you to define RAID level for our added disks, here we are using two disks for FreeNAS, so choose Mirror Option and click on Add volume to add our new volume.

Add New Volume
Add New Volume

Step 2: Creating a Dataset for Plex Storage

4. After creating a new volume, now we need to define a dataset. Dataset it just like a folder with advance options such as compression, Quota, Share type, Reduplication, Record size and much more.

To create a Dataset in our new volume choose the volume, Now we will get the menu in bottom click on “Create ZFS dataset“. In the POPup window we have to define our dataset name as “tecmedia” don’t change any other settings than providing a name to our data-set.

Creating Dataset for Volume
Creating Dataset for Volume
Active Volumes
Active Volumes

5. Now from the “Active Volumes” tab, select the tecmedia data-set to grant correct permissions. choose Change Permission and change the permissions, Our media need to stream to every (Anonymous) user.

So, set the permissions has READ, WRITE, EXECUTE for Other. If we need to get the same privileges for every files which ever dropped into our data-set we have to choose Recursively and then click on Save to save the changes.

Set Permissions on Volume
Set Permissions on Volume

6. Next, we need to create a Dataset for Jails. Again for creating a Jails we have to choose our volume and create a Dataset. The use of this data-set is to store the plugins, So while we downloading the plugins for FreeNAS every plugins will be pulled into this data-set (Folder).

For creating a data-set, we have to choose our volume tecmint_vol and click Create ZFS data-set from bottom. Give the Dataset name as tecmint_jails and click on Add Dataset as shown in the below picture.

Create Dataset Jails for Volume
Create Dataset Jails for Volume

7. Before configuring Jails directory, make sure to check default network route. We need to configure the IPv4 Default Gateway under Network TOP Menu, Global Configuration. Here my default gateway is my Router IP 192.168.0.1.

Configure Network Gateway
Configure Network Gateway

8. Then choose Jails TAB and choose the dataset directory which we have created for Jails and save the changes.

Configure Dataset Jails
Configure Dataset Jails

9. Next, define the Jail Root for FreeNAS to store downloaded plugins, select Jails from the top menu and then go to the Configuration under Jails Menu and add the path of dataset directory i.e. “tecmint_jails“.

Define Jail Root Location
Define Jail Root Location
Babin Lonston
I'm Working as a System Administrator for last 10 year's with 4 years experience with Linux Distributions, fall in love with text based operating systems.

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10 thoughts on “How to Create Your Own “Home Media Streaming Server” Using Plex with FreeNAS – Part 3”

  1. Wozza, i had that same problem. It’s very simple. If you click on plexmedia and it asks you something about security you followed the steps on page 2. When u did that the service automatically turned off again. So u need to again turn the plugin on. Then it will work! Awesome tutorial, set it all up in my house. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. Followed to the letter, but does not work. Fresh install of FreeNAS 9.10, but when you click on the link to go to the Plex Media setup screen, just comes up with “Page not found”. Can’t see why :(

    Reply
    • Turn the service Plex on again. It automatically turned off when u clicked ok and then tried to click on ‘here’ for plex media. Check the plugin, its turned off.

      Reply

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