How I Set Up Plex on Proxmox with NAS for Seamless Media Streaming

As a media enthusiast, I was looking for a way to organize and stream my ever-growing collection of movies, photos, and music. After researching various solutions, I decided to set up Plex on my Proxmox VM, with all my media stored on a NAS (Network Attached Storage). Here’s how I made it work!

Why Plex and NAS?

Plex has long been my go-to for organizing and streaming media. Its ability to organize content with rich metadata, and stream it to any device, is exactly what I need. Meanwhile, NAS offers a reliable, centralized storage solution for all my media, and pairing it with Plex makes streaming smooth and easy.

My Plex Setup on Proxmox

Since I’m building a home lab server, I decided to install Plex inside a Proxmox VM to keep things isolated and efficient. Here’s how I’ve set it up:

1. Installing Plex on a Proxmox VM

For my Proxmox setup, I created a lightweight Ubuntu Server VM. I allocated sufficient CPU, RAM, and storage resources for Plex to perform smoothly. Here’s the general installation process:

• Step 1: Update the system with sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.
• Step 2: Download the latest Plex Media Server package from the Plex website and install it with dpkg -i plexmediaserver*.deb.
• Step 3: Start the Plex service with sudo systemctl start plexmediaserver.
• Step 4: Complete the setup by accessing the Plex web interface at http://<your-server-ip>:32400/web.

2. Mounting NAS to Plex

I store all my movies, photos, and music on a NAS. To make sure Plex can access this media, I mounted the NAS on the Proxmox VM where Plex is running. This ensures that Plex can scan and organize the media, without having to store the files locally on the VM.

This setup also provides flexibility, as the NAS can hold a large amount of media, and Plex can access it anytime.

3. Configuring Plex Libraries

Once the NAS was mounted, I created different libraries for my movies, TV shows, and music within the Plex interface. Plex automatically pulls in rich metadata—like posters, plot summaries, and cast information—organizing everything into beautiful, easy-to-navigate collections.

4. Remote Access & Streaming

With Plex set up, I configured remote access so I could stream my media anywhere. This involved enabling port forwarding and ensuring Plex could communicate with my home network, even when I’m outside.

I also ensured that Plex uses hardware acceleration for transcoding, so videos can be streamed smoothly on devices that may not support the original format.

Benefits of Using Plex with NAS

Here are some of the key benefits of this setup:

• Centralized Storage: All my media is stored on the NAS, which is accessible across all devices connected to my network. No need to worry about running out of space on my VM.
• Cross-Device Streaming: With Plex’s cross-device compatibility, I can stream content to smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and more. It’s also easy to share the media library with family and friends.
• Easy Management: Plex handles all the heavy lifting when it comes to organizing my media—automatically fetching metadata and sorting files by genre, release date, etc.
• Remote Access: I can access my media remotely, ensuring I can stream my content no matter where I am.

Challenges Faced

While the setup process went smoothly, there were a few challenges:

• Network Configuration: I had to make sure that the Proxmox VM and NAS were correctly configured within the same network. I opted for a bridge network on Proxmox to ensure proper communication between the devices.
• Storage Expansion: As my media library grows, I have to carefully manage the storage on the NAS. Fortunately, ZFS handles this well, but it’s something to monitor closely as more media is added.

Conclusion

Overall, setting up Plex on Proxmox with a NAS has been a fantastic solution for managing and streaming my media. Plex offers seamless streaming across all devices, and the NAS provides reliable, scalable storage. This setup has enhanced my media experience and allowed me to enjoy my favorite movies, shows, and music anytime, anywhere.

Call to Action:

Have you set up Plex on a home server before? Or are you thinking of giving it a try? Drop your thoughts, tips, or questions in the comments below!