4/15/14

  Hello, This is to help you create a Plex Media Server using Ubuntu 13.10.

  I am running this on a virtual box with 4GB RAM, 2 Processors, and 128 MB Video Memory.
  
  I have found that this server is capable of running multiple movies at once on multiple devices over your network, but only if your router can handle that much throughput.  I would recommend having at least an N Router speed.

  As for security, you can either have this be only on your network or hooked up to the server.  If you hook it up to the Server online, i would recommend not having the automatic port forwarding selected, i would manually set the port to a port on your router of choice and use port forwarding to let it get to the internet.  You can figure this out if you do not know how to do it by going to the website for your router and looking in the FAQ.

  I would recommend having strong passwords for both the plex server and your router. 

  So first of all you need to install Ubuntu 13.10.  You can do this by going to WWW.Ubuntu.com and downloading it in either 32 bit or 64 bit, whichever you prefer.  Now go through the install process and get it running smoothly.  

  Once it is running you need to go to the terminal and install avahi by typing: Sudo apt-get install avahi-daemon

  Follow all prompts to install.  Once it is installed you now need to update your system to make sure it is up to date.  using command: Sudo apt-get update  then command Sudo apt-get upgrade  (this will take some time)                  

  

  

  Follow all promptings to get it isntalled.  Once it is done go ahead and do a reboot on your system.
  
  Now you can either download the adobe flash player plugin for Mozilla Firefox from the software center, or download Google Chrome Browser.

  To install Google Chrome Browser go to google.com and search for the google chrome download. downlaod it and install it, or you can get it from the software center as well. 

  Now it is time to install the plex media server!  open up your browser and go to plex.tv  Once there go to downloads, click computer then download the package for Ubuntu (either 64 or 32 bit whichever version of Ubuntu you downloaded.)

  Once it is downloaded and installed, open the plex media server app and follow the setup guide.  The account is free for the basic account so just sign up for the account.  if you are wanting to use this in a mobile platform away from your home network you will need to get the myplex subscription.  

  Once the basic setup in done, you will need to select some folders from your machine in which it will look for the media i.e. Videos, Music, Pictures. ( If you do not have any media in them yet that is ok, you will add them in the next step.)

  Now you can put media on your machine (if you did not already have media on it) by any means, i.e. USB, External Hard Drive etc. in the folders that you selected on the Plex Media Server

  The files you add should automatically update to the plex server, if they do not then force a refresh on the server and you should see the files in there and available to stream.  You may want to go in the settings and adjust the quality at which the media playback is set to.

  If you want you can now set up an SMB share on your machine in order to add media to it over your home network.  You do this by first installing gksu from the software center:

  Next install samba from the software center:

  Next install python glade 2 : Sudo apt-get install python-glade2

  Now install Graphical interface for Samba: Sudo apt-get install system-config-samba

  

  Now open samba and add folders to share:

  Now you should be able to add media to your server from another computer on your network.

  

  Now to see if the server is working correctly, make sure you start your plex media server on your Plex Media Server machine then go to a machine that is not your new plex media server and go to your browser then go to the URL: plex.tv    Log in to it then launch the Web UI.  you should now be able to view and stream movies, pictures, music to your device.  

  You can also stream directly to a chromecast device if you have one on your network.  

  Congratulations! You now have a Home Media Server that you can store all your media in one place and access them from any device on your home network.  There are apps for mobile devices on Android, Ios, OS X, and Windows.


  FAQ
  Q. My Plex wont connect to the server
  A. This is ok if it does not connect to the server, if you intend to only use this inside your network on your network attached devices there is no need to connect to the server.  However if you want to access this from a device remotely you will need to look at using the port forwarding feature on your router and manually configure it in the settings.
  Q. My videos aren't streaming
  A. Chances are you dont have a flash player installed, either download google chrome browser or download the Mozilla Firefox Adobe Flash Player plugin from the software center and try again.
  Q. The quality of my video playback is low
  A. Go to the settings menu and go to player, you can configure the quality settings of the video streaming.
  Q. The media in my folders on my computer wont show up on Plex
  A. Chances are your folder on your computer is not set to be shared.  You can make it be sharing capable by right clicking the folder, go to properties, sharing, and set the sharing parameters you want.

  Sources
  https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/26727-how-to-plex-media-server-on-ubuntu/