TrueNAS: Update Plex Server
Updating your Plex Media Server installed on your TrueNAS server is important to keep up with the latest offered features and bug fixes. This article will show you how to update your Plex media server on your TrueNAS install to the latest build as well as show you how to automate that update process should you wish. This will ensure you can continue to use Plex as your digital media player and organizational tool to access the music, pictures, and videos stored on one computer with any other computer, set top device or compatible mobile device. This article assumes that you have already installed Plex into a jail by following my TrueNAS: Plex Manual Install article and that jail is up and running and that you have shell access to it.
This is part of my ongoing series of TrueNAS and FreeNAS setup, configuration and install articles.
Install PMS Updater
After following my TrueNAS: Plex Manual Install article you have probably noticed that your Plex Media Server is not the latest version and is asking for an update. And you probably also notice that you are unable to update it from the web browser. So we need to install a little program called PMS Updater. So lets go ahead and get that installed.
From the shell within your Plex jail, we will first need to install some of the dependencies with the following commands:
pkg install wget
pkg install ca_root_nss
pkg install perl5
Now we can download the PMS Updater with the following commands:
mkdir /usr/local/PMS_Updater
cd /usr/local/PMS_Updater
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mstinaff/PMS_Updater/master/PMS_Updater.sh
Now we can run the updater to get the latest Plex update and the syntax is as follows:
sh PMS_Updater.sh -v -a
Previous Versions of PMS Updater
Previous versions of the updater required username and password. If you’re following this guide you should have the latest version, but if you need it the syntax for previous versions, including how to use an username and password stored in a file can be read in the previous version of this article: FreeNAS: Manual Install and Update of Plex Media Server
Automate PMS Updater and Setup as a Cron job
So dropping to command line to update your Plex Server every time is a bit of a pain. So we can work towards automating this a little bit and to do that we will setup a Cron Job using the TrueNAS web interface.
There are two ways you can choose to use the Cron Job. First, you can just have it setup an you can manually run it without a schedule and whenever you notice an update is needed, or if you’re one of those people who (like me) likes to wait a few weeks before any kinks get ironed out of updates. This way you would have to navigate to the Cron Job menu in the web interface to run the job, but you wouldn’t have to drop to command line an remember the syntax. The other way is you can have this set to run a certain time every day, week or month. If there are updates, they would download and get installed automatically without any intervention from you.
Either way, to set this up, you need to go to Tasks -> Cron Jobs and add a new job. Enter the following into the command field, where [jailname] is the name of the jail you’ve created:
/usr/local/bin/iocage exec [jailname] /bin/sh /usr/local/PMS_Updater/PMS_Updater.sh -v -a
In this dialog box, you will have to enter a name for your Cron Job and select a user with sufficient privileges to run it. If you do want it scheduled to run automatically select a schedule and be sure the enable box is checked. If you want to run in manually, but sure that the enabled box is unticked.
Alright. That’ it. I told you it was pretty simple. Happy Plexin’
~Raze
Sources:
Updater Source Code: https://github.com/mstinaff/PMS_Updater
Updater Instructions: https://www.ceos3c.com/freenas/manually-update-plex-freenas/
I am getting an error message that says “version FBSD_1.6 required not found” when I get to the part where I install the PMS Updater. Is there something else I need to do?
Hmm. What version is your jail running?
I’m having the same issue. My version is 1.20.1.3252. I’m getting this issue after running ‘wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mstinaff/PMS_Updater/master/PMS_Updater.sh‘ and I’m recieving back ‘/lib/libc.so.y: version FBSD_1.6 required by /usr/local/bin/wget not found’. Any idea on how to update the necessary packages?
I am getting the same issue with FreeNAS 11.3 and the most recent version of transmission in a jail for digiMoot’s article on “FreeNAS: Add VPN Connection to a Jailâ€.
Also getting FBSD_ 1.6 required…
Fantastic script. I finally have an up-to-date Plex Server and it stays that way! Script ran with no issues. Many thanks.
Great little guide and script – have this running on a TrueNas Core 12.0-U2.1 jail with no issues.
I found that despite setting my FreeBSD.conf manual script to ‘latest’ Plex was still out of date but this nicely fixes this and then can manually sort via the cron job as needed later. It also didn’t seem to mind that my Plex data etc is mounted outside my jail as well which was good.
Thanks for the great work.
I ran the update today and now my plex isn’t working. I had run this previously and had no issues. Any ideas? I am new to DSB.
It also doesn’t work after updating to TrueNAS-12.0-U3
Error
Command: /bin/sh /usr/local/PMS_Updater/PMS_Updater.sh -v -a failed!
Hello,
so far the cron job for the automated update of the Plex server has always worked flawlessly. After the update to the TrueNAS version TrueNAS-12.0-U3.1, the cron job no longer works and the following error message is displayed:
ImportError: No module named site
Command: / bin / sh /usr/local/PMS_Updater/PMS_Updater.sh -v -a failed!
The manual update, however, can still be carried out. Anyone have any idea what the problem is?
I get the importerror even when running manually since the update to u3.1…seems to be a python problem, I’m not a bsd guy, so unsure how to resolve
I updated my jail and all is good now!
I don’t believe it has to do with U3.1. I’m on TrueNAS U2.1 and it started giving me the same error a few weeks ago. However, I’m not even able to update it via the script within the jail shell. Not sure what’s going on. My guess is Plex updated the way the download list works at https://plex.tv/api/downloads/5.json
Not sure how to resolve this at the moment.
For awareness, a bug was created for this:
https://github.com/mstinaff/PMS_Updater/issues/57
I used this method to update my Plex server and the script runs without errors, and says i am up-to-date with version 1.25.2.5319. However I restart the server and the truenas plugin states it is version 1.24.5.5173 as does the dashboard interface on the web. It also gives me a notification that an update is available. I ma running truenas core 12.0_U7. If I re run the script it says I am uptodate.
i get this exact issue with Ver 1.25.3.5409 all updated correctly within Nas but plex on pc says server Version 1.25.2.5319
Do we just enter the two lines as on in the command line of the cron job? Doesn’t seem to be working for me.
A really nice guide! I’ve been getting nowhere with the update as the other guides seem to be out of date – this one worked like a charm! BIG THANKS!! ????
Fantastic!! I noticed that the updates stopped coming, followed the link to the github storage, and with the updated script all works again. WOW, so good, so useful!
I set this up for auto and it just works. One less thing I have to think about as long as it works. Thanks.
Thank you for this. Works with out issue, I installed the cron and set it to run every week.