synology-update-plex

Script to Auto Update Plex Media Server on Synology NAS

Goals

• Make the echoed messages super clear
• Make the version checking logic as smart as possible
• Ensure the script fails if there are any errors
• Ensure temp files are cleaned up properly
• Write bash code as idiomatically as possible
• Attempt to find the "Plex Media Server" directory that contains Preferences.xml efficiently
• Attempt to support all Synology NAS architectures
• Support Ansible automation

Usage

First, SSH into your NAS, save the update-plex.sh script somewhere and set it as executable:

$ ssh you@IP_OF_YOUR_NAS
you@yournas:~$ wget "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cowboy/synology-update-plex/master/update-plex.sh"
you@yournas:~$ chmod a+x update-plex.sh

Then, create a Scheduled Task with a User-defined script in the Synology DSM Control Panel:

• Ensure the User is root
• Ensure the Run command is /path/to/update-plex.sh
• Add the --plex-pass option (eg. /path/to/update-plex.sh --plex-pass) if you have Plex Pass and want to enable early access / beta releases

Use Ansible instead

Ansible is a powerful automation tool which allows you to perform repetitive tasks easily.

To use Ansible:

• Clone this repository on your ansible machine
• Modify the inventory file to match your environment (/inventory/hosts.ini)
• Run the following command:

  ansible-playbook playbooks/update-plex.yml -i inventory/hosts.ini
  

It is recommended to use a password vault, ansible-vault or AWX/Tower credential vault to encrypt password so it is not stored in clear text in the inventory file

Notes

• Be careful when SSHing into your NAS. I'm not responsible if you break anything!
• This script may contain bugs. I'm not responsible if it breaks anything!
• This script has been tested on a Synology DS918+ & DS216J NAS. It should work with other Synology NAS models.
• If you find a bug, please file an issue or create a pull request. Explain the situation and include all script output.
• If the script outputs Unable to find "Plex Media Server" directory when --plex-pass is specified, you may need to manually change /volume* in the script to your volume's root path.
• This assumes Plex was installed manually from https://www.plex.tv/media-server-downloads/.
• You'll probably need to add Plex as a trusted publisher for package installations.

References

Adapted from work first published at:

• https://forums.plex.tv/t/script-to-auto-update-plex-on-synology-nas-rev4/479748

Inlcuding other update scripts such as:

• https://github.com/martinorob/plexupdate
• https://github.com/nitantsoni/plexupdate
• https://gist.github.com/seanhamlin/dcde16a164377dca87a798a4c2ea051c
• https://forums.plex.tv/t/script-to-auto-update-plex-on-synology-nas-rev4/479748/67

License

To the extent possible under law, Ben Alman has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.