Build A Complete Linux Media Server – Introduction

Linux Media Server From Scratch!

This series of articles describes how to build a complete linux media server for finding, downloading, organising and streaming media.

Before we start, it goes without saying (but I’m saying it here anyway!) that this is a grey area, that you should already have legal entitlement to watch these shows through your terrestrial TV / cable TV provider and that downloading shows is your backup option.

This is simply a way to change how you store, manage and view the shows which you have already paid for – if people don’t pay for the shows, production companies cut their budgets, actors eschew parts in great dramas and instead plump for making adverts for Coca Cola – in a nutshell, all the cute bunnies and kittens die because of you!! You get the message.

We will be using the following technologies:

• debian 8 linux distro
• transmission-daemon torrent downloader
• nzbget usenet downloader
• sonarr (formally nzbdrone) Series Download Manager
• Plex Media Server

To implement the full stack you will need to have usenet access from either your internet provider or one of the many monthly subscription usenet services. There are a few examples of these listed in the usenet configuration article.

We will approach this project in the following order:

1. Debian installation and configuration
2. Transmission-daemon installation and configuration
3. Nzbget installation and configuration
4. Sonarr installation
5. Sonarr configuration – due 5th April 2016
   
6. Plex Media Server installation and configuration – due 10th April 2016
   

The linux media server example detailed in this article is built in a virtual machine on ESXi 5.5.

The information provided here draws on other information already available on the internet and will be referenced as such, credit where credit is due!

The links 1-5 above will be activated when the articles are published over the next week – subscribe to be notified of new posts!