Instruction 02-plex-installation-and-library-design: Reading

A durable Plex installation begins with storage and identity design, not with starting a container. Plex has three storage classes with different lifecycles. The configuration path is persistent and important because it holds server preferences, databases, metadata, posters, and watch state. It should reside on reliable storage and be backed up while Plex is stopped or while an application-consistent backup method is used. The transcode path is temporary workspace. It must be writable, should have adequate free space, and can usually be recreated after a failure. Media paths contain the source library and should normally be mounted read-only into Plex. Read-only media mounts reduce the consequences of an application defect or compromised service account, although a separate media-management workflow may still require write access elsewhere.

Library organization directly affects matching accuracy. A movie should normally have its own directory, such as Movies/Arrival (2016)/Arrival (2016).mkv. Episodes should follow a season-aware layout such as TV/The Expanse (2015)/Season 01/The Expanse (2015) - S01E01.mkv. Consistent titles, years, seasons, and episode numbers reduce ambiguity. Extras, multi-part media, subtitles, and editions should follow the current Plex naming guidance rather than an improvised convention. Keep unrelated media types in separate roots so a movie scanner is not asked to interpret television episodes or personal recordings.

Container access is governed by numeric identities and directory permissions, not merely by matching account names. Before production deployment, determine the UID and GID used by the container image, confirm that the configuration and transcode paths are writable by that identity, and confirm that media paths are readable but not writable. Avoid making every path universally writable. The staged Compose file uses explicit bind mounts because they make host placement and backup scope visible. It maps only TCP port 32400, which is sufficient for direct web access and many manually configured clients. Automatic discovery and remote access may require additional network design, but those features should be enabled deliberately rather than by publishing every documented port.

The classroom does not run the Compose project because creating containers, networks, image layers, or runtime state would mutate locations outside the permitted lab directory. Instead, it builds an installation bundle, validates its structure, and records the production checks that must precede activation. In production, select a reviewed image tag, protect the configuration directory, keep enrollment credentials outside version control, and verify local playback before considering remote exposure. Hardware transcoding is an optional later enhancement because device passthrough, driver compatibility, Plex account requirements, and platform-specific permissions add complexity that should not be mixed into the initial installation.