Ths might be a silly question, but asking those is how i learn sometimes. I’m trying to install my first Linux distro to set up a Plex server and one of the few things I know is you need a wired internet connection. My intended server location is across the house from my router, and there isnt much room there to set up temporarily. It would be possible, just a removed and a half. Is it instead possible to connect my SSD via SATA to USB to a laptop, install Ubuntu and wireless adapter drivers on it while connected to ethernet, then put the SSD in the server to boot? Or do I need to do all this through my intended setup?
Thanks for the help, just trying to make my first Linux install as painless as possible.
EDIT: Thank you all for your responses, I’m going to respond as I can since I’m at work. I The number one thing I learned is that I need to do more research. I recognize only a handful of these acronyms lol
I once transferred an SSD with a Linux Mint installation on it to another computer. It booted up without any issues whatsoever so I’d say it’s perfectly doable.
Off topic. Can I suggest you to also explore Jellyfin instead of Plex? Just give it a shot before you pay to Plex folks is all I am asking. Use whichever you find better.
I don’t mind suggestions at all, is there a reason to prefer one over the other? Is there Plex controversy? I just went with it because I had a buddy who used it years ago and I remember it being effective
Yes, at the beginning of the pandemic it was discovered that Plex Inc had been tracking, reporting home, and selling user watching habits to advertisers. Basically the exact thing many Plex users were trying to get away from.
This inspired many developers (who were otherwise stuck at home due to said pandemic) to fork Emby and thus Jellyfin was born.
I went with jellyfin because it’s free and open-source. I have never used Plex, but there are few issues with Plex that I had noted as cons
- Your authentication happens through Plex servers and not locally
- Alongside your own content, Plex pushes other content as well , etc etc.
However, there is one con in Jellyfin, the clients are not as polished as it is for Plex.
Neither of these points are entirely correct.
While remote authentication is the default, you can configure Plex to not require any sort of auth at all for local users. That’s how mine is setup, and we can watch content around the house even when our ISP is offline.
I also don’t get ads or anything else pushing other content - I only ever see my own. You just have to not show those things in the sidebar. So again, the defaults can be changed.
Definitely worth trying Jellyfin if it works for a particular case. I’ve tried Jellyfin, Emby, and Plex - but only found the latter to be reliable enough for OTA DVR via an HDHomeRun which is our primary use case.
Kinda, but some hardware need drivers. So it sorta depends.
Since when do you need a wired internet connection? You need it to get updates, but it should install offline just fine. Just use the dvd installer?
I think i just misunderstood how “DIY” Linux was and thought it came with essentially no drivers. I thought it was kind of like rooting an Android, you get more control in exchange for having to do everything yourself. I mistakenly lumped all drivers under “everything”
https://fai-project.org can help you
This looks like a great resource, but I’m going to go ahead and do it the hard way. Maybe for a first install, just to get the ball rolling, but I typically go the long way around so I can understand what I just did some more. Like when I bought my 3d printer unassembled, so I could learn about it as I put it together. I’ll bookmark the site though. If I’m currently biting off more than I can chew, I’ll probably end up using it. Thanks!
