Migrating Emby User Data from Windows to Ubuntu

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

Hello everyone

I recently encountered an unsolvable issue with my Emby server on a Windows system, leading me to install Emby on a new Ubuntu server. I'm now looking to recover the user data from my Windows Emby server and transfer it to my new Ubuntu installation.

Is it possible to simply copy all the contents from the Windows directory C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\config\users to the Ubuntu directory /var/lib/emby/config/users? Will this effectively migrate the user data, or are there additional steps I need to take?

Any guidance or tips on this process would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

[Happy2Play 8282]

That will give you your Users without have to recreate them. 

Userdata is in the library.db but this old feature has been added back to plugin

If your server has not already gotten the plugin update please restart your server.

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

33 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

That will give you your Users without have to recreate them. 

Userdata is in the library.db but this old feature has been added back to plugin

If your server has not already gotten the plugin update please restart your server.

I copied the backup of Windows to the backup folder of Ubuntu (both systems have the same version of Emby, which is 4.8.1.0). Ubuntu's Emby recognized the backup, but after I clicked to restore the backup, the Emby on my Ubuntu system could no longer be opened!! Now, not only have I failed to restore the backup successfully, but the Emby server on Ubuntu also can't be opened.

[Happy2Play 8282]

I am confused as you should have only restored userdata.  But would expect all kinds of issue with crossplatform restores from a database standpoint as library paths will not be the same.

Can you post a server log but suspect a database error.

Did you have a backup of the Ubuntu install?

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

8 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

I am confused as you should have only restored userdata.  But would expect all kinds of issue with crossplatform restores from a database standpoint as library paths will not be the same.

Can you post a server log but suspect a database error.

Did you have a backup of the Ubuntu install?

I don't have an Ubuntu backup, and restoring an emby backup is causing me a lot of trouble. I can't open the embyweb interface now, and it doesn't matter if I restart Ubuntu. What should I do

[darkassassin07 423]

I've spent the last month or so doing exactly this (though bare metal windows > debian docker).

 

You won't be able to copy any data directly or use the backup plugin, it leaves the new install unusable (as it's not built to cross platforms like this).

What I ended up doing was start with a fresh emby install; re-create each user in the new server manually, then, used the legacy backup plugin to move watched data (it lets you map watch data from any old user to any new user. This functionality has been edded to the regular backup plugin update that released today).

The only other data I saved from the old server was users passwords: I opened the old users.db in notepad++, found each password field, and copied it to the correct field in the new users.db (after creating each user on the new server and shutting down the server).

 

Everything else had to be done by manually re-setting each setting/option. It's slow and tedious.

Edited February 26 by darkassassin07

[Happy2Play 8282]

19 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

Can you post a server log but suspect a database error.

 

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

21 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

 

I believe I have successfully restored the backup, but since it's cross-platform, there are severe compatibility issues. Currently, the Emby program is unusable. I would like to know how to completely remove Emby on Ubuntu and then reinstall it.

embyserver-63844596049.txt

[Happy2Play 8282]

56 minutes ago, BIgdongdong1028 said:

I believe I have successfully restored the backup, but since it's cross-platform, there are severe compatibility issues. Currently, the Emby program is unusable. I would like to know how to completely remove Emby on Ubuntu and then reinstall it.

embyserver-63844596049.txt 20.97 kB · 0 downloads

Do not know this the platform as you currently appear to have a network permissions issue.

2024-02-27 02:00:49.303 Error Main: Error in appHost.Init
	*** Error Report ***
	Version: 4.8.1.0
	Command line: /opt/emby-server/system/EmbyServer.dll -programdata /var/lib/emby -ffdetect /opt/emby-server/bin/ffdetect -ffmpeg /opt/emby-server/bin/ffmpeg -ffprobe /opt/emby-server/bin/ffprobe -restartexitcode 3 -updatepackage emby-server-deb_{version}_amd64.deb
	Operating system: Linux version 6.5.0-17-generic (buildd@lcy02-amd64-043) (x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc-12 (Ubuntu 12.3.0-1ubuntu1~22.04) 12.3.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Ubunt
	Framework: .NET 6.0.25
	OS/Process: x64/x64
	Runtime: opt/emby-server/system/System.Private.CoreLib.dll
	Processor count: 128
	Data path: /var/lib/emby
	Application path: /opt/emby-server/system
	System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: System.Net.Sockets.SocketException (13): Permission denied
	   at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.UpdateStatusAfterSocketErrorAndThrowException(SocketError error, String callerName)
	   at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.DoBind(EndPoint endPointSnapshot, SocketAddress socketAddress)
	   at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.Bind(EndPoint localEP)
	   at Emby.Server.Implementations.HttpServer.KestrelHost.KestrelListener.CreateBoundSocket(EndPoint endpoint)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Transport.Sockets.SocketConnectionListener.Bind()
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Transport.Sockets.SocketTransportFactory.BindAsync(EndPoint endpoint, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.Internal.Infrastructure.TransportManager.BindAsync(EndPoint endPoint, ConnectionDelegate connectionDelegate, EndpointConfig endpointConfig, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.KestrelServerImpl.<>c__DisplayClass30_0`1.<<StartAsync>g__OnBind|0>d.MoveNext()
	--- End of stack trace from previous location ---
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.Internal.AddressBinder.BindEndpointAsync(ListenOptions endpoint, AddressBindContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.ListenOptions.BindAsync(AddressBindContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.AnyIPListenOptions.BindAsync(AddressBindContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.Internal.AddressBinder.EndpointsStrategy.BindAsync(AddressBindContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.Internal.AddressBinder.BindAsync(IEnumerable`1 listenOptions, AddressBindContext context, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.KestrelServerImpl.BindAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Server.Kestrel.Core.KestrelServerImpl.StartAsync[TContext](IHttpApplication`1 application, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting.WebHost.StartAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	   at Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting.WebHost.Start()
	   at Emby.Server.Implementations.HttpServer.KestrelHost.KestrelListener.OnAddPrefixesComplete()
	   at Emby.Server.Implementations.ApplicationHost.Init()
	   at EmbyServer.HostedService.StartAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
	Source: System.Net.Sockets
	TargetSite: Void UpdateStatusAfterSocketErrorAndThrowException(System.Net.Sockets.SocketError, System.String)

But deleting contents of /var/lib/emby and launching Emby will start from scratch.

Devs would have to comment if the uninstaller removes programdata also like it does on Windows.

[Luke 37068]

9 hours ago, BIgdongdong1028 said:

I believe I have successfully restored the backup, but since it's cross-platform, there are severe compatibility issues. Currently, the Emby program is unusable. I would like to know how to completely remove Emby on Ubuntu and then reinstall it.

embyserver-63844596049.txt 20.97 kB · 1 download

Yea this looks like you were using port 995 on your previous platform and now the server is being denied access to that port on the new platform. Does that sound right?

Anyway if you want to make a fresh start you can, just delete the folder:

/var/lib/emby 

Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

19 minutes ago, Luke said:

Yea this looks like you were using port 995 on your previous platform and now the server is being denied access to that port on the new platform. Does that sound right?

Anyway if you want to make a fresh start you can, just delete the folder:

/var/lib/emby 

Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

I encountered some permission issues, but they have been resolved! Thank you very much! I have now reinstalled Emby.

 Is it not possible to just restore the user data? I don't need any other information!

[Luke 37068]

Do you still have the windows server up and running?

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

Just now, Luke said:

Do you still have the windows server up and running?

yes.it's running

[Luke 37068]

12 minutes ago, BIgdongdong1028 said:

yes.it's running

So yes you can create a backup and on windows and then extract user data from it on the other machine:

 

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

8 minutes ago, Luke said:

So yes you can create a backup and on windows and then extract user data from it on the other machine:

 

Thank you for your help! I do have a backup on Windows. How should I proceed specifically? Should I delete the other contents of the backup, keeping only the users.db and the users folder under the \embyserver-backup-full\config\ folder, and then restore the backup on the Ubuntu system?

Edited February 27 by BIgdongdong1028

[Luke 37068]

HI, just point both machines to the same backup folder, then create a backup from windows. 

If both machines can't access one single location, then you might need to do it in a few steps such as creating it first, moving it over to the linux machine and then going from there.

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

10 minutes ago, Luke said:

HI, just point both machines to the same backup folder, then create a backup from windows. 

If both machines can't access one single location, then you might need to do it in a few steps such as creating it first, moving it over to the linux machine and then going from there.

I have already tried this. I copied the backup generated under the Windows system to the backup folder under the Ubuntu system. Emby on Ubuntu can recognize the backup from Windows, but when I tried to restore the backup directly on Ubuntu last night, my Emby could no longer start. So now I dare not try again rashly. There must be some configurations in the Windows backup that Ubuntu cannot recognize or use. So I only want to restore the user data from the Windows backup. Is it possible to delete the others and keep only the user data? Would this be feasible?

[darkassassin07 423]

Do not restore the entire backup; just use the 'extract data from backup' button at the bottom to import only user data from a full backup.

[Luke 37068]

9 minutes ago, BIgdongdong1028 said:

I have already tried this. I copied the backup generated under the Windows system to the backup folder under the Ubuntu system. Emby on Ubuntu can recognize the backup from Windows, but when I tried to restore the backup directly on Ubuntu last night, my Emby could no longer start. So now I dare not try again rashly. There must be some configurations in the Windows backup that Ubuntu cannot recognize or use. So I only want to restore the user data from the Windows backup. Is it possible to delete the others and keep only the user data? Would this be feasible?

Right but did you see the link I just provided with information on a new feature that was added to the backup plugin just today?

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

28 minutes ago, darkassassin07 said:

Do not restore the entire backup; just use the 'extract data from backup' button at the bottom to import only user data from a full backup.

 

28 minutes ago, darkassassin07 said:

Do not restore the entire backup; just use the 'extract data from backup' button at the bottom to import only user data from a full backup.

After version 4.8.0, it seems that there is no way to individually choose to recover only user data

[Luke 37068]

4 minutes ago, BIgdongdong1028 said:

 

After version 4.8.0, it seems that there is no way to individually choose to recover only user data

hi, in the link I provided there is a screenshot of it.

[BIgdongdong1028 5]

24 minutes ago, Luke said:

hi, in the link I provided there is a screenshot of it.

Are you referring to this screenshot? Can this new button allow me to restore only the user data?

[Luke 37068]

Indeed it can.

[Happy2Play 8282]

1 minute ago, BIgdongdong1028 said:

Are you referring to this screenshot? Can this new button allow me to restore only the user data?

Yes clicking that should give extract and give you userdata for up to the backup date/time.

Click it to open the next menu.

[Luke 37068]

Hi, has this answered your questions?