how to backup emby server running on ubuntu

[runtimesandbox 171]

What do i need to backup to move emby-server to a new install of linux?

Using ubuntu at the moment but may change to centos

 

What is the process of restoring a backed up library?

 

 

[fc7 123]

I'm pretty sure that backing up your emby data path should be enough. By default it is: /var/lib/emby-server.

 

 

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[runtimesandbox 171]

So to restore that on a new server, i'm guessing i install emby-server first and then overwrite it with my copy of /var/lib/emby-server?

[Happy2Play 9780]

Have you seen the How to migrate server.

[fc7 123]

So to restore that on a new server, i'm guessing i install emby-server first and then overwrite it with my copy of /var/lib/emby-server?

Indeed. But for a more detailed procedure check the post above and follow the howto. For Linux is the same but just different paths.

 

 

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[hurricanehrndz 149]

In the wiki there is also an example for using the new testing docker images.

 

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[eziegler81 0]

So to restore that on a new server, i'm guessing i install emby-server first and then overwrite it with my copy of /var/lib/emby-server?

Yes if you are going from Ubuntu to Ubuntu or derivative.  A quick google search will point you to where centos stores its Emby library.  Start of first by stopping the emby server.  Then copy your back up files into that folder, just make sure you keep the same file structure.  After you're done, chown the "emby-server" directory and subdirectories with "emby" as the user and group.  If the files don't reflect that, it won't load at all or correctly.  Then start the server.

[Thuzad 50]

Finally, if everything was stored (user, viewer, library) on an external data base like MariaDB or PostgreSQL (preference for this one) we could set up a backup thanks to the PITR as well as a database slave which would allow high availability.

But I believe that an external database is not planned at all

[speedingcheetah 39]

I have just changed over from Win 10 to Linux Mint.

Setup Emby server from scratch

 

I just have "emby" folder  (not emby-server) in var/lib.

 

In Windows, there was a "system" folder that would contain the raw server program and would become system.old when upgrade to a new version.

This made upgrade/downgrade super easy should there be an issue.

 

I do not see such "system" folder.

 

What is the Ubuntu equivalent?  or is it even possible to do this change the Emby sever version simply by folder name in Linux?

[Luke 42077]

@@speedingcheetah, the install process for Linux is different. You won't be able to hack around the system folders very easily without creating problems. The correct method of installation can be found on our website:

https://emby.media/download.html

 

Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

[speedingcheetah 39]

@@speedingcheetah, the install process for Linux is different. You won't be able to hack around the system folders very easily without creating problems. The correct method of installation can be found on our website:

https://emby.media/download.html

 

Please let us know if this helps. Thanks.

I got how to install...it was easy, just launch the deb file and the installer came up and did all that. and it works fine.

 

What I am asking is, where is the "system" folder, ie the folder that contains the actual program, so that i can back that up or change it out if i need to change server versions...if that is possible in Linux.

 

The backup plugin (and the Timeshift in Mint) is pulling the  /var/lib/emby  folder, which contains the library,plugins,userdata,users...etc folders. But I dont think the actual executable is in there.

 

If it is not as simple just folder swapping, in linux, then how does one change server versions, downgrade mainly, should i need to if an upgrade version, beta or not, has an issue....do i just install the .deb file for the old version ontop?  I would think that would not let u do that, at least, in the few other packages I have accidentally tried to install the Package manager would not let you install older version if newer version was installed.

[Luke 42077]

 

 

What I am asking is, where is the "system" folder, ie the folder that contains the actual program, so that i can back that up or change it out if i need to change server versions...if that is possible in Linux.

 

There isn't one. You backup the data folders, not the executables themselves.

[speedingcheetah 39]

There isn't one. You backup the data folders, not the executables themselves.

then where/how does the service run from then eh?

what gets installed.

I can back up anything on the file system as root..

I have installed other programs and can find thier executables.

Edited June 3, 2019 by speedingcheetah

[Luke 42077]

You can check the server log files to see those locations.

[KennyG944 1]

I just upgraded my Mint 20.3 up to Mint 21 Vanessa.  I did a backup first and emby appeared to be in /var/lib/emby.  Now it appears to be somewhere else.  I was hoping to just be able to restore the emby files from the backup, but no such luck.  I did some searching of the drive and now there a /var/lib/flatpack/app/media.emby.EmbyServer/ folder that contain more folders such as current and x86_64.  Hopefully someone who knows a little more about this than I do can explain the changes or at least point me in the right direction.

I do have it up and running.  But I've basically had to reconfigure from scratch.  Would have been so much easier just to be able to cut and paste from old folder to the new.

[Luke 42077]

On 12/30/2022 at 6:08 PM, KennyG944 said:

I just upgraded my Mint 20.3 up to Mint 21 Vanessa.  I did a backup first and emby appeared to be in /var/lib/emby.  Now it appears to be somewhere else.  I was hoping to just be able to restore the emby files from the backup, but no such luck.  I did some searching of the drive and now there a /var/lib/flatpack/app/media.emby.EmbyServer/ folder that contain more folders such as current and x86_64.  Hopefully someone who knows a little more about this than I do can explain the changes or at least point me in the right direction.

I do have it up and running.  But I've basically had to reconfigure from scratch.  Would have been so much easier just to be able to cut and paste from old folder to the new.

Hi, you could have actually moved the entire data folder from the old location to the new one. But it's good to hear you're back up and running. Thanks.

[KennyG944 1]

I guess my goal here is to try to learn more about the folder structures.  How the regular version in installed vs how the flatpack is installed.

Apparently a regular install goes to /var/lib/emby

So how is the flatpack folder structure set up installing EmbyServer?

Edited January 11, 2023 by KennyG944

[Luke 42077]

32 minutes ago, KennyG944 said:

I guess my goal here is to try to learn more about the folder structures.  How the regular version in installed vs how the flatpack is installed.

Apparently a regular install goes to /var/lib/emby

So how is the flatpack structure set up?

The structure is the same, it's just that it's rooted in a different location. In one package we're dealing with the host OS, in another, the flatpak runtime. Both of those have predefined places where applications can put their data and that's what we use. Does that make sense?

[KennyG944 1]

If I installed the flatpack with version 4.7.8.0, can I user the emby-server-deb_4.7.11.0_amd64.deb to update it or will that install it into the old directory structure/location?

I did a little more digging, and the locations from root are:

Old:

/var/lib/emby/

New

/home/%username%/.var/app/media.emby.EmbyServer/

I wasn't seeing the var file in the new setup as it was hidden.  .var instead of var

 

[Luke 42077]

10 minutes ago, KennyG944 said:

If I installed the flatpack with version 4.7.8.0, can I user the emby-server-deb_4.7.11.0_amd64.deb to update it or will that install it into the old directory structure/location?

I did a little more digging, and the locations from root are:

Old:

/var/lib/emby/

New

/home/%username%/.var/app/media.emby.EmbyServer/

I wasn't seeing the var file in the new setup as it was hidden.  .var instead of var

 

No, like I said, each package has it's own location for data so you can't install one and then upgrade using another. If you do that you'll end up with two separate server installations.

[KennyG944 1]

Oh geez.  I guess that'll be the last time I use the Linux Mint Software Manager to install EmbyServer (flatpak).  Seems to me the .deb is the best way to go even if the Software Manager route may be a little easier.

Since I've already gone down this path, what's the best way to update the flatpak version from 4.7.8.0 to 4.7.11.0 ?

[Luke 42077]

If you want to stay on flatpak then just install over the top using the same procedure that you installed 4.7.8 with. If you want to switch to the .deb, then I would install that, then before starting up the server move the flatpak data folder to the location used by the debian package.