this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024

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pooling media libraries - like distributed storage (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/selfhosted

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I run a full media server, as well do a few friends. Now we had the idea to share our media libraries. In a first quick attempt we, mounted each other's library folder via an smb share and imported those in jellyfin (all servers connected by VPN) Works quite well, but is kind of cumbersome the more people get in. I had the following idea: distributed storage, not as in redundancy, but more like mergerfs. Each "node" allocates a certain amount of storage, say node A, B and C provide 1TB each, these get fused into a singe mount that shows up as 3TB volume. If one node goes offline, the volume will only be 2TB and all files on the offline node will of course be unavailable.

Did a bit of research and found stuff like ceph,.glusterfs or seeweedfs, all of which I guess have a lot more functionality and thus are quite complicated and a little over my head. Do you do something like that or have any good ideas how to do that easily?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

I use Plex instead of jellyfin, but there's the ability to just add a friends library and it pulls in without mounting anything. I thought Jellydin had that as well?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I run Plex too, and indeed library sharing is built right in and ridiculously easy to set up.

I think OP is already doing things the best way possible in Jellyfin by mounting others' servers remotely over VPN

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (3 children)

plex uses a centralized service for this kinda of nonsense. most of us are using standalone server products.

this use case calls for either centralized storage (s3 bucket) or access mechanism(all them vpns) to distributed channels (ala plex)... but friends dont let friends use plex.

im curious about ipfs as distributed file systems sound like a new kink i should have

[–] cm0002 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

but friends dont let friends use plex.

I would love to get rid of Plex, but jellyfin failed the spouse test last summer and it never really liked my GDrive mount

Plus, Plex clients are everywhere, so it's all but guaranteed that whoever I decide to onboard is going to have something compatible. I've even had early smart TV's from like 2013 with that weird Yahoo app store thing that had a Plex app that still worked even when the Netflix app didn't lolol

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

Funnily enough, my wife is the only person who likes jellyfin. It works perfectly for her. Everyone else? I've never had it work even once. And I have no damn idea why.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

ha, i feel ya on the spouse. in the house i use local kodi on pis with a shared backend. that same source runs jellyin for the kids/outside the house

ive had the same interface for the wife on kodi/xbmc for probably 10 years

ive found kodi+jellyfin fits all my use cases

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (3 children)

tell me why i shouldn't use plex as I'm always tempted by it whenever these threads come up and everyone who uses it is so happy.

But free/libre is so much more delicious.

But don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

[–] AtariDump 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Does Plex work for you? Keep using it.

Jellyfin is nice but has a long way to go to replicate the features of Plex [like PlexAmp and Sonic Analysis] and features that are “Plex adjacent” [like Tautulli].

[+] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] AtariDump 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Does Jellyfin have:

A dedicated music app?
Music filtering/smart playlists? Sonic analysis?
Good 4k/x265 performance?
Has a third party (or built in) utility that shows me streaming usage per person?
Allows me to limit remote users to streaming from a single IP address at a time?
Let’s me watch something together with another remote user?
Has an app for most any device (like Plex or Emby) that does NOT require sideloading?
Has built in native DVR steaming/recording support?
Two factor authentication?

When it does, I’ll switch.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I know you want a single 'yes' for the whole package which is fair, and Jellyfin doesn't offer all of these things, but I'll at least mention:

A dedicated music app?
- Its FOSS and there are several excellent apps in my experience worth looking into. I absolutely love feishin (for jellyfin or navidrome). On android I've liked finamp and Gelli.
Music filtering/smart playlists?
- smart playlists - Not that I know of
Sonic analysis?
- not that I know of
Good 4k/x265 performance?
I actually am not sure what issues you have here. Are you talking about transcoding it? I most often use native play and so long as the device receiving x265 can handle it I've never had issues
Has a third party (or built in) utility that shows me streaming usage per person?
- https://github.com/CyferShepard/Jellystat
Allows me to limit remote users to streaming from a single IP address at a time?
- single IP, I am not sure. But you can limit the number of simultaneous connections they can have (e.g. only one stream, etc). I realize that doesn't have the same exact result in edge cases.
Let’s me watch something together with another remote user?
- Yes. Syncplay exists on it. I have had good experiences with both users in browsers app. But on webos TV app it doesn't work for me.
Has an app for most any device (like Plex or Emby) that does NOT require sideloading?
- Pretty sure they have webos/android TV apps, android, iOS, a desktop player, web interface. I have first hand experience with android, web interface, Linux/windows, webos. There is a roku app, but I don't knknow if it requires sideloading.
Has built in native DVR steaming/recording support? Jellyfin DVR capabilities exist, but I can't speak to them.
Two factor authentication? Unfortunately, not. I think there are hack ways to pass it through other validators/credentials, but I agree it needs native support of some kind.

For the music gripes - honestly, navidrome IMO. If folks are happy with experience with Plex for everything, I am happy for them, but libraries specialized for media types can have big benefits and focused features.

Video: Jellyfin (or Plex)
Music: Navidrome
Audiobooks: audiobookshelf
Podcasts: still searching. I partially use Audiobookshelf here but don't love it for podcasts.

[–] AtariDump 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I’m looking for the truth, not just a blanket “yes”.

I’ve really become into the Plex music app over the iOS music app; it does so much more (especially with the sonic analysis)
Not transcoding x265; solid x265 playback without transcoding.
Will have to look at Jellystat and see how it compares to Tautulli
2FA is pretty important, though I know that’s offset by the fact that you can authenticate locally.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nothing like a sonic analysis that I know of jellyfin.
Never had issues with x265 other than for devices that don't have the computation power to decompress. Direct play to my TV with 4K streams have always been excellent.
It could heavily limit apps, but you could use authentik/authelia to enable access to jellyfin, so external access requires MFA. Internally apps could access the local IP normally without authentik. But bouncing off authentik first would likely prevent most (all?) Apps from working externally - you'd likely only have the webui externally. Can't think of a solid solution until Jellyfin natively supports 2FA

[–] AtariDump 1 points 10 months ago

Looked at the setup directions; is it not where as simple/easy as Plex’s 2FA.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I dia just find this: https://forum.jellyfin.org/t-jellyfin-authentik-duo-2fa-solution-tutorial

Which claims app compatible 2FA via authentik

[–] AtariDump 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, while it is technically 2FA it’s not nearly as easy as it is setting it up for Plex.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Agreed.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

last time i checked plex required an account on their service. thats a big red flag for people who host their own shit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

This

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Can you not just use a reverse proxy for your jeyllfin server and add multiple servers to the same client?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

jellyfin addresses files locally. i dont know how you could stitch together remote machines

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I'm surprised the client doesn't support switching between servers. When I had jellyfin running I exposed it through traefik to allow external playback. Figure it would make sense that you could just show multiple servers in the UI. Add several reverse proxied addresses and boom.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Then I have multiple jellyfin servers in the app.... That's not what I want, I want a single mount where all the media of all nodes is accessible

[–] theRealBassist 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You definitely can. Idk why the commentor above you thinks its local only?

I have two severs I swap between exactly like you describe.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Thats what I thought.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

yeah, that might work for what op is tryin to do, maybe, assuming jellyfin fits his client needs