Prerequisites

This section describes all prerequisites required before starting the Media Stack installation. Make sure everything listed here is prepared to avoid issues later in the setup.

Hardware

Minimum recommended hardware for a smooth Plex + media automation setup:

• CPU

  • x86_64 CPU (Intel or AMD)

  • Recommended: 4+ cores

  • Intel iGPU (Quick Sync) or AMD GPU is optional but recommended for Plex hardware transcoding

• Memory

  • Minimum: 16 GB RAM

  • Recommended: 32 GB RAM (especially when using ZFS)

• Storage

  • At least 2 physical disks for ZFS mirror (recommended)

  • SSD or NVMe for:

    • Proxmox system

    • Docker VM OS

    • Plex metadata (optional but recommended)

• Network

  • Gigabit Ethernet minimum

  • Stable LAN connection (no WiFi for server)

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Proxmox Version

• Proxmox VE 8.x

  • Installed on bare metal

  • Updated to latest minor release

• ZFS support enabled

• LXC and VM support available

Assumptions:

• You are comfortable with:

  • Proxmox UI

  • Basic Linux CLI

  • Creating VMs and LXCs

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Network Assumptions

This setup assumes a simple, flat LAN:

• One local subnet (e.g. 192.168.1.0/24)

• Static IPs or DHCP reservations for:

  • Proxmox host

  • Plex LXC

  • Docker VM

• No VLANs required (can be added later)

Remote access:

• Plex remote access handled via Plex itself

• Other services (Overseerr, Sonarr, Radarr, etc.) are LAN-only by default

• Optional: VPN or reverse proxy for secure remote access

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Disks Overview

Example disk layout (can be adapted):

• System disk

  • Proxmox OS

  • VM/LXC system volumes

• Data disks

  • ZFS mirror pool (recommended)

  • Pool name used in this documentation: tank

Example datasets:

• tank/media

• tank/media/downloads

• tank/media/movies

• tank/media/tv

These datasets will later be mounted into:

• Plex LXC

• Docker VM (via NFS)

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Accounts Needed

Before starting, create or prepare the following accounts:

Plex

• Plex account (free account is sufficient)

• Plex Pass (optional, required for hardware transcoding

Usenet Provider

• Active Usenet provider account. More Info here

• Credentials ready for SABnzbd

Indexers

• At least one Usenet indexer. More Info here

• Indexer API keys will be needed later in Prowlarr.

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Summary

Before continuing, you should have:

• Proxmox VE installed and updated

• Disks identified and ready for ZFS

• Network connectivity verified

• All required accounts created

• Credentials stored securely

Once these prerequisites are met, you can continue with: