How To Install Plex Media Server on Fedora 39

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Plex Media Server on Fedora 39. Plex Media Server is a powerful software suite that allows users to organize and stream their personal media collections to various devices. It is a user-friendly platform that transforms your Fedora system into a media powerhouse, enabling you to access your favorite movies, music, and photos from anywhere. The versatility of Plex, combined with the robustness and reliability of Fedora, makes for an excellent media management solution.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the Plex Media Server on a Fedora 39.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the installation process, let’s ensure that you have everything you need:

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Fedora 39.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• You will need access to the terminal to execute commands. Fedora 39 provides the Terminal application for this purpose. It can be found in your Applications menu.
• A network connection or internet access to download the Plex Media Server repository.
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Plex Media Server on Fedora 39

Step 1. Before we dive into the installation process, it’s crucial to ensure your Fedora system is up-to-date. Regular updates not only provide new features but also fix bugs and patch security vulnerabilities. To update your Fedora system, open the terminal and run the following command:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf update

Step 2. Installing Plex Media Server on Fedora 39.

Next, you need to add the Plex repository to your Fedora system. This repository contains the Plex Media Server software and allows for easy installation and updates. Create a new repository configuration file by running:

sudo nano /etc/yum.repos.d/plex.repo

In the opened file, add the following lines:

[PlexRepo]
name=PlexRepo
baseurl=https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/rpm/$basearch/
enabled=1
gpgkey=https://downloads.plex.tv/plex-keys/PlexSign.key
gpgcheck=1

Save and close the file. This configuration enables the Plex repository and imports the Plex GPG key, ensuring the authenticity of the software you’re installing.

With the repository in place, we can now install Plex Media Server. The installation process is straightforward thanks to the dnf package manager in Fedora. Run the following command to install Plex Media Server:

sudo dnf install plexmediaserver

After the installation completes, start the Plex service and enable it to start on boot with these commands:

sudo systemctl start plexmediaserver
sudo systemctl enable plexmediaserver

Step 3. Configure Firewall and Permissions.

To ensure Plex can communicate over your network, you need to adjust your firewall settings. Run the following commands to open the necessary ports:

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=plex --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Step 4. Access Plex Media Server on Fedora.

With Plex Media Server installed and configured, you can now access it through a web browser. Open your favorite web browser and navigate to the following URL:

http://127.0.0.1:32400/web

This URL directs you to the Plex Media Server web interface, where you can start organizing and streaming your media.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Plex. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Plex Media Server on your Fedora 39 system. For additional or useful information, we recommend you check the official Plex website.