Migration to different host OS platform - Win to Linux

Channels DVR Server
#1

There is plenty for threads about people wanting to migrate their CDVR server from one platform to another...often with mixed success depending on their setup.

I once moved from Linux to Windows based server...but i set it up as new, did not have much back then, mainly just used it for DVR for TV, OTA etc.
Now, i have many local media sets/sources setup in Channels.

The issues i now face, wanting to move from Windows to Linux (long story...) is file paths to local media will change.

I CAN import the "database" backup folder thing into a new Linux install of CDVR server, that restores fine. All my settings, sources populate, channel collections personal sections etc

(would be nice if CDVR server just had a full export backup.zip option in its web GUI...so that i do not have to go digging in the servers file system folders to extract the backup folder it auto makes)

But, since Windows file paths not the same as Linux file paths....CDVR shows as if all my media is still there, but just won't play. I need to wipe all that out under sources/Personal Media in CDVR, and add it all again.

If i use the "Prune removed media" function, i assume that goes through and scans and tries to clean up files and things it no longer thinks is there....well, that causes CDVR to hang, then stop responding and i assume crash, few times, the entire Linux OS hard freezes doing that. There is nothing i can grab in the logs before that, and they seemed to have nothing at all when i force reboot.

I don't suppose there is a third party "migration tool" around here somewhere...that would allow me to open up the backup database files, read them all in, and present me with a nice easy to use GUI to adjust relevant settings, such as Personal Media file paths, save, and export a new backup. So that i can just import that modified Backup database into CDVR on the different platform?

Something like that, that would for sure be useful. I suppose i may be able to use a plain text editor and search and replace every line of code in those database files that is a file path, replace it with the Linux mount path etc...maybe it is only once global variable section or something where personal media paths are defined?
I have not looked into that just yet...just in the planning and rough testing stages of things here...have a lot of other things to clean up and deal with first.
But just wanted to post here for any thoughts/advice to such a migration.

#2

It is super simple:

Follow the install guide and upgrade guide
After installing Channels on the new server shut it down
Copy your root media directory and all subdirectories to the new server's channels root
Start the new Channels DVR server
Restore the backup

#3

Like i mentioned that does not work for me.
When i restore the backup from Windows, CDVR shows the locations of my Personal media for TV Shows, Movies, Videos sections still as Windows file paths (E:\MEDIA\Show1 ... E:\MEDIA\Movie1)
The "Root" install folder is not on the same drive as all my Personal Media.

In Linux, CDVR install script installs to /home. Which is on the boot drive of the OS.
Channels with the restored backup in place looks for E:\MEDIA\Show1 for Personal Media, but fails.
Cause it now at /mnt/MEDIA/MEDIA/Show1 (or whatever I set the mount point of the drive to in the OS)

If i copy the MEDIA folder with all my files into CDVR "root" program directory, would i then not have to add that new location to the Personal sections as well? The backup would not now they moved, same as it not know its now on linux and still looking for a Windows file path.

#4

You may have to remove the old mount in cdvr and then point it to the new one.

#5

Yes...and when i do that, everything freezes up...

Where as if i could modify the backup files, change the path there, as part as a Migration adjustment, then soon as Channels restores it self, it already matches and does not have to do anything new like scan and index the whole drive again.

#6

I did not know you already tried that.

I just recently moved mine from Win 11 using Drivepool on a DAS enclosure to Linux but I also only had Playon cloud in personal.

🖥️ Node 1: Primary Server Core (mini-t) — 192.168.50.99
• Host Hardware: Aoostar R7 (Ryzen 7 5700U, 64 GB RAM total)
running Zorin OS (18.1) Core.
• Storage Architecture (/mnt/storage-pool): 22 TB MergerFS pool
combining 2x 12 TB MDD enterprise CMR drives (/mnt/data1
and /mnt/data2).
#7

Looking closer at Channels documentations and guides...perhaps i may need to re-organize my Media structure and sorting.
It worked fine for Emby/Plex, adding each show as it owns source....gave me more control over certain aspects how how those programs worked with sources.

I never bothered to simply things down to just 3 folders type thing, TV, Movies, Videos.
Categorized by that, brings it just down to 3 file paths to manage in Channels...much easier then like 2 dozen or so. (one for each show)

#8

Copy your files where ever you want them and then in the configuration on your new server set it. Go to Setting /General and scroll down to Library Database. You will find Storage Paths there. Make it point to the directory of your desire.