dashcaddy/status/EMBY_DEPLOYMENT.md

Deploying Emby Server with SAMI-CLOUD Dashboard

Quick guide to deploy Emby media server using the SAMI-CLOUD Status Dashboard.

Prerequisites

1. Emby Server installed somewhere (Docker, Windows, Linux, etc.)
2. SAMI-CLOUD API server running (node caddy-api.js)
3. Know the IP and port where Emby is running

Option 1: Deploy Existing Emby Server

If you already have Emby running somewhere, use the dashboard to add it:

Step 1: Gather Information

You'll need:

• IP Address: Where Emby is running (e.g., 192.168.254.100)
• Port: Emby's HTTP port (default: 8096)

Step 2: Deploy via Dashboard

1. Open the dashboard: https://status.sami
2. Click "📱 App Selector" button
3. Find Emby under the Media category
4. Fill in the deployment form:

   Subdomain: emby
   IP Address: 192.168.254.100
   Port: 8096
   DNS Type: Private DNS (creates DNS record)
   SSL Type: Internal CA (local network)
   

5. Click "Deploy App"

Step 3: Access Emby

Your Emby server will be accessible at:

https://emby.sami

Option 2: Deploy Emby in Docker

If you don't have Emby yet, here's how to deploy it with Docker:

Using Docker Compose

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: '3'
services:
  emby:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/emby:latest
    container_name: emby
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/New_York
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - /path/to/media:/data/media
      - /path/to/movies:/data/movies
      - /path/to/tvshows:/data/tvshows
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"
    restart: unless-stopped

Then:

docker-compose up -d

Using Docker CLI

docker run -d \
  --name=emby \
  -e PUID=1000 \
  -e PGID=1000 \
  -e TZ=America/New_York \
  -p 8096:8096 \
  -v /path/to/config:/config \
  -v /path/to/media:/data/media \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  lscr.io/linuxserver/emby:latest

After Docker Deployment

1. Verify Emby is running: docker ps
2. Test access: curl http://localhost:8096
3. Use the Dashboard App Selector to add reverse proxy:
   • IP: localhost or 172.17.0.1 (Docker bridge)
   • Port: 8096

Option 3: Install Emby Directly

Windows

1. Download Emby Server: https://emby.media/download.html
2. Install and run setup wizard
3. Note the IP and port (default: 8096)
4. Use Dashboard App Selector to add it

Linux

# Ubuntu/Debian
wget https://github.com/MediaBrowser/Emby.Releases/releases/download/4.8.0.62/emby-server-deb_4.8.0.62_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i emby-server-deb_4.8.0.62_amd64.deb

# Start service
sudo systemctl start emby-server
sudo systemctl enable emby-server

Then add to dashboard with IP and port 8096.

Emby Initial Setup

After deploying, complete Emby's setup wizard:

1. Open https://emby.sami
2. Choose your language
3. Create admin account
4. Add media libraries (Movies, TV Shows, Music, etc.)
5. Configure metadata providers
6. Set up remote access (if needed)

Troubleshooting

Can't access Emby through reverse proxy

Check that Emby allows the proxy:

1. Open Emby Settings → Network
2. Add to "Allow remote connections from":
   • Your Caddy server IP
   • 127.0.0.1
3. Ensure "Enable automatic port mapping" is off (not needed with reverse proxy)

Certificate errors

If using Internal CA:

• Ensure you've installed the Caddy root certificate on your devices
• Export from: https://dns1.sami/config/pki/ca/local/download

Performance issues

If streaming is slow:

1. Check network bandwidth
2. Enable hardware transcoding in Emby (Settings → Transcoding)
3. Adjust quality settings in Emby clients

DNS not resolving

If emby.sami doesn't resolve:

# Test DNS
nslookup emby.sami dns1.sami

# Add manually if needed
# Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
# Linux/Mac: /etc/hosts
192.168.254.100  emby.sami

Updating Emby Logo

The dashboard now has the official Emby logo. If you want to customize it:

1. Replace: e:\CaddyCerts\sites\status\assets\emby.png
2. Copy to production: C:\caddy\sites\status\assets\emby.png
3. Clear browser cache

Advanced: Emby with Custom Settings

You can configure additional Caddy settings for Emby:

emby.sami {
  tls internal

  # Increase timeouts for long transcoding operations
  reverse_proxy http://192.168.254.100:8096 {
    flush_interval -1

    transport http {
      dial_timeout 30s
      response_header_timeout 0
      read_timeout 0
    }
  }
}

Next Steps

After Emby is deployed:

1. Add Media Libraries - Configure your movies, TV shows, music
2. Install Plugins - Trailers, Trakt, Theme Songs, etc.
3. Setup Users - Create accounts for family members
4. Configure Clients - Install Emby apps on phones, TVs, streaming devices
5. Enable Live TV - If you have TV tuners or IPTV

Comparing Emby vs Plex vs Jellyfin

Feature	Emby	Plex	Jellyfin
Free features	Most	Some	All
Hardware transcoding	Premiere only	Pass only	Free
Open source	No	No	Yes
Mobile apps	Paid	Free	Free
Best for	Power users	Everyone	Self-hosters

Resources

• Emby Documentation: https://support.emby.media/
• Emby Forums: https://emby.media/community/
• Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/emby/embyserver
• LinuxServer.io: https://docs.linuxserver.io/images/docker-emby/

License

Emby has both free and Premiere (paid) versions. Some features require Emby Premiere subscription.