Advanced Configuration

Welcome to the advanced configuration section. These guides cover sophisticated customization options, performance tuning, and enterprise-grade deployment scenarios for power users and system administrators.

Advanced Topics Overview

Performance & Optimization

Topic	Description	Complexity
Performance Tuning	Hardware optimization, resource allocation, bottleneck analysis	High
Custom Configurations	Docker Compose overrides, service customization	Medium
Hot-Swap Workflows	Advanced JBOD management, zero-downtime operations	High

System Administration

Topic	Description	Complexity
Backup Strategies	Disaster recovery, automated backups, multi-site replication	Medium
API Integration	Service API management, automation scripts, webhooks	High
Troubleshooting	Advanced diagnostics, performance analysis, debugging	High

Prerequisites

System Knowledge

Before diving into advanced configurations, ensure you have:

• Docker expertise - Comfortable with Docker Compose, networking, volumes
• Linux administration - Command line proficiency, system monitoring, troubleshooting
• Network concepts - Understanding of subnets, firewalls, reverse proxies
• Storage management - Filesystem knowledge, RAID concepts, backup strategies

Development Environment

For testing advanced configurations:

# Clone to separate directory for testing
git clone https://github.com/user/usenet-media-stack.git usenet-testing
cd usenet-testing

# Use development profile
usenet deploy --profile light --storage-only

# Enable debug mode
export USENET_DEBUG=1
export VERBOSE=1

Configuration Philosophy

Layered Approach

The advanced configuration system uses a layered approach:

Configuration Layers (Order of Precedence):
├── 1. Command Line Flags     (--profile dedicated)
├── 2. Environment Variables  (.env file)
├── 3. Override Files        (docker-compose.override.yml)
├── 4. Generated Files       (docker-compose.optimized.yml)
├── 5. Service Configs       (config/service/*.conf)
└── 6. Intelligent Defaults  (hardware-based)

Non-Destructive Customization

• Override, don't replace - Use Docker Compose override files
• Backup before changes - Automatic backup creation
• Validation first - Pre-flight checks prevent broken configurations
• Rollback capability - Easy restoration to working state

Quick Start Examples

High-Performance Media Server

# Deploy with maximum performance
usenet deploy --profile dedicated --hardware-optimize

# Add high-speed storage
usenet storage add /mnt/nvme_cache --mount-as /media/cache
usenet storage add /mnt/archive_array --mount-as /media/archive

# Optimize for 4K transcoding
usenet hardware optimize --target-resolution 4k --max-streams 8

# Configure automated backups
usenet backup schedule --daily --time 03:00 --retain 30

Development Environment

# Minimal resource deployment
usenet deploy --profile light --services-subset core

# Enable debug logging
usenet configure --debug-mode --log-level debug

# Add development overrides
usenet config generate --template development

Enterprise Deployment

# High-availability configuration
usenet deploy --profile dedicated --ha-mode

# Configure monitoring and alerting
usenet monitor setup --metrics prometheus --alerts webhook

# Set up multi-site backup
usenet backup configure --remote-sites site1,site2 --encryption

Safety Guidelines

Change Management

1. Always backup before making changes
2. Test in isolation - Use separate environment for testing
3. Document changes - Keep configuration changelog
4. Monitor impact - Watch performance metrics after changes
5. Have rollback plan - Know how to quickly revert

Resource Monitoring

# Monitor system resources during changes
usenet monitor --live --metrics cpu,memory,disk,network

# Set up alerting for resource exhaustion
usenet alert configure --threshold cpu=80,memory=90,disk=95

# Enable automatic scaling for supported services
usenet scale configure --auto --max-replicas 4

Common Advanced Scenarios

Multi-Server Deployment

Distribute services across multiple servers:

# Configure cluster mode
usenet cluster init --nodes server1,server2,server3

# Assign services to specific nodes
usenet cluster assign jellyfin --node server1 --reason "GPU available"
usenet cluster assign tdarr --node server2 --reason "High CPU"
usenet cluster assign storage --node server3 --reason "Large disks"

Custom Service Integration

Add third-party services:

# Add custom service definition
usenet service add plex \
  --image plexinc/pms-docker:latest \
  --port 32400 \
  --category media \
  --gpu-access \
  --storage-access

# Configure service dependencies
usenet service configure plex \
  --depends-on storage \
  --api-key-env PLEX_TOKEN

Performance Optimization

Advanced performance tuning:

# Analyze current performance
usenet performance analyze --duration 24h

# Optimize based on usage patterns
usenet performance optimize --auto --target-improvement 50%

# Set up performance monitoring
usenet performance monitor --baseline --interval 1h

Expert Tips

Configuration Validation

Always validate configurations before applying:

# Comprehensive validation
usenet validate --strict --all-categories

# Performance impact analysis
usenet validate --performance-impact

# Security assessment
usenet validate --security-audit

Automation Scripts

Create custom automation:

# Generate automation template
usenet automation generate --type maintenance

# Schedule automated tasks
usenet automation schedule \
  --task "usenet backup create" \
  --cron "0 3 * * *" \
  --name "daily-backup"

Integration Hooks

Set up integration points:

# Configure webhooks for service events
usenet webhook configure \
  --service sonarr \
  --event download-complete \
  --url https://api.example.com/webhooks/media

# Set up API automation
usenet api configure \
  --service jellyfin \
  --auto-scan \
  --trigger storage-change

Getting Help

Advanced Support Resources

• Community Forum - Share complex configurations
• GitHub Issues - Report advanced use case bugs
• Wiki Contributions - Document your custom solutions
• Expert Consultation - Professional deployment assistance

Debugging Advanced Issues

# Enable comprehensive debugging
export USENET_DEBUG=1
export DOCKER_BUILDKIT_PROGRESS=plain

# Generate support bundle
usenet support bundle --include-all --anonymize

# Performance profiling
usenet profile --duration 1h --output detailed-report.json

Next Steps

Choose your advanced configuration path:

• Performance Focus - Start with Performance Tuning
• Customization Focus - Begin with Custom Configurations
• Operations Focus - Explore Backup Strategies
• Integration Focus - Dive into API Integration

Remember: Advanced configurations require careful planning and testing. Always use the development profile for experimentation before applying changes to production systems.