Prerequisites

Before deploying your Usenet Media Stack, ensure your system meets the minimum requirements and has all necessary dependencies installed. This guide covers hardware requirements, software dependencies, and pre-installation setup.

System Requirements

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended	High Performance
CPU	4 cores	8+ cores	16+ cores
RAM	8GB	16GB	32GB+
Storage	100GB free	500GB free	2TB+ free
Network	100 Mbps	1 Gbps	10 Gbps

Storage Requirements

bash

# Check available disk space
df -h

# Required space breakdown:
# - Base system: ~5GB
# - Docker images: ~15GB  
# - Configuration: ~1GB
# - Transcoding cache: 50-200GB (depends on usage)
# - Media storage: As needed (external drives supported)

Supported Operating Systems

OS	Version	Status	Notes
Ubuntu	20.04+	✅ Recommended	Best tested, automatic driver support
Debian	11+	✅ Supported	Stable, good Docker support
CentOS/RHEL	8+	✅ Supported	Enterprise environments
Fedora	35+	✅ Supported	Latest features
Arch Linux	Current	✅ Supported	Rolling release
Raspberry Pi OS	64-bit	⚠️ Limited	ARM64 only, reduced performance

Docker Requirements

Docker Engine Installation

Ubuntu/Debian

bash

# Install Docker via official repository
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Enable Docker service
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

# Verify installation
docker --version
docker run hello-world

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

bash

# Install Docker
sudo dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Start Docker service
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Arch Linux

bash

# Install Docker
sudo pacman -S docker docker-compose

# Enable Docker service
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Docker Compose Installation

Latest Version (Recommended)

bash

# Install Docker Compose v2 (integrated with Docker)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

# Verify installation
docker compose version

Manual Installation

bash

# Download latest Docker Compose
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Make executable
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Verify installation
docker-compose --version

Docker Configuration

Optimize Docker for Media Workloads

bash

# Create Docker daemon configuration
sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker

sudo tee /etc/docker/daemon.json << 'EOF'
{
    "storage-driver": "overlay2",
    "log-driver": "json-file",
    "log-opts": {
        "max-size": "100m",
        "max-file": "3"
    },
    "default-ulimits": {
        "memlock": {
            "Name": "memlock",
            "Hard": -1,
            "Soft": -1
        },
        "nofile": {
            "Name": "nofile",
            "Hard": 65536,
            "Soft": 65536
        }
    }
}
EOF

# Restart Docker
sudo systemctl restart docker

GPU Support (Optional but Recommended)

NVIDIA GPU Setup

Check NVIDIA GPU

bash

# Check for NVIDIA GPU
lspci | grep -i nvidia

# Expected output example:
# 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GeForce RTX 4090

Install NVIDIA Drivers

bash

# Ubuntu/Debian - Add NVIDIA repository
sudo apt-get update
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt-get update

# Install recommended driver
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall

# Or install specific version
sudo apt-get install nvidia-driver-545

# Verify installation
nvidia-smi

Install NVIDIA Container Toolkit

bash

# Add NVIDIA repository
distribution=$(. /etc/os-release;echo $ID$VERSION_ID)
curl -s -L https://nvidia.github.io/libnvidia-container/gpgkey | sudo apt-key add -
curl -s -L https://nvidia.github.io/libnvidia-container/$distribution/libnvidia-container.list | \
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nvidia-container-toolkit.list

# Install NVIDIA container toolkit
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y nvidia-container-toolkit

# Restart Docker
sudo systemctl restart docker

# Test GPU access in Docker
docker run --rm --gpus all nvidia/cuda:11.0-base nvidia-smi

AMD GPU Setup

Install AMD Drivers

bash

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install mesa-va-drivers vainfo

# Verify VAAPI support
vainfo

# Expected output should show available VA profiles

Intel GPU Setup

Install Intel Media Drivers

bash

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install intel-media-va-driver vainfo

# Verify QuickSync support
vainfo

# Check for hardware acceleration
ls -la /dev/dri/

Network Configuration

Firewall Setup

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)

bash

# Install UFW if not present
sudo apt-get install ufw

# Configure basic firewall rules
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing

# Allow SSH (important!)
sudo ufw allow ssh

# Allow Docker networks
sudo ufw allow from 172.16.0.0/12

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable

# Check status
sudo ufw status verbose

Firewalld (CentOS/RHEL/Fedora)

bash

# Enable firewalld
sudo systemctl enable firewalld
sudo systemctl start firewalld

# Allow Docker networks
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=trusted --add-source=172.16.0.0/12

# Reload configuration
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Port Requirements

Service	Port	Protocol	Access	Required
SSH	22	TCP	Admin access	Yes
Cloudflare Tunnel	-	HTTPS	External access	Recommended
Jellyfin	8096	TCP	Media streaming	Yes
Overseerr	5055	TCP	Request management	Yes
Sonarr	8989	TCP	Internal only	Yes
Radarr	7878	TCP	Internal only	Yes
Prowlarr	9696	TCP	Internal only	Yes

Domain and DNS Setup

Domain Requirements

For external access via Cloudflare tunnel:

Domain ownership - You need a domain name
Cloudflare account - Free tier sufficient
DNS management - Domain must use Cloudflare nameservers

Cloudflare Setup

bash

# Get Cloudflare API token
# 1. Go to https://dash.cloudflare.com/profile/api-tokens
# 2. Create token with "Zone:Edit" permissions for your domain
# 3. Save token securely

# Test API access
curl -X GET "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/zones" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Storage Preparation

Storage Planning

Single Server Setup

bash

# Check available storage
lsblk
df -h

# Create media directories
sudo mkdir -p /media/storage1
sudo mkdir -p /media/downloads
sudo mkdir -p /media/cache

# Set proper permissions
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /media/

External Drive Setup

bash

# For exFAT drives (cross-platform compatibility)
sudo apt-get install exfat-fuse exfat-utils

# Mount external drive
sudo mkdir -p /media/external
sudo mount -t exfat /dev/sdX1 /media/external -o uid=1000,gid=1000

# Add to fstab for persistence
echo "/dev/sdX1 /media/external exfat defaults,uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0" | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Storage Types

Type	Use Case	Performance	Compatibility
Local SSD	OS, cache, transcoding	Excellent	Linux only
Local HDD	Bulk media storage	Good	Linux only
External USB	Portable media, backups	Moderate	Cross-platform
Network Storage	Shared access, large capacity	Variable	Universal
Cloud Storage	Remote access, backup	Slow	Universal

Software Dependencies

Required Packages

Ubuntu/Debian

bash

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
    curl \
    wget \
    git \
    unzip \
    jq \
    bc \
    htop \
    iotop \
    tree \
    rsync

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

bash

sudo dnf install -y \
    curl \
    wget \
    git \
    unzip \
    jq \
    bc \
    htop \
    iotop \
    tree \
    rsync

Optional but Recommended

bash

# Performance monitoring
sudo apt-get install -y \
    iotop \
    nethogs \
    glances \
    ncdu

# Network tools
sudo apt-get install -y \
    net-tools \
    traceroute \
    tcpdump \
    nmap

# File system tools
sudo apt-get install -y \
    smartmontools \
    hdparm \
    lm-sensors

User Setup

Create Service User (Optional)

bash

# Create dedicated user for media services
sudo adduser --system --group --home /opt/usenet usenet

# Add to necessary groups
sudo usermod -a -G docker usenet

# Set up directories
sudo mkdir -p /opt/usenet/{config,downloads,media}
sudo chown -R usenet:usenet /opt/usenet

SSH Key Setup

bash

# Generate SSH key for secure access
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "usenet-media-stack"

# Add to authorized_keys
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Set proper permissions
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 700 ~/.ssh/

Security Hardening

System Security

bash

# Update system
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y

# Install security updates automatically
sudo apt-get install unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

# Disable root login via SSH
sudo sed -i 's/#PermitRootLogin yes/PermitRootLogin no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo systemctl restart ssh

# Configure fail2ban
sudo apt-get install fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
sudo systemctl start fail2ban

Docker Security

bash

# Enable Docker content trust
export DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST=1

# Set up Docker secrets directory
sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker/secrets
sudo chmod 700 /etc/docker/secrets

# Limit Docker daemon privileges
sudo usermod -a -G docker $USER
# Log out and back in for group changes to take effect

Pre-Installation Checklist

Before proceeding with installation, verify:

[ ] System meets minimum requirements
[ ] Docker and Docker Compose installed
[ ] GPU drivers installed (if applicable)
[ ] Firewall configured
[ ] Storage prepared and accessible
[ ] Domain and Cloudflare configured (for external access)
[ ] User has Docker permissions
[ ] System is up to date

Verification Commands

bash

# Check Docker
docker --version
docker compose version
docker run hello-world

# Check system resources
free -h
df -h
nproc

# Check GPU (if applicable)
nvidia-smi          # NVIDIA
vainfo              # AMD/Intel

# Check network
ping -c 4 google.com
curl -I https://api.cloudflare.com/

# Check permissions
groups $USER | grep docker

Common Issues and Solutions

Docker Permission Denied

bash

# Problem: Got permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon
# Solution: Add user to docker group and restart session
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in, or run:
newgrp docker

GPU Not Detected

bash

# Problem: GPU not accessible in containers
# Solution: Install nvidia-container-toolkit (NVIDIA) or verify VA-API (AMD/Intel)

# For NVIDIA:
sudo apt-get install nvidia-container-toolkit
sudo systemctl restart docker

# For AMD/Intel:
sudo apt-get install mesa-va-drivers
# Check: vainfo

Storage Permission Issues

bash

# Problem: Permission denied on storage directories
# Solution: Set proper ownership and permissions
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /media/storage
sudo chmod -R 755 /media/storage

Firewall Blocking Connections

bash

# Problem: Services not accessible
# Solution: Check and configure firewall
sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow from 172.16.0.0/12  # Docker networks

Next Steps

Once all prerequisites are met:

Getting Help

If you encounter issues during prerequisite setup:

Check the troubleshooting guide
Review Docker documentation: https://docs.docker.com/
Ask for help in the community forums
Open an issue on GitHub with system details

Prerequisites ​

System Requirements ​

Minimum Hardware Requirements ​

Storage Requirements ​

Supported Operating Systems ​

Docker Requirements ​

Docker Engine Installation ​

Ubuntu/Debian ​

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora ​

Arch Linux ​

Docker Compose Installation ​

Latest Version (Recommended) ​

Manual Installation ​

Docker Configuration ​

Optimize Docker for Media Workloads ​

GPU Support (Optional but Recommended) ​

NVIDIA GPU Setup ​

Check NVIDIA GPU ​

Install NVIDIA Drivers ​

Install NVIDIA Container Toolkit ​

AMD GPU Setup ​

Install AMD Drivers ​

Intel GPU Setup ​

Install Intel Media Drivers ​

Network Configuration ​

Firewall Setup ​

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian) ​

Firewalld (CentOS/RHEL/Fedora) ​

Port Requirements ​

Domain and DNS Setup ​

Domain Requirements ​

Cloudflare Setup ​

Storage Preparation ​

Storage Planning ​

Single Server Setup ​

External Drive Setup ​

Storage Types ​

Software Dependencies ​

Required Packages ​

Ubuntu/Debian ​

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora ​

Optional but Recommended ​

User Setup ​

Create Service User (Optional) ​

SSH Key Setup ​

Security Hardening ​

System Security ​

Docker Security ​

Pre-Installation Checklist ​

Verification Commands ​

Common Issues and Solutions ​

Docker Permission Denied ​

GPU Not Detected ​

Storage Permission Issues ​

Firewall Blocking Connections ​

Next Steps ​

Getting Help ​

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Storage Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Docker Requirements

Docker Engine Installation

Ubuntu/Debian

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

Arch Linux

Docker Compose Installation

Latest Version (Recommended)

Manual Installation

Docker Configuration

Optimize Docker for Media Workloads

GPU Support (Optional but Recommended)

NVIDIA GPU Setup

Check NVIDIA GPU

Install NVIDIA Drivers

Install NVIDIA Container Toolkit

AMD GPU Setup

Install AMD Drivers

Intel GPU Setup

Install Intel Media Drivers

Network Configuration

Firewall Setup

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)

Firewalld (CentOS/RHEL/Fedora)

Port Requirements

Domain and DNS Setup

Domain Requirements

Cloudflare Setup

Storage Preparation

Storage Planning

Single Server Setup

External Drive Setup

Storage Types

Software Dependencies

Required Packages

Ubuntu/Debian

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

Optional but Recommended

User Setup

Create Service User (Optional)

SSH Key Setup

Security Hardening

System Security

Docker Security

Pre-Installation Checklist

Verification Commands

Common Issues and Solutions

Docker Permission Denied

GPU Not Detected

Storage Permission Issues

Firewall Blocking Connections

Next Steps

Getting Help