NAS device is a repository for
all your documents, spreadsheets, videos, PDFs, backups, and anything else you
want to store on it. A traditional file server* is a type of NAS, but such file
servers are relics and are now the subject of mint-julep-assisted front porch
reminisces of days gone by. NAS is where the party is these days.
Building Your
NAS Device
The
first thing you’ll need is a system to install FreeNAS and attach disks for
storage. Any standard PC system will work for your NAS, as there are no special
requirements for the software or storage.
However, I suggest the
following hardware list for your NAS system:
ü Pentium III or higher CPU,
ü 512MB RAM,
ü A network interface card (NIC),
ü As much disk space as you
want.
N/B: If your hardware doesn’t
support a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), FreeNAS allows you to
create a software RAID configuration.
Installing
FreeNAS
Download a FreeNAS CD image
(ISO) and burn the image to a CD-R disc.
1. Insert the USB drive into an
open USB slot.
Boot your system with the
FreeNAS CD in the CD/DVD drive.
2. Once the system boots, select Option
9 (Install/Upgrade to hard drive/flash device, and so on.)
From
the Install & Upgrade Menu, select Option 1. (Install ’embedded’ OS on
HDD/Flash/USB.)
3. Click OK on the next screen.
Select your USB drive from the
Choose installation media screen and click OK. The installation takes less than
five minutes.
4. When the installation is
complete, restart your NAS device, making sure that your BIOS is now set to
boot to the USB drive, referred to as Removable Media in some BIOS boot menus.
5. Once booted, the NAS
presents you with a simple console screen where you’ll configure your network.
If you’ve configured the network (LAN), go directly to your web address.
Using
FreeNAS
Login to the
FreeNAS web interface with the user’s name admin and password FreeNAS (Change
the password from the text menu or the web-based menus). The web interface is
your FreeNAS management application. Using this application, you’ll never need
to log in directly to the FreeNAS operating system.
Let’s assume
that you installed two disks into your FreeNAS system, and they are not a
hardware RAID set but you want to set up a software RAID volume.
1. To begin, mouse over Disks
from the menu and select Management.
Click the + icon
on the right side of the screen. Select your first disk from the Disk dropdown
list, select Software RAID from the Preformatted file system dropdown menu, and
click the Add button. Repeat those steps for the second drive.
Click the Apply
changes button to finish this step.
2. Mouse over Disks on the menu
and select Software RAID. Enter a RAID name (RAID1, for example), Ctrl-click
both disks in the Provider area, click the checkbox next to Create, initialize RAID, and click the Add button.
Click
the Apply changes button to create the RAID mirror.
3.
Mouse over Disks on the menu
and select Format. Select RAID1 from the Disk dropdown list.
Select
UFS from the File system dropdown list. Enter a volume label (e.g., files), and
click the Format disk button.
4. Mouse over Disks on the menu
and select Mount Point.
Click
the + icon to add a mount point for your new volume. Select RAID1 from the Disk
dropdown list. Enter a mount point name (e.g., Files) in the Mount point name
field and click the Add button. Click the Apply changes button to create the
mount point.
If
you’re going to use FreeNAS as a file server and map drives to shares as you
would to a Windows file server, the next steps guide you through that process.
5. Mouse over Services on the
menu and select CIFS/SMB.
Click
the checkbox next to Enable on the right side of your screen.
On the Settings tab, enter a NetBIOS name for
your FreeNAS system and the Workgroup to which your other computers belong that
will have access to this NAS system. Select No for Local Master Browser and for
Time server, unless you want them to perform those functions — in most cases,
you won’t.
Click
the Save and Restart button to enable the CIFS/SMB services.
6. To set up your RAID disk as a
share to which you may map a drive from your workstation, click the Shares tab
located adjacent to the Settings tab from Step5. Click the + icon on the right
side of the screen.
Enter a Name, a Comment, and a Path into the appropriate fields.
Click the … button to select the path.
Click the Add button to create the new share.
Click the Apply changes button to restart the CIFS/SMB services.
7. To map a drive to the new
share, click Tools, Map Network Drive from My Computer on a Windows
workstation.
In the Folder dropdown, type:
Click
Finish to map the drive.
Your new NAS system is up, and running, and ready to
serve. FreeNAS has some very advanced features: Active Directory and LDAP integration, iTunes configuration, Dynamic DNS, NFS file sharing, several remote access protocols, and firewall management. FreeNAS is a
complete and featureful NAS solution for your network regardless of size or
scope.
System Configuration
1. Network and Firewall
2. Disks and RAID
3. Network Services
4. Remote Access
5. System Status and Performance
6. Diagnostics
7. File Management


