Hardware concerns
It is important to plan the requirements for a NAS server before deciding on the parts used in its construction. In some cases the parts used can shape its usage. Because of its low system requirements FreeNAS really only requires users to consider hard drives to be used, based on the features available. One of the major features that will influence hardware is the software RAID support provided by FreeNAS.
RAID, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the name of a series on methods of backing up data across multiple hard drives, ranging from writing a file in chunks across multiple hard drives (not really backing up, but increases performance and cuts down on the mechanical operations that cause wear and tear in hard drives) to rather more miraculous solutions that allow for a hard drive to break without losing any data. The requirements for these methods vary, but in general they need at least 2 disks of equal size. Software RAID is RAID implemented without the need for special hardware, saving FreeNAS users a little more money.
Preparing hardware for the server requires only an unused PC with a network card and as many hard-drives as you want to add to it. Connect all the hard drives up, connect the PC to the network, insert the FreeNAS disk and make sure the PC is set to boot from CD. When it is turned on FreeNAS will run like a live CD, with full functionality without the need to install. This is an ideal way to run FreeNAS if the server will be constantly running. Should the server require the ability to retain settings after being turned off (as home servers may frequently be turned off) a hard drive or usb install is recommended.
FreeNAS is controlled using a web interface, meaning your new NAS server shouldn’t require a monitor. Connect to it by typing its IP address into your web browser of choice, and using the default ‘admin’ login, with the password ‘freenas’. If your router makes it difficult to find its IP address FreeNAS prints the IP address it is using as soon as it starts working, so connecting a monitor to the server will tell you.
- Networking,
- FreeNAS ,
- NAS ,
- storage
Latest External Storage News
- 09/02 – Laser Heat Used to Make HDD Write Transfers Faster
- 02/02 – Seagate Quietly Intros GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter
- 02/02 – Seagate Believes HDD Supply Disruption to Continue in 2012
- 28/01 – Cleversafe Announces 10 Exabyte Storage System Configuration
- 26/01 – Western Digital Intros My Book Thunderbolt Duo Drive
Latest External Storage reviews
- 10/11 – Round-Up: 15 microSDHC Cards, Benchmarked And Reviewed
- 25/05 – Qnap TS-559 Pro+: Familiar Network Storage With A New CPU
- 24/05 – 10 SDXC/SDHC Memory Cards, Rounded Up And Benchmarked
- 18/05 – Is Data Encryption Worth Destroying Your NAS' Performance?
- 26/04 – Nine USB 3.0 Flash Drives For Road Warriors
Freenas was released nearly 2 years ago,and I signed right up at the initial release, after many many many frustrations, losing 2 raid setups I have scrapped it, and after all that time one would think it would be stable, quite the contrary, each release brings new bugs and more problems. Freebsd is not the problem, it's the freenas frontend that makes things unstable.
I think the freenas website speaks for itself in terms of the people with problems, bugs and unaswered and RUDE responses from some of the freenas team.