The first thing that you will need to know in order to run FreeNAS is the type of system you need. This is what I love about FreeNAS because it needs practically nothing to work. You need a little bit more hardware for the installation but after that, you are back to bare bones. Many of you may, in fact, even have enough equipment sitting in your back closet to build a FreeNAS server without even needing to buy anything!
System Requirements
To run FreeNAS, you will need, at a minimum, the following:
- Motherboard with x86 processor
- 128 MB RAM
- 32 MB free disk space
- Network card
- BIOS that supports bootable CD-ROMs
- Another workstation with a modern web browser and access to the network FreeNAS is on
For the initial installation, you will need to have access to the above system requirements plus the following:
- Monitor (for text mode console)
- Keyboard
- CD-ROM drive
- Another workstation with Internet access, CD burner, and CD burner software that can burn an ISO
Skill Requirements
The skills needed to perform a basic setup of FreeNAS might require a bit of background understanding in some different fields but a good setup tutorial (I’m working on those as you read this) will walk you through those hurdles. But, here are some skills that will make it easier for you to set up FreeNAS:
- TCP/IP
- Basic FreeBSD hardware naming conventions
- Basic computer hardware installation
To properly run and configure FreeNAS will also require a few other skills. Having the following skills will help you in the long run:
- Windows shares and samba (CIFS)
- Disk partitioning and file systems
- FTP
- rsync
- Active Directory
- DNS
- NFS
- Software RAID
Don’t let the configuring skillset scare you away from FreeNAS . Again, some good FreeNAS tutorials should be able to walk you through these hurdles.
If you are comfortable with many of these general concepts (you definitely do not need to be a master of all these areas), you will be in good shape to setup and configure FreeNAS. If you spend some time reading and getting familiar with their concepts, you will be ready to go.
| Trackback link - http://www.dailycupoftech.com/freenas-system-and-skill-requirements/trackback/ |
|
November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 am
Daily Cup of Tech » FreeNAS System and Skill Requirements
November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 am
had a FreeNAS week. If you’re not altogether comfortable getting FreeNAS up and running, why not have a look at FreeNAS Week series of howtos? Have you seen the “FreeNAS, how it works” video? FreeNAS Week - day 1: System and Skill Requirements FreeNAS Week - day 2: Installation HowTo FreeNAS Week - day 3: Basic Configuration FreeNAS Week - day 4: Configuring Disks FreeNAS Week - day 5: Windows Shares FreeNAS Week - day 6: Setting Up FTP Access in FreeNAS
November 20th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
I have been using FreeNAS for about a year now it works great. Instead of wasting a hard drive or space on the hard drive to install the OS, I have been using a 64mb Compact Flash card to install FreeNAS on it.
So, my current setup is an 133mhz system with a PCI IDE card to handle a 300gb hard drive for storage. The CompactFlash to IDE Adapter shows in BIOS just like a regular hard drive, just 64mb. To top it all off, the adapter is $4 and I found the Compact Flash Cards on Froogle for $6 plus shipping.
I can’t say enough about this software, it is the greatest!
November 20th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
I’m willing to bet that we are going to see a lot of comments like this!
Tim
March 28th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Creating a Basic TrueCrypt Volume on a USB Drive Creating Windows Shares on FreeNAS DCoT Discounts DCoT Webmaster Tools Disable IE7 Installation Via Windows Update Folder Recursion in AutoIt FreeNAS Basic Configuration FreeNAS System and Skill Requirements Have Your Lost USB Drive Ask For Help How To Be A Better Blogger HowTo Backup Your Website Files HowTo Install FreeNAS Infrastructure Automation Primer InstaCalc Contest Installing AutoIt Installing TrueCrypt
June 13th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I’ve been looking for a while on how to create a NAS on an old box for small office file storage. Tried it with Xubuntu and it worked, but it was just too bloated for this purpose.
Tried FreeNAS yesterday and it worked like a charm, even for a newbie like me. I love the fact it’s so “light”, yet so powerful.
But, I know nothing about FreeBSD and the UFS file system FreeNAS uses. What if my motherboard fries? How am I going to access the data?
To test it, I removed the FreeNAS UFS formatted disk with data on it and placed it in a Linux box, using gparted to read the disk partitions. Although, it can detect the disk and partition size, it says this the file system is not valid.
At this stage, I feel uneasy about using UFS, since it can’t be read straight in Linux (in case of an emergency). I read about building the the UFS kernel module in Linux, but this is too complicated for me.
Any suggestions as to how to setup FreeNAS with a more compatible (yet stable) file system, such as Ext3?
Nic
July 27th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Take a look at UFS Tools:
Windows:
http://ufs2tools.sourceforge.net/
Linux:
http://ufs-linux.sourceforge.net/
August 17th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
I just set up FreeNAS as a front end to my music server using Debian 4 and MPD. It rocks!!! I have the system hooked up to three sets of speakers in my house. It’s nice to sit on my deck with a wireless laptop to select music to play.