The major change to TrueNAS 25.04.2 is the reintroduction of Electric Eel Virtualization (aka “Virtualization Classic”) as an addition to Instances and LXC. Electric Eel Virtualization is more robust and flexible and is now the approach for adding VMs.
TrueNAS 25.04.2 Highlights
TrueNAS 25.04.2 delivers over 100 bug fixes and improvements. Key areas of enhancement for the first update include:
Virtualization: In Fangtooth, the previous Virtualization tab has been re-enabled in addition to the experimental Instances. Existing VMs created under Instances will remain functional, but new VMs can only be created within the Virtualization UI.
Windows VMs with Secure Boot: This updated Virtualization capability enables VMs with Secure Boot and provides a virtual TPM (Trusted Platform Module) device. Users running Windows 11 VMs can now enjoy the tremendous benefits of virtualizing on top of OpenZFS.
Instances: This experimental feature continues to mature with multiple fixes. New LXC containers can still be created and managed, but new VMs cannot be created in the Instances panel.
STIG Support: Defense-level organizations use Secure Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) to lock down their deployments. This update includes Service auditing and Session management. Implementation of STIGs can be provided as part of Enterprise deployment services. It is partially enabled via the System Security widget.
Fast SMB File Copy for macOS: The ZFS Fast File Copy capability has been included for a while. This update contains specific SMB patches that work well with macOS clients. Mac M&E workflows can now be accelerated by up to 10X while saving pool capacity. A special thank you to the Community users who helped identify the macOS problems and helped us validate the solution.
Veeam Fast Cloning for SMB: The ZFS Fast Clone capability can now be used for Veeam deployments with Enterprise appliances. This update contains an SMB share “Purpose” option that includes SMB patches optimized to work with Veeam Data Movers. Capacity requirements can be significantly reduced, and the workflows accelerated.
IP Addressing for Apps: After the App catalogs were changed on June 1st, each App can be assigned to an interface and its associated IP address, providing more power and segmentation when managing complex storage and App systems. This IP addressing capability is available on Electric Eel 24.10.2.3 and all Fangtooth releases.
Active Directory Security Update: On July 8, Microsoft issued a security update for Active Directory Domain Controllers for Windows Server versions prior to 2025. The Microsoft RPC Netlogon protocol improves security by tightening access checks for a set of RPC requests. TrueNAS (and other Samba implementations) running as domain members in these environments can be impacted. The fix for this TrueNAS change has been documented.
Fangtooth Unification Continues
TrueNAS Community Edition combines the capabilities of TrueNAS CORE and SCALE while adding new features previously unavailable in either. TrueNAS 25.04 is now the most used version of TrueNAS in the community. Over 60% of these TrueNAS users are utilizing Docker, ZFS, and traditional storage protocols together, with this number projected to exceed 75% by the end of 2025.
Fangtooth Feature Highlights
In addition to the functionality from both CORE and SCALE, TrueNAS 25.04 introduced a number of new features, including:
- Linux Kernel 6.12 to improve and extend hardware support
- Fast Deduplication to slash virtualization infrastructure costs
- 5X Acceleration of RAID-Z expansion
- Lightweight LXC containers via “instances”
- Secure Boot and TPM Support for virtual machines
- Configurable App IP addresses available June 1st, 2025
- Fast SMB File Copy for MacOS
Enterprise Extensions
TrueNAS Enterprise appliances now include extended capabilities with 25.04.2, including:
- GPOS STIG Support with additional logging, auditing and password management
- RDMA Extensions for iSCSI (iSER) and NFS, improving latency and IOPS by up to 40%
- iSCSI Block Cloning accelerates VMware clusters and virtualization workloads like VM cloning by 10X
- Veeam Fast Cloning accelerates SMB file copy workloads and saves capacity
- Fibre Channel enables SAN attachment of high-performance NVMe storage on TrueNAS F-Series and H-Series
- NFS Snapshot Directory Access for easier file restoration by end users
TrueNAS Enterprise appliances pre-loaded with TrueNAS 25.04.2 can be ordered today. Contact a TrueNAS product specialist to discuss available options and learn more about these features and other Enterprise benefits, including up to 24×7 support.
When Should I Update?
If you are deploying a new TrueNAS system, we can recommend either Fangtooth 25.04.2 or Electric Eel 24.10.2.3. Always review the Software Status page for current software recommendations based on your profile and use case.
For our TrueCommand users looking to administer Fangtooth systems centrally, please ensure that you upgrade any self-hosted TrueCommand instances to TrueCommand 3.1 before upgrading any connected systems to TrueNAS 25.04. TrueCommand Cloud subscribers will be automatically upgraded, and no interaction is required.
Current TrueNAS 13.x users looking for the new capabilities outlined above can migrate to TrueNAS 25.04, preserving data and essential NAS functionality such as SMB, NFS, and iSCSI. Once migrated, Docker and LXC can be set up to provide third-party application services and import previously configured Virtual Machines to the Virtualization system. TrueNAS 13.0 will still receive critical security and bug-fix updates, and was recently updated to 13.0-U8.
What’s Next: TrueNAS Goldeye
TrueNAS “Goldeye”, the codename for TrueNAS 25.10, is currently in ALPHA and will bring Enterprise-ready virtualization to TrueNAS. Goldeye plans will be shared before BETA, which is scheduled for later in August. For those who can’t wait, the Goldeye source code is available on GitHub, and developers are welcome to join in using the nightly images on a dedicated testing system.
Join the TrueNAS Community
Whether you’re deploying TrueNAS 24.10, TrueNAS 25.04, or contributing to the evolution of TrueNAS 25.10, now is the perfect time to engage with our growing community. Download your copy of TrueNAS Community Edition today and join thousands of users already benefiting from True Data Freedom. Visit the TrueNAS Community Forums or connect with us on social media to share your feedback and insights.