11.1-U2 - Instructions for making jails

[Stranded Camel]

I wanted to make my first jail yesterday, but when I hit Jails > Add Jail there are no templates available. When I hit Templates > Add jail template, there's nothing in the URL or mtree fields. And when I hit Jails > Configuration, the Collection URL, http://download.freenas.org/jails/11/x64/, has only 11.0 files.

Something's obviously not right here. How can it be fixed?

 

[dublea]

Check out the documentation for jails here. FreeNAS does not come with pre-built templates and you will have to create them.

 

[Stranded Camel]

Check out the documentation for jails here. FreeNAS does not come with pre-built templates and you will have to create them.

Thanks. I had already read that documentation, and it just didn't get me through the jail creation process. It doesn't seem to be completely up-to-date. For example, Table 13.1.1 says about the Collection URL for templates that "changing the default may break the ability to install jails", but the default comes broken out of the box (unless 11.1-U2 is supposed to be able to work with the 11.0 templates that are at that URL). And you're saying that FreeNAS doesn't come with templates, which thoroughly confuses me -- it has a default URL for templates that links to the official FreeNAS site.

Could I get some further clarification?

 

[dublea]

Could I get some further clarification?

Code:

FreeNAS® supports the ability to add custom templates to the Templates drop-down menu described in Table 13.2.1.

To create a custom template, first install the desired operating system and configure it as needed. The installation can be either to an existing jail or on another system.

You would have to start a jail, install what you are going to use the jail for at a base configuration, and then use the rest of the documentation to create the .mtree file for the template. They assume the community will create and hose templates but no one really does. What jail(s) are you trying to get going?

 

[Stranded Camel]

You would have to start a jail, install what you are going to use the jail for at a base configuration, and then use the rest of the documentation to create the .mtree file for the template. They assume the community will create and hose templates but no one really does. What jail(s) are you trying to get going?

Thanks for your response! This is my first time using jails -- every time I've started an attempt to create one, I've been stymied by something or another.

All I really want is a single jail that will allow me to install additional FreeBSD software ( rclone, fail2ban, fdupes if it exists, and so on). I had assumed that this required at least a base template, so to speak, but apparently not.

If I manage to create a jail with the FreeNAS GUI, will it automatically use iocage? The manual says that that's the future of jails, but that the old warden system is still there, so I'm a bit confused.

 

[dublea]

The Jails are more for running software in their own containers. Such as Plex, CouchPotato, Transmission, etc. You won't be able to get iocage installed as jails are managed differently with FreeNAS. I myself am moving away from the jail system and going to Docker via the Docker VM | RacherOS.

 

[garm]

You don’t need templates to create a jail, templates are preconfigured content for the jail.

The old UI uses Warden and the new UI uses iocage. You don’t install iocage yourself.. Think of FreeNAS as a read only appliance, not an OS. You cannot install anything without hacking the codebase, jails are where you install and run your own software.

 

[Stranded Camel]

You don’t need templates to create a jail, templates are preconfigured content for the jail.

The old UI uses Warden and the new UI uses iocage. You don’t install iocage yourself.. Think of FreeNAS as a read only appliance, not an OS. You cannot install anything without hacking the codebase, jails are where you install and run your own software.

When you say "the old UI", does that mean that even with 11.1-U2, I need to get into the beta UI to use iocage?

 

[garm]

Yes, if you want the UI to make iocage jails you need to be in the new UI.

 

[danb35]

rclone

rclone is already installed, so no need to put it in a jail.

 

[Stranded Camel]

rclone is already installed, so no need to put it in a jail.

I would have never guessed that! Great news -- thanks!

 

[danb35]

...and rclone is kind of a special case anyway. It's a standalone, statically-compiled binary, so I wouldn't be concerned about putting it somewhere on your pool and running it from there. But in general, of course, any software to be installed should go in a jail.

 

[mjt5282]

You don’t need templates to create a jail, templates are preconfigured content for the jail.

The old UI uses Warden and the new UI uses iocage. You don’t install iocage yourself.. Think of FreeNAS as a read only appliance, not an OS. You cannot install anything without hacking the codebase, jails are where you install and run your own software.

ordinarily, I would agree with you, but in dropping warden in 11.1 (and I guess moving to iocage) there are no prebuilt templates available for downloading with freebsd 11.1 (and the pkg system doesn't really work with FN 11.1 and fbsd 11.0 jails (at least those were available at the beginning of the fn 11.1 release). I needed to decide, go with iocage or get warden working with 11.1 freebsd template. I decided to do the latter. When FN 11.2 gets released I'll probably migrate to iocage. Google the keywords and you might find some postings that explain how to create a "home grown" freebsd 11.1 template to create warden jails. This might be asking a bit too much to a unix newbie, however...

 

[danb35]

I needed to decide, go with iocage or get warden working with 11.1 freebsd template. I decided to do the latter.

Seems like the former would have been much easier.

 

[garm]

Actually I have done he same for a few jails that didn’t play nice with FreeBSD 11.0 :) I’m shying away from Iocage until the new UI is “released”