Hi
@Nailroth - I can understand where you are coming from. I may (will?) likely receive some thumbs down on this statement, but the reality is that FreeNAS is (a) based upon a enterprise (datacentre) product (TrueNAS) and does have the overhead (and learning curve) of a datacentre product; (b) while FreeNAS is based upon TrueNAS, it does have some, dare I say it, consumer-like features such as the plugins, etc. adding to complexity; and (c) there needs to be a level of technical skill (and learning - I'm still learning FreeBSD/FreeNAS despite over 25 years in the IT field).
That said, if you have the right hardware and follow the guides and recommendations in these forums you can be successful. It is not, however, as simple as Synology or QNAP. I have or have used both. I have found that they both provide good service. (I moved for FreeNAS after looking at OMV, Unraid and XigmaNAS after deciding the that features v. price of a Synology 8+ bay system with 2+ NICs could not make my budget.)
If you think about continuing your efforts or returning at a later time, I suggest that you read:
FreeNAS Hardware Guide (Up-To-Date)
Will it FreeNAS?: Check it Before You Wreck It
Finally, check the posts by the experienced FreeNAS folks on these forums such as
@Chris Moore,
@HoneyBadger, etc. They all seem to have "been there, done that" and I personally like to learn from someone else's pain ;) (It
is your system and
your data so you can always do what you want; just don't cry when things go wrong when you colour outside of the lines!)
