Help request for the configuration of my first TrueNAS Core system

[botographic]

Hello everyone!
I'm in the process of building a NAS system out of an old computer. I would like to configure the system in such a way that my data is backed up on 2x 4 TB WD Red Plus HDDs without having to fear that they will be lost. The basic steps were understandable so far and I can access the GUI, but my knowledge of the subject (and probably also my knowledge of English) is not good enough to understand exactly how I should continue. My idea was to simply mirror the two hard drives and if I need more storage at some point, just add another 4TB drive. Now I see that the OS has been installed on one of the hard disks and, as far as I understand it, it is not possible to save my files on the disk at the same time without the system remaining loss-proof. How do I proceed here? Do I have to buy an extra hard drive for the operating system (simply leaving a USB stick permanently plugged in doesn't seem to be the best solution, according to previous posts) and even then the extra hard drive would have to be backed up somewhere too, wouldn't it?

I hope I'm not being silly with this question, but as a beginner I'd rather ask for advice before I load my data into a system that can't back it up safely.

Thanks in advance!
Ben

 

[danb35]

Now I see that the OS has been installed on one of the hard disks

That would because that's where you told the installer to install it.

How do I proceed here?

TrueNAS lives on its own boot device, which cannot be used for sharing data or other purposes. While you can put it on a 4 TB spinner, as you've done, ordinarily it's stored on a smaller SSD. Really, something around 30 GB would be plenty.

 

[Arwen]

The gory details:

I have to waste an entire drive just for booting?

With the advent of TrueNAS Scale, we seem to be getting a large number of people from the Linux community who are not quite grasping what TrueNAS is. TrueNAS is not a "Linux distro" and it is not designed to try to meet your arbitrarily spec'd...

www.truenas.com

 

[saviodesign]

I see you've installed the OS on (1) of the drives. This is the first (and major) mistake but an easy one to recover from.

It also tells me that you haven't reviewed any documents or videos regarding FreeNAS/TrueNAS setup, which I guarantee you everyone here has done at some time; trust me you should as well regardless of your experience.

The best way to look at TrueNAS is to think of it as an appliance, in addition, the descrption is in its name NAS = Network Attached Storage

You can take one of (2) approaches at this:

• Reserve a USB 3.0 slot to Install the OS on a small USB thumb driveNote: I've had (2) of these go bad for me in the past and create issues with OS Boot

Reserve a spare SATA slot on the board itself and the OS on a tiny SSD ( e.g. PNY CS900 500GB 3D NAND 2.5" SATA III Internal Solid State Drive )
This allows you the convince of

 

[saviodesign]

Hello everyone!
I'm in the process of building a NAS system out of an old computer. I would like to configure the system in such a way that my data is backed up on 2x 4 TB WD Red Plus HDDs without having to fear that they will be lost. The basic steps were understandable so far and I can access the GUI, but my knowledge of the subject (and probably also my knowledge of English) is not good enough to understand exactly how I should continue. My idea was to simply mirror the two hard drives and if I need more storage at some point, just add another 4TB drive. Now I see that the OS has been installed on one of the hard disks and, as far as I understand it, it is not possible to save my files on the disk at the same time without the system remaining loss-proof. How do I proceed here? Do I have to buy an extra hard drive for the operating system (simply leaving a USB stick permanently plugged in doesn't seem to be the best solution, according to previous posts) and even then the extra hard drive would have to be backed up somewhere too, wouldn't it?

I hope I'm not being silly with this question, but as a beginner I'd rather ask for advice before I load my data into a system that can't back it up safely.

Thanks in advance!
Ben View attachment 66418

Ben

I see you've installed the OS on (1) of the drives. This is the first (and major) mistake that many have made but an easy one to recover from.
It tells me that you may not have reviewed documents or videos regarding FreeNAS/TrueNAS setup, which I guarantee you everyone here has done at some time; trust me you should as well regardless of your experience.

First: I'd recommend this video and others related to it How to Install TrueNAS CORE

Second: Here's a decent write-up on this as well: How to Install TrueNAS: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Third: The best way to look at TrueNAS is to think of it as an appliance, in addition the description is in its name NAS = Network Attached Storage. The OS sits as a sort of "controller" leveraging the hardware, while the drives all sit as storage


To resolve your current issue you may want to take one of the following (2) approaches at this:

• Reserve a USB 3.0 slot to Install the OS on a small USB thumb drive

Note: I've had (2) of these go bad for me in the past and create issues with OS Boot​

OR

• Reserve a spare SATA slot on the board itself and the OS on a tiny SSD

e.g. PNY CS900 500GB 3D NAND 2.5" SATA III Internal Solid State Drive ​

This allows you the convenience of an internal drive and may be more cosmetically appealing​

• Install the OS on (1) of the (2) drives listed above
• Switch your BIOS boot order to read the slot with the OS installed FIRST
• Wipe your 4 TB Drive you previously install the OS on
• Create a few mount points, and start moving forward and educate yourself more from there.

With time you'll become better at this and start learning various ways to leverage your NAS to work in your favor