how does freenas work

[.net]

so im new to the whole NAS thing, and i have a few question.
i biggest problen us choosing the software. now my main concern is how my files will be organised. in some cases from what i have read is that you files are organised per hdd. but what i would like to do is organise my data per file folder ie: movies folder, music folder, pic folder, etc. is this possable with free nas. i know amahi supports this feature, but only through greyhole plugin (disk pooling). the other reason is im cosidering freenas is because ive read the zfs is better then just a raid config. any help would be nice. thanks

 

[BigDave]

now my main concern is how my files will be organised. in some cases from what i have read is that you files are organised per hdd. but what i would like to do is organise my data per file folder ie: movies folder, music folder, pic folder, etc. is this possable with free nas.

Yes, this is how FreeNAS works. A "folder" in FreeNAS is called a dataset.

the other reason is im cosidering freenas is because ive read the zfs is better then just a raid config.

When used with the proper hardware/config. in my opinion, yes
Plan to spend time reading the vast resources here in the forum, your time will be better spent, rather than asking individual questions.

 

[.net]

Yes, this is how FreeNAS works.

When used with the proper hardware/config. in my opinion, yes
Plan to spend time reading the vast resources here in the forum, your time will be better spent, rather than asking individual questions.

could you point me in the right dirction. should i just go read read through past threads on the forum

 

[BigDave]

There are stickies in every section that are marked with a red "push pin", there you will find
a lot of answers. Read the manual (linked at the top of each forum page) and pay strict attention
to cyberjocks noobie guide to FreeNAS and zfs. We also have started a FAQ section
Keep in mind that FreeNAS is based on FreeBSD and is *nix, NOT linux. Happy reading:D

 

[danb35]

Yes, this is how FreeNAS works. A "folder" in FreeNAS is called a dataset.

Not exactly--a dataset is kind of like a directory ("folder" to Windows and Mac users), kind of like a partition. Shares can be datasets, directories, or a mix of each. We generally recommend setting up one dataset per share, but there's nothing in the design of FreeNAS that requires that.

@.net, I'm really not sure of your question. Speaking generally, FreeNAS is designed to combine all your hard drives into a single volume or "pool". You can then organize the contents of that volume (i.e., the files you put on it) in whatever way makes the most sense to you. You can create separate shares for each type of data you want to store, you can create a single share and subdirectories under it for each type of data, or whatever else makes sense to you.

 

[pirateghost]

FreeNAS doesn't organize your files for you. That is up to you, as the administrator, to take care of.

 

[travanx]

I have folders like music movies pictures and work, just like you want to do. And share the entire drive with windows.

 

[clugo633]

I have a windows dataset with three windows shares (music, documents and photos) inside of it. Is there a better/more appropriate way of doing this? I'm also newish to FreeNas.

Thx.