New to freeNAS - learn hands on with usb?

[EchoRibeye]

Hi all,

I am interested in setting up my own NAS, but would like to get hands on before i buy the hardware. Could you help me think of a cheap way to use freeNAS and its features?

Is it possible to use multiple USB drives instead of sata drives to play around with freeNAS features?

Is there a centralized manual that describes each of freeNAS's features - something to read before consulting forums, internet searches, etc?

Where and how would you recommend i start?

 

[elvisimprsntr]

@EchoRibeye

Docs: https://www.truenas.com/docs/

You can kick the tires on TrueNAS CORE or SCALE on a VM to get familiar with the interfaces and settings (not recommended for a permanent solution)

Otherwise, you can install TrueNAS on almost any x86 based hardware.

 

[Redcoat]

You can kick the tires on TrueNAS CORE or SCALE on a VM to get familiar with the interfaces and settings (not recommended for a permanent solution)

Welcome to the forums!!

The docs at https://www.truenas.com/docs/core/gettingstarted/install/ have a Virtual Machine section that will guide you to @elvisimprsntr 's suggested test method. Many of us will spin up a virtual machine to check/test features and functions without risking our running systems. I would say it has more potential than just "kicking the tires" should you have any doubts about the viability of using it as an evaluation tool.

Good luck!

 

[danb35]

Is it possible to use multiple USB drives instead of sata drives to play around with freeNAS features?

...and to directly answer your question, yes, it's possible to do this. Certainly not recommended for production data, but it's one way to test. But I'd vote with the others in favor of a VM.

 

[EchoRibeye]

Cool, thank everyone!