UncleFester's FreeNAS Beginners Guide

[UncleFester]

<div class="bbWrapper">Apologies to all, Fester seems to have forgotten how to spell <b>beginner</b>.<br /> <br /> He will go away and flagellate himself for an hour with a Thesaurus.<br /> Actually I had better not, I would probably enjoy it :D</div>

 

[Mark Holtz]

<div class="bbWrapper">Some comments....<br /> <br /> From <a href="https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:hardware_general#memory" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:hardware_general#memory</a> : <blockquote data-attributes="" data-quote="" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> <span style="font-size: 18px"><b>Memory</b></span><br /> The minimum amount of RAM for a FreeNAS system is 8GB. But Fester recommends a minimum of 16GB. Even more is better. More RAM is the best payoff to improve performance of your system, since ZFS will use it for caching. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Since you also mention a Plex server at <a href="https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:jails_plex" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:jails_plex</a> , you may want to mention that you need a minimum of 12 GB if you want to run Plex. 8 GB <u>does not work</u>. I know. I've tried. <br /> <br /> <br /> From <a href="https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:hardware_general#boot_device_for_the_freenas_os" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwik...rdware_general#boot_device_for_the_freenas_os</a> : <blockquote data-attributes="" data-quote="" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> <span style="font-size: 18px"><b>Boot Device for the FreeNAS OS</b></span><br /> <ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The FreeNAS OS must reside on a separate drive. It cannot be installed on the HDD/s you will use for data storage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A minimum of 16GB capacity for the FreeNAS boot device is recommended. Any larger than 32 GB is wasteful.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A SATA DOM or Solid State Device (SSD) is recommended. If your budget does not stretch this far you can use a high quality USB device. If you are using a USB stick, consider using two, and mirroring them.</li> </ol> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>If the motherboard supports it, you can also use a m.2 drive as well. I use one on my build because all eight SATA ports are used for hard drives. (See signature). The biggest catch is that the smallest m.2 drive (PCI Express x4 which is supposed by Supermicro) is 128GB. However, the price for one runs $70-$100 if you shop around.<br /> <br /> From <a href="https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:hardware_specific" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:hardware_specific</a> : <blockquote data-attributes="" data-quote="" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> <span style="font-size: 18px"><b>Parts List</b></span><br /> <span style="font-size: 15px">CPU Heatsink/Fan Noctua NH-U12DX i4 High Performance Intel Xeon CPU Cooler &amp; 120mm Fan<br /> Graphics Card Not needed</span> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><span style="font-size: 15px">This needs a little expansion. First, the user is building a server that, when completed, will be purring away in the corner once completed, as most of what is being performed will be remotely through a web interface. Secondly, many recent motherboards include video outputs (mine has DVI, HDMI, and Displayport) for the video output anyways.<br /> <br /> Also, why did you not go with the factory heatsink supplied by Intel? I'm not a fan of Intel heatsinks myself (too noisy, not efficient enough), and went with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO which was half the cost of your Noctua. </span></div>

 

[danb35]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 47013" data-quote="Mark Holtz" data-source="post: 311081" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=311081" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-311081">Mark Holtz said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Also, why did you not go with the factory heatsink supplied by Intel? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Because Intel doesn't supply heatsinks with E5 CPUs, IIRC.</div>

 

[Mark Holtz]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 3713" data-quote="danb35" data-source="post: 311112" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=311112" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-311112">danb35 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Because Intel doesn't supply heatsinks with E5 CPUs, IIRC. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>I did not know that.</div>

 

[major_briggs]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hi, all.<br /> <br /> Is this guide still relevant and a good place to get started with Linux? I read though half of it and it looks good. I'm thinking about managing about 14TB of data with FreeNAS instead of Windows which is what I've been using since the beginning of (my) time. I have very little experience with Linux but have lots of professional experience servicing the hardware and software of PC's and servers in a Windows environment. I'd really like to get away from Windows at some point I just need to be more serious about it (instead of installing Linux for a week and then removing it).</div>

 

[danb35]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 81308" data-quote="major_briggs" data-source="post: 425515" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=425515" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-425515">major_briggs said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Is this guide still relevant and a good place to get started with Linux? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>No; FreeNAS doesn't run on Linux (it runs on FreeBSD, a completely different operating system). But it is still a good and relevant guide to a newbie getting started with FreeNAS as of version 11.1, when using the &quot;old&quot; GUI. If you use the new/beta GUI, most of the operating logic will be the same, but the screens will look quite different. With the release of 11.2, though, the old GUI will be going away, and at that point, this guide will become rather less useful.</div>

 

[major_briggs]

<div class="bbWrapper">Understood. Thank you.</div>

 

[Monkey_Demon]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 47013" data-quote="Mark Holtz" data-source="post: 311081" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=311081" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-311081">Mark Holtz said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Some comments....<br /> <br /> From <a href="https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:hardware_general#boot_device_for_the_freenas_os" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwik...rdware_general#boot_device_for_the_freenas_os</a> :<br /> If the motherboard supports it, you can also use a m.2 drive as well. I use one on my build because all eight SATA ports are used for hard drives. (See signature). The biggest catch is that the smallest m.2 drive (PCI Express x4 which is supposed by Supermicro) is 128GB. However, the price for one runs $70-$100 if you shop around. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I just installed FreeNAS 11.1 on a Supermicro X11SSH-F motherboard with a 120GB HP EX900 M.2 SSD. I got it from Walmart for about $55. So far it's been trouble-free.</div>

 

[Sokonomi]

<div class="bbWrapper">Is there a beginners guide for 11.1 ?</div>

 

[danb35]

<div class="bbWrapper">The (default) UI and operating logic are pretty much identical to 9.10, so this guide is still relevant. (as I said about three posts up)</div>

 

[Sokonomi]

<div class="bbWrapper">I ran into one of these trying to follow Festers guide for sharing;<br /> <br /> <script class="js-extraPhrases" type="application/json"> { "lightbox_close": "Close", "lightbox_next": "Next", "lightbox_previous": "Previous", "lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.", "lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow", "lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow", "lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen", "lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails", "lightbox_download": "Download", "lightbox_share": "Share", "lightbox_zoom": "Zoom", "lightbox_new_window": "New window", "lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar" } </script> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="upload_2018-7-15_15-2-9.png" data-src="https://www.truenas.com/community/attachments/upload_2018-7-15_15-2-9-png.24765/" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="https://www.truenas.com/community/attachments/upload_2018-7-15_15-2-9-png.24765/" data-url="" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="upload_2018-7-15_15-2-9.png" title="upload_2018-7-15_15-2-9.png" width="520" height="194" loading="lazy" /> </div> <br /> <br /> Specifically while mapping a network drive and browsing to the target.<br /> I have login credentials, but it wont give me the option to enter them.<br /> Not sure what I should do about this.</div>

 

[joeschmuck]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 87462" data-quote="Sokonomi" data-source="post: 469993" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=469993" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-469993">Sokonomi said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I ran into one of these trying to follow Festers guide for sharing;<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.truenas.com/community/attachments/24765/" target="_blank">View attachment 24765</a> <br /> <br /> Specifically while mapping a network drive and browsing to the target.<br /> I have login credentials, but it won't give me the option to enter them.<br /> Not sure what I should do about this. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Set up the permissions on your shared drive will fix this problem. I typically just share with everyone on my local network but if you are trying to share only one account, then you need to have it all setup properly.</div>

 

[danb35]

<div class="bbWrapper">...and suggest you start your own thread about this in a more appropriate forum; this one is really for archived (i.e., dead) threads.</div>

 

[Muffin.Monkey]

<div class="bbWrapper">I wanted to read the guide, but I get a warning that the SSL certificate expired on August 22 2017.<br /> Are there plans to renew the certificate?<br /> That would be great since every newly registered account gets a message containing a link to this guide.</div>

 

[danb35]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 93532" data-quote="Muffin.Monkey" data-source="post: 509596" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=509596" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-509596">Muffin.Monkey said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> but I get a warning that the SSL certificate expired on August 22 2017. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>What link are you using? The one in my sig (which is hosted on my server) has a current cert, valid until 5 August.</div>

 

[Muffin.Monkey]

<div class="bbWrapper">I tried both, the one in the welcome message and the one from the start of this thread.<br /> I haven't seen the one in your signature. Your link works. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":smile:" title="Smile :smile:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":smile:" /></div>

 

[danb35]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 56907" data-quote="UncleFester" data-source="post: 309705" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=309705" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-309705">UncleFester said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I can't see the FreeNAS wiki link disappering anytime soon. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Turns out this expectation wasn't correct--good thing I kept mine up.</div>