Instructions for configuring the various SCALE features. Articles are organized parallel to the SCALE interface layout.
This guide collects various how-tos for both simple and complex tasks using primarily the TrueNAS web interface.
Tutorials are organized parallel to the TrueNAS web interface structure and grouped by topic.
Tutorials are living articles and continually updated with new content or additional in-depth tutorials that guide in unlocking the full potential of TrueNAS.
To display all tutorials in a linear HTML format, export it to PDF, or physically print it, please select ⎙ Download or Print.
TrueNAS SCALE Tutorials
⎙ Download or Print: View all TrueNAS SCALE Tutorials as a single page for download or print.
Top Toolbar: Tutorials about options available from the TrueNAS SCALE top toolbar.
Using UI Global Search: This tutorial shows how to use the Global Search feature to explore the TrueNAS SCALE UI and documentation.
Managing API Keys: This tutorial shows how to add, create, or edit an API key in TrueNAS SCALE.
Creating Snapshots: Provides instructions on creating ZFS snapshots in TrueNAS Scale.
Managing Snapshots: Provides instructions on managing ZFS snapshots in TrueNAS Scale.
Storage Encryption: Provides information on SCALE storage encryption for pools, root datasets, datasets, and zvols.
Setting Up Permissions: Provides instructions on editing and viewing ACL permissions, using the ACL editor screens, and general information on ACLs.
Shares: Tutorials for configuring the various data sharing features in TrueNAS SCALE.
AFP Migration: Provides information on migrating AFP shares from CORE to SCALE.
Block Shares (iSCSI): Describes the iSCSI protocol and has tutorials for various configuration scenarios.
Adding NFS Shares: Provides instructions on adding NFS shares, starting NFS service, and accessing the share.
Multiprotocol Shares: Provides instructions on setting up SMB and NFSv4 mixed-mode shares.
Windows Shares (SMB): Provides information on SMB shares and instruction creating a basic share and setting up various specific configurations of SMB shares.
Data Protection: Tutorials related to configuring data backup features in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing TrueCloud Backup Tasks: Provides instructions on setting up a TrueCloud backup task and configuring a Storj iX account to work with TrueNAS.
Creating VMWare Snapshots: Provides instructions for creating ZFS snapshots when using TrueNAS as a VMWare datastore.
Managing S.M.A.R.T. Tests: Provides instructions on running S.M.A.R.T. tests manually or automatically, using Shell to view the list of tests, and configuring the S.M.A.R.T. test service.
Replication Tasks: Tutorials for configuring ZFS snapshot replication tasks in TrueNAS SCALE.
Network: Tutorials for configuring network interfaces and connections in TrueNAS SCALE.
Interface Configurations: Tutorials about configuring the various types of network interfaces available in TrueNAS SCALE.
Configuring IPv6: Provides instructions configuring a network interface and other network settings for IPv6, and configuring an SMB or NFS share for IPv6.
Configuring Static Routes: Provides instructions on configuring a static route using the SCALE web UI.
Setting Up IPMI: Guides you through setting up Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) on TrueNAS SCALE.
Accessing NAS from a VM or Apps: Provides instructions on how to create a bridge interface for virtual machines or applications and provides Linux and Windows examples.
Credentials: Tutorials for configuring the different credentials needed for TrueNAS SCALE features.
Using Administrator Logins: Explains role-based administrator logins and functions. Provides instructions on configuring SSH and working with the admin and root user passwords.
Managing Users: Provides instructions on adding and managing administrator and user accounts.
Managing Groups: Provides instructions on adding and managing groups.
Backup Credentials: Backup credential tutorials for integrating TrueNAS SCALE with cloud storage providers by setting up SSH connections and keypairs.
Certificates: Information about adding and managing certificates, CSRs, CAs, and ACME DNS-Authenticators in TrueNAS SCALE.
Configuring KMIP: Provides information on Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) in SCALE. Describes how to configure KMIP on TrueNAS SCALE Enterprise.
Virtualization: Tutorials for configuring TrueNAS SCALE virtualization features and creating virtual machines.
Reporting: Provides information on changing settings that control how SCALE displays report graphs, how to interact with graphs, and configuring reporting exporters.
System Settings: Tutorials for configuring the system management options in the System Settings area of the TrueNAS SCALE web interface.
Updating SCALE: Provides instructions on updating SCALE releases in the UI.
Using Shell: Provides information on using the TrueNAS SCALE Shell.
Audit Logs: Provides information on the System and SMB Share auditing screens and function in TrueNAS SCALE.
Top Toolbar
The SCALE top navigation top toolbar provides access to functional areas of the UI that you might want to directly access while on other screens in the UI.
Icon buttons provide quick access to dropdown lists of options, dropdown panels with information on system alerts or tasks, and can include access to other information or configuration screens.
It also shows the name of admin user currently logged into the system to the left of the Settings and Power icons.
You can also collapse or expand the main function menu on the left side of the screen.
The Search UI global search bar allows users to search for screens and elements within the TrueNAS SCALE UI or to redirect search terms to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub.
Searching UI Fields
Click the Search UI bar or type Ctrl + / to select the UI global search.
Global search returns UI screens, widgets, and button names matching the entered query.
Click View More to view additional results, if needed.
Navigating Results
Select a screen result under UI to go to the matching screen within the TrueNAS UI.
For example, select Shares arrow_right_alt SMB to go to the SMB screen.
Select a widget or button result to go to the screen containing the element.
For example, select Shares arrow_right_alt SMB arrow_right_alt Add SMB Share to locate to the Add button on the SMB screen.
TrueNAS SCALE indicates the selected element with a glowing blue outline.
Searching TrueNAS Documentation
Click Search Documentation for «query» to redirect the search to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub.
TrueNAS SCALE opens a new browser tab to display documentation search results for the query.
Use this option to search for tutorials and UI reference documentation for the feature, or to look for further information when the entered search term does not find any matching UI elements.
iXsystems
The iXsystems logo opens the iXsystems home page where users can find information about iXsystems storage and server systems.
Users can also use the iXsystems home page to access their customer portal and the community section for support.
Send Feedback
The Send Feedback icon opens a feedback window.
Alternately, go to System > General, find the Support widget, and click File Ticket to see the feedback window.
The feedback window allows users to send page ratings, comments, vote for new features on the community forum, report issues, or suggest improvements directly to the TrueNAS development team.
Submitting a bug report requires a free Atlassian account.
Click between the tabs at the top of the window to see options for your specific feedback.
Rate this page
Use the Rate this page tab to quickly review and provide comments on the currently active TrueNAS user interface screen.
You can include a screenshot of the current page and/or upload additional images with your comments.
Report a bug
Use the Report a bug tab to notify the development team when a TrueNAS screen or feature is not working as intended.
For example, report a bug when a middleware error and traceback appears while saving a configuration change.
Enter a descriptive summary in the Subject.
TrueNAS can show a list of existing Jira tickets with similar summaries.
When there is an existing ticket about the issue, consider clicking on that ticket and leaving a comment instead of creating a new one.
Duplicate tickets are closed in favor of consolidating feedback into one report.
Enter details about the issue in the Message.
Keep the details concise and focused on how to reproduce the issue, what the expected result of the action is, and what the actual result of the action was.
This helps ensure a speedy ticket resolution.
Include system debug and screenshot files to also speed up the issue resolution.
Bug Reports from Enterprise Licensed Systems
TrueNAS Enterprise
When an Enterprise license is applied to the system, the Report a bug tab has additional environment and contact information fields for sending bug reports directly to iXsystems.
Click on History to open the Tasks screen with lists of all successful, active, and failed jobs.
Click on the All, Active, or Failed button at the top of the screen to show the log of jobs that fit that classification.
Click View next to a task to see the log information and error message for that task.
The Alertsnotifications icon displays a list of current alert notifications.
To remove an alert notification click Dismiss below it or use Dismiss All Alerts to remove all notifications from the list.
Use the settings icon to display the Alerts dropdown list with two options: Alert Settings and Email.
Select Alert Settings to add or edit existing system alert services and configure alert options such as the warning level and frequency and how the system notifies you.
See Alerts Settings Screens for more information.
TrueNAS Enterprise
The Alert Settings Screens article includes information about the SCALE Enterprise high availability (HA) alert settings.
Select Email to configure the method for the system to send email reports and alerts.
See Setting Up System Email for information about configuring the system email service and alert emails.
Settings
The Settingsaccount_circle icon opens a dropdown list of options to change passwords, set up user two-factor authentication, create and manage API keys, access the TrueNAS API guide, see information on the system, and to logout of the SCALE UI.
Change Password
Click on the Change Passworddialpad icon button to display the change password dialog where you can enter a new password for the currently logged-in user.
The truenas_admin user and admin users with full control permissions see the Change Password dialog with the New Password and Confirm Password fields.
These users do not need to enter their current password to change the password.
Sharing Admin and Readonly Admin users see the Change Password dialog with the Current Password, New Password, and Confirm Password fields.
These users must enter the current password to validate the user account before changing the password.
Click on the visibility_off icon to display entered passwords.
To stop displaying the password, click on the visibility icon.
API Keys
Click on API Keyslaptop to add an API key.
API keys identify an outside resource or application without a principal.
For example, when adding a new system to TrueCommand if you are required to add an API key to authenticate the system.
Use this function to create an API key for this purpose.
Click API Docs to access the API documentation portal with information on TrueNAS SCALE API commands.
See API Keys for more information on adding or managing API keys.
Guide and About
Click on Guidelibrary_books to open the TrueNAS Documentation Hub in a new tab.
Click on About to display the information window with links to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub, TrueNAS Community Forums, FreeNAS Open Source Storage Appliance GitHub repository, and iXsystems home page.
Log Out
Log Out logs the current user out of the SCALE UI, but does not power off the system.
The Read-Only Admin and Sharing Admin roles only have access to the Log Out option.Power Options
Click the Powerpower_settings_new button to open the dropdown list of power options.
Options Restart which logs you out of the SCALE UI and restarts the server or Shut Down which logs you out of the SCALE UI and powers off the system as though you pressed the power button on the physical server.
With the implementation of administrator roles, the power options are locked based on the level of privileges for the administrator role.
The full administrator has access to both power options but readonly and sharing admin roles do not.
The power options that show a lock icon indicate the function is not permitted.
Content
Using UI Global Search: This tutorial shows how to use the Global Search feature to explore the TrueNAS SCALE UI and documentation.
Managing API Keys: This tutorial shows how to add, create, or edit an API key in TrueNAS SCALE.
TrueNAS 24.10 (Electric Eel) introduces global search function that allows users to quickly access screens and management functions across the TrueNAS UI.
Global search also allows users to redirect queries to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub to retrieve relevant documentation.
Global search returns UI screens, widgets, and button names matching the entered query.
Click View More to view additional results, if needed.
Navigating Results
Select a screen result under UI to go to the matching screen within the TrueNAS UI.
For example, select Shares arrow_right_alt SMB to go to the SMB screen.
Select a widget or button result to go to the screen containing the element.
For example, select Shares arrow_right_alt SMB arrow_right_alt Add SMB Share to locate to the Add button on the SMB screen.
TrueNAS SCALE indicates the selected element with a glowing blue outline.
Searching TrueNAS Documentation
Click Search Documentation for «query» to redirect the search to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub.
TrueNAS SCALE opens a new browser tab to display documentation search results for the query.
Use this option to search for tutorials and UI reference documentation for the feature, or to look for further information when the entered search term does not find any matching UI elements.
Managing API Keys
The API Keys option on the top right toolbar Settings (user icon) dropdown menu displays the API Keys screen.
This screen displays a list of API keys added to your system and allows you to add, edit, or delete keys.
Select the Reset to remove the existing API key and generate a new random key. The dialog displays the new key and the Copy to Clipboard option to copy the key to the clipboard.
Always back up and secure keys. The key string displays only one time, at creation!
To delete, select Confirm on the delete dialog to activate the Delete button.
You can customize the main Dashboard by moving, adding, or deleting widgets.
Click Configure to put the Dashboard into configuration mode.
While in configuration mode all widgets show as widget groups that are surronded by dotted line borders.
Each widget group includes a drag handle, and the edit and delete icon buttons.
If changing an existing widget, locate the widget group on the screen, then click Edit at the top right of that widget group to open the Widget Editor with the layout and settings for that widget group.
Click on the layout image you want to use. The image on the screen show the new widget layout.
If adding a new widget, the default layout is full size with the category and type set to Empty.
If editing an existing widget, the current layout changes to show the existing category and type in the first widget of the new layout.
An error shows in the selected widget of the group if the widget size does not support the selected category and type.
Select the widget in the group you want to add or change.
If the layout includes half and/or quarter size widgets, the first widget in the group is selected by default.
To configure another widget in the layout, select the position in the group you want to configure.
Select the Widget Category and Widget Type to apply to the selected widget.
For example, if configuring a network widget, you can use one full size layout or select one with half and quarter size widgets.
The example below shows two layout options for configuring a network widget.
If the selected category is not supported for the selected widget, either select a new layout or change the Widget Category and/or Widget Type to one the widget supports.
(Optional) Edit the next widget in the widget group for the selected layout.
After adding or changing the widget category and type, either click on the next widget in the group to configure it.
Click Save to close the Widget Editor and return to the Dashboard.
Edit or add as many widgets as you want.
Click Save at the top right of the Dashboard screen to save all changes and exit configuration mode.
To exit configuration mode without saving changes, click Cancel.
Deleting a Widget
To delete a widget from the Dashboard screen, click Configure to put the screen into configuration mode.
Click the Delete icon in the widget group for the widget you want to delete. The widget no longer shows on the screen.
Click Save at the top right of the screen. The screen exits configuration mode and the Dashboard no longer shows the widget.
Storage
The SCALE Storage section has controls for pools, snapshots, and disk management.
This section also provides access to datasets, zvols, quotas, and permissions.
Use the Import Pool button to reconnect pools exported/disconnected from the current system or created on another system.
This also reconnects pools after users reinstall or upgrade the TrueNAS system.
Use the Disks button to manage, wipe, and import storage disks that TrueNAS uses for ZFS data storage.
Use the Create Pool to create ZFS data storage “pools” from physical disks. Pools efficiently store and protect data.
The Storage screen displays all the pools added to the system.
Each pool shows statistics and status, along with buttons to manage the different elements of the pool.
The articles in this section offer specific guidance for the different storage management options.
Storage Articles
Import Pool: Provides information on ZFS importing for storage pools in TrueNAS SCALE. It also addresses GELI-encrypted pools.
Disks: Articles with instructions for managing, replacing, and wiping disks.
Replacing Disks: Provides disk replacement instructions that take a failed disk offline and replaces a disk in an existing VDEV. The replacement process automatically triggers a pool resilvers.
Wiping a Disk: Provides instructions for wiping a disk.
SLOG Over-Provisioning: Provides information on the disk_resize command in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing Self-Encrypting Drives (SED): Covers self-encrypting drives including supported specifications, implementing and managing SEDs in TrueNAS, and managing SED passwords and data.
Create Pool: Provides background considerations and a simple tutorial on creating storage pools in TrueNAS SCALE.
Fusion Pools: Provides information on setting up and using fusion pools.
Managing Pools: Provides instructions on managing storage pools, VDEVs, and disks in TrueNAS SCALE.
Import Pool
ZFS pool importing works for pools exported or disconnected from the current system, those created on another system, and for pools you reconnect after reinstalling or upgrading the TrueNAS system.
The import procedure only applies to disks with a ZFS storage pool.
Do I need to do anything different with disks installed on a different system?
When physically installing ZFS pool disks from another system, use the zpool export poolname command in the Linux command line or a web interface equivalent to export the pool on that system.
Shut down that system and move the drives to the TrueNAS system.
Shutting down the original system prevents an in use by another machine error during the TrueNAS import.
To import a pool, go to the Storage Dashboard and click Import Pool at the top of the screen.
TrueNAS detects the pools that are present but not connected and adds them to the Pools dropdown list.
Select a pool from the Pool dropdown list, then click Import.
Can I import GELI-encrypted pools?
GELI encryption is specific to FreeBSD so TrueNAS SCALE cannot import GELI-encrypted pools.
See the GELI Pool Migrations section in the CORE Storage Encryption article.
The Preparing to Migrate article provides information on what you can and cannot migrate and a checklist of actions to take before migrating from CORE with GELI-encrypted pools to SCALE.
Disks
To manage disks, go to Storage and click Disks on the top right of the screen to display the Storage Disks screen.
Select the disk on the list, then select Edit.
The Disks page lets users edit disks, perform manual tests, and view S.M.A.R.T. test results. Users may also delete obsolete data off an unused disk.
Performing Manual S.M.A.R.T. Testing
Select the disk(s) you want to perform a S.M.A.R.T. test on and click Manual Test.
Long runs SMART Extended Self Test. This scans the entire disk surface and can take many hours on large-volume disks.
Short runs SMART Short Self Test (usually under ten minutes). These are basic disk tests that vary by manufacturer.
Conveyance runs a SMART Conveyance Self Test.
This self-test routine is intended to identify damage incurred during transporting of the device.
This self-test routine requires only minutes to complete.
Offline runs SMART Immediate Offline Test.
The effects of this test are visible only in that it updates the SMART Attribute values, and if the test finds errors, they appear in the SMART error log.
Click Start to begin the test. Depending on the test type you choose, the test can take some time to complete. TrueNAS generates alerts when tests discover issues.
For information on automated S.M.A.R.T. testing, see the S.M.A.R.T. tests article.
S.M.A.R.T. Test Results
To review test results, expand the disk and click S.M.A.R.T. Test Results.
Replacing Disks: Provides disk replacement instructions that take a failed disk offline and replaces a disk in an existing VDEV. The replacement process automatically triggers a pool resilvers.
Wiping a Disk: Provides instructions for wiping a disk.
SLOG Over-Provisioning: Provides information on the disk_resize command in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing Self-Encrypting Drives (SED): Covers self-encrypting drives including supported specifications, implementing and managing SEDs in TrueNAS, and managing SED passwords and data.
Replacing Disks
Hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs) have a finite lifetime and can fail unexpectedly.
When a disk fails in a Stripe (RAID0) pool, you must recreate the entire pool and restore all data backups.
We always recommend creating non-stripe storage pools that have disk redundancy.
To prevent further redundancy loss or eventual data loss, always replace a failed disk as soon as possible!
TrueNAS integrates new disks into a pool to restore it to full functionality.
TrueNAS requires you to replace a disk with another disk of the same or greater capacity as a failed disk.
You must install the disk in the TrueNAS system.
It should not be part of an existing storage pool.
TrueNAS wipes the data on the replacement disk as part of the process.
Disk replacement automatically triggers a pool resilver.
This tutorial includes instructions for replacing healthy and failed disks in TrueNAS systems with and without an available hot spare.
To replace a disk in a pool without a hot spare available:
If you want to replace a healthy disk with another that is the same size or larger, go to Storage and click Manage Devices on the Topology widget of the pool with the disk you want to replace.
Select the disk you want to replace, then click Replace in the Disk Info widget.
If you configure your main TrueNAS Dashboard to include individual Pool or the Storage widgets they show the status of your system pools as on or offline, degraded, or in an error condition.
From the main Dashboard, you can click the on either the Pool or Storage widget or you can click Storage on the main navigation menu to open the Storage Dashboard screen and locate the pool in the degraded state.
My disk is faulted. Should I replace it?
If a disk shows a faulted state, TrueNAS has detected an issue with that disk and you should replace it.Can I use a disk that is failing but still active?
There are situations where you can leave a disk that has not completely failed online to provide additional redundancy during the replacement procedure.
We do not recommend leaving failed disks online unless you know the exact condition of the failing disk.
Attempting to replace a heavily degraded disk without offlining it significantly slows down the replacement process.
Taking a Failed Disk Offline
We recommend users off-line a disk before starting the physical disk replacement.
Offlining a disk removes the device from the pool and can prevent swap issues.
To offline a disk:
Go to the Storage Dashboard and click Manage Devices on the Topology widget for the degraded pool to open the Devices screen for that pool.
Click next to the VDEV to expand it, then look for the disk with the REMOVED status.
Click on the failed disk, then click Offline in the ZFS Info widget to take the disk offline.
The disk status changes to OFFLINE.
The offline failed?
If the off-line operation fails with a Disk offline failed - no valid replicas message, go to Storage Dashboard and click Scrub on the ZFS Health widget for the pool with the degraded disk. The Scrub Pool confirmation dialog opens. Select Confirm and then click Start Scrub.
Replacing a Failed Disk in a Non-Hotswappable System
To replace a failed disk in a non-hot-swappable system, first, identify the serial number of the failed disk. To find the serial number, click on Disks on the Storage screen. The serial number is crucial for ensuring that you finish the replacement process on the correct disk.
After you have identified the failed disk, take the failed disk offline. Then, completely shut down your system. This is a vital step for non-hot-swappable systems, as disks cannot be removed or inserted in a non-hot-swappable system if the power is still on.
After your system is powered off, remove the failed drive from the system. Double-check that the serial number on the removed drive matches the failed drive you previously identified.
Insert and connect the replacement disk and power on your system. Complete the resilver process below that matches your hot spare availability.
Replacing a Failed Disk Without a Hot Spare
After taking the failed disk offline and physically removing it from the system, insert the replacement disk now.
The new disk must have the same or greater capacity as the failed disk.
If replacing a failed disk with an available disk in the system, proceed to the next step.
Click Replace on the Disk Info widget on the Devices screen for the disk you off-lined.
Select the new drive from the Member Disk dropdown list on the Replacing disk dialog.
Click Replace Disk to add the new disk to the VDEV and bring it online.
Disk replacement fails when the selected disk has partitions or data present.
To destroy any data on the replacement disk and allow the replacement to continue, select the Force option.
When the disk wipe completes, TrueNAS starts replacing the failed disk.
TrueNAS resilvers the pool during the replacement process.
For pools with large amounts of data, this can take a long time.
When the resilver process completes, the pool status returns to Online on the Devices screen.
Refresh the screen to ensure the replacement disk appears in the pool as expected.
Replacing a Failed Disk With a Hot Spare
A Hot Spare vdev sets up drives as reserved to prevent larger pool and data loss scenarios.
TrueNAS automatically inserts an available hot spare into a Data vdev when an active drive fails.
TrueNAS resilvers the pool after the hot spare is activated.
Detaching a Failed Disk
After taking the failed disk offline and physically removing it from the system, go to the Storage Dashboard and click Manage Devices on the Topology widget for the degraded pool to open the Devices screen for that pool.
Click next to the VDEV to expand it, then look for the disk with the REMOVED status.
Click Detach on the ZFS Info widget on the Devices screen for the disk you off-lined.
Select Confirm, then click Detach.
TrueNAS detaches the disk from the pool and promotes the hot spare disk to a full member of the pool.
Refresh the screen to ensure the promoted hot spare appears in the pool as expected.
Recreating a Hot Spare
After promoting the hot spare, recreate the Spare vdev and assign a disk to it.
Do I really need to promote the hot spare and then recreate the spare vdev?
If you have a hot spare inserted into the pool and then follow the instructions in Replacing a Failed Disk Without a Hot Spare, TrueNAS automatically returns the hot spare disk to the existing Spare vdev and ONLINE status.
However, we do not recommend this method, because it causes two resilver events: one when activating the hot spare and again when replacing the failed disk.
Resilvering degrades system performance until completed and causes unnecessary strain on the disk.
To avoid unnecessary resilvers, promote the hot spare by [detaching the failed disk]](#detaching-a-failed-disk) then recreate the hot spare vdev.
If recreating the spare with a replacement in place of the failed disk, insert the replacement disk now.
The new disk must have the same or greater capacity as the failed disk.
If recreating the spare with an available disk in the system, proceed to the next step.
Go to the Storage Dashboard and click Manage Devices on the Topology widget for the degraded pool to open the Devices screen for that pool.
Click Add VDEV to open the Add Vdevs to Pool screen.
Select a disk size equal to or greater than the failed disk or click Manual Disk Selection to choose the replacement disk.
Click Save And Go To Review.
Review changes then click Update Pool.
Select Confirm, then click Continue.
After completing the job, TrueNAS returns to the Storage Dashboard screen.
Review Spare VDEVs on the Topology widget to confirm the hot spare is added.
Wiping a Disk
The disk wipe option deletes obsolete data from an unused disk.
Wipe is a destructive action and results in permanent data loss!
Back up any critical data before wiping a disk.
TrueNAS only shows the Wipe option for unused disks.
Ensure you have backed-up all data and are no longer using the disk.
Triple check that you have selected the correct disk for the wipe.
Recovering data from a wiped disk is usually impossible.
Click Wipe to open a dialog with additional options:
Quick erases only the partitioning information on a disk without clearing other old data, making it easy to reuse. Quick wipes take only a few seconds.
Full with zeros overwrites the entire disk with zeros and can take several hours to complete.
Full with random overwrites the entire disk with random binary code and takes even longer than the Full with zeros operation to complete.
After selecting the appropriate method, click Wipe and confirm the action. A Confirmation dialog opens.
Verify the name to ensure you have chosen the correct disk. When satisfied you can wipe the disk, set Confirm and click Continue.
Continue starts the disk wipe process and opens a progress dialog with the Abort button.
Abort stops the disk wipe process. At the end of the disk wipe process a success dialog displays.
Close closes the dialog and returns you to the Disks screen.
For more general information on SLOG disks, see SLOG Devices.
Because this is a potentially disruptive procedure, contact iXsystems Support to review your overprovisioning needs and schedule a maintenance window.
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
TCG Pyrite Version 1 and
Version 2 are similar to Opalite, but with hardware encryption removed
Pyrite provides a logical equivalent of the legacy ATA security for non-ATA devices. Only the drive firmware protects the device.
Pyrite Version 1 SEDs do not have PSID support and can become unusable if the password is lost.
TCG Enterprise designed for systems with many data disks
These SEDs cannot unlock before the operating system boots.
See this Trusted Computing Group and NVM Express® joint white paper for more details about these specifications.
TrueNAS Implementation
TrueNAS implements the security capabilities of camcontrol for legacy devices and sedutil-cli for TCG devices.
When managing a SED from the command line, it is recommended to use the sedhelper wrapper script for sedutil-cli to ease SED administration and unlock the full capabilities of the device. See provided examples of using these commands to identify and deploy SEDs below.
You can configure a SED before or after assigning the device to a pool.
By default, SEDs are not locked until the administrator takes ownership of them. Ownership is taken by explicitly configuring a global or per-device password in the web interface and adding the password to the SEDs. Adding SED passwords in the web interface also allows TrueNAS to automatically unlock SEDs.
A password-protected SED protects the data stored on the device when the device is physically removed from the system.
This allows secure disposal of the device without having to first wipe the contents. Repurposing a SED on another system requires the SED password.
For TrueNAS High Availability (HA) systems, SED drives only unlock on the active controller!
Deploying SEDs
Enter command sedutil-cli --scan in the Shell to detect and list devices. The second column of the results identifies the drive type:
Character
Standard
no
non-SED device
1
Opal V1
2
Opal V2
E
Enterprise
L
Opalite
p
Pyrite V1
P
Pyrite V2
r
Ruby
Example:
root@truenas1:~ # sedutil-cli --scan
Scanning for Opal compliant disks
/dev/ada0 No 32GB SATA Flash Drive SFDK003L
/dev/ada1 No 32GB SATA Flash Drive SFDK003L
/dev/da0 No HGST HUS726020AL4210 A7J0
/dev/da1 No HGST HUS726020AL4210 A7J0
/dev/da10 E WDC WUSTR1519ASS201 B925
/dev/da11 E WDC WUSTR1519ASS201 B925
TrueNAS supports setting a global password for all detected SEDs or setting individual passwords for each SED. Using a global password for all SEDs is strongly recommended to simplify deployment and avoid maintaining separate passwords for each SED.
Setting a Global Password for SEDs
Go to System > Advanced > Self-Encrypting Drive and click Configure. A warning displays stating Changing Advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Please use caution before saving. Click Close to display the settings form. Enter the password in SED Password and Confirm SED Password and click Save.
Record this password and store it in a safe place!
Now configure the SEDs with this password. Go to the Shell and enter command sedhelper setup <password>, where <password> is the global password entered in System > Advanced > SED Password.
sedhelper ensures that all detected SEDs are properly configured to use the provided password:
Rerun command sedhelper setup <password> every time a new SED is placed in the system to apply the global password to the new SED.
Creating Separate Passwords for Each SED
Go to Storage click the Disks dropdown in the top right of the screen and select Disks. From the Disks screen, click the expand_more for the confirmed SED, then Edit. Enter and confirm the password in the SED Password fields to override the global SED password.
You must configure the SED to use the new password. Go to the Shell and enter command sedhelper setup --disk <da1> <password>, where <da1> is the SED to configure and <password> is the created password from Storage > Disks > Edit Disks > SED Password.
Repeat this process for each SED and any SEDs added to the system in the future.
Remember SED passwords! If you lose the SED password, you cannot unlock SEDs or access their data.
After configuring or modifying SED passwords, always record and store them in a secure place!
Check SED Functionality
When SED devices are detected during system boot, TrueNAS checks for configured global and device-specific passwords.
Unlocking SEDs allows a pool to contain a mix of SED and non-SED devices. Devices with individual passwords are unlocked with their password. Devices without a device-specific password are unlocked using the global password.
To verify SED locking is working correctly, go to the Shell. Enter command sedutil-cli --listLockingRange 0 <password> <dev/da1>, where <dev/da1> is the SED and <password> is the global or individual password for that SED. The command returns ReadLockEnabled: 1, WriteLockEnabled: 1, and LockOnReset: 1 for drives with locking enabled:
This section contains command line instructions to manage SED passwords and data. The command used is sedutil-cli(8).
Most SEDs are TCG-E (Enterprise) or TCG-Opal (Opal v2.0).
Commands are different for the different drive types, so the first step is to identify the type in use.
These commands can be destructive to data and passwords. Keep backups and use the commands with caution.
Check SED version on a single drive, /dev/da0 in this example:
root@truenas:~ # sedutil-cli --isValidSED /dev/da0
/dev/da0 SED --E--- Micron_5N/A U402
To check all connected disks at once:
root@truenas:~ # sedutil-cli --scan
Scanning for Opal compliant disks
/dev/ada0 No 32GB SATA Flash Drive SFDK003L
/dev/ada1 No 32GB SATA Flash Drive SFDK003L
/dev/da0 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da1 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da12 E SEAGATE XS3840TE70014 0103
/dev/da13 E SEAGATE XS3840TE70014 0103
/dev/da14 E SEAGATE XS3840TE70014 0103
/dev/da2 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da3 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da4 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da5 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da6 E Micron_5N/A U402
/dev/da9 E Micron_5N/A U402
No more disks present ending scan
root@truenas:~ #
Instructions for Specific Drives
TCG-Opal Instructions
Reset the password without losing data with command:
Wipe data and reset password using the PSID with this command:
sedutil-cli --yesIreallywanttoERASEALLmydatausingthePSID <PSINODASHED> </dev/device> where is the PSID located on the pysical drive with no dashes (-).
TCG-E Instructions
Changing or Resetting the Password without Destroying Data
Run these commands for every LockingRange or band on the drive.
To determine the number of bands on a drive, use command sedutil-cli -v --listLockingRanges </dev/device>.
Increment the BandMaster number and rerun the command with --setPassword for every band that exists.
Use all of these commands to reset the password without losing data:
TrueNAS uses ZFS data storage pools to efficiently store and protect data.
What is a pool?
Storage pools attach drives organized into virtual devices called VDEVs.
Drives arranged inside VDEVs provide varying amounts of redundancy and performance.
ZFS and VDEVs combined create high-performance pools that maximize data lifetime.
ZFS and TrueNAS periodically review and heal when discovering a bad block in a pool.
Reviewing Storage Needs
We strongly recommend that you review your available system resources and plan your storage use case before creating a storage pool. Consider the following:
Allocating more drives to a pool increases redundancy when storing critical information.
Maximizing total available storage at the expense of redundancy or performance entails allocating large-volume disks and configuring a pool for minimal redundancy.
Maximizing pool performance entails installing and allocating high-speed SSD drives to a pool.
Security requirements can mean the pool must be created with ZFS encryption.
However, we recommend that users create pools as unencrypted and then encrypt some or all of of the child datasets, as needed.
TrueNAS 22.12.3 or later forces encryption for all child datasets and zvols within an encrypted root or parent dataset that are using the TrueNAS UI.
However, datasets created outside of the UI, such as those created programmatically or manually via shell access, might not inherit encryption unless properly configured.
For more granular control and awareness, we do not recommend users configure pool-level encryption of the root dataset.
Instead, create an unencrypted pool and populate it with encrypted or unencrypted child datasets, as needed.
RAIDz pool layouts are well-suited for general use cases and especially smaller (<10) data VDEVS or storage scenarios that involve storing multitudes of small data blocks.
dRAID pool layouts are useful in specific situations where large disk count (>100) arrays need improved resilver times due to increased disk failure rates and the array is intended to store large data blocks.
TrueNAS recommends defaulting to a RAIDz layout generally and whenever a dRAID vdev would have fewer than 10 data storage devices.
Determining your specific storage requirements is a critical step before creating a pool.
The ZFS and dRAID primers provide a starting point to learn about the strengths and costs of different storage pool layouts.
You can also use the ZFS Capacity Calculator and ZFS Capacity Graph to compare configuration options.
Creating a Pool
Click Create Pool to open the Pool Creation Wizard.
Pool Creation Wizard Fields (Click to expand)
This wizard screen lets you configure a VDEV using the Automated Disk Selection fields.
To individually find and select disks for a VDEV, click Manual Disk Selection in the Advanced Options area.
Choosing a dRAID VDEV layout removes the Manual Disk Selection button and adds different options to the Automated Disk Selection area.
It also removes the Spare VDEV section from the pool creation wizard and replaces it with the Distributed Hot Spares option in the Data VDEV section.
Designates that each disk is used sequentially in the VDEV.
Requires at least one disk and has no redundancy.
A data VDEV with a stripe layout irretrievably loses all stored data if a single disk in the VDEV fails.
Not recommended for data VDEVs storing critical data.
Mirror
Denotes that each disk in the VDEV stores an exact data copy.
Requires at least 2 disks in the VDEV.
Storage capacity is the size of a single disk in the VDEV.
RAIDZ and dRAID
Each of these layouts has 1, 2, and 3 options.
The options indicate the number of disks reserved for data parity and the number of disks that can fail in the VDEV without data loss to the pool.
For example, a RAIDZ2 layout reserves two additional disks for parity, and two disks can fail without data loss.
Automated Disk Selection - Stripe, Mirror, and RAIDZ layouts
Select the disk size from the list that displays. The list shows disks by size in GiB and type (SSD or HDD).
Treat Disk Size as Minimum
Select to use disks of the size selected in Disk Size or larger. If not selected, only disks of the size selected in Disk Size are used.
Width
Select the number of disks from the options provided on the dropdown list.
Number of VDEVs
Select the number of VDEVs from the options provided on the dropdown list.
Automated Disk Selection - dRAID layouts
Similar to RAIDZ, dRAID layout numbers (1, 2, or 3) indicate the parity level and how many disks can fail without data loss to the pool.
TrueNAS defaults to allocating 10 disks minimum as dRAID VDEV in Children.
If creating a data VDEV with fewer than 10 disks, using a RAIDZ layout is strongly recommended for better performance and capacity optimization.
Setting
Description
Disk Size
Select the disk size from the list that displays. The list shows disks by size in GiB and type (SSD or HDD).
Treat Disk Size as Minimum
Select to use disks of the size selected in Disk Size or larger. If not selected, only disks of the size selected in Disk Size are used.
Data Devices
Data stripe width for the VDEV. Select the number of disks from the options provided on the dropdown list. TrueNAS recommends that dRAID layouts have data devices allocated in multiples of 2.
Distributed Hot Spares
Number of disk areas to actively provide spare capacity to the entire VDEV. These areas are active within the pool and function in of adding a Spare VDEV to the pool. It is recommended to set this to at least 1. The Distributed Hot Spares number cannot be modified after the pool is created.
Children
The total number of disks to allocate in the dRAID VDEV. The field selection and options update dynamically based on the chosen dRAID Layout, Disk Size, Data Devices, and Distributed Hot Spares. Increasing the number of Children in the dRAID VDEV can reduce the options for Number of VDEVs.
Number of VDEVs
Select the number of VDEVs from the options provided on the dropdown list. Options are populated dynamically depending on the selections made in all the other fields.
Enclosure Option only shows for iXsystems-provided systems with expansion shelves.
You can rename your enclosure on the Enclosure Screen to include the rack and U number in the name, which helps identify the physical location while in the pool creation screen.
Enter a name of up to 50 lowercase alpha-numeric characters.
Use only the permitted special characters that conform to ZFS naming conventions.
The pool name contributes to the maximum character length for datasets, so it is limited to 50 characters.
You cannot change the pool name after creation.
(Enterprise systems only) Select the Enclosure Option to apply the dispersal strategy of your choice. Only shows for iXsystems-provided systems with expansion shelves.
No Enclosure Dispersal Strategy does not apply a dispersal strategy in how the system adds disks by size and type to the pool VDEVs created when using the Automated Disk Selection option.
Does not show additional options. Disks added to the pool VDEVs are assigned in sequence based on disk availability and are not balanced across all enclosures.
Maximum Dispersal Strategy applies a maximum dispersal strategy in how the system adds disks by size and type to the pool VDEVs created when using the Automated Disk Selection option.
This balances disk selection across all enclosures and available disks.
Does not show additional options. Disks added to the pool VDEVs are spread across all available enclosure disks.
Limit Pool To A Single Enclosure applies a minimum dispersal strategy in how the system adds disks by size and type to the pool VDEVs created when using the Automated Disk Selection option.
Select the expansion shelf option on the Enclosure dropdown. Disks added to the pool VDEVs are spread across the enclosure disks that align with the selection in Enclosure.
Select the layout from the Layout dropdown list, then either use the Automated Disk Selection fields to select and add the disks, or click Manual Disk Selection to add specific disks to the chosen Layout.
dRAID layouts do not show the Manual Disk Selection button but do show additional Automated Disk Selection fields.
When configuring a dRAID data VDEV, first choose a Disk Size then select a Data Devices number.
The remaining fields update based on the Data Devices and dRAID layout selections.
Click Save And Go To Review if you do not want to add other VDEV types to the pool, or click Next to move to the next wizard screens.
Add any other optional VDEVs as determined by your specific storage redundancy and performance requirements.
Click Create Pool on the Review wizard screen to add the pool.
Fusion Pools
Fusion Pools are also known as ZFS allocation classes, ZFS special vdevs, and metadata vdevs (Metadata vdev type on the Pool Manager screen.).
What's a special VDEV?
A special VDEV can store metadata such as file locations and allocation tables.
The allocations in the special class are dedicated to specific block types.
By default, this includes all metadata, the indirect blocks of user data, and any deduplication tables.
The class can also be provisioned to accept small file blocks.
This is a great use case for high-performance but smaller-sized solid-state storage.
Using a special vdev drastically speeds up random I/O and cuts the average spinning-disk I/Os needed to find and access a file by up to half.
Creating a Fusion Pool
Go to the Storage Dashboard and click Create Pool.
A pool must always have one normal (non-dedup/special) VDEV before you assign other devices to the special class.
Enter a name for the pool using up to 50 lowercase alpha-numeric and permitted special characters that conform to ZFS naming conventions.
The pool name contributes to the maximum character length for datasets, so it is limited to 50 characters.
Click ADD VDEV and select Metadata to add the VDEV to the pool layout.
Add disks to the primary Data VDevs, then to the Metadata VDEV.
Add SSDs to the new Metadata VDev and select the same layout as the Data VDevs.
Metadata VDEVs are critical for pool operation and data integrity. Protect them with redundancy measures such as mirroring, and optionally hot spare(s) for additional fault tolerance. It is suggested to use an equal or greater level of failure tolerance in each of your metadata VDEVs; for example, if your data VDEVs are configured as RAIDZ2, consider the use of 3-way mirrors for your metadata VDEVs.
UPS Recommendation
When using SSDs with an internal cache, add an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to the system to help minimize the risk from power loss.
Using special VDEVs identical to the data VDEVs (so they can use the same hot spares) is recommended, but for performance reasons, you can make a different type of VDEV (like a mirror of SSDs).
In that case, you must provide hot spare(s) for that drive type as well. Otherwise, if the special VDEV fails and there is no redundancy, the pool becomes corrupted and prevents access to stored data.
While the metadata VDEV can be adjusted after its addition by attaching or detaching drives, the entire metadata VDEV itself can only be removed from the pool when the pool data VDEVs are mirrors. If the pool uses RAIDZ data VDEVs, a metadata VDEV is a permanent addition to the pool and cannot be removed.
When more than one metadata VDEV is created, then allocations are load-balanced between all these devices.
If the special class becomes full, then allocations spill back into the normal class.
Deduplication table data is placed first onto a dedicated Dedup VDEV, then a Metadata VDEV, and finally the data VDEVs if neither exists.
Create a fusion pool and Status shows a Special section with the metadata SSDs.
Managing Pools
The Storage Dashboard widgets provide enhanced storage provisioning capabilities and access to pool management options to keep the pool and disks healthy, upgrade pools and VDEVs, open datasets, snapshots, data protection screens, and manage S.M.A.R.T. tests.
This article provides instructions on pool management functions available in the SCALE UI.
Select Storage on the main navigation panel to open the Storage Dashboard.
Locate the ZFS Health widget for the pool, then click the Edit Auto TRIM. The Pool Options for poolname dialog opens.
With Auto TRIM selected and active, TrueNAS periodically checks the pool disks for storage blocks it can reclaim.
Auto TRIM can impact pool performance, so the default setting is disabled.
For more details about TRIM in ZFS, see the autotrim property description in zpool.8.
Exporting/Disconnecting or Deleting a Pool
Use the Export/Disconnect button to disconnect a pool and transfer drives to a new system where you can import the pool.
It also lets you completely delete the pool and any data stored on it.
Click on Export/Disconnect on the Storage Dashboard.
A dialog displays showing any system services affected by exporting the pool, and options based on services configured on the system.
To delete the pool and erase all the data on the pool, select Destroy data on this pool.
The pool name field displays at the bottom of the window. Type the pool name into this field. To export the pool, do not select this option.
Select Delete saved configurations from TrueNAS? to delete shares and saved configurations on this pool.
Select Confirm Export/Disconnect
Click Export/Disconnect. A confirmation dialog displays when the export/disconnect completes.
Upgrading a Pool
Upgrading a storage pool is typically not required unless the new OpenZFS feature flags are deemed necessary for required or improved system operation.
Do not do a pool-wide ZFS upgrade until you are ready to commit to this SCALE major version! You can not undo a pool upgrade, and you lose the ability to roll back to an earlier major version!
The Upgrade button displays on the Storage Dashboard for existing pools after an upgrade to a new TrueNAS major version that includes new OpenZFS feature flags.
Newly created pools are always up to date with the OpenZFS feature flags available in the installed TrueNAS version.
Upgrading pools only takes a few seconds and is non-disruptive.
However, the best practice is to upgrade a pool while it is not in heavy use.
The upgrade process suspends I/O for a short period but is nearly instantaneous on a quiet pool.
It is not necessary to stop sharing services to upgrade the pool.
Running a Pool Data Integrity Check (Scrub)
Use Scrub on the ZFS Health pool widget to start a pool data integrity check.
Click Scrub to open the Scrub Pool dialog.
Select Confirm, then click Start Scrub.
If TrueNAS detects problems during the scrub operation, it either corrects them or generates an alert in the web interface.
By default, TrueNAS automatically checks every pool on a recurring scrub schedule.
The ZFS Health widget displays the state of the last scrub or disks in the pool.
To view scheduled scrub tasks, click View all Scrub Tasks on the ZFS Health widget.
Managing Pool Disks
The Storage Dashboard screen Disks button and the Manage Disks button on the Disk Health widget both open the Disks screen.
Manage Devices on the Topology widget opens the Poolname Devices screen.
To manage disks in a pool, click on the VDEV to expand it and show the disks in that VDEV.
Click on a disk to see the devices widgets for that disk.
You can take a disk offline, detach it, replace it, manage the SED encryption password, and perform other disk management tasks from this screen.
See Replacing Disks for more information on the Offline, Replace and Online options.
Expanding a Pool
There are a few ways to increase the size of an existing pool:
Add one or more drives to an existing RAIDZ VDEV.
Add a new VDEV of the same type.
Replace all existing disks in the VDEV with larger disks.
By default, a VDEV limits all disks to the usable capacity of the smallest attached device.
If a pool is not automatically expanded, for example when resizing virtual disks in a hypervisor apart from TrueNAS, click Expand on the Storage Dashboard to manually increase the pool size to match all available disk space.
Extending a RAIDZ VDEV
Extend a RAIDZ VDEV to add additional disks one at a time, expanding capacity incrementally.
This is useful for small pools (typically with only one RAID-Z VDEV), where there is not enough hardware capacity to add a second VDEV, doubling the number of disks.
Overview and Considerations
SCALE 24.10 (Electric Eel) introduces RAIDZ extension to allow incremental expansion of an existing RAIDZ VDEV using one more disks.
RAIDZ extension allows resource- or hardware-limited home lab and small enterprise users to expand storage capacity with lower upfront costs compared to traditional ZFS expansion methods.
To expand a RAIDZ array, SCALE reads data from the current disks and rewrites it onto the new configuration, including any additional disks.
Data redundancy is maintained.
Make sure the pool is healthy before beginning the expansion process.
If a disk fails mid-expansion, the process pauses until the RAIDZ virtual device (vdev) is healthy again, typically by replacing the failed disk and waiting for the system to rebuild.
The storage pool remains accessible throughout the expansion.
If you reboot or export/import the pool, the expansion resumes from where it left off.
After the expansion, the extra space becomes available for use.
The fault-tolerance level of the RAIDZ array remains unchanged.
For example, a four disk wide RAIDZ2 expanded to a six wide RAIDZ2 still cannot lose more than two disks at a time.
You can expand a RAIDZ vdev multiple times.
Existing data blocks retain their original data-to-parity ratio and block width, but spread across the larger set of disks.
New data blocks adopt the new data-to-parity ratio and width.
Because of this overhead, an extended RAIDZ VDEV can report a lower total capacity than a freshly created VDEV with the same number of disks.
Before (left) and after (right) expansion of a four-disk to five-disk RAIDZ1 Thanks to Matt Ahrens (Source)
Extended VDEVs recover lost headroom as existing data is read and rewritten to the new parity ratio.
This can occur naturally over the lifetime of the pool as you modify or delete data.
To manually recover capacity, simply replicate and rewrite the data to the extended pool.
You can use the RAIDZ Extension Calculator to visualize potential lost headroom and capacity available to recover by rewriting existing data.
While this process can recover the actual lost capacity, reported capacity continues to rely on the old data-to-parity ratio.
An expanded vdev can continue to report a lower than expected capacity, even after rewriting old data to the new parity ratio.
This accounting inconsistency does not impact the actual available capacity of the vdev.
Select an available disk from the New Disk dropdown menu.
Click Extend.
A job progress window opens.
TrueNAS SCALE returns to the Poolname Devices screen when complete.
Adding a VDEV to a Pool
ZFS supports adding VDEVs to an existing ZFS pool to increase the capacity or performance of the pool.
To extend a pool by mirroring, you must add a data VDEV of the same type as existing VDEVs.
You cannot change the original encryption or data VDEV configuration.
Adding VDEV Examples
To make a striped mirror, add the same number of drives to extend a ZFS mirror.
For example, you start with ten available drives. Begin by creating a mirror of two drives, and then extending the mirror by adding another mirror of two drives. Repeat this three more times until you add all ten drives.
To make a stripe of two 3-drive RAIDZ1 VDEVs (similar to RAID 50 on a hardware controller), add another three drives as a new RAIDZ1 VDEV to existing single 3-drive RAIDZ1 VDEV pool.
To make a stripe of two 6-disk RAIDZ2 VDEVs (similar to RAID 60 on a hardware controller), add another six drives as a new RAIDZ2 VDEV to existing single 6-drive RAIDZ2 VDEV pool.
To add a VDEV to a pool:
Click Manage Devices on the Topology widget to open the Poolname Devices screen.
Click Add VDEV on the Poolname Devices screen to open the Add Vdevs to Pool screen.
Adding a vdev to an existing pool follows the same process as documented in Create Pool.
Click on the type of vdev you want to add, for example, to add a spare, click on Spare to show the vdev spare options.
To use the automated option, select the disk size from the Automated Disk Selection > Disk Size dropdown list, then select the number of vdevs to add from the Width dropdown.
To add the vdev manually, click Manual Disk Selection to open the Manual Selection screen.
Click Add to show the vdev options available for the vdev type.
The example image shows adding a stripe vdev for the spare.
Vdev options are limited by the number of available disks in your system and the configuration of any existing vdevs of that type in the pool.
Drag the disk icon to the stripe vdev, then click Save Selection.
You have the option to accept the change or click Edit Manual Disk Selection to change the disk added to the strip vdev for the spare, or click Reset Step to clear the strip vdev from the spare completely.
Click either Next or a numbered item to add another type of vdev to this pool.
Repeat the same process above for each type of vdev to add.
Click Save and Go to Review to go to the Review screen when ready to save your changes.
To make changes, click either Back or the vdev option (i.e., Log, Cache, etc.) to return to the settings for that vdev.
To clear all changes, click Start Over.
Select Confirm then click Start Over to clear all changes.
To save changes click Update Pool.
Replacing Disks to Expand a Pool
To expand a pool by replacing disks, replace each with a higher capacity disk following the same procedure as in Replacing Disks.
Insert the new disk into an empty enclosure slot and remove the old disk only after the replace operation is completed.
If an empty slot is not available, you can offline the existing disk and replace it in place, but redundancy is reduced during the process.
Go to the Storage Dashboard and click Manage Devices on the Topology widget for the pool to open the Poolname Devices screen.
Click anywhere on the VDEV to expand it and select one of the existing disks.
(Optional) If replacing disks in place, take one existing disk offline.
Add the new disk to the existing VDEV. Click Replace Disk to add the new disk to the VDEV and bring it online.
Disk replacement fails when the selected disk has partitions or data present.
To destroy any data on the replacement disk and allow the replacement to continue, select the Force option.
When the disk wipe completes, TrueNAS starts replacing the failed disk.
TrueNAS resilvers the pool during the replacement process.
For pools with large amounts of data, this can take a long time.
When the resilver process completes, the pool status returns to Online status on the Poolname Devices screen.
Wait for the resilver to complete before replacing the next disk.
Repeat steps 1-4 for all attached disks.
When all disk replacements are finished, expand the pool to fill all available space.
Go to the Storage page, click Expand, and confirm the action.
This action is permanent and cannot be reverted.
Removing VDEVs
You can always remove the L2ARC (cache) and SLOG (log) VDEVs from an existing pool, regardless of topology or VDEV type.
Removing these devices does not impact data integrity, but can significantly impact performance for reads and writes.
In addition, you can remove a data VDEV from an existing pool under specific circumstances.
This process preserves data integrity but has multiple requirements:
The pool must be upgraded to a ZFS version that includes the device_removal feature flag.
The system shows the Upgrade button after upgrading SCALE when new ZFS feature flags are available.
All top-level VDEVs in the pool must be only mirrors or stripes.
Special VDEVs cannot be removed when RAIDZ data VDEVs are present.
All top-level VDEVs in the pool must use the same basic allocation unit size (ashift).
The remaining data VDEVs must contain sufficient free space to hold all of the data from the removed VDEV.
When a RAIDZ data VDEV is present, it is generally not possible to remove a device.
To remove a VDEV from a pool:
Click Manage Devices on the Topology widget to open the Poolname Devices screen.
Click the device or drive to remove, then click the Remove button in the ZFS Info pane.
If the Remove button is not visible, check that all conditions for VDEV removal listed above are correct.
Confirm the removal operation and click the Remove button.
The VDEV removal process status shows in the Task Manager (or alternately with the zpool status command).
Avoid physically removing or attempting to wipe the disks until the removal operation completes.
Datasets
This section has tutorials about dataset configuration and management.
Creating Snapshots: Provides instructions on creating ZFS snapshots in TrueNAS Scale.
Managing Snapshots: Provides instructions on managing ZFS snapshots in TrueNAS Scale.
Storage Encryption: Provides information on SCALE storage encryption for pools, root datasets, datasets, and zvols.
Setting Up Permissions: Provides instructions on editing and viewing ACL permissions, using the ACL editor screens, and general information on ACLs.
Adding and Managing Datasets
A TrueNAS dataset is a file system within a data storage pool.
Datasets can contain files, directories, and child datasets, and have individual permissions or flags.
Datasets can also be encrypted.
In TrueNAS 22.12.3 or later, the TrueNAS UI requires encryption for child datasets created in encrypted parent datasets, but you can change the encryption type from key to passphrase.
You can create an encrypted dataset if the parent is not encrypted and set the type as either key or passphrase.
We recommend organizing your pool with datasets before configuring data sharing, as this allows for more fine-tuning of access permissions and using different sharing protocols.
Creating a Dataset
To create a basic dataset, go to Datasets.
Default settings include those inherited from the parent dataset.
Select a dataset (root, parent, or child), then click Add Dataset.
Select the Dataset Preset option you want to use. Options are:
Generic for non-SMB share datasets such as iSCSI and NFS share datasets or datasets not associated with application storage.
Multiprotocol for datasets optimized for SMB and NFS multi-mode shares or to create a dataset for NFS shares.
SMB for datasets optimized for SMB shares.
Apps for datasets optimized for application storage.
Generic sets ACL permissions equivalent to Unix permissions 755, granting the owner full control and the group and other users read and execute privileges.
SMB, Apps, and Multiprotocol inherit ACL permissions based on the parent dataset.
If there is no ACL to inherit, one is calculated granting full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
Modify control is granted to other members of the builtin_users group and directory services domain users.
Apps includes an additional entry granting modify control to group 568 (Apps).
ACL Settings for Dataset Presets
ACL Type
ACL Mode
Case Sensitivity
Enable atime
Generic
POSIX
n/a
Sensitive
Inherit
SMB
NFSv4
Restricted
Insensitive
On
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
If creating an SMB or multi-protocol (SMB and NFS) share the dataset name value auto-populates the share name field with the dataset name.
If you plan to deploy container applications, the system automatically creates the ix-apps dataset for Docker storage for but separate datasets used for application data storage.
If you want to store data by application, create the dataset(s) first, then deploy your application.
When creating a dataset for an application, select Apps as the Dataset Preset. This optimizes the dataset for use by an application.
If you want to configure advanced setting options, click Advanced Options.
For the Sync option, we recommend production systems with critical data use the default Standard choice or increase to Always.
Choosing Disabled is only suitable in situations where data loss from system crashes or power loss is acceptable.
Select either Sensitive or Insensitive from the Case Sensitivity dropdown.
The Case Sensitivity setting is found under Advanced Options and is not editable after saving the dataset.
Click Save.
Review the Dataset Preset and Case Sensitivity under Advanced Options on the Add Dataset screen before clicking Save.
You cannot change these or the Name setting after clicking Save.
Setting Dataset Compression Levels
Compression encodes information in less space than the original data occupies.
We recommend choosing a compression algorithm that balances disk performance with the amount of saved space.
Select the compression algorithm that best suits your needs from the Compression dropdown list of options.
LZ4 maximizes performance and dynamically identifies the best files to compress. LZ4 provides lightning-fast compression/decompression speeds and comes coupled with a high-speed decoder. This makes it one of the best Linux compression tools for enterprise customers.
ZSTD offers highly configurable compression speeds, with a very fast decoder.
Gzip is a standard UNIX compression tool widely used for Linux. It is compatible with every GNU software which makes it a good tool for remote engineers and seasoned Linux users. It offers the maximum compression with the greatest performance impact. The higher the compression level implemented the greater the impact on CPU usage levels. Use with caution especially at higher levels.
ZLE or Zero Length Encoding, leaves normal data alone but only compresses continuous runs of zeros.
LZJB compresses crash dumps and data in ZFS. LZJB is optimized for performance while providing decent compression. LZ4 compresses roughly 50% faster than LZJB when operating on compressible data, and is greater than three times faster for uncompressible data. LZJB was the original algorithm used by ZFS but it is now deprecated.
Setting Dataset Quotas
You can set dataset quotas while adding datasets using the quota management options in the Add Dataset screen under Advanced Options.
You can also add or edit quotas for an existing dataset, by clicking Edit on the Dataset Space Management widget to open the Capacity Settings screen.
Setting a quota defines the maximum allowed space for the dataset.
You can also reserve a defined amount of pool space to prevent automatically generated data like system logs from consuming all of the dataset space.
You can configure quotas for only the new dataset or both the new dataset and any child datasets of the new dataset.
Define the maximum allowed space for the dataset in either the Quota for this dataset or Quota for this dataset and all children field.
Enter 0 to disable quotas.
Dataset quota alerts are based on the percentage of storage used.
To set up a quota warning alert, enter a percentage value in Quota warning alert at, %.
When consumed space reaches the defined percentage it sends the alert.
To change the setting from the parent dataset warning level, clear the Inherit checkbox and then change the value.
To set up the quota critical level alerts, enter the percentage value in Quota critical alert at, %.
Clear the Inherit checkbox to change this value to something other than using the parent alert setting.
When setting quotas or changing the alert percentages for both the parent dataset and all child datasets, use the fields under This Dataset and Child Datasets.
Enter a value in Reserved space for this dataset to set aside additional space for datasets that contain logs, which could eventually take all available free space.
Enter 0 for unlimited.
By default, many dataset options inherit their values from the parent dataset.
When settings on the Advanced Options screen are set toInherit the dataset uses the setting from the parent dataset.
For example, the Encryption or ACL Type settings.
To change any setting that datasets inherit from the parent, select an available option other than Inherit.
Select the root dataset of the pool (with the metadata VDEV), then click Add Dataset to add the dataset.
Click Advanced Options. Enter the dataset name, select the Dataset Preset, then scroll down to Metadata (Special) Small Block Size setting to set a threshold block size for including small file blocks into the special allocation class (fusion pools).
Blocks smaller than or equal to this value are assigned to the special allocation class while greater blocks are assigned to the regular class.
Valid values are zero or a power of two from 512B up to 1M.
The default size 0 means no small file blocks are allocated in the special class.
Enter a threshold block size for including small file blocks into the special allocation class (fusion pools).
Managing Datasets
After creating a dataset, users can manage additional options from the Datasets screen.
Select the dataset, then click Edit on the dataset widget for the function you want to manage.
The Datasets Screen article describes each option in detail.
Editing a Dataset
Select the dataset on the tree table, then click Edit on the Dataset Details widget to open the Edit Dataset screen and change the dataset configuration settings. You can change all settings except Name, Case Sensitivity, or Device Preset.
Editing Dataset Permissions
To edit the dataset ACL permissions, click Edit on the Permissions widget.
If the ACL type is NFSv4, the Permissions widget shows ACE entries for the dataset.
Each entry opens a checklist of flag options you can select/deselect without opening the Edit ACL screen.
To modify ownership, configure new or change existing ACL entries, click Edit to open the ACL Editor screen.
To edit a POSIX ACL type, click Edit on the Permissions widget to open the Unix Permissions Editor screen.
To access the Edit ACL screen for POSIX ACLs, select Create a custom ACL on the Select a preset ACL window.
Select the dataset on the tree table, then click Delete on the Dataset Details widget.
This opens a delete window where you enter the dataset path (root/parent/child) and select Confirm to delete the dataset, all stored data, and any snapshots from TrueNAS.
To delete a root dataset, use the Export/Disconnect option on the Storage Dashboard screen to delete the pool.
Deleting datasets can result in unrecoverable data loss!
Move any critical data stored on the dataset off to a backup copy or obsolete the data before performing the delete operation.
Adding and Managing Zvols
A ZFS Volume (zvol) is a dataset that represents a block device or virtual disk drive.
TrueNAS requires a zvol when configuring iSCSI Shares.
Adding a virtual machine also creates a zvol to use for storage.
Storage space you allocate to a zvol is only used by that volume, it does not get reallocated back to the total storage capacity of the pool or dataset where you create the zvol if it goes unused.
Plan your anticipated storage need before you create the zvol to avoid creating a zvol that exceeds your storage needs for this volume.
Do not assign capacity that exceeds what is required for SCALE to operate properly. For more information, see SCALE Hardware Guide for CPU, memory and storage capacity information.
Adding a Zvol
To create a zvol, go to Datasets.
Select the root or non-root parent dataset where you want to add the zvol, and then click Add Zvol.
To create a basic zvol with default options, enter a name and a value in Size for the zvol, then click Save.
Managing Zvols
Options to manage a zvol are on the zvol widgets shown on the Dataset screen when you select the zvol on the dataset tree table.
Delete Zvol removes the zvol from TrueNAS.
Deleting a zvol also deletes all snapshots of that zvol. Click Delete on the Zvol Details widget.
Deleting zvols can result in unrecoverable data loss!
Remove critical data from the zvol or verify it is obsolete before deleting a zvol.
Edit on the Zvol Details widget opens the Edit Zvol screen where you can change settings. Name is read-only and you cannot change it.
To create a snapshot, click Create Snapshot on the Data Protection widget.
Cloning a Zvol from a Snapshot
To clone a zvol from an existing snapshot, select the zvol on the Datasets tree table, then click Manage Snapshots on the Data Protection widget to open the Snapshots screen.
You can also access the Snapshots screen from the Periodic Snapshot Tasks widget on the Data Protection screen.
Click Snapshots to open the Snapshots screen.
Click on the snapshot you want to clone, then click Clone to New Dataset.
Enter a name for the new dataset or accept the one provided, then click Clone.
TrueNAS allows setting data or object quotas for user accounts and groups cached on, or connected to the system.
You can use the quota settings on the Add Dataset or Edit Dataset configuration screens in the Advanced Options settings to set up alarms and set aside more space in a dataset.
See Adding and Managing Datasets for more information.
To manage the dataset overall capacity, use Edit on the Dataset Space Management widget to open the Capacity Settings screen.
Configuring User Quotas
To view and edit user quotas, go to Datasets and click Manage User Quotas on the Dataset Space Management widget to open the User Quotas screen.
Click Add to open the Add User Quota screen.
Click in the field to view a list of system users including any users from a directory server that is properly connected to TrueNAS.
Begin typing a user name to filter all users on the system to find the desired user, then click on the user to add the name.
Add additional users by repeating the same process. A warning dialog displays if there are no matches found.
To edit individual user quotas, click anywhere on a user row to open the Edit User Quota screen where you can edit the User Data Quota and User Object Quota values.
User Data Quota is the amount of disk space that selected users can use. User Object Quota is the number of objects selected users can own.
Configuring Group Quotas
Click Add to open the Add Group Quota screen.
Click in the Group field to view a list of system groups on the system.
Begin typing a name to filter all groups on the system to find the desired group, then click on the group to add the name.
Add additional groups by repeating the same process. A warning dialog displays if there are no matches found.
To edit individual group quotas, click anywhere on a group name to open the Edit Group Quota screen where you can edit the Group Data Quota and Group Object Quota values.
Group Data Quota is the amount of disk space that the selected group can use. Group Object Quota is the number of objects the selected group can own.
Creating Snapshots
Snapshots are one of the most powerful features of ZFS.
A snapshot provides a read only point-in-time copy of a file system or volume.
This copy does not consume extra space in the ZFS pool.
The snapshot only records the differences between storage block references whenever the data is modified.
Why do I want to keep snapshots?
Snapshots keep a history of files and provide a way to recover an older or even deleted files.
For this reason, many administrators take regular snapshots, store them for some time, and copy them to a different system.
This strategy allows an administrator to roll the system data back to a specific point in time.
In the event of catastrophic system or disk failure, off-site snapshots can restore data up to the most recent snapshot.
Taking snapshots requires the system have all pools, datasets, and zvols already configured.
Creating a Snapshot
Consider making a Periodic Snapshot Task to save time and create regular, fresh snapshots.
There are two ways to access snapshot creation:
From the Data Protection Screen
To access the Snapshots screen, go to Data Protection > Periodic Snapshot Tasks and click the Snapshots button in the lower right corner of the widget.
If you click Create Snapshot the Snapshots screen opens filtered for the selected dataset.
Clear the dataset from the search field to see all snapshots.
You can also click the Manage Snapshots link on the Data Protection widget to open the Snapshots screen.
Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add Snapshot screen.
Select a dataset or zvol from the Dataset dropdown list.
Accept the name suggested by the TrueNAS software in the Name field or enter any custom string to override the suggested name.
(Optional) Select an option from the Naming Schema dropdown list that the TrueNAS software populated with existing periodic snapshot task schemas.
If you select an option, TrueNAS generates a name for the snapshot using that naming schema from the selected periodic snapshot and replicates that snapshot.
You cannot enter a value in both Naming Schema and in Name as selecting or entering a value in Naming Schema populates the other field.
(Optional) Select Recursive to include child datasets with the snapshot.
Click Save to create the snapshot.
Managing Snapshots
Viewing the List of Snapshots
File Explorer limits the number of snapshots Windows presents to users. If TrueNAS responds with more than the File Explorer limit, File Explorer shows no available snapshots.
TrueNAS displays a dialog stating the dataset snapshot count has more snapshots than recommended and states performance or functionality might degrade.
There are two ways to view the list of snapshots:
Go to Datasets > Data Protection widget > Manage Snapshots link to open the Snapshots screen.
The Snapshots screen displays a list of snapshots on the system. Use the search bar at the top to narrow the selection. Clear the search bar to list all snapshots.
Use the Clone to New Dataset button to create a clone of the snapshot.
The clone appears directly beneath the parent dataset in the dataset tree table on the Datasets screen.
Click Clone to New Dataset to open a clone confirmation dialog.
The Delete option destroys the snapshot.
You must delete child clones before you can delete their parent snapshot.
While creating a snapshot is instantaneous, deleting one is I/O intensive and can take a long time, especially when deduplication is enabled.
Why?
ZFS has to review all allocated blocks before deletion to see if another process is using that block. If not used, the ZFS can free that block.
Click the Delete button. A confirmation dialog displays. Select Confirm to activate the Delete button.
Deleting with Batch Operations
To delete multiple snapshots, select the left column box for each snapshot to include. Click the deleteDelete button that displays.
To search through the snapshots list by name, type a matching criteria into the searchFilter Snapshots text field.
The list now displays only the snapshot names that match the filter text.
Confirm activates the Delete button. If the snapshot has the Hold options selected, an error displays to prevent you from deleting that snapshot.
Using Rollback to Revert a Dataset
The Rollback option reverts the dataset to the point in time saved by the snapshot.
Rollback is a dangerous operation that causes any configured replication tasks to fail.
Replications use the existing snapshot when doing an incremental backup, and rolling back can put the snapshots out of order.
A less disruptive method to restore data from a point in time is to clone a specific snapshot as a new dataset:
Clone the desired snapshot.
Share the clone with the share type or service running on the TrueNAS system.
Allow users to recover their needed data.
Delete the clone from Datasets.
This approach does not destroy any on-disk data or disrupt automated replication tasks.
TrueNAS asks for confirmation before rolling back to the chosen snapshot state.
Select the radio button for how you want the rollback to operate.
All dataset snapshots are accessible as an ordinary hierarchical file system, accessed from a hidden .zfs located at the root of every dataset.
A snapshot and any files it contains are not accessible or searchable if the snapshot mount path is longer than 88 characters.
The data within the snapshot is safe but to make the snapshot accessible again shorten the mount path.
A user with permission to access the dataset contents can view the list of snapshots by going to the dataset .zfs directory from a share, like SMB, NFS, and iSCSI, or in the TrueNAS SCALE CLI.
Users can browse and search any files they have permission to access throughout the entire dataset snapshot collection.
When creating a snapshot, permissions or ACLs set on files within that snapshot might limit access to the files.
Snapshots are read-only, so users do not have permission to modify a snapshot or its files, even if they had write permissions when creating the snapshot.
From the Datasets screen, select the dataset and click Edit on the Dataset Details widget.
Click Advanced Options and set Snapshot Directory to Visible.
To access snapshots using a share, configure the client system to view hidden files.
For example, in a Windows SMB share, enable Show hidden files, folders, and drives in Folder Options.
From to the dataset root folder, open the .zfs directory and navigate to the snapshot.
Storage Encryption
TrueNAS offers ZFS encryption for your sensitive data in datasets and zvols.
Users are responsible for backing up and securing encryption keys and passphrases!
Losing the ability to decrypt data is similar to a catastrophic data loss.
The local TrueNAS system manages keys for data-at-rest.
Users are responsible for storing and securing their keys.
TrueNAS SCALE includes the Key Management Interface Protocol (KMIP).
Pool and Dataset Encryption
Encryption is for users storing sensitive data.
Pool-level encryption applies to the root dataset that shares the same name as the pool.
It does not apply encryption to the storage vdev or the disks in the pool.
Child datasets or zvols must be configured to inherit encryption from the parent dataset.
TrueNAS automatically generates a root dataset when you create a pool.
Select Encryption on the Pool Creation Wizard screen when you create the pool to encrypt the root dataset.
TrueNAS forces encryption of all child datasets and zvols within an encrypted root or parent dataset created using the TrueNAS UI.
By default, child datasets inherit encryption settings from the parent.
Deselecting Inherit (encrypted) under Advanced Options allows modifying the encryption configuration for a child dataset but you cannot change a child dataset of an encrypted parent dataset to unencrypted.
As of TrueNAS 22.12.3 or later, the TrueNAS UI does not allow you to create unencrypted datasets within an encrypted pool or parent dataset.
However, datasets created outside the UI, such as those created programmatically or manually via shell access, might not inherit encryption unless properly configured.
For example, the ix-apps dataset on the pool selected for applications does not inherit encryption settings.
If the system has only one pool, we recommend that you do not use pool-level encryption for this pool.
Leave Encryption unselected on the Pool Creation Wizard screen to create a pool with an unencrypted root dataset.
You can create unencrypted and encrypted datasets within an unencrypted pool (root dataset).
Can I change dataset encryption?
Before saving a new dataset, you can change the type of encryption of an encrypted dataset to key to passphrase.
After saving a dataset with encryption applied you cannot change the dataset to unencrypted.Can I unencrypt my data?
Yes, you can move encrypted data to an unencrypted pool or dataset using either rsync or replication.
You can also move data from an unencrypted pool or dataset to an encrypted dataset using rsync or replication.
If your system loses power or you restart the system, all encrypted datasets and zvols automatically lock to protect data.
Encryption Visual Cues
TrueNAS uses lock icons to indicate the encryption state of a root, parent, or child dataset in the tree table on the Datasets screen.
Each icon shows a text label with the state of the dataset when you hover the mouse over the icon.
The Datasets tree table includes lock icons and descriptions that indicate the encryption state of datasets.
Icon
State
Description
Locked
Displays for locked encrypted root, non-root parent and child datasets.
Unlocked
Displays for unlocked encrypted root, non-root parent and child datasets.
Locked by ancestor
Displays for locked datasets that inherit encryption properties from the parent.
Unlocked by ancestor
Displays for unlocked datasets that inherit encryption properties from the parent.
A dataset that inherits encryption shows the mouse hover-over label Locked by ancestor or Unlocked by ancestor.
Select an encrypted dataset to see the ZFS Encryption widget on the Datasets screen.
The dataset encryption state is unlocked until you lock it using the Lock button on the ZFS Encryption widget.
After locking the dataset, the icon on the tree table changes to locked, and the Unlock button appears on the ZFS Encryption widget.
Implementing Encryption
Before creating a encrypted pool (root dataset) or dataset, decide if you want to encrypt all child datasets, zvols, and data stored on that dataset.
If your system does not have enough disks to create a second storage pool, we recommend not using encryption at the pool level.
Apply encryption at the dataset level to non-root parent or child datasets.
All pool-level encryption is key-based encryption. When prompted, download the encryption key and keep it stored in a safe place where you can back up the key file.
You cannot use passphrase encryption at the pool level.
You cannot change an existing dataset from encrypted to unencrypted.
You can only change the dataset encryption type (key or passphrase).
Adding Encryption to a New Pool
TrueNAS 22.12.3 or later forces encryption for all child datasets and zvols within an encrypted root or parent dataset that are using the TrueNAS UI.
However, datasets created outside of the UI, such as those created programmatically or manually via shell access, might not inherit encryption unless properly configured.
For more granular control and awareness, we do not recommend users configure pool-level encryption of the root dataset.
Instead, create an unencrypted pool and populate it with encrypted or unencrypted child datasets, as needed.
Go to Storage and click Create Pool on the Storage Dashboard screen.
Or click Add to Pool on the Unassigned Disks widget and click Add to New to open the Pool Creation Wizard.
Enter a name for the pool, then select Encryption. Select the layout for the data VDEV and add the disks.
A warning dialog displays after selecting Encryption.
Read the warning, select Confirm, and then click I UNDERSTAND.
A second dialog opens where you click Download Encryption Key for the pool encryption key.
Click Done to close the window.
Move the encryption key to safe location where you can back up the file.
Add the VDEVs to the pool you want to include, then click Save to create the pool with encryption.
Adding Encryption to a New Dataset
To add an encrypted dataset, go to Datasets.
Select a dataset on the tree table where you want to add a new dataset.
The default dataset selected when you open the Datasets screen is the root dataset of the first pool on the tree table list.
If you have more than one pool and want to create a dataset in a pool other than the default, select the root dataset for that pool or any dataset under the root where you want to add the new dataset.
Click Add Dataset to open the Add Dataset screen, and enter a name.
Select the Dataset Preset option you want to use. Options are:
Generic for non-SMB share datasets such as iSCSI and NFS share datasets or datasets not associated with application storage.
Multiprotocol for datasets optimized for SMB and NFS multi-mode shares or to create a dataset for NFS shares.
SMB for datasets optimized for SMB shares.
Apps for datasets optimized for application storage.
Generic sets ACL permissions equivalent to Unix permissions 755, granting the owner full control and the group and other users read and execute privileges.
SMB, Apps, and Multiprotocol inherit ACL permissions based on the parent dataset.
If there is no ACL to inherit, one is calculated granting full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
Modify control is granted to other members of the builtin_users group and directory services domain users.
Apps includes an additional entry granting modify control to group 568 (Apps).
ACL Settings for Dataset Presets
ACL Type
ACL Mode
Case Sensitivity
Enable atime
Generic
POSIX
n/a
Sensitive
Inherit
SMB
NFSv4
Restricted
Insensitive
On
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
.
Click Advanced Options.
To add encryption to a dataset, scroll down to Encryption Options and select the inherit checkbox to clear the checkmark.
If the parent dataset is unencrypted and you want to encrypt the dataset select the Inherit (non-encrypted) checkbox to clear it and show the Encryption option.
If the parent dataset is encrypted and you want to change the type, select Inherit (encrypted) to show the encryption configuration options.
To keep the dataset encryption settings from the parent, leave inherit selected.
Decide if you want to use the default key type encryption and want to let the system generate the encryption key.
To use key encryption and an existing key, deselect Generate Key to display the Key field.
Enter the existing key in this field.
The passphrase must be longer than 8 and less than 512 characters.
Keep encryption keys and/or passphrases safeguarded in a secure and protected place.
Losing encryption keys or passphrases can result in permanent data loss!
Select the encryption algorithm from Algorithm or use the recommended default.
Leave the default selection if you do not have a particular encryption standard you want to use. What are these options?
TrueNAS supports AES Galois Counter Mode (GCM) and Counter with CBC-MAC (CCM) algorithms for encryption.
These algorithms provide authenticated encryption with block ciphers.
Changing Dataset (or Zvol) Encryption
You cannot add encryption to an existing dataset.
You can change the type of encryption for an already encrypted dataset using the Edit option on the ZFS Encryption widget for the dataset.
Save changes to the encryption key or passphrase, update your saved passcodes and keys file, and back up that file.
To change the encryption type, go to Datasets, select the encrypted dataset on the tree table, then click Edit on the ZFS Encryption widget.
The Edit Encryption Options dialog for the selected dataset opens.
Before making changes to a locked encrypted dataset you must unlock it.
If the dataset inherits encryption settings from a parent dataset, to change this, clear the Inherit encryption properties from parent checkbox to display the key type encryption setting options.
If the encryption type is set to passphrase, you can change the passphrase, or change Encryption Type to key.
You cannot change a dataset created with a key as the encryption type to passphrase.
Key type options are Generate Key (pre-selected) or clear to display the Key field. Enter your new key in this field.
Use a complex passphrase that is not easy to guess. Store in a secure location subject to regular backups.
Leave the other settings at default, then click Confirm to activate Save.
Click Save to close the window. The ZFS Encryption widget updates to reflect the changes made.
Locking and Unlocking Datasets
You can only lock and unlock an encrypted dataset if it is secured with a passphrase instead of a key file.
Before locking a dataset, verify that it is not currently in use.
Locking a Dataset
Select the encrypted dataset on the tree table, then click Lock on the ZFS Encryption widget to open the Lock Dataset dialog with the full path name for the dataset.
Use the Force unmount option only if you are certain no one is currently accessing the dataset.
Force unmount boots anyone using the dataset (e.g. someone accessing a share) so you can lock it.
Click Confirm to activate Lock, then click Lock.
You cannot use locked datasets.
Unlocking a Dataset
To unlock a dataset, go to Datasets then select the locked dataset on the tree table.
Click Unlock on the ZFS Encryption widget to open the Unlock Dataset screen.
Enter the key if key-encrypted, or the passphrase into Dataset Passphrase and click Save.
Select Unlock Child Encrypted Roots to unlock all locked child datasets if they use the same passphrase.
Select Force if the dataset mount path exists but is not empty. The unlock operation fails when this happens.
Using Force allows the system to rename the existing directory and file where the dataset should mount which prevents the mount operation from failing.
A confirmation dialog displays.
Click CONTINUE to confirm you want to unlock the datasets. Click CLOSE to exit and keep datasets locked.
A second confirmation dialog opens confirming the datasets unlocked.
Click CLOSE.
TrueNAS displays the dataset with the unlocked icon.
Encrypting a Zvol
Users are responsible for backing up and securing encryption keys and passphrases!
Losing the ability to decrypt data is similar to a catastrophic data loss.
To encrypt a Zvol, select a parent dataset and then create a new Zvol.
If the parent dataset is encrypted, select Inherit (encrypted) under Encryption Options.
If the parent dataset is not encrypted, deselect Inherit (non-encrypted), select Encryption, and then configure the Encryption Type and related settings.
Next, go to Datasets and click on the Zvol and locate the ZFS Encryption widget.
To change encryption properties from passphrase to key or enter a new key or passphrase, select the zvol, then click Edit on the ZFS Encryption widget.
If Encryption Type is set to Key, type an encryption key into the Key field or select Generate Key.
If using Passphrase, enter a passphrase of eight to 512 characters.Use a passphrase complex enough that is not easily guessed.
After making any changes, select Confirm, and then click Save.
Save changes to the encryption key or passphrase, update your saved passcodes and keys file, and back up the file.
Managing Encryption Credentials
There are two ways to manage the encryption credentials, with a key file or passphrase.
Creating a new encrypted pool automatically generates a new key file and prompts users to download it.
Always back up the key file to a safe and secure location.
To manually back up a root dataset key file, click Export Key on the ZFS Encryption widget.
A passphrase is a user-defined string of at least eight characters in length, and that is required to decrypt the dataset.
A passphrase is a user-defined string of eight to 512 characters that is required to decrypt the dataset.
The pbkdf2iters is the number of password-based key derivation function 2 (PBKDF2) iterations to use for reducing vulnerability to brute-force attacks. Users must enter a number greater than 100000.
Unlocking a Replicated Encrypted Dataset or Zvol Without a Passphrase
TrueNAS users should either replicate the dataset/Zvol without properties to disable encryption at the remote end or construct a special JSON manifest to unlock each child dataset/zvol with a unique key.
Method 1: Construct JSON Manifest.
Replicate every encrypted dataset you want to replicate with properties.
Export key for every child dataset that has a unique key.
For each child dataset construct a proper json with poolname/datasetname of the destination system and key from the source system like this:
{"tank/share01": "57112db4be777d93fa7b76138a68b790d46d6858569bf9d13e32eb9fda72146b"}
Save this file with the extension .json.
On the remote system, unlock the dataset(s) using properly constructed json files.
Method 2: Replicate Encrypted Dataset/zvol Without Properties.
Uncheck properties when replicating so that the destination dataset is not encrypted on the remote side and does not require a key to unlock.
Go to Data Protection and click ADD in the Replication Tasks window.
Click Advanced Replication Creation.
Fill out the form as needed and make sure Include Dataset Properties is NOT checked.
Click Save.
Method 3: Replicate Key Encrypted Dataset/zvol.
Go to Datasets on the system you are replicating from.
Select the dataset encrypted with a key, then click Export Key on the ZFS Encryption widget to export the key for the dataset.
Apply the JSON key file or key code to the dataset on the system you replicated the dataset to.
Option 1: Download the key file and open it in a text editor. Change the pool name/dataset part of the string to the pool name/dataset for the receiving system. For example, replicating from tank1/dataset1 on the replicate-from system to tank2/dataset2 on the replicate-to system.
Option 2: Copy the key code provided in the Key for dataset window.
On the system receiving the replicated pool/dataset, select the receiving dataset and click Unlock.
Unlock the dataset.
Either clear the Unlock with Key file checkbox, paste the key code into the Dataset Key field (if there is a space character at the end of the key, delete the space), or select the downloaded Key file that you edited.
Click Save.
Click Continue.
Setting Up Permissions
TrueNAS SCALE provides basic permissions settings and an access control list (ACL) editor to define dataset permissions.
ACL permissions control the actions users can perform on dataset contents and shares.
An Access Control List (ACL) is a set of account permissions associated with a dataset that applies to directories or files within that dataset.
TrueNAS uses ACLs to manage user interactions with shared datasets and creates them when users add a dataset to a pool.
ACL Types in SCALE
TrueNAS SCALE offers two ACL types: POSIX and NFSv4.
For a more in-depth explanation of ACLs and configurations in TrueNAS SCALE, see our ACL Primer.
The Dataset Preset setting on the Add Dataset screen determines the type of ACL for the dataset.
To see the ACL type, click Edit on the Dataset Details widget to open the Edit Dataset.
Click on the Advanced Options screen and scroll down to the ACL Type field.
Preset options are:
Generic for non-SMB share datasets such as iSCSI and NFS share datasets or datasets not associated with application storage.
Multiprotocol for datasets optimized for SMB and NFS multi-mode shares or to create a dataset for NFS shares.
SMB for datasets optimized for SMB shares.
Apps for datasets optimized for application storage.
Generic sets ACL permissions equivalent to Unix permissions 755, granting the owner full control and the group and other users read and execute privileges.
SMB, Apps, and Multiprotocol inherit ACL permissions based on the parent dataset.
If there is no ACL to inherit, one is calculated granting full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
Modify control is granted to other members of the builtin_users group and directory services domain users.
Apps includes an additional entry granting modify control to group 568 (Apps).
ACL Settings for Dataset Presets
ACL Type
ACL Mode
Case Sensitivity
Enable atime
Generic
POSIX
n/a
Sensitive
Inherit
SMB
NFSv4
Restricted
Insensitive
On
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
SCALE POSIX or NFSv4 ACL types, show different options on the ACL Editor screen.
Both the POSIX and NFSv4 ACL Editors screens allow you to define the owner user and group, and add ACL entries (ACEs) for individual user accounts or groups to customize the permissions for the selected dataset.
The owner user and group should remain set to either root or the admin account with full privileges.
Add ACE items for other users, groups, directories, or other options to grant access permissions to the dataset.
Click in the Who field and select the item (like User or Group) to display the User or Group fields where you choose the user or group accounts.
While creating an ACL, users can choose to skip an execution check. We only recommend skipping execution checks for users who need to join their Microsoft Active Directory to a TrueNAS system.
Viewing Permissions
Basic ACL permissions are viewable and configurable from the Datasets screen.
Select a dataset, then scroll down to the Permissions widget to view owner and individual ACL entry permissions.
To view the Edit ACL screen, select the dataset and click Edit on the Permissions widget, or go to Sharing and click on the share widget header to open the list of shares. Select the share, then click the options icon and select Edit Filesystem ACL.
If the dataset has an NFSv4 ACL, the Edit ACL screen opens.
Enter or select the Owner user from the User dropdown list, then set the read/write/execute permissions, and select Apply User to confirm changes.
User options include users created manually or imported from a directory service.
Repeat for the Group field.
Select the group name from the dropdown list, set the read/write/execute permissions, and then select Apply Group to confirm the changes.
To prevent errors, TrueNAS only submits changes after the apply option is selected.
A common misconfiguration is removing the Execute permission from a dataset that is a parent to other child datasets. A common misconfiguration is not adding or removing the Execute permission from a dataset that is a parent to other child datasets. Removing this permission results in lost access to the path.
To apply ACL settings to all child datasets, select Apply permissions recursively.
Change the default settings to your preferred primary account and group and select Apply permissions recursively before saving any changes.
See Edit ACL Screen for information on the ACL editor screens and setting options.
Adding a New Preset (POSIX ACL)
From the Unix Permissions Editor screen:
Click Set ACL.
The Select a preset ACL dialog opens.
Select Select a present ACL to use a pre-configured set of permissions.
Select the preset to use from the Default ACL Options dropdown list, or click Create a custom ACL to configure your own set of permissions.
Click Continue.
Each default preset loads different permissions to the Edit ACL screen.
The Create a custom preset option opens the Edit ACL screen with no default permission settings.
Enter the ACL owner user and group, and add new ACE for users, groups, etc. that you want to grant access permissions to for this dataset
Select or enter the administrative user name in Owner, then click Apply Owner.
The owner controls which TrueNAS user and group has full control of the dataset.
You can leave this set to root but we recommend changing this to the admin user with the Full Control role.
Repeat for the Owner Group, then click Apply Group.
Select the ACE entry on the Access Control List list on the left of the screen just below Owner and Owner Group.
If adding a new entry, click Add Item.
Click on Who and select the value from the dropdown list.
If selecting User, the User field displays below the Who field. Same for Group.
Select a name from the dropdown list of options in the User (or Group) field or begin typing the name to see a narrowed list of options to select from.
Select the Read, Modify, and/or Execute permissions.
(Optional) Select Apply permissions recursively, below the list of access control entries, to apply this preset to all child datasets.
(Optional) Click Use Preset to display the ACL presets window and select a predefined set of permissions from the list of presets.
See Using Preset ACL Entries (POSIX ACL) for the list of presets.
Click Save as Preset to add this to the list of ACL presets. Click Save Access Control List to save the changes made to the ACL.
Configuring an ACL (NFSv4 ACL)
An NFS4 ACL preset loads pre-configured permissions to match general permissions situations.
Changing the ACL type affects how TrueNAS writes and reads on-disk ZFS ACL.
When the ACL type changes from NFSv4 to POSIX, native ZFS ACLs do not convert to POSIX1e extended attributes, but ZFS uses the native ACL for access checks.
When the ACL type changes from NFSv4 to POSIX, native ZFS ACLs do not convert to POSIX1e extended attributes, but ZFS will use the native ACL for access checks.
To prevent unexpected permissions behavior, you must manually set new dataset ACLs recursively after changing the ACL type.
Setting new ACLs recursively is destructive.
We suggest creating a ZFS snapshot of the dataset before changing the ACL type or modifying permissions.
To change NFSv4 ACL permissions:
Go to Datasets, select the dataset, scroll down to the Permissions widget, and click Edit. The Edit ACL screen opens.
Select or enter the administrative user name in Owner, then click Apply Owner.
The owner controls which TrueNAS user and group has full control of the dataset.
You can leave this set to root but we recommend changing the owner user and group to the admin user with the Full Control role.
Select or enter the group name in Owner Group, then click Apply Group.
Select the ACE entry on the Access Control List list on the left of the screen below Owner and Owner Group.
If adding a new entry, click Add Item.
Click on Who and select the value from the dropdown list.
If selecting User, the User field displays below the Who field. Same for Group.
Select a name from the dropdown list of options or begin typing the name to see a narrowed list of options to select from.
The selection in Who highlights the Access Control List entry on the left side of the screen.
Select permission type from the Permissions dropdown list.
If Basic is selected, the list displays four options: Read, Modify, Traverse and Full Control.
Basic flags enable or disable ACE inheritance.
Select Advanced to select more granular controls from the options displayed.
Advanced flags allow further control of how the ACE applies to files and directories in the dataset.
(Optional) Select Apply permissions recursively, below the list of access control entries, to apply this preset to all child datasets.
This is not generally recommended as recursive changes often cause permissions issues (see the warning at the top of this section).
(Optional) Click Use Preset to display the ACL presets window to select a predefined set of permissions from the list of presets.
See Using Preset ACL Entries (NFS ACL).
(Optional) Click Save as Preset to add this to the list of ACL presets.
Click Save Access Control List to save the changes for the user or group selected.
Using Preset ACL Entries (NFSv4 ACL)
To rewrite the current ACL with a standardized preset, follow the steps above in Configuring an ACL to step 6 where you click Use Preset, and then select an option:
NFS4_OPEN gives the owner and group full dataset control. All other accounts can modify the dataset contents.
NFS4_RESTRICTED gives the owner full dataset control. The group can modify the dataset contents.
NFS4_HOME gives the owner full dataset control. The group can modify the dataset contents. All other accounts can navigate the dataset.
NFS4_DOMAIN_HOME gives the owner full dataset control. The group can modify the dataset contents. All other accounts can navigate the dataset.
NFS4_ADMIN gives the admin user and builtin_administrators group full dataset control. All other accounts can navigate the dataset.
Click Save Access Control List to add this ACE entry to the Access Control List.
Using Preset ACL Entries (POSIX ACL)
If the file system uses a POSIX ACL, the first option presented is to select an existing preset or the option to create a custom preset.
To rewrite the current ACL with a standardized preset, click Use Preset and then select an option:
POSIX_OPEN gives the owner and group full dataset control. All other accounts can modify the dataset contents.
POSIX_RESTRICTED gives the owner full dataset control. The group can modify the dataset contents.
POSIX_HOME gives the owner full dataset control. The group can modify the dataset contents. All other accounts can navigate the dataset.
POSIX_ADMIN gives the admin user and builtin_administrators group full dataset control. All other accounts can navigate the dataset.
If creating a custom preset, a POSIX-based Edit ACL screen opens.
Follow the steps in Adding a New Preset (POSIX ACL) to set the owner and owner group, then the ACL entries (user, group) and permissions from the options shown.
Shares
File sharing is one of the primary benefits of a NAS. TrueNAS helps foster collaboration between users through network shares. TrueNAS SCALE allows users to create and configure Windows SMB shares, Unix (NFS) shares, and block (iSCSI) shares targets.
When creating zvols for shares, avoid giving them names with capital letters or spaces since they can cause problems and failures with iSCSI and NFS shares.
TrueNAS Enterprise
iXsystems TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact iXsystems Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
Contents
AFP Migration: Provides information on migrating AFP shares from CORE to SCALE.
Block Shares (iSCSI): Describes the iSCSI protocol and has tutorials for various configuration scenarios.
Adding iSCSI Block Shares: Provides instructions on setting up iSCSI block shares manually or using the wizard and starting the service.
Using an iSCSI Share: Provides information on setting up a Linux or Windows system to use a TrueNAS-configured iSCSI block share.
Adding NFS Shares: Provides instructions on adding NFS shares, starting NFS service, and accessing the share.
Multiprotocol Shares: Provides instructions on setting up SMB and NFSv4 mixed-mode shares.
Windows Shares (SMB): Provides information on SMB shares and instruction creating a basic share and setting up various specific configurations of SMB shares.
Managing SMB Shares: Provides instructions on managing existing SMB share and dataset ACL permissions.
Using SMB Shadow Copy: Provides information on SMB share shadow copies, enabling shadow copies, and resolving an issue with Microsoft Windows 10 v2004 release.
Setting Up SMB Home Shares: Provides instructions on setting up private SMB datasets and shares as an alternative to legacy SMB home shares.
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
Since the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) for shares is deprecated and no longer receives updates, it is not in TrueNAS SCALE.
However, users can sidegrade a TrueNAS CORE configuration into SCALE, so TrueNAS SCALE migrates previously-saved AFP configurations into SMB configurations.
Migrating AFP Shares
To prevent data corruption that could result from the sidegrade operation, in TrueNAS SCALE, go to Windows (SMB) Shares, select the more_vert for the share, then select Edit to open the Edit SMB screen.
Click Advanced Options and scroll down to the Other Options section.
Select Legacy AFP Compatibility to enable compatibility for AFP shares migrated to SMB shares.
Do not select this option if you want a pure SMB share with no AFP relation.
Netatalk service is no longer in SCALE as of version 21.06.
AFP shares automatically migrate to SMB shares with the Legacy AFP Compatibility option enabled.
Do not clear the Legacy AFP Compatibility checkbox, as it impacts how data is written to and read from shares.
Any other shares created to access these paths after the migration must also have Legacy AFP Compatibility selected.
Once you have sidegraded from CORE to SCALE, you can find your migrated AFP configuration in Shares >Windows Shares (SMB) with the prefix AFP_.
To make the migrated AFP share accessible, start the SMB service.
Connecting Migrated Shares
Since AFP shares migrate to SMB in SCALE, you must use SMB syntax to mount them.
On your Apple system, press +K or go to Go > Connect to Server….
Enter smb://ipaddress/mnt/pool/dataset, where:
ipaddress* is your TrueNAS IP address
pool is the name of the pool
dataset is the name of the shared dataset
Block Shares (iSCSI)
TrueNAS Enterprise
iXsystems TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact iXsystems Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) represents standards for using Internet-based protocols for linking binary data storage device aggregations.
IBM and Cisco submitted the draft standards in March 2000. Since then, iSCSI has seen widespread adoption into enterprise IT environments.
iSCSI functions through encapsulation. The Open Systems Interconnection Model (OSI) encapsulates SCSI commands and storage data within the session stack. The OSI further encapsulates the session stack within the transport stack, the transport stack within the network stack, and the network stack within the data stack.
Transmitting data this way permits block-level access to storage devices over LANs, WANs, and even the Internet itself (although performance could suffer if your data traffic is traversing the Internet).
The table below shows where iSCSI sits in the OSI network stack:
OSI Layer Number
OSI Layer Name
Activity as it relates to iSCSI
7
Application
An application tells the CPU that it needs to write data to non-volatile storage.
6
Presentation
OSI creates a SCSI command, SCSI response, or SCSI data payload to hold the application data and communicate it to non-volatile storage.
5
Session
Communication between the source and the destination devices begins. This communication establishes when the conversation starts, what it talks about, and when the conversion ends. This entire dialogue represents the session. OSI encapsulates the SCSI command, SCSI response, or SCSI data payload containing the application data within an iSCSI Protocol Data Unit (PDU).
4
Transport
OSI encapsulates the iSCSI PDU within a TCP segment.
3
Network
OSI encapsulates the TCP segment within an IP packet.
2
Data
OSI encapsulates the IP packet within the Ethernet frame.
1
Physical
The Ethernet frame transmits as bits (zeros and ones).
Unlike other sharing protocols on TrueNAS, an iSCSI share allows block sharing and file sharing.
Block sharing provides the benefit of block-level access to data on the TrueNAS.
iSCSI exports disk devices (zvols on TrueNAS) over a network that other iSCSI clients (initiators) can attach and mount.
iSCSI Terminology
Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP): an authentication method that uses a shared secret and three-way authentication to determine if a system is authorized to access the storage device. It also periodically confirms that the session has not been hijacked by another system. In iSCSI, the client (initiator) performs the CHAP authentication.
Mutual CHAP: a CHAP type in which both ends of the communication authenticate to each other.
Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS): protocol for the automated discovery of iSCSI devices on a TCP/IP network.
Extent: the storage unit to be shared. It can either be a file or a device.
Portal: indicates which IP addresses and ports to listen on for connection requests.
Initiators and Targets: iSCSI introduces the concept of initiators and targets which act as sources and destinations respectively. iSCSI initiators and targets follow a client/server model. Below is a diagram of a typical iSCSI network. The TrueNAS storage array acts as the iSCSI target and can be accessed by many of the different iSCSI initiator types, including software and hardware-accelerated initiators.
The iSCSI protocol standards require that iSCSI initiators and targets are represented as iSCSI nodes.
It also requires that each node is given a unique iSCSI name.
To represent these unique nodes via their names, iSCSI requires the use of one of two naming conventions and formats, IQN or EUI.
IQN names must follow these conventions for allowed characters, as described in RFC-3722:
dash (-)
dot (.)
colon (:)
lower case characters (a…z).
Upper-case characters must be mapped to their related lower-case counterparts.
digits (0…9)
iSCSI also allows the use of iSCSI aliases which are not required to be unique and can help manage nodes.
Logical Unit Number (LUN): LUN represents a logical SCSI device. An initiator negotiates with a target to establish connectivity to a LUN. The result is an iSCSI connection that emulates a connection to a SCSI hard disk. Initiators treat iSCSI LUNs as if they were a raw SCSI or SATA hard drive. Rather than mounting remote directories, initiators format and directly manage filesystems on iSCSI LUNs. When configuring multiple iSCSI LUNs, create a new target for each LUN. Since iSCSI multiplexes a target with multiple LUNs over the same TCP connection, there can be TCP contention when more than one target accesses the same LUN. TrueNAS supports up to 1024 LUNs.
Jumbo Frames: Jumbo frames are the name given to Ethernet frames that exceed the default 1500 byte size. This parameter is typically referenced by the nomenclature as a maximum transmission unit (MTU). A MTU that exceeds the default 1500 bytes necessitates that all devices transmitting Ethernet frames between the source and destination support the specific jumbo frame MTU setting, which means that NICs, dependent hardware iSCSI, independent hardware iSCSI cards, ingress and egress Ethernet switch ports, and the NICs of the storage array must all support the same jumbo frame MTU value. So, how does one decide if they should use jumbo frames?
Administrative time is consumed configuring jumbo frames and troubleshooting if/when things go sideways.
Some network switches might also have ASICs optimized for processing MTU 1500 frames while others might be optimized for larger frames.
Systems administrators should also account for the impact on host CPU utilization.
Although jumbo frames are designed to increase data throughput, it might measurably increase latency (as is the case with some un-optimized switch ASICs); latency is typically more important than throughput in a VMware environment.
Some iSCSI applications might see a net benefit running jumbo frames despite possible increased latency.
Systems administrators should test jumbo frames on their workload with lab infrastructure as much as possible before updating the MTU on their production network.
TrueNAS Enterprise
Asymmetric Logical Unit Access (ALUA): ALUA allows a client computer to discover the best path to the storage on a TrueNAS system.
HA storage clusters can provide multiple paths to the same storage.
For example, the disks are directly connected to the primary computer and provide high speed and bandwidth when accessed through that primary computer.
The same disks are also available through the secondary computer, but speed and bandwidth are restricted.
With ALUA, clients automatically ask for and use the best path to the storage.
If one of the TrueNAS HA computers becomes inaccessible, the clients automatically switch to the next best alternate path to the storage.
When a better path becomes available, as when the primary host becomes available again, the clients automatically switch back to that better path to the storage.
Do not enable ALUA on TrueNAS unless it is also supported by and enabled on the client computers. ALUA only works when enabled on both the client and server.
iSCSI Configuration Methods
There are a few different approaches for configuring and managing iSCSI-shared data:
TrueNAS Enterprise
TrueNAS Enterprise customers that use vCenter to manage their systems can use the TrueNAS vCenter Plugin to connect their TrueNAS systems to vCenter and create and share iSCSI datastores.
This is all managed through the vCenter web interface.
TrueNAS 13 web interface: the TrueNAS web interface is fully capable of configuring iSCSI shares. This requires creating and populating zvol block devices with data, then setting up the iSCSI Share. TrueNAS Enterprise licensed customers also have additional options to configure the share with Fibre Channel.
TrueNAS 24.10 web interface: TrueNAS 24.10 offers a similar experience to TrueNAS 13 for managing data with iSCSI; create and populate the block storage, then configure the iSCSI share.
Contents
Adding iSCSI Block Shares: Provides instructions on setting up iSCSI block shares manually or using the wizard and starting the service.
Using an iSCSI Share: Provides information on setting up a Linux or Windows system to use a TrueNAS-configured iSCSI block share.
SCALE has implemented administrator roles to further align with FIPS-compliant encryption and security hardening standards.
The Sharing Admin role allows the user to create new shares and datasets, modify the dataset ACL permissions, and to start/restart the sharing service, but does not permit the user to modify users to grant the sharing administrator role to new or existing users.
Full Admin users retain full access control over shares and creating/modifying user accounts.
Adding an iSCSI Block Share
TrueNAS SCALE offers two methods to add an iSCSI block share: the setup wizard or the manual steps using the screen tabs.
Both methods cover the same basic steps but have some differences.
The setup wizard requires you to enter some settings before you can move on to the next screen or step in the setup process.
It is designed to ensure you configure the iSCSI share completely, so it can be used immediately.
The manual process has more configuration screens over the wizard and allows you to configure the block share in any order.
Use this process to customize your share for special uses cases.
It is designed to give you additional flexibility to build or tune a share to your exact requirements.
Before you Begin
Have the following ready before you begin adding your iSCSI block share:
Storage pool and dataset.
A path to a Device (zvol or file) that doesn’t use capital letters or spaces.
iSCSI Wizard
This section walks you through the setup process using the wizard screens.
Click here for more information
To use the setup wizard,
Add the block device.
a. Enter a name using all lowercase alphanumeric characters plus a dot (.), dash (-), or colon (:). We recommend keeping it short or at most 63 characters.
b. Choose the Extent Type. You can select either Device or File.
If you select Device, select the zvol to share from the Device dropdown list.
If you select File, file settings display. Browse to the file location to populate the path, then enter the size in Filesize. Enter 0 to use the actual existing file size.
c. Select the type of platform using the share. For example, if you use an updated Linux OS, choose Modern OS.
d. Click Next.
Add the portal
Now you either create a new portal or select an existing one from the dropdown list.
If you create a new portal, select a Discovery Authentication Method from the dropdown list.
If you select None, you can leave Discovery Authentication Group empty.
If you select either CHAP or MUTUAL CHAP, you must also to select a Discovery Authentication Group from the dropdown list.
If no group exists, click Create New and enter a value in Group ID, User, and Secret.
Select 0.0.0.0 or :: from the IP Address dropdown list. 0.0.0.0 listens on all IPv4 addresses and :: listens on all IPv6 addresses.
Click NEXT
Add the Initiator. After adding the portal, set up the initiators that use the iSCSI share.
Decide which initiators can use the iSCSI share.
Leave the list empty to allow all initiators, or add entries to the list to limit access to those systems.
Confirm the iSCSI setup. Review your settings.
If you need or want to change any setting click Back until you reach the wizard screen with the setting.
click Save.
iSCSI Manual Setup
This procedure walks you through adding each configuration setting on the seven configuration tab screens. While the procedure places each tab screen in order, you can select the tab screen to add settings in any order.
Click here for more information
Configure share settings that apply to all iSCSI shares.
a. Click Configure on the main Block (iSCSI) Share Targets widget.
The Target Global Configuration tab screen opens.
b. Enter a name using lowercase alphanumeric characters plus dot (.), dash (-), and colon (:) in Base Name.
Use the iqn.format for the name. See the “Constructing iSCSI names using the iqn.format” section of RFC3721.
c. Enter the host names or IP address of the ISNS servers to register with the iSCSI targets and portals of the system. Separate entries by pressing Enter.
d. The value in Pool Available Space Threshold generates an alert when the pool has this percentage of space remaining.
This is typically configured at the pool level when using zvols or at the extent level for both file and device-based extents.
e. Enter the iSCSI listen port. Add the TCP port used to access the iSCSI target. The default is 3260.
f. (Optional, Enterprise-licensed systems only) Select Asymmetrical Logical Unit Access (ALUA) to enable it. Shows only on Enterprise-licensed systems.
Only enable if both the client and server systems support ALUA, and ALUA is enabled on both client and server.
g. Click Save.
Add portals. Click Portals tab.
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add Portal screen.
b. (Optional) Enter a description. Portals are automatically assigned a numeric group.
c. Select the Discovery Authentication Method from the dropdown list.
None allows anonymous discovery and does not require you to select a Discovery Authentication Group.
CHAP and Mutual CHAP require authentication and you to select a group ID in Discovery Authentication Group.
d. (Optional) Based on your Discovery Authentication Method, select a group in Discovery Authentication Group.
e. Click Add to select an IP Address the portal listens on from the dropdown list. 0.0.0.0 listens on all IPv4 addresses and :: listens on all IPv6 addresses.
f. Click Save.
Add initiators groups to create authorized access client groups. Click on the Initiators Groups tab to open the screen.
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the SHARING > ISCSI > INITIATORS > Add screen.
b. Select Allow All Initiators or configure your own allowed initiators.
Enter the iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN) in Allowed Initiators (IQN) and click + to add it to the list. Example: iqn.1994-09.org.freebsd:freenas.local.
c. Click Save.
Add network authorized access. Click on the Authorized Access tab to open the screen.
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add Authorized Access screen.
b. Enter a number in Group ID. Each group ID allows configuring different groups with different authentication profiles.
Example: all users with a group ID of 1 inherit the authentication profile associated with Group 1.
c. Enter a user around to create for CHAP authentication with the user on the remote system. Consider using the initiator name as the user name.
d. Enter the user password of at least 12 to no more than 16 characters long in Secret and Secret (Confirm).
e. (Optional) Enter peer user details in Peer User and Peer Secret and Peer Secret (Confirm).
Peer user is only entered when configuring mutual CHAP and is usually the same value as User. The password must be different from the one entered in Secret.
f. Click Save.
Create storage resources. Click Targets tab.
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add iSCSI Target screen.
b. Enter a name in Target Name. Use lowercase alphanumeric characters plus dot (.), dash (-), and colon (:) in the iqn.format.
See the “Constructing iSCSI names using the iqn.format” section of RFC3721.
c. (Optional) Enter a user-friendly name in Target Alias.
d. Click Add next to Authorized Networks to enter IP address information.
e. Click Add under iSCSI Group to display the group settings.
f. Select the group ID from the Portal Group ID dropdown.
g. (Optional) Select the group ID in Initiator Group ID or leave it set to None.
h. (Optional) Select the Authentication Method from the dropdown list of options.
i. (Optional) Select the Authentication Group Number from the dropdown list. This value represents the number of existing authorized accesses.
j. Click Save.
Add new share storage units (extents). Click the Extents tab.
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add Extent screen.
b. Enter a name for the extent. If the extent size is not 0, it cannot be an existing file within the pool or dataset.
c. Leave Enabled selected.
d. In the Compatibility section, the Enable TPC checkbox is selected by default. This allows an initiator to bypass normal access control and access any scannable target.
e. Xen initiator compat mode is disabled by default. Select when using Xen as the iSCSI initiator.
f. Do not change LUN RPM when using Windows as the initiator. Only change LUN RPM in environments where you need accurate reporting statistics for devices that use a specific RPM.
g. Read-only is disabled by default. Select to prevent the initiator from initializing this LUN.
h. In the Type section, select the extent type from the Extent Type dropdown.
Device provides virtual storage access to zvols, zvol snapshots, or physical devices.
File provides virtual storage access to a single file.
i. (Optional) Select the option from the Device dropdown. This field only displays when Extent Type is set to Device.
Select the path when Extent Type is set to File. Browse to the location.
Create a new file by browsing to a dataset and appending /{filename.ext} to the path. Enter the size in Filesize.
j. Select the Logical Block Size from the dropdown list. Leave at the default of 512 unless the initiator requires a different block size.
k. Select Disable Physical Block Size Reporting if the initiator does not support physical block size values over 4K (MS SQL).
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add Associated Target screen.
b. Select the target from the Target dropdown list.
c. Select or enter 0. The first LUN on SCALE must be zero (0). If adding additional LUNs, enter or select a value between 1 and 1023 for those additional LUNs.
Some initiators expect a value below 256. Leave this LUN ID blank to automatically assign the next available ID.
d. Select an existing extent from the Extent dropdown.
e. Click Save
Creating a Quick iSCSI Target
TrueNAS SCALE allows users to add iSCSI targets without having to set up another share.
Click here for more information
Go to Shares and click the Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets widget.
a. Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add iSCSI Target screen.
b. Enter a name in Target Name. Use lowercase alphanumeric characters plus dot (.), dash (-), and colon (:) in the iqn.format.
See the “Constructing iSCSI names using the iqn.format” section of RFC3721.
c. (Optional) Enter a user-friendly name in Target Alias.
d. Click Add next to Authorized Networks to enter IP address information.
e. Click Add under iSCSI Group to display the group settings.
f. Select the group ID from the Portal Group ID dropdown.
g. (Optional) Select the group ID in Initiator Group ID or leave it set to None.
h. (Optional) Select the Authentication Method from the dropdown list of options.
i. (Optional) Select the Authentication Group Number from the dropdown list. This value represents the number of existing authorized accesses.
j. Click Save.
Starting the iSCSI Service
When adding an iSCSI share the system prompts you to start, or restart, the service. You can also do this by clicking the more_vert on the Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets widget and selecting Turn On Service.
You can also go to System > Services and locate iSCSI on the list and click the Running toggle to start the service.
Set iSCSI to start when TrueNAS boots up, go to System > Services and locate iSCSI on the list. Select Start Automatically.
Clicking the edit returns to the options in Shares > Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets.
Using an iSCSI Share
Connecting to and using an iSCSI share can differ between operating systems.
This article provides instructions on setting up a Linux and Windows system to use the TrueNAS iSCSI block share.
Using Linux iSCSI Utilities and Service
In this section, you start the iSCSI service, log in to the share, and obtain the configured basename and target. You also partition the iSCSI disk, make a file system for the share, mount it, and share data.
Click here for more information
Before you begin, open the command line and ensure you have installed the open-iscsi utility.
To install the utility on an Ubuntu/Debian distribution, enter command sudo apt update && sudo apt install open-iscsi.
After the installation completes, ensure the iscsid service is running using the sudo service iscsid start command.
First, with the iscsid service started, run the iscsiadm command with the discovery arguments and get the necessary information to connect to the share.
Next, discover and log into the iSCSI share.
Run the command sudo iscsiadm \--mode discovery \--type sendtargets \--portal {IPADDRESS}.
The output provides the basename and target name that TrueNAS configured.
Alternatively, enter sudo iscsiadm -m discovery -t st -p {IPADDRESS} to get the same output.
Note the basename and target name given in the output. You need them to log in to the iSCSI share.
When a Portal Discovery Authentication Method is CHAP, add the three following lines to /etc/iscsi/iscsid.conf.
discovery.sendtargets.auth.authmethod = CHAP
discovery.sendtargets.auth.username = user
discovery.sendtargets.auth.password = secret
The user for discovery.sendtargets.auth.username is set in the Authorized Access used by the iSCSI share Portal.
Likewise, the password to use for discovery.sendtargets.auth.password is the Authorized Access secret.
Without those lines, the iscsiadm does not discover the portal with the CHAP authentication method.
Enter comand sudo iscsiadm \--mode node \--targetname {BASENAME}:{TARGETNAME} \--portal {IPADDRESS} \--login,
where {BASENAME} and {TARGETNAME} is the discovery command information.
Now you partition an iSCSI disk.
When the iSCSI share login succeeds, the device shared through iSCSI shows on the Linux system as an iSCSI Disk.
To view a list of connected disks in Linux, enter command sudo fdisk -l.
Because the connected iSCSI disk is raw, you must partition it.
Identify the iSCSI device in the list and enter sudo fdisk {/PATH/TO/iSCSIDEVICE}.
Use the fdisk command defaults when partitioning the disk.
Remember to type w when finished partitioning the disk.
The w command tells fdisk to save any changes before quitting.
After creating the partition on the iSCSI disk, a partition slice displays on the device name.
For example, /dev/sdb1.
Enter fdisk -l to see the new partition slice.
Next, make a file system on the iSCSI disk.
Finally, use mkfs to make a file system on the new partition slice.
To create the default file system (ext2), enter sudo mkfs {/PATH/TO/iSCSIDEVICEPARTITIONSLICE}.
Mount the iSCSI device and share the data.
Enter sudo mount {/PATH/TO/iSCSIDEVICEPARTITIONSLICE}.
For example, sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt mounts the iSCSI device /dev/sdb1 to file /mnt.
Using the iSCSI Share with Windows
This section provides instructions on setting up Windows iSCSI Initiator Client to work with TrueNAS iSCSI shares.
Click here for more information
To access the data on the iSCSI share, clients need to use iSCSI Initiator software. An iSCSI Initiator client is pre-installed in Windows 7 to 10 Pro, and Windows Server 2008, 2012, and 2019. Windows Professional Edition is usually required.
First, click the Start Menu and search for the iSCSI Initiator application.
Next, go to the Configuration tab and click Change to replace the iSCSI initiator with the name created earlier. Click OK.
Next, switch to the Discovery Tab, click Discover Portal, and type in the TrueNAS IP address.
If TrueNAS changed the port number from the default 3260, enter the new port number.
If you set up CHAP when creating the iSCSI share, click Advanced…, set Enable CHAP log on, and enter the initiator name and the same target/secret set earlier in TrueNAS.
Click OK.
Go to the Targets tab, highlight the iSCSI target, and click Connect.
After Windows connects to the iSCSI target, you can partition the drive.
Search for and open the Disk Management app.
The current state of your drive should be unallocated. Right-click the drive and click New Simple Volume….
Complete the wizard to format the drive and assign a drive letter and name.
Finally, go to This PC or My Computer in File Explorer. The new iSCSI volume should display under the list of drives. You should now be able to add, delete, and modify files and folders on your iSCSI drive.
Increasing iSCSI Available Storage
Expanding LUNs
TrueNAS lets users expand Zvol and file-based LUNs to increase the available storage in an iSCSI share.
Zvol LUNs
To expand a Zvol LUN, go to Datasets and click the Zvol LUN name. The Zvol Details widget displays. Click the Edit button.
TrueNAS prevents data loss by not allowing users to reduce the Zvol size.
TrueNAS also does not allow users to increase the Zvol size past 80% of the pool size.
File LUNs
Go to Shares and click Configure in the Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets screen, then select the Extents tab.
Enter a new size in Filesize.
Enter the new value as an integer that is one or more multiples of the logical block size (default 512) larger than the current file size.
Click Save.
Adding NFS Shares
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
About UNIX (NFS) Shares
Creating a Network File System (NFS) share on TrueNAS makes a lot of data available for anyone with share access.
Depending on the share configuration, it can restrict users to read or write privileges.
NFS treats each dataset as its own file system. When creating the NFS share on the server, the specified dataset is the location that client accesses.
If you choose a parent dataset as the NFS file share location, the client cannot access any nested or child datasets beneath the parent.
If you need to create shares that include child datasets, SMB sharing is an option. Note that Windows NFS Client versions currently support only NFSv2 and NFSv3.
The UDP protocol is deprecated and not supported with NFS. It is disabled by default in the Linux kernel.
Using UDP over NFS on modern networks (1Gb+) can lead to data corruption caused by fragmentation during high loads.
Sharing Administrator Access
SCALE has implemented administrator roles to further align with FIPS-compliant encryption and security hardening standards.
The Sharing Admin role allows the user to create new shares and datasets, modify the dataset ACL permissions, and to start/restart the sharing service, but does not permit the user to modify users to grant the sharing administrator role to new or existing users.
Full Admin users retain full access control over shares and creating/modifying user accounts.
Creating an NFS Share and Dataset
It is best practice to use a dataset instead of a full pool for SMB and/or NFS shares.
Sharing an entire pool makes it more difficult to later restrict access if needed.
You have the option to create the share and dataset at the same time from either the Add Dataset or Add NFS screens.
If creating a dataset and share from the Add Dataset screen, we recommend creating a new dataset with the Dataset Preset set to Generic for the new NFS share.
Or you can set it to Multiprotocol and select only the NFS share type.
Creating a Dataset Using Add Dataset
To create a basic dataset, go to Datasets.
Default settings include those inherited from the parent dataset.
Select a dataset (root, parent, or child), then click Add Dataset.
Select the Dataset Preset option you want to use. Options are:
Generic for non-SMB share datasets such as iSCSI and NFS share datasets or datasets not associated with application storage.
Multiprotocol for datasets optimized for SMB and NFS multi-mode shares or to create a dataset for NFS shares.
SMB for datasets optimized for SMB shares.
Apps for datasets optimized for application storage.
Generic sets ACL permissions equivalent to Unix permissions 755, granting the owner full control and the group and other users read and execute privileges.
SMB, Apps, and Multiprotocol inherit ACL permissions based on the parent dataset.
If there is no ACL to inherit, one is calculated granting full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
Modify control is granted to other members of the builtin_users group and directory services domain users.
Apps includes an additional entry granting modify control to group 568 (Apps).
ACL Settings for Dataset Presets
ACL Type
ACL Mode
Case Sensitivity
Enable atime
Generic
POSIX
n/a
Sensitive
Inherit
SMB
NFSv4
Restricted
Insensitive
On
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
If creating an SMB or multi-protocol (SMB and NFS) share the dataset name value auto-populates the share name field with the dataset name.
If you plan to deploy container applications, the system automatically creates the ix-apps dataset for Docker storage for but separate datasets used for application data storage.
If you want to store data by application, create the dataset(s) first, then deploy your application.
When creating a dataset for an application, select Apps as the Dataset Preset. This optimizes the dataset for use by an application.
If you want to configure advanced setting options, click Advanced Options.
For the Sync option, we recommend production systems with critical data use the default Standard choice or increase to Always.
Choosing Disabled is only suitable in situations where data loss from system crashes or power loss is acceptable.
Select either Sensitive or Insensitive from the Case Sensitivity dropdown.
The Case Sensitivity setting is found under Advanced Options and is not editable after saving the dataset.
Click Save.
Review the Dataset Preset and Case Sensitivity under Advanced Options on the Add Dataset screen before clicking Save.
You cannot change these or the Name setting after clicking Save.
To create the share and dataset from the Add NFS Share screen:
Go to Shares > Unix (NFS) Shares and click Add to open the Add NFS Share configuration screen.
Enter the path or use the arrow_right icon to the left of /mnt to locate the dataset and populate the path.
Browsing to select a path
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
Click Create Dataset, enter a name for the dataset and click Create.
The system creates the dataset optimized for an NFS share, and populates the share Name and updates the Path with the dataset name.
The dataset name is the share name.
Enter text to help identify the share in Description.
Enable Service turns the NFS service on and changes the toolbar status to Running.
If you wish to create the share without immediately enabling it, select Cancel.
Adding NFS Share Networks and Hosts
If you want to enter allowed networks, click Add to the right of Networks.
Enter an IP address in Network and select the mask CIDR notation.
Click Add for each network address and CIDR you want to define as an authorized network.
Defining an authorized network restricts access to all other networks. Leave empty to allow all networks.
If you want to enter allowed systems, click Add to the right of Hosts.
Enter a host name or IP address to allow that system access to the NFS share.
Click Add for each allowed system you want to define.
Defining authorized systems restricts access to all other systems.
Press the X to delete the field and allow all systems access to the share.
Adjusting Access Permissions
To tune the NFS share access permissions or define authorized networks, click Advanced Options.
Select Read-Only to prohibit writing to the share.
To map user permissions to the root user, enter a string or select the user from the Maproot User dropdown list.
To map the user permissions to all clients, enter a string or select the user from the Mapall User dropdown list.
To map group permissions to the root user, enter a string or select the group from the Maproot Group dropdown list.
To map the group permissions to all clients, enter a string or select the group from the Mapall Group dropdown list.
Select an option from the Security dropdown. If you select KRB5 security, you can use a Kerberos ticket. Otherwise, everything is based on IDs.
Security Types
Setting
Description
SYS
Uses locally acquired UIDs and GIDs. No cryptographic security.
KRB5
Uses Kerberos for authentication.
KRB5I
Uses Kerberos for authentication and includes a hash with each transaction to ensure integrity.
KRB5P
Uses Kerberos for authentication and encrypts all traffic between the client and server. KRB5P is the most secure but also incurs the most load.
Editing an NFS Share
To edit an existing NFS share, go to Shares > Unix Shares (NFS) and click the share you want to edit.
The Edit NFS screen settings are identical to the share creation options, but you cannot create a new dataset.
Starting the NFS Service
To begin sharing, click the more_vert on the toolbar and select Turn On Service. Turn Off Service displays if NFS is on. Turn On Service displays if NFS is off.
Or you can go to System > Services, locate NFS, and click the toggle to running.
Select Start Automatically if you want NFS to activate when TrueNAS boots.
The NFS service does not automatically start on boot if all NFS shares are encrypted and locked.
Configuring NFS Service
You can configure the NFS service from either the System > Services or the Shares > Unix Shares (NFS) widget.
To configure NFS service settings from the Services screen, click edit on the System > Services screen to open the NFS service screen.
To configure NFS service settings from the Shares > Unix Shares (NFS) widget, click the Config Service from the more_vert dropdown menu on the widget header to open the NFS service screen.
Unless you need specific settings, we recommend using the default NFS settings.
When TrueNAS is already connected to Active Directory, setting NFSv4 and Require Kerberos for NFSv4 also requires a Kerberos Keytab.
Connecting to the NFS Share
Although you can connect to an NFS share with various operating systems, we recommend using a Linux/Unix OS.
First, download the nfs-common kernel module.
You can do this using the installed distribution package manager.
For example, on Ubuntu/Debian, enter command sudo apt-get install nfs-common in the terminal.
After installing the module, connect to an NFS share by entering sudo mount -t nfs {IPaddressOfTrueNASsystem}:{path/to/nfsShare} {localMountPoint}.
Where {IPaddressOfTrueNASsystem} is the remote TrueNAS system IP address that contains the NFS share, {path/to/nfsShare} is the path to the NFS share on the TrueNAS system, and {localMountPoint} is a local directory on the host system configured for the mounted NFS share.
For example, sudo mount -t nfs 10.239.15.110:/mnt/Pool1/NFS_Share /mnt mounts the NFS share NFS_Share to the local directory /mnt.
You can also use the Linux nconnect function to let your NFS mount support multiple TCP connections.
To enable Linux nconnect, enter sudo mount -t nfs -o rw,nconnect=16 {IPaddressOfTrueNASsystem}:{path/to/nfsShare} {localMountPoint}.
Where {IPaddressOfTrueNASsystem}, {path/to/nfsShare}, and {localMountPoint} are the same ones you used when connecting to the share.
For example, sudo mount -t nfs -o rw,nconnect=16 10.239.15.110:/mnt/Pool1/NFS_Share /mnt.
By default, anyone that connects to the NFS share only has read permission.
To change the default permissions, edit the share, open the Advanced Options, and change the Access settings.
You must have ESXI 6.7 or later for read/write functionality with NFSv4 shares.
Multiprotocol Shares
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
About Multiprotocol Shares
A multiprotocol or mixed-mode NFS and SMB share supports both NFS and SMB protocols for sharing data.
Multiprotocol shares allow clients to use either protocol to access the same data.
This can be useful in environments with a mix of Windows systems and Unix-like systems, especially if some clients lack an SMB client.
Carefully consider your environment and access requirements before configuring a multiprotocol share.
For many applications, a single protocol SMB share provides better user experience and ease of administration.
Linux clients can access SMB shares using mount.cifs.
It is important to properly configure permissions and access controls to ensure security and data integrity when using mixed-mode sharing.
To maximize security on the NFS side of the multiprotocol share, we recommend using NFSv4 and Active Directory(AD) for Kerberos authentication.
It is also important that NFS clients preserve extended attributes when copying files, or SMB metadata could be discarded in the copy.
First Steps
Before adding a multiprotocol SMB and NFS share to your system:
Configure and start the SMB and NFS services.
Configure the NFS service to require Kerberos authentication.
Join the TrueNAS server to an existing Active Directory domain.
Configure a container, Kerberos admin, and user accounts in AD.
Before joining AD and creating a dataset for the share to use, start both the SMB and NFS services and configure the NFS service for Kerberos authentication.
Configure the NFS service before joining AD for simpler Kerberos credential creation.
You can either use theShares screen Configure Service option on both the Windows (SMB) Share and on the UNIX (NFS) Shares widgets, or go to System > Services and select the Edit option on the SMB and NFS services.
Unless you need a specific setting or are configuring a unique network environment, we recommend using the default SMB service settings.
After configuring the share services, start the services.
From the Sharing screen, click on the Windows (SMB) Sharesmore_vert to display the service options, which are Turn Off Service if the service is running or Turn On Service if the service is not running.
After adding a share, use the toggle to enable or disable the service for that share.
To enable the service from the System > Services screen, click the toggle for the service and set Start Automatically if you want the service to activate when TrueNAS boots.
Configuring and Starting the NFS Service
Open the NFS service screen, then select only NFSv4 on the Enabled Protocols dropdown list.
For security hardening, we recommend disabling the NFSv3 protocol.
Select Require Kerberos for NFSv4 to enable using a Kerberos ticket.
If Active Directory is already joined to the TrueNAS server, click Save and then reopen the NFS service screen.
Click Add SPN to open the Add Kerberos SPN Entry dialog.
Click Yes when prompted to add a Service Principal Name (SPN) entry.
Enter the AD domain administrator user name and password in Name and Password.
TrueNAS SCALE automatically applies SPN credentials if the NFS service is enabled with Require Kerberos for NFSv4 selected before joining Active Directory.
Click Save again, then start the NFS service.
From the Sharing screen, click on the Unix Shares (NFS)more_vert to display the service options, which are Turn Off Service if the service is running or Turn On Service if the service is not running.
Each NFS share on the list also has a toggle to enable or disable the service for that share.
To enable the service from the System > Services screen, click the toggle for the service and set Start Automatically if you want the service to activate when TrueNAS boots.
The NFS service does not automatically start on boot if all NFS shares are encrypted and locked.
Joining Active Directory
Mixed-mode SMB and NFS shares greatly simplify data access for client running a range of operating systems.
They also require careful attention to security complexities not present in standard SMB shares.
NFS shares do not respect permissions set in the SMB Share ACL.
Protect the NFS export with proper authentication and authorization controls to prevent unauthorized access by NFS clients.
We recommend using Active Directory to enable Kerberos security for the NFS share.
Configure a container (group or organizational unit), Kerberos admin, and user accounts in AD.
Creating a Multiprotocol Share Dataset
You can create the dataset and add a multiprotocol (SMB and NFS) share using the Add Dataset screen.
It is best practice to use a dataset instead of a full pool for SMB and/or NFS shares.
Sharing an entire pool makes it more difficult to later restrict access if needed.
Select the dataset you want to be the parent of the multimode dataset, then click Add Dataset.
Enter a name for the dataset. The dataset name populates the SMB Name field and becomes the name of the SMB and NFS shares.
Select Multiprotocol from the Dataset Preset dropdown. The share configuration options display with Create NFS Share and Create SMB Share preselected.
(Optional) Click Advanced Options to customize other dataset settings such as quotas, compression level, encryption, and case sensitivity.
See Creating Datasets for more information on adding and customizing datasets.
Click Save. TrueNAS creates the dataset and the SMB and NFS shares. Next edit both shares.
After editing the shares, edit the dataset ACL.
Editing the SMB Share
After creating the multimode share on the Add Dataset screen, go to Shares and edit the SMB share.
Select the share on the Windows Shares (SMB) widget and then click Edit.
The Edit SMB screen opens showing the Basic Options settings.
Select Multi-protocol (NFSv4/SMB) shares from the Purpose dropdown list to apply pre-determined Advanced Options settings for the share.
Enable Kereberos security. Click Advanced Options.
Select KRB5 from the Security dropdown to enable the Kerberos ticket that generated when you joined Active Directory.
If needed, select Read-Only to prohibit writing to the share.
Click Save.
Restart the service when prompted.
Adjusting the Dataset ACL
After joining AD, creating a multimode dataset and the SMB and NFS shares, adjust the dataset/file system ACL to match the container and users configured in AD.
You can modify dataset permissions from the Shares screen using the securityEdit Filesystem ACL icon to open the Edit ACL screen for each share (SMB and NFS).
Using this method you select the share on the Windows (SMB) Share widget, then click the icon to edit the dataset properties for the SMB share, but you must repeat this for the NFS share.
Or you can go to Datasets, select the name of the dataset created for the multiprotocol share to use and scroll down to the Permissions widget for the dataset.
Click Edit to open the Edit ACL screen.
Check the Access Control List to see if the AD group you created is on the list and has the correct permissions.
If not, add this Access Control Entry (ACE) item on the Edit ACL screen for the multimode dataset (or each share).
Enter Group in the Who field or use the dropdown list to select Group.
Type or select the appropriate group in the Group field.
Verify Full Control displays in Permissions. If not, select it from the dropdown list.
Click Save Access Control List to add the ACE item or save changes.
See Permissions for more information on editing dataset permissions.
After setting the dataset permission, connect to the share.
Connecting to a Multiprotocol Share
After creating and configuring the shares, connect to the mulit-protocol share using either SMB or NFS protocols from a variety of client operating systems including Windows, Apple, FreeBSD, and Linux/Unix systems.
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
About Windows (SMB) Shares
SMB (also known as CIFS) is the native file-sharing system in Windows.
SMB shares can connect to most operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
TrueNAS can use SMB to share files among single or multiple users or devices.
SMB supports a wide range of permissions, security settings, and advanced permissions (ACLs) on Windows and other systems, as well as Windows Alternate Streams and Extended Metadata.
SMB is suitable for managing and administering large or small pools of data.
TrueNAS uses Samba to provide SMB services.
The SMB protocol has multiple versions. An SMB client typically negotiates the highest supported SMB protocol during SMB session negotiation.
Industry-wide, SMB1 protocol (sometimes referred to as NT1) usage is deprecated for security reasons.
As of SCALE 22.12 (Bluefin) and later, TrueNAS does not support SMB client operating systems that are labeled by their vendor as End of Life or End of Support.
This means MS-DOS (including Windows 98) clients, among others, cannot connect to TrueNAS SCALE SMB servers.
The upstream Samba project that TrueNAS uses for SMB features notes in the 4.11 release that the SMB1 protocol is deprecated and warns portions of the protocol might be further removed in future releases.
Administrators should work to phase out any clients using the SMB1 protocol from their environments.
However, most SMB clients support SMB 2 or 3 protocols, even when not default.
Legacy SMB clients rely on NetBIOS name resolution to discover SMB servers on a network.
TrueNAS disables the NetBIOS Name Server (nmbd) by default. Enable it on the Network > Global Settings screen if you require this functionality.
MacOS clients use mDNS to discover SMB servers present on the network. TrueNAS enables the mDNS server (avahi) by default.
Windows clients use WS-Discovery to discover the presence of SMB servers, but you can disable network discovery by default depending on the Windows client version.
Discoverability through broadcast protocols is a convenience feature and is not required to access an SMB server.
Sharing Administrator Access
SCALE has implemented administrator roles to further align with FIPS-compliant encryption and security hardening standards.
The Sharing Admin role allows the user to create new shares and datasets, modify the dataset ACL permissions, and to start/restart the sharing service, but does not permit the user to modify users to grant the sharing administrator role to new or existing users.
Full Admin users retain full access control over shares and creating/modifying user accounts.
How do I add an SMB Share?
Verify Active Directory connections are working and error free before adding an SMB share.
If configured but not working or in an error state, AD cannot bind and prevents starting the SMB service.
Creating an SMB share to your system involves several steps to add the share and get it working.
Create the SMB share user account.
You can also use directory services like Active Directory or LDAP to provide additional user accounts.
If setting up an external SMB share, we recommend using Active Directory or LDAP, or at a minimum synchronizing the user accounts between systems.
TrueNAS allows creating the dataset and share at the same time from either the Add Dataset screen or the Add SMB share screen.
Use either option to create a basic SMB share, but when customizing share presets use the Add SMB screen to create the share and dataset.
The procedure in this article provides the instructions to add the dataset while adding the share using the Add SMB screen.
Modify the share permissions.
After adding or modifying the user account for the share, edit the dataset permissions.
TrueNAS must be joined to Active Directory or have at least one local SMB user before creating an SMB share. When creating an SMB user, ensure that Samba Authentication is enabled.
You cannot access SMB shares using the root user, TrueNAS built-in user accounts, or those without Samba Authentication selected.
To add users or edit users, go to Credentials > Users to add or edit the SMB share user(s).
Click Add to create a new or as many new user accounts as needed.
If joined to Active Directory, Active Directory can create the TrueNAS accounts.
Enter the values in each required field, verify SMB User is selected, then click Save.
For more information on the fields and adding users, see Creating User Accounts.
By default, all new users are members of a built-in group called builtin_users.
You can use a group to grant access to all users on the server or add more groups to fine-tune permissions for large numbers of users.
Why not just allow anonymous access to the share?
Anonymous or guest access to the share is possible, but it is a security vulnerability and not recommended for Enterprise or systems with more than one SMB share administrator account.
Using a guest account also increases the likelihood of unauthorized users gaining access to your data.
Major SMB client vendors are deprecating it, partly because signing and encryption are impossible for guest sessions.What about LDAP users?
Support for LDAP Samba Schema is deprecated in TrueNAS 22.02 (Angelfish) and removed in 24.10 (Electric Eel).
Migrate legacy Samba domains to Active Directory before upgrading to 24.10 or later.
Adding an SMB Share and Dataset
You can create an SMB share while creating a dataset on the Add Dataset screen or create the dataset while creating the share on the Add SMB Share screen.
This article covers adding the dataset on the Add SMB Share screen.
Note that having the pool configured as an SMB share results in an error when the ix-apps directory is contained within that pool.
To avoid this error, place the SMB shares within the pool as individual datasets alongside the ix-apps dataset.
It is best practice to use a dataset instead of a full pool for SMB and/or NFS shares.
Sharing an entire pool makes it more difficult to later restrict access if needed.
What are ZFS dataset setting defaults?
TrueNAS creates the ZFS dataset with these settings:
ACL Mode set to Restricted
The ACL Type influences the ACL Mode setting. When ACL Type is set to Inherit, you cannot change the ACL Mode setting.
When ACL Type is set to NFSv4, you can change the ACL Mode to Restricted.
Case Sensitivity set to Insensitive
TrueNAS also applies a default access control list to the dataset.
This default ACL is restrictive and only grants access to the dataset owner and group.
You can modify the ACL later according to your use case.
To create a basic Windows SMB share and a dataset, go to Shares, then click Add on the Windows Shares (SMB) widget to open the Add Share screen.
Enter or browse to select SMB share mount path (parent dataset where you want to add a dataset for this share) to populate the Path field.
The Path is the directory tree on the local file system that TrueNAS exports over the SMB protocol.
Browsing to select a path
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
Click Create Dataset. Enter the name for the share dataset in the Create Dataset dialog, then click Create.
The system creates the new dataset.
Name becomes the dataset name entered and is the SMB share name.
This forms part of the share pathname when SMB clients perform an SMB tree connect.
Because of how the SMB protocol uses the name, it must be less than or equal to 80 characters.
Do not use invalid characters as specified in Microsoft documentation MS-FSCC section 2.1.6.
If you change the name, follow the naming conventions for:
If creating an external SMB share, enter the hostname or IP address of the system hosting the SMB share and the name of the share on that system.
Enter as EXTERNAL:ip address\sharename in Path, then change Name to EXTERNAL with no special characters.
(Optional) Select a preset from the Purpose dropdown list to apply.
The preset selected locks or unlock pre-determined Advanced Options settings for the share.
To retain control over all the share Advanced Options settings, select No presets or Default share parameters.
To create an alternative to Home Shares, select Private SMB Datasets and Shares.
See Setting Up SMB Home Shares for more information on replacing this legacy feature with private SMB shares and datasets.
SMP Purpose Options
Setting
Description
No presets
Select to retain control over all Advanced Options settings. This option gives users the flexibility to manually configure SMB parameters.
Default share parameters
The default option when you open the Add SMB screen and to use for any basic SMB share. These settings provide a baseline configuration that ensures compatibility and functionality, and allow users to set up shares with commonly implemented options and behaviors.
Basic time machine share
Select to set up a basic time machine share. This provides a centralized location for users to store and manage system backups.
Multi-User time machine
Select to set up a multi-user time machine share. This option allows multiple users to use TrueNAS as a centralized backup solution while simultaneously ensuring that each backup users make are kept separate and secure from one another.
Multi-Protocol (NFSv3/SMB) shares
Select for multi-protocol (NFSv3/SMB) shares. Choosing this option allows NFS and SMB users to access TrueNAS at the same time.
Private SMB Datasets and Shares
Select to create a share that maps to a path determined by the username of the authenticated user. TrueNAS creates a unique, private dataset matching the user name.
SMB WORM. Files become read-only via SMB after 5 minutes
The SMB WORM preset only impacts writes over the SMB protocol. Before deploying this option in a production environment, determine whether the feature meets your requirements. Employing this option, ensures data written to the share cannot be modified or deleted, thus increasing overall data integrity and security.
(Optional) Enter a Description to help explain the share purpose.
Select Enabled to allow sharing of this path when the SMB service is activated.
Leave it cleared to disable the share without deleting the configuration.
(Optional) Click Advanced Options to configure audit logging or other advanced configuration settings such as changing Case Sensitivity.
Click Save to create the share and add it to the Shares > Windows (SMB) Shares list.
Enable the SMB service when prompted.
Configuring Share Advanced Options Settings
For a basic SMB share, using the Advanced Options settings is not required, but if you set Purpose to No Presets, click Advanced Options to finish customizing the SMB share for your use case.
The following are possible use cases. See SMB Shares Screens for all settings and other possible use cases.
Setting Up Guest Access
Not a recommended configuration and adds security vulnerabilities!
To allow guest access to the share, select Allow Guest Access.
The privileges are the same as the guest account.
Windows 10 version 1709 and Windows Server version 1903 disable guest access by default.
Additional client-side configuration is required to provide guest access to these clients.
MacOS clients: Attempting to connect as a user that does not exist in TrueNAS does not automatically connect as the guest account.
Connect As: Guest Specifically choose this option in macOS to log in as the guest account.
See the Apple documentation for more details.
To prohibit writes to the share, select Export Read-Only.
To restrict share visibility to users with read or write access to the share, select Access Based Share Enumeration.
See the smb.conf manual page.
Setting Up Host Allow and Host Deny
Use the Host Allow and Host Deny options to allow or deny specific host names and IP addresses.
Use the Hosts Allow field to enter a list of allowed host names or IP addresses.
Separate entries by pressing Enter.
Entering values in the Host Allow restricts access to only the addresses entered into this list!
You can break UI access for all other IP or host name entries by using this list.
You can find a more detailed description with examples here.
Use the Hosts Deny field to enter a list of denied host names or IP addresses. Separate entries by pressing Enter.
Hosts Allow and Hosts Deny work together to produce different situations:
Leaving both Hosts Allow and Hosts Deny free of entries allows any host to access the SMB share.
Adding entries to the Hosts Allow list but not the Hosts Deny list allows only the hosts on the Hosts Allow list to access the share.
Adding entries to the Hosts Deny list but not Hosts Allow list allows all hosts not on the Hosts Deny list to access the share.
Adding entries to both a Hosts Allow and Hosts Deny list allows all hosts on the Hosts Allow list to access the share, and also allows hosts not on the Hosts Allow or Hosts Deny list to access the share.
Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) Compatibility
AFP shares are deprecated and not available in TrueNAS.
To customize your SMB share to work with a migrated AFP share or with your MacOS, use the Advanced Options settings provided for these use cases:
Legacy AFP Compatibility controls how the SMB share reads and writes data.
Leave unset for the share to behave like a standard SMB share.
Only set this when the share originated as an AFP sharing configuration.
Pure SMB shares or macOS SMB clients do not require legacy compatibility.
Use Apple-style Character Encoding converts NTFS illegal characters in the same manner as MacOS SMB clients.
By default, Samba uses a hashing algorithm for NTFS illegal characters.
Private SMB Datasets and Shares
Use to set up an alternative to the legacy Home Shares function.
Allow adding private datasets and shares for individual users. Useful as an alternate way to creating home shares for individual users.
See Setting Up SMB Home Shares for more information.
Enabling SMB Audit Logging
To enable SMB audit logging, from either the Add SMB or Edit SMB screens, click Advanced Options, scroll down to Audit Logging and select Enable.
Enabling ACL Support
To add ACL support to the share, select Enable ACL under Advanced Options on either the Add SMB or Edit SMB screens.
See Managing SMB Shares for more on configuring permissions for the share and the file system.
Tuning ACLs for SMB Shares
There are two levels to set SMB share permissions, at the share or for the dataset associated for with the share.
See Managing SMB Shares for more information on these options.
See Permissions for more information on dataset permissions.
Tuning the Share ACL
You cannot access SMB shares with the root user. Change the SMB dataset ownership to the admin user (Full Admin user).
Using the Edit Share ACL option configures the permissions for just the share, but not the dataset the share uses.
The permissions apply at the SMB share level for the selected share.
They do not apply to other file sharing protocol clients, other SMB shares that export the same share path (i.e., /poolname/shares specified in Path), or to the dataset the share uses.
After creating the share and dataset, modify the share permissions to grant user or group access.
Click on shareEdit Share ACL icon to open the Edit Share ACL screen if you want to modify permissions at the share level.
Select either User in Who, then the user name in User, and then set the permission level using Permissions and Type.
(Optional) Click Add then select Group, the group name, and then set the group permissions.
Click Save.
See Permissions for more information on setting user and group settings.
Tuning the Dataset (Filesystem) Permissions
You cannot access SMB shares with the root user. Change the SMB dataset ownership to the admin user (Full Admin user).
To configure share owner, user and group permissions for the dataset Access Control List (ACL), use the Edit Filesystem ACL option.
This modifies the ACL entry for the SMB share the path (defined in Path) at the dataset level.
To customize permissions, add Access Control Entries (ACEs) for users or groups.
To access the dataset (filesystem) permissions, either click the «span class=“material-icons”>security> Edit Filesystem ACL icon on the share row to open the Edit ACL screen for the dataset the share uses.
You can also go to Datasets, select the dataset the share uses (same name as the share), then click Edit on the Permissions widget to open the Edit ACL screen.
Samba Authentication selected by default when SMB share users are created or added to TrueNAS SCALE manually or through a directory service, and these users are automatically added to the builtin-users group.
Users in this group can add or modify files and directories in the share.
The share dataset ACL includes an ACE for the builtin-users group, and the @owner and @group are set to root by default.
Change the @owner and @group values to the admin (Full admin) user and click Apply under each.
To restrict or grant additional file permissions for some or all share users, do not modify the builtin-users group entry.
Best practice is to create a new group for the share users that need different permissions, reassign these users to the new group and remove them from builtin-users group.
Next, edit the ACL by adding a new ACE entry for the new group, and then modify the permissions of that group.
Home users can modify the builtin-users group ACE entry to grant FULL_CONTROL
If you need to restrict or increase permissions for some share users, create a new group and add an ACE entry with the modified permissions.
Changing the built-in-user Group Permissions
To change permissions for the builtin_users group, go to Datasets, select the share dataset, and scroll down to the Permissions widget.
Click Edit to open the Edit ACL screen.
Locate the ACE entry for the builtin-users group and click on it.
Check the Access Control List area to see the if the permissions are correct.
Begin typing builtin_users in the Group field until it displays, then click on it to populate the field.
Select Basic in the Permissions area then select the level of access you want to assign in the Permissions field.
For more granular control, select Advanced then select on each permission option to include.
Click Save Access Control List to add the ACE item or save changes.
Adding a New Share Group
To change the permission level for some share users, add a new group, reassign the user(s) to the new group, then modify the share dataset ACL to include this new group and the desired permissions.
Go to Groups, click Add and create the new group.
Go to Users, select a user, click Edit, remove the builtin-user entry from Auxiliary Groups and add the new group.
Click Save. Repeat this step for each user or change the group assignment in the directory server to the new group.
Edit the filesystem (dataset) permissions. Use one of the methods to access the Edit ACL screen for the share dataset.
Add a new ACE entry for the new group. Click Add Item.
Select Group in the Who field, type the name into the Group field, then set the permission level.
Select Basic in the Permissions area then select the level of access you want to assign in the Permissions field.
For more granular control, select Advanced then select on each permission option to include.
Click Save Access Control List.
If restricting this group to read only and the share dataset is nested under parent datasets, go to each parent dataset, edit the ACL.
Add an ACE entry for the new group, and select Traverse.
Keep the parent dataset permission set to either Full_Control or MODIFY but select Traverse.
Using the Traverse Permission
If a share dataset is nested under other datasets (parents), you must add the ACL Traverse permission at the parent dataset level(s) to allow read-only users to move through directories within an SMB share.
After adding the group and assigning it to the user(s), next modify the dataset ACLs for each dataset in the path (parent datasets and the share dateset).
Add the new group to the share ACL. Use one of the methods to access the Edit ACL screen for the share dataset.
Add a new ACE entry for the new group. Click Add Item to create an ACE for the new group.
Select Group in the Who field, type the name into the Group field, then set the permission level.
Click Save Access Control List.
Return to the Datasets screen, locate the parent dataset for the share dataset, use one of the methods to access the Edit ACL screen for the parent dataset.
Add a new ACE entry for the new group. Click Add Item to create an ACE for the new group.
Select Group in the Who field, type the name into the Group field, then select Traverse.
Click Save Access Control List.
Repeat for each parent dataset in the path. This allows the restricted share group to navigate through the directories in the path to the share dataset.
Starting the SMB Service
To connect to an SMB share, start the SMB service.
After adding a new share TrueNAS prompts you to either start, or restart the SMB service.
You can also start the service from the Windows (SMB) Share widget or on the System > Services screen from the SMB service row.
Starting the Service Using the Windows SMB Share
From the Sharing screen, click on the Windows (SMB) Sharesmore_vert to display the service options, which are Turn Off Service if the service is running or Turn On Service if the service is not running.
Each SMB share on the list also has a toggle to enable or disable the service for that share.
Starting the Service Using System Settings
To make SMB share available on the network, go to System > Services and click the toggle for SMB.
Set Start Automatically if you want the service to activate when TrueNAS boots.
Configuring the SMB Service
Configure the SMB service by clicking Config Service from the more_vert dropdown menu on the Windows (SMB) Shares widget header or by clicking edit on the Services screen.
Unless you need a specific setting or are configuring a unique network environment, we recommend using the default settings.
Mounting the SMB Share
The instructions in this section cover mounting the SMB share on a system with the following operating systems.
Mounting on a Linux System
Verify that your Linux distribution has the required CIFS packages installed.
Create a mount point with the sudo mkdir /mnt/smb_share command.
Mount the volume with the sudo mount -t cifs //computer_name/share_name /mnt/smb_share command.
If your share requires user credentials, add the switch -o username= with the username after cifs and before the share address.
Mounting on a Windows System
To permanently mount the SMB share in Windows, map a drive letter in the computer for the user to the TrueNAS IP and share name.
Select a drive letter from the bottom of the alphabet rather than from the top to avoid assigning a drive dedicated to some other device.
The example below uses Z.
Open the command line and run the following command with the appropriate drive letter, TrueNAS system name or IP address, and the share name.
net use Z: \\TrueNAS_name\share_name /PERSISTENT:YES
Where:
Z is the drive letter to map to TrueNAS and the share
TrueNAS_name is either the host name or system IP address
share_name is the name given to the SMB share
To temporarily connect to a share, open a Windows File Explorer window, type \\TrueNAS_name\share_name and then enter the user credentials to authenticate with to connect to the share.
Windows remembers the user credentials so each time you connect it uses the same authentication credentials unless you reboot the system, then you are prompted to enter the authentication credentials again.
Mounting on an Apple System
Have the username and password for the user assigned to the pool or for the guest if the share has guest access ready before you begin.
Open Finder > Go > Connect To Server
Enter the SMB address as follows: smb://192.168.1.111.
Input the username and password for the user assigned to that pool or guest if the share has guest access.
Mounting on a FreeBSD System
Mounting on a FreeBSD system involves creating the mount point, then mounting the volume.
Create a mount point using the sudo mkdir /mnt/smb_share command.
Mount the volume using the sudo mount_smbfs -I computer_name\share_name /mnt/smb_share command.
Setting up an External SMB Share
External SMB shares are essentially redirects to shares on other systems.
Administrators might want to use this when managing multiple TrueNAS systems with SMB shares and if they do not want to keep track of which shares live on which boxes for clients.
This feature allows admins to connect to any of the TrueNAS systems with external shares set up, and to see them all.
Create the SMB share on another SCALE server (for example, system1), as described in Adding an SMB Share above.
We recommend using Active Directory or LDAP when creating user accounts, but at a minimum synchronize user accounts between the system with the share (system1) and on the TrueNAS SCALE system where you set up the external share (for example, system2).
On system2, enter the host name or IP address of the system hosting the SMB share (system1) and the name given the share on that system as EXTERNAL:ip address\sharename in Path, then change Name to EXTERNAL with no special characters.
Leave Purpose set to Default share parameters, leave Enabled selected, then click Save to add the share redirect.
Repeat the system2 instructions above to add an external redirect (share) on system1 to see the SMB shares of each system.
Repeat for each TrueNAS system with SMB shares to add as an external redirect.
Change the auto-populated name to EXTERNAL2 or something to distinguish it from the SMB shares on the local system (system1 in this case) and any other external shares added.
SMB Shares Contents
These tutorials describe creating and managing various specific configurations of SMB shares.
Managing SMB Shares: Provides instructions on managing existing SMB share and dataset ACL permissions.
Using SMB Shadow Copy: Provides information on SMB share shadow copies, enabling shadow copies, and resolving an issue with Microsoft Windows 10 v2004 release.
Setting Up SMB Home Shares: Provides instructions on setting up private SMB datasets and shares as an alternative to legacy SMB home shares.
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
To access SMB share management options, go to Shares screen with the Windows (SMB) Shares widget.
The widget lists SMB shares configured on but is not the full list.
Each share listed includes four icons that open other screens or dialogs that provide access to share settings.
To see a full list of shares, click on Windows (SMB) Shares launch to open the Sharing > SMB screen.
Each share row on this screen provides access to the other screens or dialogs with share settings.
Sharing Administrator Access
SCALE has implemented administrator roles to further align with FIPS-compliant encryption and security hardening standards.
The Sharing Admin role allows the user to create new shares and datasets, modify the dataset ACL permissions, and to start/restart the sharing service, but does not permit the user to modify users to grant the sharing administrator role to new or existing users.
Full Admin users retain full access control over shares and creating/modifying user accounts.
Managing SMB Shares
To manage an SMB share click the icons on the widget or use the on the Sharing > SMB details screen to see the options for the share you want to manage. Options are:
Edit opens the Edit SMB screen where you can change settings for the share.
Edit Filesystem ACL opens the Edit ACL screen where you can edit the dataset permissions for the share.
The Dataset Preset option determines the ACL type and therefore the ACL Editor screen that opens.
Delete opens a delete confirmation dialog. Use this to delete the share and remove it from the system. Delete does not affect shared data.
Modifying ACL Permissions for SMB Shares
You have two options that modify ACL permissions for SMB shares:
Edit Share ACL where you modify ACL permissions applying to the entire SMB share.
Edit Filesystem ACL where you modify ACL permissions at the shared dataset level.
See the ACL Primer for general information on Access Control Lists (ACLs) in general, the Permissions article for more details on configuring ACLs, and Edit ACL Screen for more information on the dataset ACL editor screens and setting options.
Configuring the SMB Share ACL
You cannot access SMB shares with the root user. Change the SMB dataset ownership to the admin user (Full Admin user).
Using the Edit Share ACL option configures the permissions for just the share, but not the dataset the share uses.
The permissions apply at the SMB share level for the selected share.
They do not apply to other file sharing protocol clients, other SMB shares that export the same share path (i.e., /poolname/shares specified in Path), or to the dataset the share uses.
After creating the share and dataset, modify the share permissions to grant user or group access.
Click on shareEdit Share ACL icon to open the Edit Share ACL screen if you want to modify permissions at the share level.
Select either User in Who, then the user name in User, and then set the permission level using Permissions and Type.
(Optional) Click Add then select Group, the group name, and then set the group permissions.
Click Save.
See Permissions for more information on setting user and group settings.
Configuring Dataset File System ACL
You cannot access SMB shares with the root user. Change the SMB dataset ownership to the admin user (Full Admin user).
To configure share owner, user and group permissions for the dataset Access Control List (ACL), use the Edit Filesystem ACL option.
This modifies the ACL entry for the SMB share the path (defined in Path) at the dataset level.
To customize permissions, add Access Control Entries (ACEs) for users or groups.
To access the dataset (filesystem) permissions, either click the «span class=“material-icons”>security> Edit Filesystem ACL icon on the share row to open the Edit ACL screen for the dataset the share uses.
You can also go to Datasets, select the dataset the share uses (same name as the share), then click Edit on the Permissions widget to open the Edit ACL screen.
Samba Authentication selected by default when SMB share users are created or added to TrueNAS SCALE manually or through a directory service, and these users are automatically added to the builtin-users group.
Users in this group can add or modify files and directories in the share.
The share dataset ACL includes an ACE for the builtin-users group, and the @owner and @group are set to root by default.
Change the @owner and @group values to the admin (Full admin) user and click Apply under each.
To restrict or grant additional file permissions for some or all share users, do not modify the builtin-users group entry.
Best practice is to create a new group for the share users that need different permissions, reassign these users to the new group and remove them from builtin-users group.
Next, edit the ACL by adding a new ACE entry for the new group, and then modify the permissions of that group.
Home users can modify the builtin-users group ACE entry to grant FULL_CONTROL
If you need to restrict or increase permissions for some share users, create a new group and add an ACE entry with the modified permissions.
Changing the built-in-user Group Permissions
To change permissions for the builtin_users group, go to Datasets, select the share dataset, and scroll down to the Permissions widget.
Click Edit to open the Edit ACL screen.
Locate the ACE entry for the builtin-users group and click on it.
Check the Access Control List area to see the if the permissions are correct.
Begin typing builtin_users in the Group field until it displays, then click on it to populate the field.
Select Basic in the Permissions area then select the level of access you want to assign in the Permissions field.
For more granular control, select Advanced then select on each permission option to include.
Click Save Access Control List to add the ACE item or save changes.
Adding a New Share Group
To change the permission level for some share users, add a new group, reassign the user(s) to the new group, then modify the share dataset ACL to include this new group and the desired permissions.
Go to Groups, click Add and create the new group.
Go to Users, select a user, click Edit, remove the builtin-user entry from Auxiliary Groups and add the new group.
Click Save. Repeat this step for each user or change the group assignment in the directory server to the new group.
Edit the filesystem (dataset) permissions. Use one of the methods to access the Edit ACL screen for the share dataset.
Add a new ACE entry for the new group. Click Add Item.
Select Group in the Who field, type the name into the Group field, then set the permission level.
Select Basic in the Permissions area then select the level of access you want to assign in the Permissions field.
For more granular control, select Advanced then select on each permission option to include.
Click Save Access Control List.
If restricting this group to read only and the share dataset is nested under parent datasets, go to each parent dataset, edit the ACL.
Add an ACE entry for the new group, and select Traverse.
Keep the parent dataset permission set to either Full_Control or MODIFY but select Traverse.
Using the Traverse Permission
If a share dataset is nested under other datasets (parents), you must add the ACL Traverse permission at the parent dataset level(s) to allow read-only users to move through directories within an SMB share.
After adding the group and assigning it to the user(s), next modify the dataset ACLs for each dataset in the path (parent datasets and the share dateset).
Add the new group to the share ACL. Use one of the methods to access the Edit ACL screen for the share dataset.
Add a new ACE entry for the new group. Click Add Item to create an ACE for the new group.
Select Group in the Who field, type the name into the Group field, then set the permission level.
Click Save Access Control List.
Return to the Datasets screen, locate the parent dataset for the share dataset, use one of the methods to access the Edit ACL screen for the parent dataset.
Add a new ACE entry for the new group. Click Add Item to create an ACE for the new group.
Select Group in the Who field, type the name into the Group field, then select Traverse.
Click Save Access Control List.
Repeat for each parent dataset in the path. This allows the restricted share group to navigate through the directories in the path to the share dataset.
Adding a Basic Time Machine SMB Share
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
SCALE uses predefined setting options to establish an SMB share that fits a predefined purpose, such as a basic time machine share.
Setting Up a Basic Time Machine SMB Share
To set up a basic time machine share:
Create the user(s) for this SMB share.
Go to Credentials > Local User and click Add.
When accessing from a Windows client, having more than 512 snapshots on the TrueNAS box can lead to performance issues, as the Windows client often attempts to load all snapshots into the ‘Previous Versions’ tab.
To avoid this, users should maintain fewer than 512 snapshots, or consider accessing from a non-Windows client. Alternatively, configuring snapshot lifetimes or creating an automatic deletion policy via the Periodic Snapshot Tasks screen can help users manage the snapshot count more effectively.
Creating the Share and Dataset
You can either create the dataset to use for the share on the Add Dataset screen and the share, or create the dataset when you add the share on the Add SMB screen.
If you want to customize the dataset, use the Add Dataset screen.
To create a basic dataset, go to Datasets.
Default settings include those inherited from the parent dataset.
Select a dataset (root, parent, or child), then click Add Dataset.
Select the Dataset Preset option you want to use. Options are:
Generic for non-SMB share datasets such as iSCSI and NFS share datasets or datasets not associated with application storage.
Multiprotocol for datasets optimized for SMB and NFS multi-mode shares or to create a dataset for NFS shares.
SMB for datasets optimized for SMB shares.
Apps for datasets optimized for application storage.
Generic sets ACL permissions equivalent to Unix permissions 755, granting the owner full control and the group and other users read and execute privileges.
SMB, Apps, and Multiprotocol inherit ACL permissions based on the parent dataset.
If there is no ACL to inherit, one is calculated granting full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
Modify control is granted to other members of the builtin_users group and directory services domain users.
Apps includes an additional entry granting modify control to group 568 (Apps).
ACL Settings for Dataset Presets
ACL Type
ACL Mode
Case Sensitivity
Enable atime
Generic
POSIX
n/a
Sensitive
Inherit
SMB
NFSv4
Restricted
Insensitive
On
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
If creating an SMB or multi-protocol (SMB and NFS) share the dataset name value auto-populates the share name field with the dataset name.
If you plan to deploy container applications, the system automatically creates the ix-apps dataset for Docker storage for but separate datasets used for application data storage.
If you want to store data by application, create the dataset(s) first, then deploy your application.
When creating a dataset for an application, select Apps as the Dataset Preset. This optimizes the dataset for use by an application.
If you want to configure advanced setting options, click Advanced Options.
For the Sync option, we recommend production systems with critical data use the default Standard choice or increase to Always.
Choosing Disabled is only suitable in situations where data loss from system crashes or power loss is acceptable.
Select either Sensitive or Insensitive from the Case Sensitivity dropdown.
The Case Sensitivity setting is found under Advanced Options and is not editable after saving the dataset.
Click Save.
Review the Dataset Preset and Case Sensitivity under Advanced Options on the Add Dataset screen before clicking Save.
You cannot change these or the Name setting after clicking Save.
To use the Add SMB screen, click Add on the Windows (SMB) Shares widget to open the screen.
Set the Path to the existing dataset created for the share, or to where you want to add the dataset, then click Create Dataset.
Enter a name for the dataset and click Create Dataset.
The dataset name populates the share Name field and updates the Path automatically.
The dataset name becomes the share name.
Leave this as the default.
If you change the name follow the naming conventions for:
Select Enabled to allow sharing of this path when the SMB service is activated.
Leave it cleared if you want to disable the share without deleting the configuration.
Finish customizing the share, then click Save.
Do not start the SMB service when prompted, start it after configuring the SMB service.
Modifying the SMB Service
Click on the on the Windows (SMB) Share widget, then click Configure Service to open the SMB Service screen.
You can also go to System > Services and scroll down to SMB.
If using the Services screen, click the toggle to turn off the SMB service if it is running, then click editConfigure to open the SMB Service settings screen.
Click Advanced Settings.
Verify or select Enable Apple SMB2/3 Protocol Extension to enable it, then click Save.
Restart the SMB service.
Using SMB Shadow Copy
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
Enable Shadow Copies exports ZFS snapshots as Shadow Copies for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) clients.
About SMB Shadow Copies
Shadow Copies, also known as the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) or Previous Versions, is a Microsoft service for creating volume snapshots.
You can use shadow copies to restore previous versions of files from within Windows Explorer.
By default, all ZFS snapshots for a dataset underlying an SMB share path are presented to SMB clients through the volume shadow copy service or are accessible directly with SMB when the hidden ZFS snapshot directory is within the SMB share path.
Before you activate Shadow Copies in TrueNAS, there are a few caveats:
Shadow Copies might not work if you have not updated the Windows system to the latest service pack.
If previous versions of files to restore are not visible, use Windows Update to ensure the system is fully up-to-date.
Shadow Copies support only works for ZFS pools or datasets.
You must configure SMB share dataset or pool permissions appropriately.
Enabling Shadow Copies
To enable shadow copies, go to Shares > Windows (SMB) Shares and locate the share.
If listed on the widget, select the Edit option for the share.
If not listed, click Windows (SMB) Shares launch to open the Sharing > SMB list-view screen.
Select the share, then click the more_vert for the share, then click Edit to open the Edit SMB screen.
Click Advanced Options, scroll down to Other Options, and then select Enable Shadow Copies.
Click Save.
Windows 10 v2004 Issue
Some users might experience issues in the Windows 10 v2004 release where they cannot access network shares.
The problem appears to come from a bug in gpedit.msc, the Local Group Policy Editor.
Unfortunately, setting the Allow insecure guest logon flag value to Enabled in Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Lanman Workstation in Windows does not affect the configuration.
To work around this issue, edit the Windows registry.
Use Regedit and go to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters.
The DWORD AllowInsecureGuestAuth is an incorrect value: 0x00000000. Change this value to 0x00000001 (Hexadecimal 1) to allow adjusting the settings in gpedit.msc.
You can use a Group Policy Update to apply the edit to a fleet of Windows machines.
Deleting Shadow Copies
Users with an SMB client cannot delete Shadow copies.
Instead, the administrator uses the TrueNAS web interface to remove snapshots.
Disable shadow copies for an SMB share by clearing the Enable shadow copies checkbox on the Edit SMB screen in the Other Options on the Advanced Options screen for the SMB share.
Disabling does not prevent access to the hidden .zfs/snapshot directory for a ZFS dataset when it is within the path for an SMB share.
Setting Up SMB Home Shares
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
SMB Home Shares are a legacy feature for organizations looking to maintain existing SMB configurations.
They are not recommended for new deployments.
Future TrueNAS SCALE releases can introduce instability or require configuration changes affecting this legacy feature.
Replacing SMB Home Shares
TrueNAS does not recommend setting up home shares with the Use as Home Share option, found in the Add SMB and Edit SMB screen Advanced Options settings, in the Other Options section.
This option is for organizations still using the legacy home shares option of adding a single SMB share to provide a personal directory for every user account.
Users wanting to create the equivalent of home shares should use the intructions in the Adding Private SMB Datasets and Shares section below for the recommended method for creating private shares and datasets.
The legacy home shares provide each user a personal home directory when connecting to the share.
These home directories are not accessible by other users.
You can use only one share as the home share, but you can create as many non-home shares as you need or want.
Other options for configuring individual user directories include:
Configure a single share on the TrueNAS and provision individual user directories on the client OS.
Create a single SMB share and configure the ACL so that users can create individual directories on the share that inherit write access for the user and grant read access the administrator.
Create an SMB share using the Private SMB datasets and shares preset; and then create per-user datasets under the umbrella of a single share when users access the share.
Creating an SMB home share requires configuring the system storage and provisioning users or joining Active Directory.
Adding Private SMB Datasets and Shares
This option allows creating private share and datasets for the users that require the equivalent of the legacy home share.
It is not intended for every user on the system.
Setting up private SMB shares and datasets prevents the system from showing these to all users with access to the root level of the share.
Examples of private SMB shares are those for backups, system configuration, and users or departments that need to keep information private from other users.
Before setting up SMB shares check system alerts to verify there are no errors related to connections to Active Directory.
Resolve any issues with Active Directory before proceeding. If Active Directory cannot bind with TrueNAS you cannot start the SMB service after making changes.
To add private shares and datasets for users that require home directories:
Create the share using the Private SMB Datasets and Shares preset.
Configure the share dataset ACL to use the NFSv4_HOME preset.
Create users either manually or through Active Directory.
Creating the Share and Dataset
TrueNAS must be joined to Active Directory or have at least one local SMB user before creating an SMB share. When creating an SMB user, ensure that Samba Authentication is enabled.
You cannot access SMB shares using the root user, TrueNAS built-in user accounts, or those without Samba Authentication selected.
You can use an existing dataset for the share or create a new dataset.
You can either add a share when you create the dataset for the share on the Add Dataset screen, or create the dataset when you add the share on the Add SMB screen.
If creating a simple SMB share and dataset use either method, or if customizing the dataset, use the Add Dataset screen to access dataset advanced setting options.
To configure a customized SMB share, use the Add SMB share option that provides access to the advanced setting options for shares.
This procedure covers creating the share and dataset from the Add Share screen.
To create an alternative to the legacy SMB home share:
Go to Shares, click Add on the Windows (SMB) Shares widget to open the Add SMB screen.
If you created the dataset already, you can add the share with the correct share preset on this screen.
If you are creating the share and dataset together you can create both using the correct share preset on this screen.
Browse to or enter the location of an existing dataset or path to where you want to create the dataset to populate the Path for the share.
To add a dataset, click Create Dataset, enter a name for the dataset, then click Create Dataset.
For example, creating a share and dataset named private.
By default, the dataset name populates the share Name field and becomes the share name. The share and dataset must have the same name. It also updates the Path automatically.
Set Purpose to the Private SMB Dataset and Share preset and click Advanced Options to show the additional settings.
Configure the options you want to use.
Scroll down to Other Options and select Export Recycle Bin to allow moving files deleted in the share to a recycle bin in that dataset.
Files are renamed to a per-user subdirectory within .recycle directory at the root of the SMB share if the path is the same dataset as the share.
If the dataset has nested dataset, the directory is at the root of the current dataset. If this is the case, there is not automatic deletion based on file size.
Click Save.
Enable or restart the SMB service when prompted and make the share available on your network.
After saving the dataset and if not already set for the dataset, set the ACL permissions.
Setting Dataset ACL Permissions
After creating the share and dataset, edit ACL permissions.
You can access the Edit ACL screen either from the Datasets or the Shares screens.
If starting on the Datasets screen, select the dataset row, then click Edit on the Permissions widget to open the Edit ACL screen.
See Setting Up Permissions for more information on editing dataset permissions.
If starting on the Shares screen, select the share on the Windows (SMB) Share widget, then click Edit Filesystem ACL to open the Edit ACL screen.
Select the option to edit the file system ACL not the share permissions.
See SMB Shares for detailed information on editing the share dataset permissions.
To set the permission for the private dataset and share, the home share alternative scenario, select the HOME (if a POSIX ACL) or NSFv4_HOME (for NFSv4 ACL) preset option to correctly configure dataset permissions.
Click the Owner dropdown and select the administration user with full control, then repeat for Group.
You can set the owning group to your Active Directory domain admins. Click Apply Owner and Apply Group.
Next, click Use Preset and choose NFS4_HOME. If the dataset has a POSIX ACL the preset is HOME.
Click Continue, then click Save Access Control List.
Next, add the users that need a private dataset and share.
As of SCALE 22.12 (Bluefin) and later, TrueNAS does not support SMB client operating systems that are labeled by their vendor as End of Life or End of Support.
This means MS-DOS (including Windows 98) clients, among others, cannot connect to TrueNAS SCALE SMB servers.
The upstream Samba project that TrueNAS uses for SMB features notes in the 4.11 release that the SMB1 protocol is deprecated and warns portions of the protocol might be further removed in future releases.
Administrators should work to phase out any clients using the SMB1 protocol from their environments.
Adding Local Share Users
Go to Credentials > Users and click Add.
Create a new user name and password. For home directories, make the username all lowercase.
Add and configure permissions for the user the private share is for to allow log in access to the share and the ability see a folder matching their username.
By default, the user Home Directory is set to /var/empty.
You must change this to the path for the new parent dataset created for home directories.
Select the path /mnt/poolname/datasetname/username where poolname is the name of the pool where you added the share dataset, datasetname is the name of the dataset associated with the share, and username is the username (all lowercase) and is also the name of the home directory for that username.
Select Create Home Directory.
Click Save. TrueNAS adds the user and creates the home directory for the user.
If existing users require access to a home share, go to Credentials > Users, select the user, click Edit and add the home directory as described above.
Why the change?
TrueNAS uses the pam_mkhomdir PAM module in the pam_open_session configuration file to automatically create user home directories if they do not exist.
pam_mkhomedir returns PAM_PERM_DENIED if it fails to create a home directory for a user, which eventually turns into a pam_open_session() failure.
This does not impact other PAM API calls, for example, pam_authenticate().
TrueNAS 24.04 (or newer) does not include the customized version of pam_mkhomedir used in TrueNAS 13.0 and earlier or 13.3 releases.
This version of pam_mkhomedir specifically avoided trying to create the /nonexistent directory.
This led to some circumstances where users could create the /nonexistent directory on TrueNAS versions before 24.04.
Starting in TrueNAS 24.04 (Dragonfish), the root file system of TrueNAS is read-only, which prevents pam_mkhomdir from creating the /nonexistent directory in cases where it previously did.
This results in a permissions error if pam_open_session() is called by an application for a user account that has Home Directory set to /nonexistent.
Adding Share Users with Directory Services
You can use Active Directory or LDAP to create share users.
If not already created, add a pool, then join Active Directory.
When creating the share for this dataset, use the SMB preset for the dataset but do not add the share from the Add Dataset screen.
Do not share the root directory!
Go to Shares and follow the instructions listed above using the Private SMB Dataset and Share preset, and then modifying the file system permissions of the dataset to use the NFSv4_HOME ACL preset.
SMB Share MacOS Client Limitations When Using Decomposed Unicode Characters
There are normalize forms for a unicode character with diacritical marks: decomposed (NFD) and pre-composed (NFC).
Take for example the character ä (a + umlaut) and the encoding differences between NFC (b’\xc3\xa4’) and NFD (b’a\xcc\x88’).
The MacOS SMB client historically and at present forces normalization of unicode strings to NFC prior to generating network traffic to the remote SMB server.
The practical impact of this is that a file that contains NFD diacritics on a remote SMB server (TrueNAS, Windows, etc.) might be visible in the directory listing in the MacOS SMB client and thereby Finder, but any operations on the file (edits, deletions, etc.) have undefined behaviors since a file with NFC diacritics does not exist on the remote server.
>>> os.listdir(".")
['220118_M_HAN_MGK_X_4_Entwässerung.pdf']
>>> os.unlink('220118_M_HAN_MGK_X_4_Entwässerung.pdf')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '220118_M_HAN_MGK_X_4_Entwässerung.pdf'
>>> os.listdir(".")
['220118_M_HAN_MGK_X_4_Entwässerung.pdf']
Above is a short example of a MacOS SMB client attempting to delete a file with NFD normalization on remote Windows server.
Short of Apple providing a fix for this, the only strategy for an administrator to address these issues is to rename the files with pre-composed (NFC) form. Unfortunately, normalization is not guaranteed to be lossless.
When creating a share, do not attempt to set up the root or pool-level dataset for the share.
Instead, create a new dataset under the pool-level dataset for the share.
Setting up a share using the root dataset leads to storage configuration issues.
SMB multichannel allows servers to use multiple network connections simultaneously by combining the bandwidth of several network interface cards (NICs) for better performance.
SMB multichannel does not function if you combine NICs into a LAGG.
Activating Multichannel in TrueNAS Scale
If you already have clients connected to SMB shares, disconnect them before activating multichannel.
Go to System > Services and click the edit edit icon for the SMB service.
Click Advanced Settings, then enable Multichannel.
Save and restart the SMB service, then reconnect all clients to their SMB Shares.
Validating Multichannel Activated In Windows
After you connect a client to their SMB share, open Powershell as an administrator on a client, then enter Get-SmbMultichannelConnection. The terminal should list multiple server IPs.
The Data Protection section allows users to set up multiple redundant tasks that will protect and/or backup data in case of drive failure.
Scrub Tasks and S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) Tests can provide early disk failure alerts by identifying data integrity problems and detecting various indicators of drive reliability.
TrueCloud Backup, Cloud Sync, Periodic Snapshot, Rsync, and Replication Tasks, provide backup storage for data and allow users to revert the system to a previous configuration or point in time.
Contents
Managing TrueCloud Backup Tasks: Provides instructions on setting up a TrueCloud backup task and configuring a Storj iX account to work with TrueNAS.
Cloud Sync Tasks: Tutorials for configuring and managing data backups to from TrueNAS to various 3rd party Cloud Service Providers.
Backing Up Google Drive to TrueNAS SCALE: Provides instructions on adding Google Drive cloud credentials using the Add Cloud Credentials and Add Cloud Sync Task screens, and on working with Google-created content.
Creating VMWare Snapshots: Provides instructions for creating ZFS snapshots when using TrueNAS as a VMWare datastore.
Managing S.M.A.R.T. Tests: Provides instructions on running S.M.A.R.T. tests manually or automatically, using Shell to view the list of tests, and configuring the S.M.A.R.T. test service.
Replication Tasks: Tutorials for configuring ZFS snapshot replication tasks in TrueNAS SCALE.
Setting Up a Local Replication Task: Provides instructions on adding a replication task using different pools or datasets on the same TrueNAS system.
Advanced Replication Tasks: Provides instructions on configuring advanced ZFS snapshot replication tasks in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing TrueCloud Backup Tasks
TrueNAS can send, receive, or synchronize data with the cloud storage providers available in TrueNAS.
TrueCloud backup tasks allow for single-time transfers or recurring transfers on a schedule.
They are an effective method to back up data to a remote location.
This article provides instructions on configuring a TrueCloud backup task using Storj and covers setting up both the Storj iX account and TrueNAS credential.
To take advantage of the lower-cost benefits of the TrueCloud backup service, you must create your Storj iX account using the link provided on the Add Cloud Credentials screen.
You must also create and authorize the storage buckets on Storj for use by SCALE.
iXsystems is not responsible for charges incurred using a third-party vendor with the TrueCloud backup feature.
TrueCloud Backup Task Requirements
You must configure all system storage (pool and datasets or zvols) and have them ready to receive or send data.
Adding the Storj cloud credential in TrueNAS includes following the link to create the Storj iX account, creating a new bucket, and obtaining the S3 authentication credentials needed to complete the process in SCALE.
Go to Credentials > Backup Credentials and click Add on the Cloud Credentials widget.
The Cloud Credentials screen opens with Storj displayed as the default provider in the Provider field.
You must use this link to create your Storj account to take advantage of the benefits of the Storj iX pricing!
Enter your information in the fields, select the I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and click the button at the bottom of the screen.
The Storj main dashboard opens.
Select the permissions you want to allow this access key.
Choose Full Access to allow permanent full permissions to all buckets and data then click Create Access or select Advanced then click Next to customize access configuration.
b. Select the buckets to allow access to.
Click All Buckets or click Select Buckets and use the Buckets dropdown to select one or more bucket(s).
Click Next.
c. Select an expiration date if you want to set the duration or length of time to allow this credential to exist.
You can select a preset period, click Set Custom Expiration Date to use the calendar to set the duration, or select No expiration.
Click Next to open the Access Encryption window.
Not all Storj buckets are TrueNAS compatible.
To create a TrueNAS-compatible bucket, either log in to Storj using the ix Storj affiliate link before creating the bucket in the Storj UI, or use the TrueNAS UI to create the bucket using the Add New option.
To create a Storj bucket from the TrueNAS UI:
Go to Data Protection.
Click Add on either the TrueCloud Backup Tasks or Cloud Sync Tasks widget.
Select the stored Storj cloud credential from the Provider > Credentials dropdown.
Do this as part of setting up a task or use the wizard to create the bucket without saving a configured task.
Click Verify Credential for verification, then click Next to go to the What and When screen.
Enter or browse to select the local Source Path to the directories or files you want sent to the cloud for backup.
Click the arrow to the left of the name to expand it, then click on the name to select it.
Select the Storj credential on the Credentials dropdown list.
You can select Add New to create the Storj credential if you skipped the instructions above.
Select the Storj bucket to use from the Bucket dropdown list.
If you have not previously created a TrueNAS compatible Storj bucket, select Add New and follow the procedure in Creating a TrueNAS Storj Bucket.
Click the arrow icon for the Folder field to expand the dropdown list and select the desired folder in the Storj bucket, or enter a folder path.
Enter /name, where name is a folder that does not exist, to create a new folder in the Storj bucket.
Enter a name for the task under Task Settings.
Enter the number of snapshot copies to retain in Keep Last.
Enter a password for the backup repository.
Record this password in a secure location.
You need the password to recreate the task using the same bucket/folder, such as in a new TrueNAS install or system, or to restore data from the existing snapshots in another TrueNAS system.
Set the task schedule for when to run this task.
Click Save.
TrueNAS adds the task to the TrueCloud Backup Tasks widget with the state N/A until the task runs on schedule.
To test the task, click Run Job to start the task apart from the scheduled time.
Advanced Options and Advanced Remote Options contain additional settings for advanced users.
Advanced users can write scripts that run immediately before or after the TrueCloud backup task.
Enter environment variables in either the Pre-script or Post-script fields.
The Post-script field only runs when the TrueCloud backup task succeeds.
See TrueCloud Backup Tasks Screens for information on available environment variables.
Use Exclude to enter a list of files and directories to exclude from sync.
Press Enter to separate entries.
See TrueCloud Backup Tasks Screens for syntax examples.
Use Transfer Settings to prevent excess resource consumption by setting the pack size and read concurrency.
Managing TrueCloud Tasks
To edit an existing TrueCloud backup task, click Edit to open the Edit TrueCloud Backup Task screen. After making changes, click Save.
To run a scheduled task before the defined time, click Run Job to start the task immediately.
To delete a task, click delete Delete for the task to delete.
Select Include Everything to restore all data, or exclude some data using Include from subfolder, Select paths to exclude, or Exclude by pattern.
See TrueCloud Backup Tasks Screens for more information.
Set the local Target to the target dataset of the backup task.
Click Save to restore data from the snapshot.
Removing TrueCloud Snapshots
To delete an existing snapshot, locate it on the Snapshots widget.
Click delete Delete to delete the snapshot.
A Delete Snapshot dialog opens.
When TrueNAS performs a scrub, ZFS scans the data on a pool.
Scrubs identify data integrity problems, detect silent data corruptions caused by transient hardware issues, and provide early disk failure alerts.
Default Scrub Tasks
TrueNAS generates a default scrub task when you create a new pool and sets it to run every Sunday at 12:00 AM.
Adjusting Scrub/Resilver Priority
Resilvering is a process that copies data to a replacement disk. Complete it as quickly as possible.
Resilvering is a high priority task.
It can run in the background while performing other system functions, however, this can put a higher demand on system resources.
Increasing the priority of resilvers helps them finish faster as the system runs tasks with higher priority ranking.
Use the Resilver Priority screen to schedule a time where a resilver task can become a higher priority for the system and when the additional I/O or CPU use does not affect normal usage.
Select Enabled, then use the dropdown lists to select a start time in Begin and time to finish in End to define a priority period for the resilver.
To select the day(s) to run the resliver, use the Days of the Week dropdown to select when the task can run with the priority given.
A resilver process running during the time frame defined between the beginning and end times likely runs faster than during times when demand on system resources is higher.
We advise you to avoid putting the system under any intensive activity or heavy loads (replications, SMB transfers, NFS transfers, Rsync transfers, S.M.A.R.T. tests, pool scrubs, etc) during a resilver process.
Creating New Scrub Tasks
TrueNAS needs at least one data pool to create scrub task.
To create a scrub task for a pool, go to Data Protection and click ADD in the Scrub Tasks window.
Select a preset schedule from the dropdown list or click Custom to create a new schedule for when to run a scrub task. Custom opens the Advanced Scheduler window.
Advanced Scheduler
Choosing a Presets option populates in the rest of the fields.
To customize a schedule, enter crontab values for the Minutes/Hours/Days.
These fields accept standard cron values.
The simplest option is to enter a single number in the field.
The task runs when the time value matches that number.
For example, entering 10 means that the job runs when the time is ten minutes past the hour.
The TrueNAS UI does not have a Minutes field, but you can specify minutes within the Hours field using the CRON syntax described below.
An asterisk (*) means match all values.
You can set specific time ranges by entering hyphenated number values.
You can also enter lists of values.
Enter individual values separated by a comma (,).
For example, entering 1,14 in the Hours field means the task runs at 1:00 AM (0100) and 2:00 PM (1400).
A slash (/) designates a step value.
For example, entering * in Days runs the task every day of the month. Entering */2 runs it every other day.
Combining the above examples creates a schedule running a task each minute from 1:30-1:35 AM and 2:30-2:35 PM every other day.
TrueNAS has an option to select which Months the task runs.
Leaving each month unset is the same as selecting every month.
The Days of Week schedules the task to run on specific days and any listed days.
For example, entering 1 in Days and setting Wed for Days of Week creates a schedule that starts a task on the first day of the month and every Wednesday of the month.
The Schedule Preview displays when the current settings mean the task runs.
Examples of CRON syntax
Syntax
Meaning
Examples
*
Every item.
* (minutes) = every minute of the hour. * (days) = every day.
*/N
Every Nth item.
*/15 (minutes) = every 15th minute of the hour. */3 (days) = every 3rd day. */3 (months) = every 3rd month.
Comma and hyphen/dash
Each stated item (comma) Each item in a range (hyphen/dash).
1,31 (minutes) = on the 1st and 31st minute of the hour. 1-3,31 (minutes) = on the 1st to 3rd minutes inclusive, and the 31st minute, of the hour. mon-fri (days) = every Monday to Friday inclusive (every weekday). mar,jun,sep,dec (months) = every March, June, September, December.
You can specify days of the month or days of the week.
TrueNAS lets users create flexible schedules using the available options. The table below has some examples:
Desired schedule
Values to enter
3 times a day (at midnight, 08:00 and 16:00)
months=*; days=*; hours=0/8 or 0,8,16; minutes=0 (Meaning: every day of every month, when hours=0/8/16 and minutes=0)
Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday, at 8.30 pm
months=*; days=mon,wed,fri; hours=20; minutes=30
1st and 15th day of the month, during October to June, at 00:01 am
Every 15 minutes during the working week, which is 8am - 7pm (08:00 - 19:00) Monday to Friday
Note that this requires two tasks to achieve: (1) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=8-18; minutes=*/15 (2) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=19; minutes=0 We need the second scheduled item, to execute at 19:00, otherwise we would stop at 18:45. Another workaround would be to stop at 18:45 or 19:45 rather than 19:00.
To view the progress of a scrub task, check the status under the Next Run column.
Editing Scrub Tasks
To edit a scrub, go to Data Protection and click the scrub task to edit.
Cloud Sync Tasks
This section has tutorials for configuring and managing data backups to from TrueNAS to various 3rd party cloud service providers.
This article provides instructions on adding a cloud sync task, configuring environment variables, running an unscheduled sync task, creating a copy of a task with a reversed transfer mode, and troubleshooting common issues with some cloud storage providers.
TrueNAS can send, receive, or synchronize data with a cloud storage provider.
Cloud sync tasks allow for single-time transfers or recurring transfers on a schedule. They are an effective method to back up data to a remote location.
These providers are supported for Cloud Sync tasks in TrueNAS SCALE:
*TrueCloud backup tasks streamline functionality for Storj iX cloud backups and restoration.
Using the cloud means data can go to a third-party commercial vendor not directly affiliated with iXsystems.
You should fully understand vendor pricing policies and services before using them for cloud sync tasks.
iXsystems is not responsible for any charges incurred from using third-party vendors with the cloud sync feature.
Cloud Sync Task Requirements
You must have:
All system storage configured and ready to receive or send data.
A cloud storage provider account and location (like an Amazon S3 bucket).
You can create cloud storage account credentials using Credentials > Backup Credentials > Cloud Credentials before adding the sync task or add it when configuring the cloud sync task using Add on the Data Protection > Cloud Sync Task widget to open the Cloudsync Task Wizard.
See the Cloud Credentials article for instructions on adding a backup cloud credential.
Creating a Cloud Sync Task
To add a cloud sync task, go to Data Protection > Cloud Sync Tasks and click Add. The Cloud Sync Task Wizard opens.
Select an existing backup credential from the Credential dropdown list.
If not already added as a cloud credential, click Add New to open the Cloud Credentials screen to add the credential.
Click Save to close the screen and return to the wizard.
Click Verify Credential to ensure the credentials are valid then click Next.
Select the option from Direction and in Transfer Mode.
Select the location where to pull from or push data to in the Folder field.
Select the dataset location in Directory/Files. Browse to the dataset to use on SCALE for data storage.
Click the arrow to the left of the name to expand it, then click on the name to select it.
If Direction is set to PUSH, click on the folder icon to add / to the Folder field.
Browsing to select a path
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
Select or enter the required settings that include where files are stored. Cloud provider settings change based on the credential selected.
If shown, select the bucket on the Bucket dropdown list.
Select the time to run the task from the Schedule options.
Click Save to add the task.
Use Dry Run to test the configuration before clicking Save or select the option on the Cloud Sync Task widget after you click Save.
TrueNAS adds the task to the Cloud Sync Task widget with the Pending status until the task runs on schedule.
Encrypting Cloud Sync Tasks
The option to encrypt data transferred to or from a cloud storage provider is available in the Advanced Options settings.
Select Remote Encryption to use rclone crypt encryption during pull and push transfers.
With Pull selected as the Transfer Direction, the Remote Encryption decrypts files stored on the remote system before the transfer.
This requires entering the same password used to encrypt data in both Encryption Password and Encryption Salt.
With Push selected as the Transfer Direction, data is encrypted before it is transferred and stored on the remote system.
This also requires entering the same password used to encrypt data in both Encryption Password and Encryption Salt.
We do not recommend enabling Filename Encryption for any cloud sync tasks that did not previously have it enabled.
Users with existing cloud sync tasks that have this setting enabled must leave it enabled on those tasks to be able to restore those existing backups.
Do not enable file name encryption on new cloud sync tasks!
When Filename Encryption is selected, transfers encrypt and decrypt file names with the rclone Standard file name encryption mode.
The original directory structure of the files is preserved.
When disabled, encryption does not hide file names or directory structure, file names can be 246 characters long, use sub-paths, and copy single files.
When enabled, file names are encrypted, file names are limited to 143 characters, directory structure is visible, and files with identical names have identical uploaded names.
File names can use sub-paths, single copy files, and shortcuts to shorten the directory recursion.
Troubleshooting Transfer Mode Problems
Sync keeps all the files identical between the two storage locations.
If the sync encounters an error, it does not delete files in the destination.
Syncing to a Backblaze B2 bucket does not delete files from the bucket, even after deleting those files locally.
Instead, files are tagged with a version number or moved to a hidden state.
To automatically delete old or unwanted files from the bucket, adjust the Backblaze B2 Lifecycle Rules.
A directory, deleted in BackBlaze B2 and notated with an asterisk, do not display in the SCALE UI.
These folders are essentially empty directories and Backblaze API restricts them so they do not display.
Amazon S3 Issues
Sync cannot delete files stored in Amazon S3 Glacier or S3 Glacier Deep Archive.
First restore these files by another means, like the Amazon S3 console.
Using Scripting and Environment Variables
Advanced users can write scripts that run immediately before or after the cloud sync task.
Use either the Advanced Options screen accessed from the Cloudsync Task Wizard or Edit Cloud Sync Task screen, scroll down to the Advanced Options to locate and then enter environment variables in either the Pre-script or Post-script fields.
The Post-script field only runs when the cloud sync task succeeds.
Click here for Environment Variables
General Environment Variables
CLOUD_SYNC_ID
CLOUD_SYNC_DESCRIPTION
CLOUD_SYNC_DIRECTION
CLOUD_SYNC_TRANSFER_MODE
CLOUD_SYNC_ENCRYPTION
CLOUD_SYNC_FILENAME_ENCRYPTION
CLOUD_SYNC_ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD
CLOUD_SYNC_ENCRYPTION_SALT
CLOUD_SYNC_SNAPSHOT
Provider-Specific Variables
There also are provider-specific variables like CLOUD_SYNC_CLIENT_ID or CLOUD_SYNC_TOKEN or CLOUD_SYNC_CHUNK_SIZE.
Remote storage settings:
CLOUD_SYNC_BUCKET
CLOUD_SYNC_FOLDER
Local storage settings:
CLOUD_SYNC_PATH
Running an Unscheduled Cloud Sync Task
Saved tasks activate based on the schedule set for the task.
Click Run Now on the Cloud Sync Task widget to run the sync task before the saved scheduled time.
You can also expand the task on the Cloud Sync Tasks screen and click Run Now on the task details screen.
An in-progress cloud sync must finish before another can begin.
Stopping an in-progress task cancels the file transfer and requires starting the file transfer over.
To view logs about a running task, or its most recent run, click on the State oval.
Using Cloud Sync Task Restore
To create a new cloud sync task that uses the same options but reverses the data transfer, select history for an existing cloud sync on the Data Protection page.
The Restore Cloud Sync Task window opens.
Enter a name in Description for this reversed task.
Select the Transfer Mode and then define the path for a storage location on TrueNAS scale for the transferred data.
Click Restore.
TrueNAS saves the restored cloud sync as another entry in Data protection > Cloud Sync Tasks.
If you set the restore destination to the source dataset, TrueNAS may alter ownership of the restored files to root.
If root did not create the original files and you need them to have a different owner, you can recursively reset their ACL permissions through the GUI.
Cloud Sync Tasks Contents
Backing Up Google Drive to TrueNAS SCALE: Provides instructions on adding Google Drive cloud credentials using the Add Cloud Credentials and Add Cloud Sync Task screens, and on working with Google-created content.
Google Drive and G Suite are widely used tools for creating and sharing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with team members.
While cloud-based tools have inherent backups and replications included by the cloud provider, certain users might require additional backup or archive capabilities.
For example, companies using G Suite for important work might be required to keep records for years, potentially beyond the scope of the G Suite subscription.
TrueNAS offers the ability to easily back up Google Drive by using the built-in cloud sync.
Setting up Google Drive Credentials
You can add Google Drive credentials using the Add Cloud Credentials screen accessed from the Credentials > Backup Credentials > Cloud Credentials screen, or you can add them when you create a cloud sync task using the Add Cloud Sync Task screen accessed from the Data Protection > Cloud Sycn Task screen.
Adding Google Drive Credentials Using Cloud Credentials
To set up a cloud credential, go to Credentials > Backup Credentials and click Add in the Cloud Credentials widget.
Enter a credential name.
Select Google Drive on the Provider dropdown list. The Google Drive authentication settings display on the screen.
Enter the Google Drive authentication settings.
a. Click Log In To Provider. The Google Authentication window opens.
b. Click Proceed to open the Choose an Account window.
c. Select the email account to use. Google displays the Sign In window. Enter the password and click Next to enter the password. Click Next again.
Google might display a Verify it’s you window. Enter a phone number where Google can text an verification code, or you can click Try another way.
d. Click Allow on the TrueNAS wants to access your Google Account window. TrueNAS populates Access Token with the token Google provides.
Click Verify Credentials and wait for TrueNAS to display the verification dialog with verified status. Close the dialog.
Click Save.
The Cloud Credentials widget displays the new credentials. These are also available for cloud sync tasks to use.
Adding A Google Drive Cloud Sync Task
You must add the cloud credential on the Backup Credentials screen before you create the cloud sync task.
To add a cloud sync task, go to Data Protection > Cloud Sync Tasks and click Add. The Cloudsync Task Wizard opens.
Select Google Drive on the Credential dropdown list, then enter your credentials.
Click Next.
Select the direction for the sync task.
PULL brings files from the cloud storage provider to the location specified in Directory/Files (this is the location on TrueNAS SCALE).
PUSH sends files from the location in Directory/Files to the cloud storage provider location you specify in Folder.
Select the transfer method from the Transfer Mode dropdown list.
Sync keeps files identical on both TrueNAS SCALE and the remote cloud provider server. If the sync encounters an error, destination server files are not deleted.
Copy duplicates files on both the TrueNAS SCALE and remote cloud provider server.
Move transfer the files to the destination server and then deleted the copy on server that transferred the files. It also overwrites files with the same names on the destination.
Enter or browse to the dataset or folder directory.
Click the arrow_right arrow to the left of folder/ under the Directory/Files and Folder fields.
Select the TrueNAS SCALE dataset path in Directory/Files and the Google Drive path in Folder.
If PUSH is the selected Direction, this is where on TrueNAS SCALE the files you want to copy, sync or move transfer to the provider.
If Direction is set to PULL this is the location where on TrueNAS SCALE you want to copy, sync or move files to.
Click the arrow_right to the left of folder/ to collapse the folder tree.
Select the preset from the Schedule dropdown that defines when the task runs.
For a specific schedule, select Custom and use the Advanced Scheduler.
Clearing the Enable checkbox makes the configuration available without allowing the specified schedule to run the task.
To manually activate a saved task, go to Data Protection > Cloud Sync Tasks, click for the cloud sync task you want to run. Click CONTINUE or CANCEL for the Run Now operation.
(Optional) Click Advanced Options to set any advanced option you want or need for your use case or to define environment variables.
Scroll down to and enter the variables or scripts in either the Pre-script or Post-script fields.
These fields are for advanced users.
Click Dry Run to test your settings before you click Save.
TrueNAS connects to the cloud storage provider and simulates a file transfer but does not send or receive data.
The new task displays on the Cloud Sync Tasks widget with the status of PENDING until it runs.
If the task completes without issue the status becomes SUCCESS.
See Using Scripting and Environment Variables for more information on environment variables.
Working with Google Created Content
One caveat is that Google Docs and other files created with Google tools have their own proprietary set of permissions and their read/write characteristics unknown to the system over a standard file share. Files are unreadable as a result.
To allow Google-created files to become readable, allow link sharing to access the files before the backup. Doing so ensures that other users can open the files with read access, make changes, and then save them as another file if further edits are needed. Note that this is only necessary if the file was created using Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides; other files should not require modification of their share settings.
TrueNAS is perfect for storing content, including cloud-based content, for the long term. Not only is it simple to sync and backup from the cloud, but users can rest assured that their data is safe, with snapshots, copy-on-write, and built-in replication functionality.
Adding a Google Photos Cloud Sync Task
Google Photos cloud sync tasks in TrueNAS SCALE use the rclone backend for the Google Photos API to authenticate credentials and transfer data.
Configuring a Google Photos cloud sync task is a multi-part procedure where you:
Review your storage and data protection requirements and consider your options before setting up a Google Photos cloud sync task.
Refer to the rclone Google Photos backend documentation for more information on using rclone to sync Google Photos, including standard options and limitations of the Google Photos API, that might help you plan your deployment.
A Google Photos cloud sync task can either pull files from Google Photos to a local dataset on TrueNAS SCALE or push local files to Google Photos.
Select the direction that best fits the way you intend to manage your media files.
Choose to pull data from Google Photos if you prefer to manage media files via the Google Photos UI and use the local dataset as a backup target.
Choose to push data to Google Photos if you prefer to manage media files in the local dataset and use Google Photos as a cloud backup location.
Next, select the data transfer mode that best fits the way you want to manage file retention between the source and destination.
There are three options:
SYNC - Select to change files on the destination to match those on the source.
If a file does not exist on the source, it is also deleted from the destination.
COPY - Select to duplicate each source file into the destination.
If files with the same names are present on the destination, they are overwritten.
MOVE - Select to transfer files from the source to the destination and delete source files.
Copies files from the source to the destination and then deletes them from the source. Files with the same names on the destination are overwritten.
Choosing a Target Folder
After choosing the direction and mode for your cloud sync task, choose the remote Google Photos folder that rclone targets to sync data.
Because of the way rclone interacts with the Google Photos API, each target folder option has specific file management and structure requirements.
This is due to the way rclone interacts with the Google Photos API.
A cloud sync task cannot target the root level folder (/).
Folder
Recommended
Direction
Description
/album
Yes
Push or Pull
Use this option for push tasks or if you prefer to organize the Google Photos library by sorting media files into one or more discrete albums. All files must be in distinct albums or child directories of the local dataset. Media files uploaded to Google Photos but not assigned to an album are not pulled to a local dataset mirroring /album. Files uploaded to the base level of the local dataset instead of a child directory (an album) are not pushed to /album.
/media/all
Yes
Pull
Use this option if you prefer to use the Google Photos library as single directory, without organizing media files into discrete albums. The local dataset of a /media/all sync task contains all media files stored on the Google Photos account at the same level, with no further organization into subdirectories. Using /media/all allows you to upload new files to Google Photos, without needing to organize them into albums, and then pull them to TrueNAS.
/upload
No
Push
Media files pushed from the local dataset to /upload are then uploaded to Google Photos and not sorted into an album. Because /upload is a temporary storage location, it can not accurately synchronize from one task to the next. Pushing to this folder does not preserve metadata and can result in duplicated files, poor performance, file name instability.
Selecting the Dataset and Organizing Files
Select TrueNAS SCALE local dataset or create a new one to use as the source or destination.
Creating a Dataset
To create a basic dataset, go to Datasets.
Default settings include those inherited from the parent dataset.
Select a dataset (root, parent, or child), then click Add Dataset.
Select the Dataset Preset option you want to use. Options are:
Generic for non-SMB share datasets such as iSCSI and NFS share datasets or datasets not associated with application storage.
Multiprotocol for datasets optimized for SMB and NFS multi-mode shares or to create a dataset for NFS shares.
SMB for datasets optimized for SMB shares.
Apps for datasets optimized for application storage.
Generic sets ACL permissions equivalent to Unix permissions 755, granting the owner full control and the group and other users read and execute privileges.
SMB, Apps, and Multiprotocol inherit ACL permissions based on the parent dataset.
If there is no ACL to inherit, one is calculated granting full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
Modify control is granted to other members of the builtin_users group and directory services domain users.
Apps includes an additional entry granting modify control to group 568 (Apps).
ACL Settings for Dataset Presets
ACL Type
ACL Mode
Case Sensitivity
Enable atime
Generic
POSIX
n/a
Sensitive
Inherit
SMB
NFSv4
Restricted
Insensitive
On
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
If creating an SMB or multi-protocol (SMB and NFS) share the dataset name value auto-populates the share name field with the dataset name.
If you plan to deploy container applications, the system automatically creates the ix-apps dataset for Docker storage for but separate datasets used for application data storage.
If you want to store data by application, create the dataset(s) first, then deploy your application.
When creating a dataset for an application, select Apps as the Dataset Preset. This optimizes the dataset for use by an application.
If you want to configure advanced setting options, click Advanced Options.
For the Sync option, we recommend production systems with critical data use the default Standard choice or increase to Always.
Choosing Disabled is only suitable in situations where data loss from system crashes or power loss is acceptable.
Select either Sensitive or Insensitive from the Case Sensitivity dropdown.
The Case Sensitivity setting is found under Advanced Options and is not editable after saving the dataset.
Click Save.
Review the Dataset Preset and Case Sensitivity under Advanced Options on the Add Dataset screen before clicking Save.
You cannot change these or the Name setting after clicking Save.
Configure file management structure inside the local dataset (for push tasks) or albums in the Google Photos (for pull tasks) as required by your direction, mode, and target selections (see above).
Creating the API Credentials
On the Google API dashboard, click the dropdown menu to the right of the Google Cloud logo and select your project.
If you do not have a project, click NEW PROJECT and enter a value in Project name, Organization, and Location.
Click Create.
Can I leave the app in testing mode?
You can leave the app in testing mode, but testing app credentials expire after seven days.
Cloud sync tasks fail when credentials expire.
Create Credentials
Click Credentials on the left menu, then click + CREATE CREDENTIALS and select OAuth client ID.
Download rclone for your client OS and open it in a command line utility following the rclone installation instructions.
The example photos in this article use Powershell in Windows OS.
Enter rclone config, then enter n to create a new remote.
Enter a name for the new remote, then enter the number from the list corresponding to Google Photos.
Enter the client id and secret you saved when you created the Google Photos API credentials, then enter false or press Enter to allow the Google Photos backend to request full access.
Select the Google Photos backup credentials from the Credentials dropdown list.
Click Verify Credential to ensure the credentials are valid then click Next.
Select the Direction as PUSH or PULL and select the Transfer Mode as SYNC, COPY, or MOVE.
Select the Google Photos location to back up data to or from in Folder.
Browse to and select the album folder or enter /album.
Select the local dataset in Directory/Files.
This is the dataset sent to Google Photos for push tasks or the write destination for pull tasks.
Push tasks containing media files saved to the local dataset root level fail with the error: Failed to sync: can’t upload files here.
Save files to child directories, not to the root level of the TrueNAS dataset.
Directories under the local dataset correspond to albums in the Google Photos library.
Enter a Description for the cloud sync task.
Select the time to run the task from the Schedule options.
Click Save to add the task.
TrueNAS adds the task to the Cloud Sync Task widget with the status Pending, until the task runs on schedule.
Click Dry Run to test the task by connecting to Google Photos and simulating transferring a file.
During a dry run, TrueNAS sends or receives no data.
A dry run can report successful even for a task that fails to transfer data due to misconfiguration
Click Run Job to start the cloud sync task immediately.
Troubleshooting
If a Google Photos cloud sync task fails, go to Data Protection and click the FAILED status in State on the Cloud Sync Tasks widget.
Review the logged error message(s).
Common error messages for failed Google Photos tasks include:
Failed to copy: can't upload files here
Problem: A push task is trying to upload files to the root level / folder or the /media/all folder.
Solution: Reconfigure the push task to target the /album folder (and organize your files into one or more subfolders/albums) or change the direction of the task to pull from Google Photos and target the /media/all folder.
Pulling from the root directory is not allowed. Please, select a specific directory
Problem: A pull or push task is targeting the root level / folder.
Solution: Review Before You Begin above and change the target folder to /album or /media/all.
Ensure the selected folder does not conflict with the direction of the task.
Failed to copy: directory not found
Problem: A pull task is targeting the /upload folder.
Solution: The /upload folder functions as a temporary queue for rclone to upload files to Google Photos.
rclone cannot pull from /upload.
Review Before You Begin above and change the target folder to /album or /media/all.
Organize your Google Photos library or local dataset as needed for the selected target.
After reviewing available logs, click editEdit on the task and review the configuration.
Compare configured options to the requirements in Before You Begin above and correct any issues.
If a pull task is successful but some or all files are missing from the local dataset, review your library organization in Google Photos.
Pull tasks configured with /album as the target folder only transfer files organized into albums.
Files uploaded to Google Photos but not added to an album are not transferred.
Using the Google Photos UI, create one or more albums and add all files to an album then click Run Job to re-run the cloud sync task.
Configuring Rsync Tasks
Rsync provides fast incremental data transfer to synchronize files between a TrueNAS host and a remote system.
The Push function copies data from TrueNAS to a remote system.
The Pull function copies data from a remote system to the TrueNAS local host system, and stores it in the dataset defined in the Path field.
There are two ways to connect to a remote system and run an rsync task:
You can set up a new SSH connection on the Credentials > Backup Credentials screen by clicking Add on the SSH Connections widget, or while setting up a new rsync task using the option to select SSH connection from the keychain in the Connect using field and selecting Add New in SSH Connection on the Add Rsync Task screen.
The following procedure provides instructions on setting up an SSH connection using the New SSH Connection screen.
Enable SSH on both the local and remote systems.
On the local TrueNAS host system, go to System > Services and toggle SSH to on, and enable the SSH service on the remote host system.
Set up a home directory for the remote system administrator on the remote system.
Note the path to where home directories are stored to enter on the local host TrueNAS.
If the remote system is also a TrueNAS, go to Credentials, select Users to see the list of users.
Select the administration user and click Edit.
If creating a new administration user, for rsync functions, click Add.
See Managing Users for more information.
Take note of the path to the home directory to use in setting up the connection.
Add an SSH connection for the remote server on the local TrueNAS host system.
Adding a remote TrueNAS system
Click Add on the SSH Connections widget to open the configuration screen:
Enter a name for the connection, then select the Setup Method.
If establishing an SSH connection to another TrueNAS server use the default Semi-automatic (TrueNAS only) option.
If connecting to a non-TrueNAS server select Manual from the dropdown list.
a. Enter a valid URL scheme for the remote TrueNAS URL in TrueNAS URL.
If specifying an IPv6 address, you must enter the IPv6 address enclosed in square brackets.
For example, https://[ffff:ff:59f1:123::12].
b. Enter an admin user name, which is the username on the remote system entered to log in via the web UI to set up the connection.
You can leave Admin Username set to the default root user, then enter the user password in Admin Password.
c. (Optional) Enter the one-time password in One-Time Password (if necessary) if two-factor authentication is enabled.
d. Enter a Username, which is the user name on the remote system to log in via SSH.
e. Enter or import the private key from a previously created SSH key pair, or select Generate New to create a new one.
(Optional) Enter the number of seconds you want to have SCALE wait for the remote TrueNAS system to connect in Connect Timeout.
Saving a new connection automatically opens a connection to the remote TrueNAS and exchanges SSH keys.
The new SSH connection displays on the SSH Connection widget.
To edit it, click on the name to open the SSH Connections configuration screen populated with the saved settings.
Adding a connection to a non-TrueNAS remote host system
Click Add on the SSH Connections widget to open the configuration screen:
Enter a name for the connection, then select Manual from the Setup Method dropdown list.
a. Enter the remote system host name or IP address.
An IP address example is https://10.231.3.76.
This is a required field.
b. Enter the port number of the remote system to use for the SSH connection.
c. Enter the username of the remote system you wish to connect to in Username.
d. Select the private key from the SSH key pair that you use to transfer the public key on the remote NAS from the Private Key dropdown.
e. Click Discover Remote Host Key after properly configuring all other fields to query the remote system and automatically populate the Remote Host Key field.
(Optional) Enter the number of seconds you want SCALE to wait for the remote TrueNAS system to connect in Connect Timeout.
Saving a new connection automatically opens a connection to the remote TrueNAS and exchanges SSH keys.
The new SSH connection displays on the SSH Connection widget.
To edit it, click on the name to open the SSH Connections configuration screen populated with the saved settings.
The generated keypair shows on the SSH Keypair widget.
To download the public and private keypairs, click the file_download for the new keypair on the SSH Keypairs widget.
Creating an SSH Mode Rsync Task
You can use the SSS connection created in Setting Up an SSH Connection or create a new connection while configuring the rsync task.
Go to Data Protection and click Add on the Rsync Tasks widget to open the Add Rsync Task screen.
Enter or browse to the dataset or folder to sync with the remote server.
Use the arrow_right to the left of the /mnt folder and each folder listed on the tree to expand and browse through, then click on the name to populate the path field.
Browsing to select a path
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
Select the administration user for the local host TrueNAS system from the User dropdown. This is the user account to perform the rsync task.
The user must have read/write permissions for the local dataset.
Set the Direction for the rsync task.
Select Pull to copy from the remote server to TrueNAS or Push to copy to the remote server.
Select SSH as the connection mode from the Rsync Mode dropdown to use an SSH connection. The settings fields show.
Choose a connection method from the Connect using dropdown list.
If selecting SSH private key stored in user’s home directory, the public key for the SSH connection must be saved in the home directory for administration user.
To accomplish this, copy the public key from the SSH Keypair and paste into the Authorized Keys field on the Edit User screen.
If selecting SSH connection from the keychain the system grabs the key for you, and select either the existing SSH credential from the SSH Connection dropdown list or select Add New to open the New SSH Connection configuration screen.
Enter the full path to the dataset on the remote server to either pull from or push to in Remote Path.
Maximum path length is 255 characters.
If the remote path location does not exist, select Validate Remote Path to create and define it in Remote Path.
Set the schedule for when to run this task, and any other options you want to use.
If you need a custom schedule, select Custom to open the advanced scheduler window.
Advanced Scheduler
Choosing a Presets option populates in the rest of the fields.
To customize a schedule, enter crontab values for the Minutes/Hours/Days.
These fields accept standard cron values.
The simplest option is to enter a single number in the field.
The task runs when the time value matches that number.
For example, entering 10 means that the job runs when the time is ten minutes past the hour.
The TrueNAS UI does not have a Minutes field, but you can specify minutes within the Hours field using the CRON syntax described below.
An asterisk (*) means match all values.
You can set specific time ranges by entering hyphenated number values.
You can also enter lists of values.
Enter individual values separated by a comma (,).
For example, entering 1,14 in the Hours field means the task runs at 1:00 AM (0100) and 2:00 PM (1400).
A slash (/) designates a step value.
For example, entering * in Days runs the task every day of the month. Entering */2 runs it every other day.
Combining the above examples creates a schedule running a task each minute from 1:30-1:35 AM and 2:30-2:35 PM every other day.
TrueNAS has an option to select which Months the task runs.
Leaving each month unset is the same as selecting every month.
The Days of Week schedules the task to run on specific days and any listed days.
For example, entering 1 in Days and setting Wed for Days of Week creates a schedule that starts a task on the first day of the month and every Wednesday of the month.
The Schedule Preview displays when the current settings mean the task runs.
Examples of CRON syntax
Syntax
Meaning
Examples
*
Every item.
* (minutes) = every minute of the hour. * (days) = every day.
*/N
Every Nth item.
*/15 (minutes) = every 15th minute of the hour. */3 (days) = every 3rd day. */3 (months) = every 3rd month.
Comma and hyphen/dash
Each stated item (comma) Each item in a range (hyphen/dash).
1,31 (minutes) = on the 1st and 31st minute of the hour. 1-3,31 (minutes) = on the 1st to 3rd minutes inclusive, and the 31st minute, of the hour. mon-fri (days) = every Monday to Friday inclusive (every weekday). mar,jun,sep,dec (months) = every March, June, September, December.
You can specify days of the month or days of the week.
TrueNAS lets users create flexible schedules using the available options. The table below has some examples:
Desired schedule
Values to enter
3 times a day (at midnight, 08:00 and 16:00)
months=*; days=*; hours=0/8 or 0,8,16; minutes=0 (Meaning: every day of every month, when hours=0/8/16 and minutes=0)
Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday, at 8.30 pm
months=*; days=mon,wed,fri; hours=20; minutes=30
1st and 15th day of the month, during October to June, at 00:01 am
Every 15 minutes during the working week, which is 8am - 7pm (08:00 - 19:00) Monday to Friday
Note that this requires two tasks to achieve: (1) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=8-18; minutes=*/15 (2) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=19; minutes=0 We need the second scheduled item, to execute at 19:00, otherwise we would stop at 18:45. Another workaround would be to stop at 18:45 or 19:45 rather than 19:00.
Select the Enabled to enable the task.
Leave cleared to disable the task but not delete the configuration.
You can run the rsync task at any time from the Rsync Taks widget by the Run Nowplay_arrow icon for the rsync task.
Click Save.
The system verifies the SSH connection and adds the task to the Rsync Tasks widget.
If the connection fails the system lets you know what went wrong so you can correct the issue with the connection.
Configuring Module Mode Rsync Tasks
Before you create an rsync task in module mode, you must define at least one module per rsyncd.conf(5) on the remote rsync server.
The Rsync Daemon application is available in situations where configuring TrueNAS as an rsync server with an rsync module is necessary.
After configuring the rsync server, configure the rsync task.
Defining an Rsync Module
If the non-TruNAS remote server includes an rsync service, make sure it is turned on.
Create a dataset on the remote system.
Write down the host and path to the data on the remote system you plan to sync with.
Create a module on the remote system.
Use the arrow_right to the left of the /mnt folder and each folder listed on the tree to expand and browse through, then click on the name to populate the path field.
Creating a Module Mode Rsync Task
Go to Data Protection and click Add on the Rsync Tasks widget to open the Add Rsync Task screen.
Enter or browse to the dataset or folder to sync with the remote server.
Use the arrow_right to the left of the /mnt folder and each folder listed on the tree to expand and browse through, then click on the name to populate the path field.
Browsing to select a path
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
Select a User account to perform the rsync task.
The user must have permissions to run an rsync on the remote server and read/write permission for the local dataset.
Set the Direction for the rsync task.
Select Pull to copy from the remote server to TrueNAS or Push to copy to the remote server.
Select Module as the connection mode from the Rsync Mode dropdown.
The module settings fields show.
Enter the remote host name or IP in Remote Host.
Use the format username@remote_host when the username differs from the host entered into the Remote Host field.
Set the schedule for when to run this task, and any other options you want to use.
If you need a custom schedule, select Custom to open the advanced scheduler window.
Advanced Scheduler
Choosing a Presets option populates in the rest of the fields.
To customize a schedule, enter crontab values for the Minutes/Hours/Days.
These fields accept standard cron values.
The simplest option is to enter a single number in the field.
The task runs when the time value matches that number.
For example, entering 10 means that the job runs when the time is ten minutes past the hour.
The TrueNAS UI does not have a Minutes field, but you can specify minutes within the Hours field using the CRON syntax described below.
An asterisk (*) means match all values.
You can set specific time ranges by entering hyphenated number values.
You can also enter lists of values.
Enter individual values separated by a comma (,).
For example, entering 1,14 in the Hours field means the task runs at 1:00 AM (0100) and 2:00 PM (1400).
A slash (/) designates a step value.
For example, entering * in Days runs the task every day of the month. Entering */2 runs it every other day.
Combining the above examples creates a schedule running a task each minute from 1:30-1:35 AM and 2:30-2:35 PM every other day.
TrueNAS has an option to select which Months the task runs.
Leaving each month unset is the same as selecting every month.
The Days of Week schedules the task to run on specific days and any listed days.
For example, entering 1 in Days and setting Wed for Days of Week creates a schedule that starts a task on the first day of the month and every Wednesday of the month.
The Schedule Preview displays when the current settings mean the task runs.
Examples of CRON syntax
Syntax
Meaning
Examples
*
Every item.
* (minutes) = every minute of the hour. * (days) = every day.
*/N
Every Nth item.
*/15 (minutes) = every 15th minute of the hour. */3 (days) = every 3rd day. */3 (months) = every 3rd month.
Comma and hyphen/dash
Each stated item (comma) Each item in a range (hyphen/dash).
1,31 (minutes) = on the 1st and 31st minute of the hour. 1-3,31 (minutes) = on the 1st to 3rd minutes inclusive, and the 31st minute, of the hour. mon-fri (days) = every Monday to Friday inclusive (every weekday). mar,jun,sep,dec (months) = every March, June, September, December.
You can specify days of the month or days of the week.
TrueNAS lets users create flexible schedules using the available options. The table below has some examples:
Desired schedule
Values to enter
3 times a day (at midnight, 08:00 and 16:00)
months=*; days=*; hours=0/8 or 0,8,16; minutes=0 (Meaning: every day of every month, when hours=0/8/16 and minutes=0)
Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday, at 8.30 pm
months=*; days=mon,wed,fri; hours=20; minutes=30
1st and 15th day of the month, during October to June, at 00:01 am
Every 15 minutes during the working week, which is 8am - 7pm (08:00 - 19:00) Monday to Friday
Note that this requires two tasks to achieve: (1) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=8-18; minutes=*/15 (2) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=19; minutes=0 We need the second scheduled item, to execute at 19:00, otherwise we would stop at 18:45. Another workaround would be to stop at 18:45 or 19:45 rather than 19:00.
Select the Enabled to enable the task.
Leave cleared to disable the task but not delete the configuration.
You can run the rsync task by clicking then the Run Nowplay_arrow icon for the rsync task.
Click Save.
Adding Periodic Snapshot Tasks
Periodic snapshot tasks allow you to schedule creating read-only versions of pools and datasets at a given point in time. You can also access VMWare snapshot integration and TrueNAS SCALE storage snapshots from the Periodic Snapshot Tasks widget.
How should I use snapshots?
Snapshots do not make not copies of the data so creating one is quick and if little data changed, they take very little space.
It is common to take frequent snapshots as soon as every 15 minutes, even for large and active pools.
A snapshot where no files changed takes no storage space, but as files changes happen, the snapshot size changes to reflect the size of the changes.
In the same way as all pool data, after deleting the last reference to the data you recover the space.
Snapshots keep a history of files, providing a way to recover an older copy or even a deleted file.
For this reason, many administrators take snapshots often, store them for a period of time, and store them on another system, typically using the Replication Tasks function.
Such a strategy allows the administrator to roll the system back to a specific point in time.
If there is a catastrophic loss, an off-site snapshot can restore data up to the time of the last snapshot.
Creating a Periodic Snapshot Task
Create the required datasets or zvols before creating a snapshot task.
Go to Data Protection > Periodic Snapshot Tasks and click Add.
First, choose the dataset (or zvol) to schedule as a regular backup with snapshots, and how long to store the snapshots.
Next, define the task Schedule.
If you need a specific schedule, choose Custom and use the Advanced Scheduler section below.
Configure the remaining options for your use case.
For help with naming schema and lifetime settings refer to the sections below.
Click Save to save this task and add it to the list in Data Protection > Periodic Snapshot Tasks.
You can find any snapshots taken using this task in Storage > Snapshots.
To check the log for a saved snapshot schedule, go to Data Protection > Periodic Snapshot Tasks and click on the task. The Edit Periodic Snapshot Tasks screen displays where you can modify any settings for the task.
Using the Advanced Scheduler
Advanced Scheduler
Choosing a Presets option populates in the rest of the fields.
To customize a schedule, enter crontab values for the Minutes/Hours/Days.
These fields accept standard cron values.
The simplest option is to enter a single number in the field.
The task runs when the time value matches that number.
For example, entering 10 means that the job runs when the time is ten minutes past the hour.
The TrueNAS UI does not have a Minutes field, but you can specify minutes within the Hours field using the CRON syntax described below.
An asterisk (*) means match all values.
You can set specific time ranges by entering hyphenated number values.
You can also enter lists of values.
Enter individual values separated by a comma (,).
For example, entering 1,14 in the Hours field means the task runs at 1:00 AM (0100) and 2:00 PM (1400).
A slash (/) designates a step value.
For example, entering * in Days runs the task every day of the month. Entering */2 runs it every other day.
Combining the above examples creates a schedule running a task each minute from 1:30-1:35 AM and 2:30-2:35 PM every other day.
TrueNAS has an option to select which Months the task runs.
Leaving each month unset is the same as selecting every month.
The Days of Week schedules the task to run on specific days and any listed days.
For example, entering 1 in Days and setting Wed for Days of Week creates a schedule that starts a task on the first day of the month and every Wednesday of the month.
The Schedule Preview displays when the current settings mean the task runs.
Examples of CRON syntax
Syntax
Meaning
Examples
*
Every item.
* (minutes) = every minute of the hour. * (days) = every day.
*/N
Every Nth item.
*/15 (minutes) = every 15th minute of the hour. */3 (days) = every 3rd day. */3 (months) = every 3rd month.
Comma and hyphen/dash
Each stated item (comma) Each item in a range (hyphen/dash).
1,31 (minutes) = on the 1st and 31st minute of the hour. 1-3,31 (minutes) = on the 1st to 3rd minutes inclusive, and the 31st minute, of the hour. mon-fri (days) = every Monday to Friday inclusive (every weekday). mar,jun,sep,dec (months) = every March, June, September, December.
You can specify days of the month or days of the week.
TrueNAS lets users create flexible schedules using the available options. The table below has some examples:
Desired schedule
Values to enter
3 times a day (at midnight, 08:00 and 16:00)
months=*; days=*; hours=0/8 or 0,8,16; minutes=0 (Meaning: every day of every month, when hours=0/8/16 and minutes=0)
Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday, at 8.30 pm
months=*; days=mon,wed,fri; hours=20; minutes=30
1st and 15th day of the month, during October to June, at 00:01 am
Every 15 minutes during the working week, which is 8am - 7pm (08:00 - 19:00) Monday to Friday
Note that this requires two tasks to achieve: (1) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=8-18; minutes=*/15 (2) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=19; minutes=0 We need the second scheduled item, to execute at 19:00, otherwise we would stop at 18:45. Another workaround would be to stop at 18:45 or 19:45 rather than 19:00.
Using Naming Schemas
The Naming Schema determines how automated snapshot names generate.
A valid schema requires the %Y (year), %m (month), %d (day), %H (hour), and %M (minute) time strings, but you can add more identifiers to the schema too, using any identifiers from the Python strptime function.
For Periodic Snapshot Tasks used to set up a replication task with the Replication Task function:
You can use custom naming schema for full backup replication tasks. If you are going to use the snapshot for an incremental replication task, use the default naming schema.
This uses some letters differently from POSIX (Unix) time functions.
For example, including %z (time zone) ensures that snapshots do not have naming conflicts when daylight time starts and ends, and %S (second) adds finer time granularity.
When referencing snapshots from a Windows computer, avoid using characters like colon (:) that are invalid in a Windows file path.
Some applications limit filename or path length, and there might be limitations related to spaces and other characters.
Always consider future uses and ensure the name given to a periodic snapshot is acceptable.
Setting Snapshot Lifetimes
A snapshot lifetime value defines how long the snapshot schedule ignores that snapshot when it looks for obsolete snapshots to remove.
For example, defining a lifetime of two weeks on a snapshot created after a weekly snapshot schedule runs can result in that snapshot actually being deleted three weeks later.
This is because the snapshot has a timestamp and defined lifetime that preserves the snapshot until the next time the scheduled snapshot task runs.
TrueNAS also preserves snapshots when at least one periodic task requires it.
For example, you have two schedules created where one schedule takes a snapshot every hour and keeps them for a week, and the other takes a snapshot every day and keeps them for 3 years.
Each has an hourly snapshot taken.
After a week, snapshots created at 01.00 through 23.00 get deleted, but you keep snapshots timed at 00.00 because they are necessary for the second periodic task.
These snapshots get destroyed at the end of 3 years.
About Snapshot Granularity
Snapshot granularity refers to the frequency and detail of snapshots, and directly impacts the recovery precision and storage efficiency of a system. Heightened snapshot granularity is directly linked to an increase in the rate of snapshots taken. Raising the overall snapshot granularity often leads to the need for lower retention times, as this configuration routinely takes up more space. Similarly, a high level of snapshot granularity tends to decrease system performance overtime due to a raise in processing and indexing needs. Provided this, configuring your system with high snapshot granularity is typically recommended to users who need detailed recovery options for vital system data.
To lower snapshot granularity decrease the rate the system takes snapshots.
With this configuration the snapshots tasks use less system storage and overall snapshot retention increases; however, this does limit the amount of reliable recovery options.
Cloud and Local Snapshot Storage
Snapshot granularity refers to the frequency and detail of snapshots, and directly impacts the recovery precision and storage efficiency of a system. Using a cloud sync task to upload snapshots to a cloud storage provider decreases snapshot granularity and can provide a way to reduce costs associated with data transfer and cloud storage.
Using local snapshot storage provides a more optimum environment for periodic snapshot tasks with high levels of granularity, as local storage tends to have lower latency and faster access speeds.
We generally recommend configuring snapshot replication tasks with lower recovery time objective (RTO) requirements for rapid recovery when implementing local storage.
Creating VMWare Snapshots
Use this procedure to create ZFS snapshots when using TrueNAS SCALE as a VMWare datastore.
You must have a paid edition of VMWare ESXi to use the TrueNAS SCALE VMWare Snapshots feature.
ESXi free has a locked (read-only) API that prevents using TrueNAS SCALE VMWare Snapshots.
This tutorial uses ESXi version 8.
When creating a ZFS snapshot of the connected dataset, VMWare automatically takes a snapshot of any running virtual machines on the associated datastore.
VMware snapshots can integrate VMware Tools, making it possible to quiesce VM snapshots, sync filesystems, take shadow copy snapshots, and more.
Quiescing snapshots is the process of bringing VM data into a consistent state, suitable for creating automatic backups.
Quiesced snapshots can be file-system consistent, where all pending data or file-system changes complete, or application consistent, where applications complete all tasks and flush buffers, prior to creating the snapshot.See Manage Snapshots from VMWare for more information.
VM snapshots are included as part of the connected Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) datastore and stored as a point-in-time within the scheduled or manual TrueNAS ZFS snapshot of the data or zvol backing that VMWare datastore.
The temporary VMware snapshots are automatically deleted on the VMWare side, but still exist in the ZFS snapshot and are available as stable restore points.
TrueNAS Enterprise
TrueNAS Enterprise customers with TrueNAS 12.0 and newer and TrueNAS 22.12.4 (Bluefin) and newer deployed can access the iXsystems TrueNAS vCenter plugin.
This activates management options for TrueNAS hardware attached to vCenter Server and enables limited management of TrueNAS systems from a single interface.
Please contact iXsystems Support to learn more and schedule a time to deploy or upgrade the plugin.
Contacting iXsystems Support
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
Before using TrueNAS SCALE to create VMWare snapshots, configure TrueNAS to present a VMFS datastore or NFS export to your ESXi host(s) (this tutorial uses iSCSI) and then create and start your VM(s) in ESXi.
Virtual machines must be running for TrueNAS to include them in VMWare snapshots, because powered-off virtual machines are already in a consistent state
Go to Datasets and click Add Zvol to create a dedicated zvol for VMWare. This tutorial uses virtual/vmware/zvol-01.
Create an iSCSI share.
Go to Shares and click Wizard on the Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets widget.
a. Enter a name for the share. For example, vmware. Select Device for Extent Type and select the zvol from the Device dropdown.
Leave Sharing Platform set to VMware and Target set to Create New, then click Next.
b. Set Portal to Create New.
You can leave Discovery Authentication Method set to NONE, or select CHAP or Mutual CHAP and enter a Discovery Authentication Group ID.
Click Add next to IP Address and select either 0.0.0.0 for IPv4 or :: for IPv6 to listen on all ports.
c. Leave Initiators blank and click Save.
In the VMWare ESXi Host Client, go to Storage, select Adapters, and then click Software iSCSI to configure the iSCSI connection.
c. Click Rescan to discover the iSCSI initiator.
ESXi automatically adds static targets for discovered initiators.
Click Software iSCSI again to confirm.
d. Go to Devices and click Rescan to discover the shared storage. ESXi adds the TrueNAS iSCSI disk to the list of devices.
Go to Datastores and click New Datastore to create a new VMFS datastore using the TrueNAS device.
Then go to Virtual Machines and create your new virtual machine(s), using the new datastore for storage.
Creating a VMWare Snapshot
To configure TrueNAS SCALE to create VMWare snapshots, go to Data Protection and click the VMware Snapshot Integration button in the Periodic Snapshot Tasks widget to open the VMWare Snapshots screen.
Note that you can organize information in the columns of the table(s) below by clicking on each column title. This allows you to toggle the information between a descending an ascending order.
You must follow the exact sequence to add the VMware snapshot or the ZFS Filesystem and Datastore fields do not populate with options available on your system.
If you click in ZFS Filestore* or Datastores before you click Fetch Datastores the creation process fails, the two fields do not populate with the information from the VMWare host, and you must exit the add form or click Cancel and start again.
Enter the IP address or host name for your VMWare system in Hostname.
Enter the user credentials on the VMware host with ‘Create Snapshot’ and ‘Remove Snapshot’ permissions in VMware.
See Virtual Machine Snapshot Management Privileges from VMware for more information.
Click Fetch Datastores. This connects TrueNAS SCALE to the VMWare host and populates the ZFS Filesystem and Datastore dropdown fields.
Make sure the correct TrueNAS ZFS dataset or zvol matching the VMware datastore is populated.
Select the TrueNAS SCALE dataset from the ZFS Filesystem dropdown list of options.
Select the VMFS datastore from the Datastore dropdown list of options.
Click Save.
The saved snapshot configuration appears on the VMware Snapshots screen.
State indicates the current status of the VMware connection as PENDING, SUCCESS, or ERROR.
Create a new periodic snapshot task for the zvol or a parent dataset.
If there is an existing snapshot task for the zvol or a parent dataset, VMWare snapshots are automatically integrated with any snapshots created after the VMWare snapshot is configured.
Expand the configured task on the Periodic Snapshot Tasks screen and ensure that VMware Sync is true.
Reverting to a ZFS Snapshot in VMWare ESXi
To revert a VM using a ZFS snapshot, first clone the snapshot as a new dataset in TrueNAS SCALE, present the cloned dataset to ESXi as a new LUN, resignature the snapshot to create a new datastore, then stop the old VM and re-register the existing machine from the new datastore.
Clone the snapshot to a new dataset.
a. Go to Data Protection and click Snapshots on the Periodic Snapshot Tasks widget and locate the snapshot you want to recover and click on that row to expand details.
b. Click Clone to New Dataset.
Enter a name for the new dataset or accept the one provided then click Clone.
Share the cloned zvol to VMWare using NFS or iSCSI (this tutorial uses iSCSI).
a. Go to Shares and click Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets to access the iSCSI screen.
b. Click Extents and then click Add to open the Add Extent screen.
c. Enter a name for the new extent, select Device from the Extent Type dropdown, and select the cloned zvol from the Device dropdown.
Edit other settings according to your use case and then click Save.
d. Click Associated Targets and then click Add to open the Add Associated Target screen.
e. Select the existing VMWare target from the Target dropdown.
Enter a new LUN ID number or leave it blank to automatically assign the next available number.
Select the new extent from the Extent dropdown and then click Save.
Go to Storage > Adapters and click Rescan to discover the new LUN.
Then go to the Devices tab and click Rescan again to discover VMFS filesystems on the LUN.
At this point, ESXi discovers the cloned device snapshot, but is unable to mount it because the original device is still online.
Resignature the snapshot so that it can be mounted.
a. Access the ESXi host shell using SSH or a local console connection to resignature the snapshot
b. Enter the command
esxcli storage vmfs snapshot list
to view the unmounted snapshot.
Note the VMFS UUID value.
c. Enter the command
esxcli storage vmfs snapshot resignature -u VMFS-UUID, where VMFS-UUID is the ID of the snapshot according to the previous command output.
ESXi resignatures the snapshot and automatically mounts the device.
Output Example
[root@localhost:~] esxcli storage vmfs snapshot list
65a58a71-c5ac3323-6306-d4ae52c1e78d
Volume Name: LUN1
VMFS UUID: 65a58a71-c5ac3323-6306-d4ae52c1e78d
Can mount: false
Reason for un-mountability: the original volume is still online
Can resignature: true
Reason for non-resignaturability:
Unresolved Extent Count: 1
[root@localhost:~] esxcli storage vmfs snapshot resignature -u 65a58a71-c5ac3323-6306-d4ae52c1e78d
d. Go back to Storage > Devices in the ESXi Host Client UI and click Refresh.
The mounted snapshot appears in the list of devices.
Select the VM(s) you want to revert and click Next.
e. Review selections on the Ready to complete screen/ If correct, click Finish.
Start the new VM(s) and verify functionality, then delete or archive the previous VM(s).
Copy or migrate the VMware virtual machine to the original, non-snapshot datastore.
Managing S.M.A.R.T. Tests
S.M.A.R.T. or Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology is a standard for disk monitoring and testing.
You can monitor disks for problems using different kinds of self-tests.
TrueNAS can adjust when it issues S.M.A.R.T. alerts.
When S.M.A.R.T. monitoring reports a disk issue, we recommend you replace that disk.
Most modern ATA, IDE, and SCSI-3 hard drives support S.M.A.R.T.
Refer to your respective drive documentation for confirmation.
TrueNAS runs S.M.A.R.T. tests on disks.
Running tests can reduce drive performance, so we recommend scheduling tests when the system is in a low-usage state.
Avoid scheduling disk-intensive tests at the same time!
For example, do not schedule S.M.A.R.T. tests on the same day as a disk scrub or other data protection task.
How do I check or change S.M.A.R.T. testing for a disk?
Go to Storage, then click Disks button. Select disks to be examined using the checkbox at left. Click the expand_more to the right of the disk row to expand it.
Enable S.M.A.R.T. shows as true or false.
To enable or disable testing, click EDIT and find the Enable S.M.A.R.T. option.
Running a Manual S.M.A.R.T. Test
To test one or more disk for errors, go to Storage and click the Disks button.
Select the disks you want to test using the checkboxes to the left of the disk names. Selecting multiple disks displays the Batch Operations options.
Click Manual Test. The Manual S.M.A.R.T. Test dialog displays.
Next, select the test type from the Type dropdown and then click Start.
Test types differ based on the drive connection, ATA or SCSI.
Test duration varies based on the test type you chose.
TrueNAS generates alerts when tests discover issues.
ATA Drive Connection Test Types
The ATA drive connection test type options are:
Long runs a S.M.A.R.T. Extended Self Test that scans the entire disk surface, which may take hours on large-volume disks.
Short runs a basic S.M.A.R.T. Short Self Test (usually under ten minutes) that varies by manufacturer.
Conveyance runs a S.M.A.R.T. Conveyance Self Test (usually only minutes) that identifies damage incurred while transporting the device.
Offline runs a S.M.A.R.T. Immediate Offline Test that updates the S.M.A.R.T. Attribute values. Errors will appear in the S.M.A.R.T. error log.
SCSI Drive Connection Test Type
Long runs the “Background long” self-test.
Short runs the “Background short” self-test.
Offline runs the default self-test in the foreground, but doesn’t place an entry in the self-test log.
Where can I view the test results?
Click the expand_more in a disk’s row to expand it, then click S.M.A.R.T. TEST RESULTS.
You can also see results in the Shell using smartctl and the name of the drive: smartctl -l selftest /dev/ada0.
Running Automatic S.M.A.R.T. Tests
To schedule recurring S.M.A.R.T. tests, go to Data Protection and click ADD in the S.M.A.R.T. Tests widget.
Select the disks to test from the Disks dropdown list, and then select the test type to run from the Type dropdown list.
Next select a preset from the Schedule dropdown. To create a custom schedule select Custom to open the advanced scheduler window where you can define the schedule parameters you want to use.
Advanced Scheduler
Choosing a Presets option populates in the rest of the fields.
To customize a schedule, enter crontab values for the Minutes/Hours/Days.
These fields accept standard cron values.
The simplest option is to enter a single number in the field.
The task runs when the time value matches that number.
For example, entering 10 means that the job runs when the time is ten minutes past the hour.
The TrueNAS UI does not have a Minutes field, but you can specify minutes within the Hours field using the CRON syntax described below.
An asterisk (*) means match all values.
You can set specific time ranges by entering hyphenated number values.
You can also enter lists of values.
Enter individual values separated by a comma (,).
For example, entering 1,14 in the Hours field means the task runs at 1:00 AM (0100) and 2:00 PM (1400).
A slash (/) designates a step value.
For example, entering * in Days runs the task every day of the month. Entering */2 runs it every other day.
Combining the above examples creates a schedule running a task each minute from 1:30-1:35 AM and 2:30-2:35 PM every other day.
TrueNAS has an option to select which Months the task runs.
Leaving each month unset is the same as selecting every month.
The Days of Week schedules the task to run on specific days and any listed days.
For example, entering 1 in Days and setting Wed for Days of Week creates a schedule that starts a task on the first day of the month and every Wednesday of the month.
The Schedule Preview displays when the current settings mean the task runs.
Examples of CRON syntax
Syntax
Meaning
Examples
*
Every item.
* (minutes) = every minute of the hour. * (days) = every day.
*/N
Every Nth item.
*/15 (minutes) = every 15th minute of the hour. */3 (days) = every 3rd day. */3 (months) = every 3rd month.
Comma and hyphen/dash
Each stated item (comma) Each item in a range (hyphen/dash).
1,31 (minutes) = on the 1st and 31st minute of the hour. 1-3,31 (minutes) = on the 1st to 3rd minutes inclusive, and the 31st minute, of the hour. mon-fri (days) = every Monday to Friday inclusive (every weekday). mar,jun,sep,dec (months) = every March, June, September, December.
You can specify days of the month or days of the week.
TrueNAS lets users create flexible schedules using the available options. The table below has some examples:
Desired schedule
Values to enter
3 times a day (at midnight, 08:00 and 16:00)
months=*; days=*; hours=0/8 or 0,8,16; minutes=0 (Meaning: every day of every month, when hours=0/8/16 and minutes=0)
Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday, at 8.30 pm
months=*; days=mon,wed,fri; hours=20; minutes=30
1st and 15th day of the month, during October to June, at 00:01 am
Every 15 minutes during the working week, which is 8am - 7pm (08:00 - 19:00) Monday to Friday
Note that this requires two tasks to achieve: (1) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=8-18; minutes=*/15 (2) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=19; minutes=0 We need the second scheduled item, to execute at 19:00, otherwise we would stop at 18:45. Another workaround would be to stop at 18:45 or 19:45 rather than 19:00.
Saved schedules appear in the S.M.A.R.T. Tests window.
S.M.A.R.T. tests can offline disks! Avoid scheduling S.M.A.R.T. tests simultaneously with scrub or other data protection tasks.
Start the S.M.A.R.T. service. Go to System > Services and scroll down to the S.M.A.R.T. service. If not running, click the toggle to turn the service on. Select Start Automatically to have this service start after after the system reboots.
If you have not configured the S.M.A.R.T. service yet, while the service is stopped, click edit to open the service configuration form. See Services S.M.A.R.T. Screen for more information on service settings.
Click Save to save settings and return to the Services screen.
RAID controllers?
Disable the S.M.A.R.T. service when a RAID controller controls the disks.
The controller monitors S.M.A.R.T. separately and marks disks as a Predictive Failure on a test failure.
Using Shell to View Scheduled Tests
CLI
To verify the schedule is saved, you can open the shell and enter smartd -q showtests.
Replication Tasks
TrueNAS SCALE replication allows users to create one-time or regularly scheduled snapshots of data stored in pools, datasets or zvols on their SCALE system as a way to back up stored data.
When properly configured and scheduled, replication takes regular snapshots of storage pools or datasets and saves them in the destination location either on the same system or a different system.
Local replication occurs on the same TrueNAS SCALE system using different pools or datasets.
Remote replication can occur between your TrueNAS SCALE system and another TrueNAS system, or with some other remote server you want to use to store your replicated data.
Local and remote replication can involve encrypted pools or datasets.
Setting Up a Simple Replication Task Overview
This section provides a simple overview of setting up a replication task regardless of the type of replication, local or remote.
It also covers the related steps to take prior to configuring a replication task.
Prerequisites
Before setting up a replication task, you must configure an admin user with the Home Directory set to something other than /var/empty.
Ensure the account configuration has SSH password login enabled set.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must also be enabled to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
Remote replication requires setting up an SSH connection in TrueNAS before creating a remote replication task.
Verify the SSH service settings and ensure Allow Password Authentication is selected to enable these capabilities.
Incorrect SSH service settings can impact the admin user ability to establish an SSH session during replication and require you to obtain and paste a public SSH key into the admin user settings.
Set up the data storage for where you want to save replicated snapshots.
Make sure the admin user is correctly configured.
Create a periodic snapshot task of the storage locations to back up.
Create an SSH connection between the local TrueNAS system and the remote system for remote replication tasks.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection.
You can do this from either Credentials > Backup Credentials > SSH Connection and clicking Add or from the Replication Task Wizard using the Generate New option in the settings for the remote system.
Go to Data Protection > Replication Tasks and click Add to open the Replication Task Wizard where you specify the settings for the replication task.
Setting options change based on the source selections. Replicating to or from a local source does not require an SSH connection.
Contents
Setting Up a Local Replication Task: Provides instructions on adding a replication task using different pools or datasets on the same TrueNAS system.
A local replication creates a zfs snapshot and saves it to another location on the same TrueNAS SCALE system either using a different pool, or dataset or zvol.
This allows users with only one system to take quick data backups or snapshots of their data when they have only one system.
In this scenario, create a dataset on the same pool to store the replication snapshots. You can create and use a zvol for this purpose.
If configuring local replication on a system with more than one pool, create a dataset to use for the replicated snapshots on one of those pools.
While we recommend regularly scheduled replications to a remote location as the optimal backup scenario, this is useful when no remote backup locations are available, or when a disk is in immediate danger of failure.
Storage space you allocate to a zvol is only used by that volume, it does not get reallocated back to the total storage capacity of the pool or dataset where you create the zvol if it goes unused.
Plan your anticipated storage need before you create the zvol to avoid creating a zvol that exceeds your storage needs for this volume.
Do not assign capacity that exceeds what is required for SCALE to operate properly. For more information, see SCALE Hardware Guide for CPU, memory and storage capacity information.
With the implementation of the Local Administrator user and role-based permissions, setting up replication tasks as an admin user has a few differences over setting up replication tasks when logged in as root.
The first snapshot taken for a task creates a full file system snapshot, and all subsequent snapshots taken for that task are incremental to capture differences occurring between the full and subsequent incremental snapshots.
Scheduling options allow users to run replication tasks daily, weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule.
Users also have the option to run a scheduled job on demand.
Setting Up a Simple Replication Task Overview
This section provides a simple overview of setting up a replication task regardless of the type of replication, local or remote.
It also covers the related steps you should take prior to configuring a replication task.
Prerequisites
Before setting up a replication task, you must configure an admin user with the Home Directory set to something other than /var/empty.
Ensure the account configuration has SSH password login enabled set.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must also be enabled to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
Remote replication requires setting up an SSH connection in TrueNAS before creating a remote replication task.
Verify the SSH service settings and ensure Allow Password Authentication is selected to enable these capabilities.
Incorrect SSH service settings can impact the admin user ability to establish an SSH session during replication and require you to obtain and paste a public SSH key into the admin user settings.
Set up the data storage for where you want to save replicated snapshots.
Make sure the admin user is correctly configured.
Create a periodic snapshot task of the storage locations to back up.
Create an SSH connection between the local TrueNAS system and the remote system for remote replication tasks.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection.
You can do this from either Credentials > Backup Credentials > SSH Connection and clicking Add or from the Replication Task Wizard using the Generate New option in the settings for the remote system.
Go to Data Protection > Replication Tasks and click Add to open the Replication Task Wizard where you specify the settings for the replication task.
Setting options change based on the source selections. Replicating to or from a local source does not require an SSH connection.
Configuring a Local Replication Task
The replication wizard allows users to create and copy ZFS snapshots to another location on the same system.
If you have an existing replication task, you can select it on the Load Previous Replication Task dropdown list to load the configuration settings for that task into the wizard, and then make change such as assigning it a different destination, schedule, or retention lifetime, etc.
Saving changes to the configuration creates a new replication task without altering the task you loaded into the wizard.
Before you begin configuring the replication task, first verify the destination dataset you want to use to store the replication snapshots is free of existing snapshots, or that snapshots with critical data are backed up before you create the task.
To create a replication task:
Create the destination dataset or storage location you want to use to store the replication snapshots.
If using another TrueNAS system, create a dataset in one of your pools.
Verify the admin user home directory, auxiliary groups, and sudo setting on both the local and remote destination systems.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection, so this only applies to replication to another system.
If using a TrueNAS 13.0-U6.x system as the remote server, the remote user is always root.
If using an earlier TrueNAS 22.12.1 system or you installed TrueNAS as the root user then created the admin user after initial installation, you must verify the admin user is correctly configured.
Verify Admin User Settings
a. Go to Credentials > Local User, click anywhere on the admin user row to expand it, and then click Edit.
Scroll down to the Home Directory setting.
If set to /var/empty, first create a dataset to use for home directories, like /tank/homedirs. Enter this in the Home Directory field, make sure this is not read only.
For more information, follow the instructions in Adding Home Directories to create the home directory for the admin user.
b. Select the sudo permission level you want the admin user to have.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must be selected to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
c. Click Save.
Go to Data Protection and click Add on the Replication Tasks widget to open the Replication Task Wizard. Configure the following settings:
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
a. Select On this System on the Source Location dropdown list.
Browse to the location of the pool or dataset you want to replicate and select it so it populates Source with the path.
Selecting Recursive replicates all snapshots contained within the selected source dataset snapshots.
b. Select On this System on the Destination Location dropdown list.
Browse to the location of the pool or dataset you want to use to store replicated snapshots and select to populate Destination with the path.
c. (Optional) Enter a name for the snapshot in Task Name.
SCALE populates this field with the default name using the source and destination paths separated by a hyphen, but this default can make locating the snapshot in destination dataset a challenge.
To make it easier to find the snapshot, give it name easy for you to identify. For example, a replicated task named dailyfull for a full file system snapshot taken daily.
Click Next to display the scheduling options.
Select the schedule and snapshot retention life time.
a. Select Replication Schedule to use. Select Run Once to set up a replication task you run one time.
Select Run On a Schedule then select when from the Schedule dropdown list.
b. Select the Destination Snapshot Lifetime radio button option you want to use.
This specifies how long TrueNAS should store copied snapshots in the destination dataset before TrueNAS deletes it.
Same as Source is selected by default.
Select Never Delete to keep all snapshots until you delete them manually.
Select Custom to show two additional settings, then enter the number of the duration you select from the dropdown list. For example, 2 Weeks.
Click START REPLICATION.
A dialog displays if this is the first snapshot taken using the destination dataset.
If TrueNAS does not find a replicated snapshot in the destination dataset to use to create an incremental snapshot, it deletes any existing snapshots found and creates a full copy of the day snapshot to use as a basis for the future scheduled incremental snapshots for this schedule task.
This operation can delete important data, so ensure you can delete any existing snapshots or back them up in another location.
Click Confirm, then Continue to add the task to the Replication Task widget.
The newly added task shows the status as PENDING until it runs on the schedule you set.
Select Run Now if you want to run the task immediately.
To see a log for a task, click the task State to open a dialog with the log for that replication task.
To see the replication snapshots, go to Datasets, select the destination dataset on the tree table, then select Manage Snapshots on the Data Protection widget to see the list of snapshots in that dataset.
Click Show extra columns to add more information columns to the table such as the date created which can help you locate a specific snapshot or enter part of or the full the name in the search field to narrow the list of snapshots.
TrueNAS replication allows users to create one-time or regularly scheduled ZFS snapshots of data stored in pools, datasets, or zvols on their system as a way to back up stored data.
When properly configured and scheduled, remote replication takes regular snapshots of storage pools or datasets and saves them in the destination location on another system.
Remote replication occurs between an originating TrueNAS system and a destination TrueNAS system with replicated snapshots.
With the implementation of the administration user and role-based permissions, setting up replication tasks as an admin user has a few differences from those set up when logged in as the root user.
Setting up remote replication when logged in as the admin user requires selecting Use Sudo For ZFS Commands.
The first snapshot taken for a task creates a full file system snapshot, and all subsequent snapshots taken for that task are incremental to capture differences occurring between the full and subsequent incremental snapshots.
Scheduling options allow users to run replication tasks daily, weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule.
Users also have the option to run a scheduled job on demand.
Remote replication requires setting up an SSH connection in TrueNAS before creating a remote replication task.
Setting Up a Simple Replication Task Overview
This section provides a simple overview of setting up a replication task regardless of the type of replication, local or remote.
It also covers the related steps you should take before configuring a replication task.
Prerequisites
Before setting up a replication task, you must configure an admin user with the Home Directory set to something other than /var/empty.
Ensure the account configuration has SSH password login enabled set.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must also be enabled to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
Remote replication requires setting up an SSH connection in TrueNAS before creating a remote replication task.
Verify the SSH service settings and ensure Allow Password Authentication is selected to enable these capabilities.
Incorrect SSH service settings can impact the admin user ability to establish an SSH session during replication and require you to obtain and paste a public SSH key into the admin user settings.
Set up the data storage for where you want to save replicated snapshots.
Make sure the admin user is correctly configured.
Create a periodic snapshot task of the storage locations to back up.
Create an SSH connection between the local TrueNAS system and the remote system for remote replication tasks.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection.
You can do this from either Credentials > Backup Credentials > SSH Connection and clicking Add or from the Replication Task Wizard using the Generate New option in the settings for the remote system.
Go to Data Protection > Replication Tasks and click Add to open the Replication Task Wizard where you specify the settings for the replication task.
Setting options change based on the source selections. Replicating to or from a local source does not require an SSH connection.
Creating a Remote Replication Task
To streamline creating simple replication tasks use the Replication Task Wizard to create and copy ZFS snapshots to another system.
The wizard assists with creating a new SSH connection and automatically creates a periodic snapshot task for sources that have no existing snapshots.
If you have an existing replication task, you can select it on the Load Previous Replication Task dropdown list to load the configuration settings for that task into the wizard, and then make changes such as assigning it a different destination, schedule, or retention lifetime, etc.
Saving changes to the configuration creates a new replication task without altering the task you loaded into the wizard.
This saves some time when creating multiple replication tasks between the same two systems.
Before you begin configuring the replication task, first verify the destination dataset you want to use to store the replication snapshots is free of existing snapshots, or that snapshots with critical data are backed up before you create the task.
To create a replication task:
Create the destination dataset or storage location you want to use to store the replication snapshots.
If using another TrueNAS system, create a dataset in one of your pools.
Verify the admin user home directory, auxiliary groups, and sudo setting on both the local and remote destination systems.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection, so this only applies to replication to another system.
If using a TrueNAS 13.0-U6.x system as the remote server, the remote user is always root.
If using an earlier TrueNAS 22.12.1 system or you installed TrueNAS as the root user then created the admin user after initial installation, you must verify the admin user is correctly configured.
Verify Admin User Settings
a. Go to Credentials > Local User, click anywhere on the admin user row to expand it, and then click Edit.
Scroll down to the Home Directory setting.
If set to /var/empty, first create a dataset to use for home directories, like /tank/homedirs. Enter this in the Home Directory field, make sure this is not read only.
For more information, follow the instructions in Adding Home Directories to create the home directory for the admin user.
b. Select the sudo permission level you want the admin user to have.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must be selected to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
c. Click Save.
Go to Data Protection and click Add on the Replication Tasks widget to open the Replication Task Wizard. Configure the following settings:
Click the arrow to the left of the folder icon to expand that folder and show any child datasets and directories.
A solid folder icon shows for datasets and an outlined folder for directories.
A selected dataset or directory folder and name shows in blue.
a. Select either On this System or On a Different System on the Source Location dropdown list.
If your source is a remote system, select On a Different System. The Destination Location automatically changes to On this System.
If your source is the local TrueNAS SCALE system, you must select On a Different System from the Destination Location dropdown list to do remote replication.
TrueNAS shows the number of snapshots available for replication.
b. Select an existing SSH connection to the remote system, or select Create New to open the New SSH Connection configuration screen.
c. Browse to the source pool/dataset(s), then click on the dataset(s) to populate the Source with the path.
You can select multiple sources or manually type the names into the Source field.
Selecting Recursive replicates all snapshots contained within the selected source dataset snapshots.
d. Repeat to populate the Destination field.
You cannot use zvols as a remote replication destination. Add a name to the end of the path to create a new dataset in that location.
e. Select Use Sudo for ZFS Commands. Only displays when logged in as the admin user (or the name of the admin user).
This removes the need to issue the cli zfs allow command in Shell on the remote system.
When the dialog displays, click Use Sudo for ZFS Commands. If you close this dialog, select the option on the Add Replication Task wizard screen.
f. Select Replicate Custom Snapshots, then leave the default value in Naming Schema.
If you know how to enter the schema you want, enter it in Naming Schema.
Remote sources require entering a snapshot naming schema to identify the snapshots to replicate.
A naming schema is a pattern of naming custom snapshots you want to replicate.
Enter the name and strftime(3) %Y, %m, %d, %H, and %M strings that match the snapshots to include in the replication. Separate entries by pressing Enter. The number of snapshots matching the patterns display.
Selecting Matching regular expression does not automatically destroy snapshots where selecting Matching naming schema does.
If using regular expression, the snapshots on the destination host are not automatically destroyed if they are also destroyed on the source host due to snapshot lifetime.
Snapshots on the destination host display as “Will not be destroyed automatically” and do not display with a retention period.
Use naming schema for these.
g. (Optional) Enter a name for the snapshot in Task Name.
TrueNAS populates this field with a default name using the source and destination paths separated by a hyphen, but this default can make locating the snapshot in the destination dataset a challenge.
To make it easier to find the snapshot, give it a name that is easy for you to identify. For example, a replicated task named dailyfull for a full file system snapshot taken daily.
Click Next to display the scheduling options.
Select the schedule and snapshot retention life time.
a. Select Replication Schedule to use. Select Run Once to set up a replication task you run one time.
Select Run On a Schedule then select when from the Schedule dropdown list.
b. Select the Destination Snapshot Lifetime radio button option you want to use.
This specifies how long TrueNAS should store copied snapshots in the destination dataset before TrueNAS deletes it.
Same as Source is selected by default.
Select Never Delete to keep all snapshots until you delete them manually.
Select Custom to show two additional settings, then enter the number of the duration you select from the dropdown list. For example, 2 Weeks.
Click START REPLICATION.
A dialog displays if this is the first snapshot taken using the destination dataset.
If TrueNAS does not find a replicated snapshot in the destination dataset to use to create an incremental snapshot, it deletes any existing snapshots found and creates a full copy of the day snapshot to use as a basis for the future scheduled incremental snapshots for this schedule task.
This operation can delete important data, so ensure you can delete any existing snapshots or back them up in another location.
Click Confirm, then Continue to add the task to the Replication Task widget.
The newly added task shows the status as PENDING until it runs on the schedule you set.
Select Run Now if you want to run the task immediately.
To see a log for a task, click the task State to open a dialog with the log for that replication task.
To see the replication snapshots, go to Datasets, select the destination dataset on the tree table, then select Manage Snapshots on the Data Protection widget to see the list of snapshots in that dataset.
Click Show extra columns to add more information columns to the table such as the date created which can help you locate a specific snapshot or enter part of or the full the name in the search field to narrow the list of snapshots.
Enter the administration user (i.e., root or admin) that logs into the remote system with the web UI in Admin Username.
Enter the password in Admin Password.
Enter the administration user (i.e., root or admin) for remote system SSH session.
If you clear root as the the user and type any other name the Enable passwordless sudo for ZFS commands option displays.
This option does nothing so leave it cleared.
Select Generate New from the Private Key dropdown list.
(Optional) Select a cipher from the dropdown list, or enter a new value in seconds for the Connection Timeout if you want to change the defaults.
Click Save to create a new SSH connection and populate the SSH Connection field in the Replication Task Wizard.
Using SSH Transfer Security
Using encryption for SSH transfer security is always recommended.
In situations where you use two systems within an absolutely secure network for replication, disabling encryption speeds up the transfer.
However, the data is completely unprotected from eavesdropping.
Choosing No Encryption for the task is less secure but faster. This method uses common port settings but you can override these by switching to the Advanced Replication Creation options or by editing the task after creation.
TrueNAS SCALE advanced replication allows users to create one-time or regularly scheduled snapshots of data stored in pools, datasets or zvols on their SCALE system as a way to back up stored data.
When properly configured and scheduled, local or remote replication using the Advanced Replication Creation option takes regular snapshots of storage pools or datasets and saves them in the destination location on the same or another system.
Local replication occurs on the same TrueNAS SCALE system using different pools or datasets.
Remote replication can occur between your TrueNAS SCALE system and another TrueNAS system, or with some other remote server you want to use to store your replicated data.
Local and remote replication can involve encrypted pools or datasets.
The Advanced Replication Creation option opens the Add Replication Task screen.
This screen provides access to the same settings found in the replication wizard but has more options to specify:
Full file system replication
Stream compression
Replication speed
Attempts to replicate data before the task fails
Block size for data sent
Log level verbosity
You can also:
Change encrypted replication to allow an unencrypted dataset as the destination
Create replication from scratch
Include or exclude replication properties
Replicate specific snapshots that match a defined creation time.
Prevent the snapshot retention policy from removing source system snapshots that failed
With the implementation of the local administrator user to replace the root login, there are a few differences between setting up replication tasks as an admin user than with setting up replication tasks when logged in as root.
Setting up remote replication while logged in as the admin user requires selecting Use Sudo For ZFS Commands.
The first snapshot taken for a task creates a full file system snapshot, and all subsequent snapshots taken for that task are incremental to capture differences occurring between the full and subsequent incremental snapshots.
Scheduling options allow users to run replication tasks daily, weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule.
Users also have the option to run a scheduled job on demand.
Setting Up a Replication Task Overview
This section provides a simple overview of setting up a replication task regardless of the type of replication, local or remote.
It also covers the related steps you should take prior to configuring a replication task.
Prerequisites
Before setting up a replication task, you must configure an admin user with the Home Directory set to something other than /var/empty.
Ensure the account configuration has SSH password login enabled set.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must also be enabled to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
Remote replication requires setting up an SSH connection in TrueNAS before creating a remote replication task.
Verify the SSH service settings and ensure Allow Password Authentication is selected to enable these capabilities.
Incorrect SSH service settings can impact the admin user ability to establish an SSH session during replication and require you to obtain and paste a public SSH key into the admin user settings.
Set up the data storage for where you want to save replicated snapshots.
Make sure the admin user is correctly configured.
Create a periodic snapshot task of the storage locations to back up.
Create an SSH connection between the local TrueNAS system and the remote system for remote replication tasks.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection.
You can do this from either Credentials > Backup Credentials > SSH Connection and clicking Add or from the Replication Task Wizard using the Generate New option in the settings for the remote system.
Go to Data Protection > Replication Tasks and click Add to open the Replication Task Wizard where you specify the settings for the replication task.
Setting options change based on the source selections. Replicating to or from a local source does not require an SSH connection.
Configure your SSH connection before you begin configuring the replication task through the Add Replication Task screen.
If you have an existing SSH connection with the remote system the option displays on the SSH Connection dropdown list.
Turn on SSH service. Go to System > Services screen, verify the SSH service configuration, then enable it.
Creating a Simplified Advanced Replication Task
To access advanced replication settings, click Advanced Replication Creation at the bottom of the first screen of the Replication Task Wizard.
The Add Replication Task configuration screen opens.
Before you begin configuring the replication task, first verify the destination dataset you want to use to store the replication snapshots is free of existing snapshots, or that snapshots with critical data are backed up before you create the task.
To create a replication task:
Create the destination dataset or storage location you want to use to store the replication snapshots.
If using another TrueNAS system, create a dataset in one of your pools.
Verify the admin user home directory, auxiliary groups, and sudo setting on both the local and remote destination systems.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection, so this only applies to replication to another system.
If using a TrueNAS 13.0-U6.x system as the remote server, the remote user is always root.
If using an earlier TrueNAS 22.12.1 system or you installed TrueNAS as the root user then created the admin user after initial installation, you must verify the admin user is correctly configured.
Verify Admin User Settings
a. Go to Credentials > Local User, click anywhere on the admin user row to expand it, and then click Edit.
Scroll down to the Home Directory setting.
If set to /var/empty, first create a dataset to use for home directories, like /tank/homedirs. Enter this in the Home Directory field, make sure this is not read only.
For more information, follow the instructions in Adding Home Directories to create the home directory for the admin user.
b. Select the sudo permission level you want the admin user to have.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must be selected to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
c. Click Save.
Give the task a name and set the direction of the task.
Unlike the wizard, the Name does not automatically populate with the source/destination task name after you set the source and destination for the task.
Each task name must be unique, and we recommend you name it in a way that makes it easy to remember what the task is doing.
Select the direction of the task. Pull replicates data from a remote system to the local system. Push sends data from the local system to the remote.
Select the method of tranfer for this replication from the Transport dropdown list.
Select LOCAL to replicate data to another location on the same system.
Select SSH is the standard option for sending or receiving data from a remote system. Select the existing SSH Connection from the dropdown list.
Select SSH+Netcat is available as a faster option for replications that take place within completely secure networks.
SSH+Netcat requires defining netcat ports and addresses to use for the Netcat connection.
With SSH-based replications, select the SSH Connection to the remote system that sends or receives snapshots.
To create a new connection to use for replication from a destination to this local system, select newpullssh.
Select Use Sudo for Zfs Commands to controls whether the user used for SSH/SSH+NETCAT replication has passwordless sudo enabled to execute zfs commands on the remote host.
If not selected, you must enter zfs allow on the remote system to to grant non-user permissions to perform ZFS tasks.
Specify the source and destination paths. Adding /name to the end of the path creates a new dataset in that location.
Click the arrow to the left of each folder or dataset name to expand the options and browse to the dataset, then click on the dataset to populate the Source.
Choose a preconfigured periodic snapshot task as the source of snapshots to replicate.
Pulling snapshots from a remote source requires a valid SSH Connection before the file browser can show any directories.
A remote destination requires you to specify an SSH connection before you can enter or select the path.
If the file browser shows a connection error after selecting the correct SSH Connection, you might need to log in to the remote system and configure it to allow SSH connections.
Define how long to keep snapshots in the destination.
Remote sources require defining a snapshot naming schema to identify the snapshots to replicate.
Local sources are replicated by snapshots that were generated from a periodic snapshot task and/or from a defined naming schema that matches manually created snapshots.
DO NOT use zvols as remote destinations.
Select a previously configured periodic snapshot task for this replication task in Periodic Snapshot Tasks.
The replication task selected must have the same values in Recursive and Exclude Child Datasets as the chosen periodic snapshot task.
Selecting a periodic snapshot schedule removes the Schedule field.
If a periodic snapshot task does not exist, exist the advanced replication task configuration, go configure a periodic snapshot task, then return to the Advanced Replication screen to configure the replication Task.
Select Replicate Specific Snapshots to define specific snapshots from the periodic task to use for the replication.
This displays the schedule options for the snapshot task. Enter the schedule.
The only periodically generated snapshots included in the replication task are those that match your defined schedule.
Select the naming schema or regular expression option to use for this snapshot.
A naming schema is a collection of strftime time and date strings and any identifiers that a user might have added to the snapshot name.
For example, entering the naming schema custom-%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M finds and replicates snapshots like custom-2020-03-25_09-15.
Enter multiple schemas by pressing Enter to separate each schema.
Set the replication schedule to use and define when the replication task runs.
Leave Run Automatically selected to use the snapshot task specified and start the replication immediately after the related periodic snapshot task completes.
Select Schedule to display scheduling options for this replication task and To automate the task according to its own schedule.
Selecting Schedule allows scheduling the replication to run at a separate time.
Choose a time frame that gives the replication task enough time to finish and is during a time of day when network traffic for both source and destination systems is minimal.
Use the custom scheduler (recommended) when you need to fine-tune an exact time or day for the replication.
Advanced Scheduler
Choosing a Presets option populates in the rest of the fields.
To customize a schedule, enter crontab values for the Minutes/Hours/Days.
These fields accept standard cron values.
The simplest option is to enter a single number in the field.
The task runs when the time value matches that number.
For example, entering 10 means that the job runs when the time is ten minutes past the hour.
The TrueNAS UI does not have a Minutes field, but you can specify minutes within the Hours field using the CRON syntax described below.
An asterisk (*) means match all values.
You can set specific time ranges by entering hyphenated number values.
You can also enter lists of values.
Enter individual values separated by a comma (,).
For example, entering 1,14 in the Hours field means the task runs at 1:00 AM (0100) and 2:00 PM (1400).
A slash (/) designates a step value.
For example, entering * in Days runs the task every day of the month. Entering */2 runs it every other day.
Combining the above examples creates a schedule running a task each minute from 1:30-1:35 AM and 2:30-2:35 PM every other day.
TrueNAS has an option to select which Months the task runs.
Leaving each month unset is the same as selecting every month.
The Days of Week schedules the task to run on specific days and any listed days.
For example, entering 1 in Days and setting Wed for Days of Week creates a schedule that starts a task on the first day of the month and every Wednesday of the month.
The Schedule Preview displays when the current settings mean the task runs.
Examples of CRON syntax
Syntax
Meaning
Examples
*
Every item.
* (minutes) = every minute of the hour. * (days) = every day.
*/N
Every Nth item.
*/15 (minutes) = every 15th minute of the hour. */3 (days) = every 3rd day. */3 (months) = every 3rd month.
Comma and hyphen/dash
Each stated item (comma) Each item in a range (hyphen/dash).
1,31 (minutes) = on the 1st and 31st minute of the hour. 1-3,31 (minutes) = on the 1st to 3rd minutes inclusive, and the 31st minute, of the hour. mon-fri (days) = every Monday to Friday inclusive (every weekday). mar,jun,sep,dec (months) = every March, June, September, December.
You can specify days of the month or days of the week.
TrueNAS lets users create flexible schedules using the available options. The table below has some examples:
Desired schedule
Values to enter
3 times a day (at midnight, 08:00 and 16:00)
months=*; days=*; hours=0/8 or 0,8,16; minutes=0 (Meaning: every day of every month, when hours=0/8/16 and minutes=0)
Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday, at 8.30 pm
months=*; days=mon,wed,fri; hours=20; minutes=30
1st and 15th day of the month, during October to June, at 00:01 am
Every 15 minutes during the working week, which is 8am - 7pm (08:00 - 19:00) Monday to Friday
Note that this requires two tasks to achieve: (1) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=8-18; minutes=*/15 (2) months=*; days=mon-fri; hours=19; minutes=0 We need the second scheduled item, to execute at 19:00, otherwise we would stop at 18:45. Another workaround would be to stop at 18:45 or 19:45 rather than 19:00.
Click Save.
Setting a Replication Compression Level
Options for compressing data, adding a bandwidth limit, or other data stream customizations are available.
Stream Compression options are only available when using SSH.
Before enabling Compressed WRITE Records, verify that the destination system also supports compressed write records.
Setting Block Size
Allow Blocks Larger than 128KB is a one-way toggle.
Replication tasks using large block replication only continue to work as long as this option remains enabled.
Setting Full File System Replication
By default, the replication task uses snapshots to quickly transfer data to the receiving system.
Selecting Full Filesystem Replication means the task completely replicates the chosen Source, including all dataset properties, snapshots, child datasets, and clones.
When using this option, we recommended allocating additional time for the replication task to run.
Replicating Dataset Properties
Leave Full Filesystem Replication unselected and select Include Dataset Properties to include just the dataset properties in the snapshots to replicate.
Leave this option unselected on an encrypted dataset to replicate the data to another unencrypted dataset.
Replicating Child Datasets
Select Recursive to recursively replicate child dataset snapshots or exclude specific child datasets or properties from the replication.
Defining Replication Properties
Enter newly defined properties in Properties Override to replace existing dataset properties with the newly defined properties in the replicated files.
List any existing dataset properties to remove from the replicated files in Properties Exclude.
Saving Pending Snapshots
When a replication task is having difficulty completing, it is a good idea to select Save Pending Snapshots.
This prevents the source TrueNAS from automatically deleting any snapshots that failed to replicate to the destination system.
Changing Destination Dataset from Read-Only
By default, the destination dataset is set to be read-only after the replication completes.
You can change the Destination Dataset Read-only Policy to only start replication when the destination is read-only (set to REQUIRE) or to disable it by setting it to IGNORE.
Adding Transfer Encryption
The Encryption option adds another layer of security to replicated data by encrypting the data before transfer and decrypting it on the destination system.
Selecting Encryption adds the additional setting options HEX key or PASSPHRASE.
You can store the encryption key either in the TrueNAS system database or in a custom-defined location.
Synchronizing Destination and Source Snapshots
Synchronizing Destination Snapshots With Source destroys any snapshots in the destination that do not match the source snapshots.
TrueNAS also does a full replication of the source snapshots as if the replication task never run, which can lead to excessive bandwidth consumption.
This can be a very destructive option.
Make sure that any snapshots deleted from the destination are obsolete or otherwise backed up in a different location.
Defining Snapshot Retention
Defining the Snapshot Retention Policy is generally recommended to prevent cluttering the system with obsolete snapshots.
Choosing Same as Source keeps the snapshots on the destination system for the same amount of time as the defined Snapshot Lifetime from the source system periodic snapshot task.
You can use Custom to define your own lifetime for snapshots on the destination system.
Replicating Snapshots Matching a Schedule
Selecting Only Replicate Snapshots Matching Schedule restricts the replication to only those snapshots created at the same time as the replication schedule.
TrueNAS SCALE replication allows users to create replicated snapshots of data stored in encrypted pools, datasets or zvols that on their SCALE system as a way to back up stored data to a remote system. You can use encrypted datasets in a local replication.
You can set up a replication task for a dataset encrypted with a passphrase or a hex encryption key, but you must unlock the dataset before the task runs or the task fails.
With the implementation of the Local Administrator user and role-based permissions, when setting up remote replication tasks when logged in as an admin user requires selecting Use Sudo For ZFS Commands.
The first snapshot taken for a task creates a full file system snapshot, and all subsequent snapshots taken for that task are incremental to capture differences occurring between the full and subsequent incremental snapshots.
Scheduling options allow users to run replication tasks daily, weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule.
Users also have the option to run a scheduled job on demand.
Remote replication with datasets also require an SSH connection in TrueNAS. You can use an existing SSH connection if it has the same user credentials you want to use for the new replication task.
Setting Up a Simple Replication Task Overview
This section provides a simple overview of setting up a remote replication task for an encrypted dataset.
It also covers the related steps you should take prior to configuring the replication task.
Replication Task General Overview
Set up the data storage for where you want to save replicated snapshots.
Make sure the admin user has a home directory assigned.
Create an SSH connection between the local SCALE system and the remote system.
You can do this by either going to Credentials > Backup Credentials > SSH Connection and clicking Add or from the Replication Task Wizard using the Generate New option for the remote system.
Unlock the encrypted dataset(s) and export the encryption key to a text editor like Notepad.
Go to Data Protection > Replication Tasks and click Add to open the Replication Task Wizard.
Specify the from and to sources, task name, and set the schedule.
Setting options change based on the source selections. Replicating to or from a local source does not requires an SSH connection.
This completes the general process for all replication tasks.
Creating a Remote Replication Task for an Encrypted Dataset
To streamline creating simple replication tasks use the Replication Task Wizard to create and copy ZFS snapshots to another system.
The wizard assists with creating a new SSH connection and automatically creates a periodic snapshot task for sources that have no existing snapshots.
If you have an existing replication task, you can select it on the Load Previous Replication Task dropdown list to load the configuration settings for that task into the wizard, and then make change such as assigning it a different destination, select encryption options, schedule, or retention lifetime, etc.
Saving changes to the configuration creates a new replication task without altering the task you loaded into the wizard.
This saves some time when creating multiple replication tasks between the same two systems.
Before you begin configuring the replication task, first verify the destination dataset you want to use to store the replication snapshots is free of existing snapshots, or that snapshots with critical data are backed up before you create the task.
To create a replication task:
Create the destination dataset or storage location you want to use to store the replication snapshots.
If using another TrueNAS system, create a dataset in one of your pools.
Verify the admin user home directory, auxiliary groups, and sudo setting on both the local and remote destination systems.
Local replication does not require an SSH connection, so this only applies to replication to another system.
If using a TrueNAS 13.0-U6.x system as the remote server, the remote user is always root.
If using an earlier TrueNAS 22.12.1 system or you installed TrueNAS as the root user then created the admin user after initial installation, you must verify the admin user is correctly configured.
Verify Admin User Settings
a. Go to Credentials > Local User, click anywhere on the admin user row to expand it, and then click Edit.
Scroll down to the Home Directory setting.
If set to /var/empty, first create a dataset to use for home directories, like /tank/homedirs. Enter this in the Home Directory field, make sure this is not read only.
For more information, follow the instructions in Adding Home Directories to create the home directory for the admin user.
b. Select the sudo permission level you want the admin user to have.
Allow all sudo commands with no password must be selected to enable SSH+NETCAT remote replication.
c. Click Save.
Unlock the source dataset and export the encryption key to a text editor such as Notepad.
Go to Datasets select the source dataset, locate the ZFS Encryption widget and unlock the dataset if locked.
Export the key and paste it in any text editor such as Notepad. If you set up encryption to use a passphrase, you do not need to export a key.
Go to Data Protection and click Add on the Replication Tasks widget to open the Replication Task Wizard. Configure the following settings:
a. Select On this System on the Source Location dropdown list.
If your source is the local TrueNAS SCALE system, you must select On a Different System from the Destination Location dropdown list to do remote replication.
If your source is a remote system, create the replication task as the root user and select On a Different System. The Destination Location automatically changes to On this System.
TrueNAS shows the number of snapshots available for replication.
b. Select an existing SSH connection to the remote system or create a new connection.
Select Create New to open the New SSH Connection configuration screen.
c. Browse to the source pool/dataset(s), then click on the dataset(s) to populate the Source with the path.
You can select multiple sources or manually type the names into the Source field. Separate multiple entries with commas.
Selecting Recursive replicates all snapshots contained within the selected source dataset snapshots.
d. Repeat to populate the Destination field.
You cannot use zvols as a remote replication destination.
Add a /datasetname to the end of the destination path to create a new dataset in that location.
f. Select Use Sudo for ZFS Commands. Only displays when logged in as the admin user (or the name of the admin user).
This removes the need to issue the cli zfs allow command in Shell on the remote system.
When the dialog displays, click Use Sudo for ZFS Comands. If you close this dialog, select the option on the Add Replication Task wizard screen.
This option only displays when logged in as the admin user.
If not selected you need to issue the cli zfs allow command in Shell on the remote system.
g. Select Replicate Custom Snapshots, then accept the default value in Naming Schema.
Remote sources require entering a snapshot naming schema to identify the snapshots to replicate.
A naming schema is a pattern of naming custom snapshots you want to replicate.
If you want to change the default schema, enter the name and strftime(3) %Y, %m, %d, %H, and %M strings that match the snapshots to include in the replication.
Separate entries by pressing Enter. The number of snapshots matching the patterns display.
h. (Optional) Enter a name for the snapshot in Task Name.
SCALE populates this field with the default name using the source and destination paths separated by a hyphen, but this default can make locating the snapshot in destination dataset a challenge.
To make it easier to find the snapshot, give it a name that is easy for you to identify. For example, a replicated task named dailyfull for a full file system snapshot taken daily.
Click Next to display the scheduling options.
Select the schedule and snapshot retention life time.
a. Select Replication Schedule to use. Select Run Once to set up a replication task you run one time.
Select Run On a Schedule then select when from the Schedule dropdown list.
b. Select the Destination Snapshot Lifetime radio button option you want to use.
This specifies how long TrueNAS should store copied snapshots in the destination dataset before TrueNAS deletes it.
Same as Source is selected by default.
Select Never Delete to keep all snapshots until you delete them manually.
Select Custom to show two additional settings, then enter the number of the duration you select from the dropdown list. For example, 2 Weeks.
Click START REPLICATION.
A dialog displays if this is the first snapshot taken using the destination dataset.
If TrueNAS does not find a replicated snapshot in the destination dataset to use to create an incremental snapshot, it deletes any existing snapshots found and creates a full copy of the day snapshot to use as a basis for the future scheduled incremental snapshots for this schedule task.
This operation can delete important data, so ensure you can delete any existing snapshots or back them up in another location.
Click Confirm, then Continue to add the task to the Replication Task widget.
The newly added task shows the status as PENDING until it runs on the schedule you set.
Select Run Now if you want to run the task immediately.
To see a log for a task, click the task State to open a dialog with the log for that replication task.
To see the replication snapshots, go to Datasets, select the destination dataset on the tree table, then select Manage Snapshots on the Data Protection widget to see the list of snapshots in that dataset.
Click Show extra columns to add more information columns to the table such as the date created which can help you locate a specific snapshot or enter part of or the full the name in the search field to narrow the list of snapshots.
Enter the administration user (i.e., root or admin) that logs into the remote system with the web UI in Admin Username.
Enter the password in Admin Password.
Enter the administration user (i.e., root or admin) for remote system SSH session.
If you clear root as the the user and type any other name the Enable passwordless sudo for ZFS commands option displays.
This option does nothing so leave it cleared.
Select Generate New from the Private Key dropdown list.
(Optional) Select a cipher from the dropdown list, or enter a new value in seconds for the Connection Timeout if you want to change the defaults.
Click Save to create a new SSH connection and populate the SSH Connection field in the Replication Task Wizard.
Using SSH Transfer Security
Using encryption for SSH transfer security is always recommended.
In situations where you use two systems within an absolutely secure network for replication, disabling encryption speeds up the transfer.
However, the data is completely unprotected from eavesdropping.
Choosing No Encryption for the task is less secure but faster. This method uses common port settings but you can override these by switching to the Advanced Replication Creation options or by editing the task after creation.
After the replication task runs and creates the snapshot on the destination, you must unlock it to access the data.
Click the from the replication task options to download a key file that unlocks the destination dataset.
Replicating to an Unencrypted Destination Dataset
TrueNAS does not support preserving encrypted dataset properties when trying to re-encrypt an already encrypted source dataset.
To replicate an encrypted dataset to an unencrypted dataset on the remote destination system, follow the instructions above to configure the task, then to clear the dataset properties for the replication task:
Select the task on the Replication Task widget. The Edit Replication Task screen opens.
Scroll down to and select Include Dataset Properties to clear the checkbox.
This replicates the unlocked encrypted source dataset to an unencrypted destination dataset.
Using Additional Encryption Options
When you replicate an encrypted pool or dataset you have one level of encryption applied at the data storage level.
Use the passphrase or key created or exported from the dataset or pool to unlock the dataset on the destination server.
To add a second layer of encryption at the replication task level, select Encryption on the Replication Task Wizard, then select the type of encryption you want to apply.
Select either Hex (base-16 numeral format) or Passphrase (alphanumeric format) from the Encryption Key Format dropdown list to open settings for that type of encryption.
Selecting Hex displays Generate Encryption Key preselected. Select the checkbox to clear it and display the Encryption Key field where you can import a custom hex key.
Selecting Passphrase displays the Passphrase field where you enter your alphanumeric passphrase.
Select Store Encryption key in Sending TrueNAS database to store the encryption key in the sending TrueNAS database or leave unselected to choose a temporary location for the encryption key that decrypts replicated data.
Unlocking a Replication Encrypted Dataset or Zvol
Unlocking a Replicated Encrypted Dataset or Zvol Without a Passphrase
TrueNAS SCALE users should either replicate the dataset/Zvol without properties to disable encryption at the remote end or construct a special JSON manifest to unlock each child dataset/zvol with a unique key.
Method 1: Construct JSON Manifest.
Replicate every encrypted dataset you want to replicate with properties.
Export key for every child dataset that has a unique key.
For each child dataset construct a proper json with poolname/datasetname of the destination system and key from the source system like this:
{"tank/share01": "57112db4be777d93fa7b76138a68b790d46d6858569bf9d13e32eb9fda72146b"}
Save this file with the extension .json.
On the remote system, unlock the dataset(s) using properly constructed json files.
Method 2: Replicate Encrypted Dataset/zvol Without Properties.
Uncheck properties when replicating so that the destination dataset is not encrypted on the remote side and does not require a key to unlock.
Go to Data Protection and click ADD in the Replication Tasks window.
Click Advanced Replication Creation.
Fill out the form as needed and make sure Include Dataset Properties is NOT checked.
Click Save.
Method 3: Replicate Key Encrypted Dataset/zvol.
Go to Datasets on the system you are replicating from.
Select the dataset encrypted with a key, then click Export Key on the ZFS Encryption widget to export the key for the dataset.
Apply the JSON key file or key code to the dataset on the system you replicated the dataset to.
Option 1: Download the key file and open it in a text editor. Change the pool name/dataset part of the string to the pool name/dataset for the receiving system. For example, replicating from tank1/dataset1 on the replicate-from system to tank2/dataset2 on the replicate-to system.
Option 2: Copy the key code provided in the Key for dataset window.
On the system receiving the replicated pool/dataset, select the receiving dataset and click Unlock.
Unlock the dataset.
Either clear the Unlock with Key file checkbox, paste the key code into the Dataset Key field (if there is a space character at the end of the key, delete the space), or select the downloaded Key file that you edited.
Click Save.
Click Continue.
Network
The Network menu option has several screens that enable configuring network interfaces and general system-level network settings.
The tutorials in this section guide with the various screens and configuration forms contained within this menu item.
TrueNAS Enterprise
iXsystems TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact iXsystems Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
Configuring IPv6: Provides instructions configuring a network interface and other network settings for IPv6, and configuring an SMB or NFS share for IPv6.
Configuring Static Routes: Provides instructions on configuring a static route using the SCALE web UI.
Setting Up IPMI: Guides you through setting up Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) on TrueNAS SCALE.
Accessing NAS from a VM or Apps: Provides instructions on how to create a bridge interface for virtual machines or applications and provides Linux and Windows examples.
Interface Configurations
TrueNAS SCALE supports configuring different network interface types as part of the various backup, sharing, and virtualization features in TrueNAS.
The tutorials in this section guide you through each type of configuration.
Use the Network screen access interface and other network settings.
This article covers adding new or changing existing network interfaces, and configuring static and alias IPv4 addresses.
For information on configuring IPv6 addresses, see Configuring IPv6.
Why should I use different interface types?
Use LAGG (Link Aggregation) to optimize multi-user performance, balance network traffic, or have network failover protection.
For example, failover LAGG prevents a network outage by dynamically reassigning traffic to another interface when one physical link (a cable or NIC) fails.
Use a network bridge to enable communication between two networks and provide a way for them to work as a single network.
For example, bridges can serve IPs to multiple VMs on one interface, which allows your VMs to be on the same network as the host.
Prepare the system for interface changes by stopping apps, VM NIC devices, and services that can cause conflicts.
Stop running apps before proceeding with network interface changes.
Power off any running virtual machines (VMs) before making interface IP changes.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs.
If you encounter issues with testing network changes, you might need to stop sharing services such as SMB, using the current IP address.
One Static IP Address or Multiple Aliases?
One or More Aliases?
Static IP addresses set a fixed address for an interface that external devices or websites need to access or remember, such as for VPN access.
Use aliases to add multiple internal IP addresses, representing containers or applications hosted in a VM, to an existing network interface without having to define a separate network interface.
In the UI, you can add aliases when adding or editing an existing interface using the Add button to the right of the Aliases.
To add a static IP. Click Add again to add an additional alias.
From the Console Setup menu, select option 1 to configure network settings and add alias IP addresses.
Adding an Interface
You can use DHCP to provide the IP address for only one network interface. The DHCP IP address is most likely for your primary network interface configured during installation.
To add another network interface, click Add on the Interfaces widget to display the Add Interface panel.
Leave the DHCP checkbox clear.
Click Add to the right of Aliases, near the bottom of the Add Interface screen, and enter a static IP address for the interface.
You must specify the type of interface you want to create.
Select the interface type from the Type dropdown options: Bridge, Link Aggregation or LAGG, and VLAN or virtual LAN.
You cannot edit the interface type after you click Save.
Each interface type displays new fields on the Add Interface panel.
Links with more information on adding these specific types of interfaces are at the bottom of this article.
Testing Network Interface Changes
After adding a new interface or changing an existing interface that can impact access to the UI, SCALE displays a Test Changes dialog.
This function is intended to prevent changes that can break access to the UI.
Click Test Changes. You have 60 seconds to test the change. Keep the browser session open, and open a new browser window.
Enter the IP address in the URL field and press Enter.
The SCALE login screen should display. Enter the administrator login credentials to access the system.
Go to Network in the new browser session and click Save Changes.
If you cannot access the UI, return to the original browser session and click Revert Changes on the Network screen.
Check your configuration, make the necessary changes, and then repeat the test to validate access to the UI.
If the change allows access to the UI but is not what you want, click Revert Changes in either the new or original browser session.
If the 60 seconds elapses and you do not click Save Changes, the system discards the changes made.
Editing an Interface
To change an existing interface, click on the existing interface in the Interfaces widget and then click on the Edit icon to open the Edit Interface screen.
The Edit Interface and Add Interface settings are identical except for Type and Name which are not editable after adding and saving an interface.
Name shows on the Edit Interface screen, but you cannot change the name.
Type only shows on the Add Interface screen. You cannot edit these settings after saving the interface.
If you made a mistake with either field and clicked Save, the only option to change either setting is to delete the interface and create a new one with the desired name and type.
If you want to change from a DHCP-provided IP address to a static IP, you must also add the new default gateway and DNS nameservers that work with the new IP address.
See Setting Up a Static IP for more information.
You can lose your TrueNAS connection if you change the network interface that the web interface uses!
You might need command line knowledge or physical access to the TrueNAS system to fix misconfigured network settings.
Do not configure network settings to depend on any client container or application hosted on the TrueNAS system, such as DNS services, proxy networks, firewalls, and routers.
This is an unsupported configuration because TrueNAS cannot access the necessary networks during boot if the client container has not started.
Deleting an Interface
Click the delete icon for the interface.
A delete interface confirmation dialog opens.
Do not delete the primary network interface!
If you delete the primary network interface you lose your TrueNAS connection and the ability to communicate with the TrueNAS through the web interface!
You might need command line knowledge or physical access to the TrueNAS system to fix misconfigured network settings.
Adding Alias IP Addresses
Multiple interfaces connected to a single TrueNAS system cannot be members of the same subnet.
You can combine multiple interfaces with link aggregation (LAGG) or a network bridge.
Alternatively, you can assign multiple static IP addresses to a single interface by configuring aliases.
Click for more information
When multiple network interface cards (NICs) connect to the same subnet, users might incorrectly assume that the interfaces automatically load balance.
However, ethernet network topology allows only one interface to communicate at a time.
Additionally, both interfaces must handle broadcast messages since they are listening on the same network.
This configuration adds complexity and significantly reduces network throughput.
If you require multiple NICs on a single network for performance optimization, you can use a link aggregation (LAGG) configured with Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).
A single LAGG interface with multiple NICs appears as a single connection to the network.
While LACP is beneficial for larger deployments with many active clients, it might not be practical for smaller setups.
It provides additional bandwidth or redundancy for critical networking situations.
However LACP has limitations as it does not load balance packets.
On the other hand, if you need multiple IP addresses on a single subnet, you can configure one or more static IP aliases for a single NIC.
In summary, we recommend using LACP if you need multiple interfaces on a network.
If you need multiple IP addresses, define aliases. Deviation from these practices might result in unexpected behavior.
For a detailed explanation of ethernet networking concepts and best practices for networking multiple NICs, refer to this discussion from National Instruments.
To configure alias IPs to provide access to internal portions of the network, go to the Network screen:
Click on the Edit icon for the interface to open the Edit Interface screen for the selected interface.
Setting Up Static IPs: Provides instructions on setting up and testing a network interface static IP address.
Setting Up a Network Bridge
In general, a bridge refers to various methods of combining (aggregating) multiple network connections into a single aggregate network.
TrueNAS uses bridge(4) as the kernel bridge driver.
Bridge(8) is a command for configuring the bridge in Linux.
While the examples focus on the deprecated brctl(8) from the bridge-utilities package, we use ip(8) and bridge(8) from iproute2 instead.
Refer to the FAQ section that covers bridging topics more generally.
Network bridging does not inherently aggregate bandwidth like link aggregation (LAGG).
Bridging is often used for scenarios that require extending a network segment or combining different types of network traffic.
You can use bridging to integrate different types of networks (e.g., wireless and wired networks) or to segment traffic within the same network.
You can also use a bridge to allow a VM configured on TrueNAS to communicate with the host system.
See Accessing NAS from a VM or Apps for more information.
Prepare the system for interface changes by stopping apps, VM NIC devices, and services that can cause conflicts.
Stop running apps before proceeding with network interface changes.
Power off any running virtual machines (VMs) before making interface IP changes.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs.
If you encounter issues with testing network changes, you might need to stop sharing services such as SMB, using the current IP address.
To set up a bridge interface, go to Network, click Add on the Interfaces widget to open the Add Interface screen, then:
Select Bridge from the Type dropdown list.
You cannot change the Type field value after clicking Save!
Enter a name for the interface.
Use the correct format based on the interface type:
bondX* for a LAGG interface
vlanX for a VLAN interface
brx for a bridge interface
Where X is a number representing a non-parent interface. Assign the first bridge interface br0.
You cannot change the Name of the interface after clicking Save.
(Optional but recommended) Enter any notes or reminders about this particular bridge in Description.
Select the interfaces on the Bridge Members dropdown list.
Click Add to the right of Aliases to show the IP address fields, and enter the IP address for this bridge interface.
Click Add again to show additional IP address fields for each additional IP address you want to add.
After TrueNAS finishes testing the interface, click Save Changes to keep the changes.
Click Revert Changes to discard the changes and return to the previous configuration.
Occasionally, a misconfigured bridge or a conflict with a running application, VM, or service can cause the network changes test to fail.
Typically, this is because the bridge is configured using an IP address that is already in use.
If the system does not receive a Save Changes check-in before the test times out (default 60 seconds), TrueNAS automatically reverts all unsaved changes.
The following troubleshooting options are available if you cannot save the new bridge and network changes.
Options are ordered from the least to the most disruptive.
Try options one and two before proceeding with options three and four.
Ensure that there are no currently running applications.
Stop any running VMs.
(Optional) Go to Services.
Click editConfigure to view the current configuration of sharing services including SMB and NFS.
Stop any services that have a bind IP address matching the bridge IP address.
Restart the service(s) after network changes are tested and saved.
(Optional) Stop running apps.
After network changes are tested and saved, restart apps.
Setting Up a Link Aggregation
In general, a link aggregation (LAGG) is a method of combining (aggregating) multiple network connections in parallel to provide additional bandwidth or redundancy for critical networking situations.
TrueNAS uses lagg(4) to manage LAGGs.
Prepare the system for interface changes by stopping apps, VM NIC devices, and services that can cause conflicts.
Stop running apps before proceeding with network interface changes.
Power off any running virtual machines (VMs) before making interface IP changes.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs.
If you encounter issues with testing network changes, you might need to stop sharing services such as SMB, using the current IP address.
To set up a LAGG, go to Network, click Add on the Interfaces widget to open the Add Interface screen, then:
Select Link Aggregation from the Type dropdown list. You cannot change the Type field value after you click Save.
In LACP mode, the interfaces negotiate with the network switch to form a group of ports that are all active once.
The network switch must support LACP for this option to function.
a. Select the hash policy from the Transmit Hash Policy dropdown list. LAYER2+3 is the default selection.
b. Select the LACPDU Rate Option:
SLOW (default) sets the heartbeat request to every second and the timeout to a three-consecutive heartbeat loss that is three seconds.
FAST sets the timeout rate at one per second even after synchronization. FAST allows for rapid detection of faults.
FAILOVER
Select FAILOVER to send traffic through the primary interface of the group. If the primary interface fails, traffic diverts to the next available interface in the LAGG.LOADBALANCE
Select LOADBALANCE to accept traffic on any port of the LAGG group and balance the outgoing traffic on the active ports in the LAGG group.
LOADBALANCE is a static setup that does not monitor the link state or negotiate with the switch.
Select the Transmit Hash Policy option from the dropdown list. LAYER2+3 is the default selection.
Select the interfaces to use in the aggregation from the Link Aggregation Interface dropdown list.
(Optional) Click Add to the right of Aliases to show additional IP address fields for each additional IP address to add to this LAGG interface.
Click Save when finished.
Test the network change when prompted.
Setting Up a Network VLAN
A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a partitioned and isolated domain in a computer network at the data link layer (OSI layer 2).
Click here for more information on VLANs.
Before you begin, make sure you have an Ethernet card connected to a switch port and configured for your VLAN.
Ensure that you have also preconfigured the VLAN tag in the switched network.
Consult with your IT department to obtain this VLAN tag if you are not the network administrator for your systems.
To set up a VLAN interface, go to Network, click Add on the Interfaces widget to open the Add Interface screen, then:
Select VLAN from the Type dropdown list. You cannot change the Type field value after clicking Apply.
Enter a name for the interface using the format vlanX where X is a number representing a non-parent interface.
Assing the first VLAN bridge vlan0.
You cannot change the Name of the interface after clicking Save.
(Optional, but recommended) Enter any notes or reminders about this VLAN in Description.
Select the interface in the Parent Interface dropdown list. This is typically an Ethernet card connected to a switch port already configured for the VLAN.
Enter the numeric tag for the interface in the VLAN Tag field. This is typically preconfigured in the switched network.
Select the VLAN Class of Service from the Priority Code Point dropdown list.
(Optional) Click Add to the right of Aliases to show additional IP address fields for each additional IP address to add to this VLAN interface.
Click Save.
Test the network change when prompted.
Setting Up Static IPs
This article describes setting up a network interface with a static IP address or changing the main interface from a DHCP-assigned to a manually-entered static IP address.
You must know the DNS name server and default gateway addresses for your IP address.
You can lose your TrueNAS connection if you change the network interface that the web interface uses!
You might need command line knowledge or physical access to the TrueNAS system to fix misconfigured network settings.
Do not configure network settings to depend on any client container or application hosted on the TrueNAS system, such as DNS services, proxy networks, firewalls, and routers.
This is an unsupported configuration because TrueNAS cannot access the necessary networks during boot if the client container has not started.
Multiple interfaces connected to a single TrueNAS system cannot be members of the same subnet.
You can combine multiple interfaces with link aggregation (LAGG) or a network bridge.
Alternatively, you can assign multiple static IP addresses to a single interface by configuring aliases.
Click for more information
When multiple network interface cards (NICs) connect to the same subnet, users might incorrectly assume that the interfaces automatically load balance.
However, ethernet network topology allows only one interface to communicate at a time.
Additionally, both interfaces must handle broadcast messages since they are listening on the same network.
This configuration adds complexity and significantly reduces network throughput.
If you require multiple NICs on a single network for performance optimization, you can use a link aggregation (LAGG) configured with Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).
A single LAGG interface with multiple NICs appears as a single connection to the network.
While LACP is beneficial for larger deployments with many active clients, it might not be practical for smaller setups.
It provides additional bandwidth or redundancy for critical networking situations.
However LACP has limitations as it does not load balance packets.
On the other hand, if you need multiple IP addresses on a single subnet, you can configure one or more static IP aliases for a single NIC.
In summary, we recommend using LACP if you need multiple interfaces on a network.
If you need multiple IP addresses, define aliases. Deviation from these practices might result in unexpected behavior.
For a detailed explanation of ethernet networking concepts and best practices for networking multiple NICs, refer to this discussion from National Instruments.
DHCP or Static IP?
By default, during installation, TrueNAS SCALE configures the primary network interface for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) IP address management.
However, some administrators might choose to assign a static IP address to the primary network interface.
This choice may be made if TrueNAS is deployed on a system that does not allow DHCP for security, stability, or other reasons.
In all deployments, only one interface can be set up for DHCP, which is typically the primary network interface configured during the installation process.
Any additional interfaces must be manually configured with one or more static IP addresses.
One Static IP Address or Multiple Aliases?
One or More Aliases?
Static IP addresses set a fixed address for an interface that external devices or websites need to access or remember, such as for VPN access.
Use aliases to add multiple internal IP addresses, representing containers or applications hosted in a VM, to an existing network interface without having to define a separate network interface.
In the UI, you can add aliases when adding or editing an existing interface using the Add button to the right of the Aliases.
To add a static IP. Click Add again to add an additional alias.
From the Console Setup menu, select option 1 to configure network settings and add alias IP addresses.
Before You Begin
Have the DNS name server addresses, the default gateway for the new IP address, and any static IP addresses on hand to prevent lost communication with the server while making and testing network changes.
You have only 60 seconds to change and test these network settings before they revert back to the current settings, for example back to DHCP assigned if moving from DHCP to a static IP.
Back up your system to preserve your data and system settings. Save the system configuration file and a system debug.
As a precaution, grab a screenshot of your current settings in the Global Configuration widget.
If your network changes result in lost communication with the network and you need to return to the DHCP configuration, you can refer to this information to restore communication with your server.
Lost communication might require reconfiguring your network settings using the Console Setup menu.
Multiple interfaces cannot be members of the same subnet.
If an error displays or the Save button is inactive when setting the IP addresses on multiple interfaces, check the subnet and ensure the CIDR numbers differ.
Click Save.
A dialog opens where you can select to either Test Changes or Revert Changes.
If you have only one active network interface the system protects your connection to the interface by displaying the Test Changes dialog.
You have 60 seconds to test and save the change before the system discards the change and reverts back to the DHCP-configured IP address.
Check the name servers and default router information in the Global Information widget.
If the current settings are not on the same network, click Settings and modify each setting as needed to allow the static IP to communicate over the network.
Add the IP addresses for the DNS name servers in the Nameserver 1, Nameserver 2, and Nameserver 3 fields.
For home users, use 8.8.8.8 for a DNS name server address so you can communicate with external networks.
Add the IP address for the default gateway in the appropriate field.
If the static network is IPv4 enter the gateway in IPv4 Default Gateway, if the static network is IPv6 use IPv6 Default Gateway.
Click Save.
Test the network changes. Click Test Changes. Select Confirm to activate Test Changes button.
Click Save Changes to make the change to the static IP address permanent or click Revert Changes to discard changes and return to previous settings.
The Save Changes confirmation dialog displays. Click SAVE. The system displays a final confirmation that the change is in effect.
Only one interface can use DHCP to assign the IP address and that is likely the primary network interface.
If you do not have an existing network interface set to use DHCP you can convert an interface from static IP to DHCP.
To switch/return to using DHCP:
Click Settings on the Global Configuration widget.
Clear the name server fields and the default gateway, and then click Save.
Click on the Edit icon for the interface to display the Edit Interface screen.
Select DHCP.
Remove the static IP address from the IP Address field.
Click Apply.
Click Settings to display the Global Configuration screen, then enter the name server and default gateway addresses for the new DHCP-provided IP address.
Home users can enter 8.8.8.8 in the Nameserver 1 field.
Click Test Change. If the network settings are correct, the screen displays the Save Changes widget. Click Save Changes.
If the test network operation fails or the system times out, your system returns to the network settings before you attempted the change.
Verify the name server and default gateway information to try again.
Managing Network Global Configurations
Use the Global Configuration Settings screen to manage existing general network settings like the default gateway and DNS servers.
Set DHCP to assign the IPv4 address, or manually set a static IP address, add IP address aliases, and set up services to allow external communication.
You can lose your TrueNAS connection if you change the network interface that the web interface uses!
You might need command line knowledge or physical access to the TrueNAS system to fix misconfigured network settings.
Do not configure network settings to depend on any client container or application hosted on the TrueNAS system, such as DNS services, proxy networks, firewalls, and routers.
This is an unsupported configuration because TrueNAS cannot access the necessary networks during boot if the client container has not started.
Can I configure these options elsewhere?
Users can configure many of the interface, DNS, and gateway options using the Console Setup menu.
Be sure to check both locations when troubleshooting network connectivity issues.
Adding Network Settings
Use the Global Configuration Settings screen to add general network settings like the default gateway and DNS name servers to allow external communication.
Enter the system domain name in Domain. For example, example.com.
Enter the IP addresses for your DNS name servers in Nameserver 1, Nameserver 2, and/or Nameserver 3.
For home users, enter 8.8.8.8 in the Nameserver 1 field so your TrueNAS can communicate externally with the Internet.
Enter the IP address for your default gateway into the IPv4 Default Gateway if you are using IPv4 IP addresses.
Enter the IPv6 address in the IPv6 Default Gateway if you are using IPv6 addresses.
Select Allow All for Outbound Network to permit external communication for all TrueNAS services or select Deny All to prevent external communication.
Select Allow Specific and then use the dropdown list to pick a limited set of services to allow external communication.
Click Save. The Global Configuration widget on the Network screen updates to show the new settings.
Setting Up External Communication for Services
Use the Global Configuration Outbound Network settings to add services for external communication capability.
These services use external communication:
ACME DNS-Authenticators
Anonymous usage statistics
Catalog(s) information exchanges
Cloud sync
KMIP
Mail (email service)
Replication
Rsync
Support
TrueCommand iX portal
Updates
VMWare snapshots
Select Allow All to permit all of the above services to communicate externally. This is the default setting.
Select Deny All to prevent all of the above services from communicating externally.
Select Allow Specific to permit external communication for the services you select.
Allow Specific displays a dropdown list of selectable services.
Click on all that apply. A checkmark displays next to a selected service, and these services display in the field separated by a comma (,).
Click Save when finished.
Configuring IPv6
TrueNAS SCALE provides the option to configure network interfaces using either IPv4 or IPv6 addresses.
IPv4 networks cannot see or communicate with an IPv6 website or network unless a gateway or some other implementation is configured to allow it.
See Understanding IPv6 for more information.
Configuring IPv6 Addresses
After configuring your network infrastructure for IPv6, assign the IP addresses for your SCALE system.
Use the SCALE UI to configure your network settings.
If setting SCALE up for the first time after a clean install, use the Console Setup menu to enter IPv6 addresses.
Configuring an Interface Using the Console Setup Menu
If configuring your network settings using the Console Setup menu for the first time after installing SCALE, first configure the interface address.
Type 1, then press Enter.
Enter eno1 in name, then the IPv6 address in aliases.
Save, then select a to apply and p to make it persist. Type q to return to the Console Setup menu.
Next, configure the IPv6 gateway address, and the nameserver addresses. Type 2, then press Enter.
Enter the name server addresses provided by your IT department or Internet Service Provider (ISP), and then the gateways.
Save, then select a to apply and p to make it persist.
Adding an IPv6 Interface in the UI
Navigate to the Network screen to enter your network settings.
Click on Add in the Interfaces to open the Add Interface screen.
Enter en8s0 as the name for the interface if it is the primary interface.
Clear the DHCP checkbox, then select Autoconfigure IPv6 if you want to create the IP address using SLAAC.
This automatically configures the IPv6 address.
You can only use this option one time to configure an IPv6 address for the system.
Enter the IPv6 address assigned to the NIC port if using a fixed IP address assignment.
Click Save
Test the change.
If adding the primary interface test the network connection by opening a new browser window.
Enter the IPv6 address inside square brackets in the URL address field, for example, [ipv6 address].
After the system comes up, save the changes to the network interface.
To access the UI after configuring an IPv6 address, enter the IPv6 address inside square brackets in the browser URL field.
You cannot access the UI with the assigned host name when the system is configured on an IPv6 network.
Configuring Dual Stacking
SCALE supports dual-stacking IPv4 and IPv6 addresses in the same interface.
An IPv4 network cannot see or communicate with an IPv6 network unless some gateway is configured to allow IPv6 communication.
Dual stacking these two protocols allows SCALE to see and communicate with an all IPv6 address or website.
You must have IPv6 configured in your networking infrastructure.
Add IPv6 to your network router to permit the incoming and outgoing traffic. This provides the required gateway to permit communication with this IP protocol.
Assign a static IPv6 address and netmask, the network gateway address, and name servers to configure in SCALE.
When configuring dual stacking, the order in which you configure the two network IP protocols does not matter.
If IPv4 networking is already configured in SCALE, to set up dual stacking of IPv6 in the UI, go to Network:
Add the IPv6 gateway information.
Click Settings on the Global Configuration widget. The Edit Global Configuration screen opens.
Enter the IPv6 address for the gateway in IPv6 Default Gateway.
Click Save.
Add the IPv6 static IP address to the primary interface.
Select the primary interface, en8s0, then click Edit.
Click Add* to the right of Aliases to add another set of IP Address fields.
Enter the IPv6 address, then select the netmask.
Click Save
Test the network change.
To verify the IPv6 address, in a new browser window, enter the address inside square brackets. For example, [ffff:ff:59f8:100::12].
Log into the UI, and click Save Changes.
Log out of that browser session, return to your other UI session.
Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses should show on the screen for the primary interface.
After installing SCALE and using the Console Setup menu to configure system networking and set up dual stacking, add the name servers and both IP protocol default gateways in general network settings (option 2 on the menu), then add both IP address, with netmasks as aliases, on the primary network interface (option 1 on the menu).
If using the Console Setup menu to set up IPv6 on an already IPv4-configured system, add the v6 default gateway in general network, then add the IPv6 IP address with netmask as an alias on the primary interface.
Connecting to the UI IPv6 Address
Unlike IPv4, you must enter the IPv6 address with a square bracket preceding and following the address.
You cannot enter the host name assigned to the SCALE system to access the UI.
For example, enter [ffff:ff:59f8:100::12] into the URL field of the browser window to access the UI.
Using IPv6 with Sharing Protocols
When configuring an SMB or NFS share, first configure the bind address in the share service.
Next, configure the share user, and add the share and dataset.
Finally, add the share owner to the dataset permissions.
Go to System > Services click Advanced Options then edit the share service.
For SMB, scroll down and select the IPv6 address as the Bind IP Address and click Save.
For NFS, also select the IPv6 address in Bind IP Addresses.
Select Allow non-root mount, then click Save.
Go to Credentials > Local User to create the share user.
Modify the ACL permissions.
Either click on Edit Filesystem ACL on the Shares screen or go to Datasets, select the dataset row, scroll down and click Edit on the Permissions widget.
Leave the dataset permissions @owner and @group set to root or change them to the admin user.
Next click Add New to create a new ACL entry for the share user(s).
See Setting Up Permissions for more information on adding new entries and modifying dataset permissions.
To mount or access the share in Windows, you must enter the share information using a particular syntax or it cannot find nor connect to the share.
The syntax requires you to replace each colon (:) in the IPv6 address with a dash (-).
Enter two forward slashes, followed by the IPv6 address with .ipv6-literal.net after it, then enter another forward slash, and finally the share name.
For example, \ffff-ff-59f8-100–12.ipv6-literal.net<i>v6smbshare.
Managing Network Settings (Enterprise HA)
TrueNAS Enterprise
The instructions in the article only apply to SCALE Enterprise (HA) systems.
Configuring Enterprise (HA) Network Settings
Both controllers must be powered on and ready before you configure network settings.
You must disable the failover service before you can configure network settings!
Only configure network settings on controller 1! When ready to sync to peer, SCALE applies settings to controller 2 at that time.
SCALE Enterprise (HA) systems use three static IP addresses for access to the UI:
VIP to provide UI access regardless of which controller is active.
If your system fails over from controller 1 to 2, then fails over back to controller 1 later you might not know which controller is active.
IP for controller 1. If enabled, DHCP assigns an IP to the primary network interface on non-HA systems.
Disable DHCP, and then manually enter the Controller 1 static IP address your network administrator assigned for this controller.
IP for Controller 2. Manually enter the second IP address assigned for this controller.
Have the list of network addresses, name sever and default gateway IP addresses, and host and domain names ready so you can complete the network configuration without disruption or system timeouts.
SCALE safeguards allow a default of 60 seconds to test and save changes to a network interface before reverting changes.
This is to prevent users from breaking their network connection in SCALE.
To configure network settings on controller 1:
Disable the failover service.
Go to System > Services locate the Failover service and click edit.
Select Disable Failover and click Save.
Edit the primary network interface to add failover settings.
Go to Network and click on the primary interface eno1 to open the Edit Interface screen for this interface.
First, enter the IP address for controller 1 into IP Address (This Controller) and select the netmask (CIDR) number from the dropdown list.
Next, enter the controller 2 IP address into IP Address (TrueNAS Controller 2).
Finally, enter the VIP address into Virtual IP Address (Failover Address).
Click Save
Click Test Changes after editing the interface settings.
You have 60 seconds to test and then save changes before they revert. If this occurs, edit the interface again.
Turn failover back on.
Go to System > Failover and select Disable Failover to clear the checkmark and turn failover back on, then click Save.
The system might reboot.
Monitor the status of controller 2 and wait until the controller is back up and running, then click Sync To Peer.
Select Reboot standby TrueNAS controller and Confirm, then click Proceed to start the sync operation.
The controller reboots, and SCALE syncs controller 2 with controller 1, which adds the network settings and pool to controller 2.
TrueNAS does not have defined static routes by default but TrueNAS administrators can use the Static Routes widget on the Network screen to manually enter routes so a router can send packets to a destination network.
If you have a monitor and keyboard connected to the system, you can use the Console Setup menu to configure static routes during the installation process, but we recommend using the web UI for all configuration tasks.
If you need a static route to reach portions of the network, from the Network screen:
Click Add in the Static Routes widget to open the Add Static Route screen.
Enter a value in Destination. Enter the destination IP address and CIDR mask in the format A.B.C.D/E where E is the CIDR mask.
Enter the gateway IP address for the destination address in Gateway.
(Optional) Enter a brief description for this static route, such as the part of the network it reaches.
Click Save.
Setting Up IPMI
IPMI requires a compatible motherboard with IPMI support.
Refer to your hardware documentation to determine compatibility.
Many TrueNAS systems include a built-in out-of-band management port, enabling system access even when the web interface is unavailable.
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) allows users to check the log, access the BIOS setup, and boot the system without physical access.
IPMI also enables users to remotely access the system to assist with configuration or troubleshooting issues.
The IPMI widget on the Network screen shows the available IPMI channels and gives access to IPMI configuration and event logs.
To configure a static IPv4 connection for IPMI, do not select DHCP.
Enter the IPv4 address for the IPMI web interface.
Enter the IPv4 address subnet mask in IPv4 Netmask, such as 255.255.240.0.
Enter the IPv4 connection default gateway.
If needed, enter the VLAN identifier of the IPMI interface in VLAN ID.
We recommend configuring IPMI on a separate VLAN that is isolated from the main TrueNAS network.
This allows for IPMI access even if the main network is down.
Click Save to update IPMI configuration.
After saving the configuration, access the IPMI interface using a web browser and the IP address specified in Network > IPMI or click to open the IPMI manager in a new browser tab.
The management interface prompts for login credentials.
IPMI utility appearance and available functions vary by hardware.
Refer to your IPMI device documentation to learn the default administrator account credentials.
After logging in to the management interface, change the default administrative user name.
We recommend setting a strong IPMI password.
Refer to your IPMI device documentation for password requirements.
Document your password in a secure location.
Alternately, enter a new password in IPMI Password Reset on the IPMI configuration screen.
IPMI Alerts
Click Show Events on the IPMI widget to show the IPMI Events log.
Use the Alert Settings Screen under the Hardware category to adjust IPMI alerts.
Configure the minimum warning level and frequency to display IPMI alerts in the TrueNAS SCALE UI.
The IPMI System Event Log (SEL) stores system events and can assist with debugging hardware issues.
Review IPMI SEL alerts and resolve any underlying hardware issues before clearing space in the SEL.
Consult manufacturer documentation for your motherboard to learn how to review IPMI system events and clear the log.
Accessing NAS from a VM or Apps
If you want to access your TrueNAS SCALE directories from a VM or within an app container, you have multiple options:
If you have only one physical interface, you must create a bridge interface.
If your system has more than one physical interface you can assign your VMs to a NIC other than the primary one your TrueNAS server uses.
This method makes communication more flexible but does not offer the potential speed of a bridge.
Prepare the system for interface changes by stopping apps, VM NIC devices, and services that can cause conflicts.
Stop running apps before proceeding with network interface changes.
Power off any running virtual machines (VMs) before making interface IP changes.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs.
If you encounter issues with testing network changes, you might need to stop sharing services such as SMB, using the current IP address.
Creating a Bridge: Single Physical Interface
If your system only has a single physical interface, complete these steps to create a network bridge.
Go to Virtualization, find the VM you want to use to access TrueNAS storage, and toggle it off.
Go to Network > Interfaces and find the active interface you used as the VM parent interface.
Note the interface IP Address and subnet mask.
Click the interface to open the Edit Interface screen.
If enabled, clear the DHCP checkbox.
Note the IP address and mask under Aliases.
Click the X next to the listed alias to remove the IP address and mask.
The Aliases field now reads No items have been added yet.
Click Save.
Go to Virtualization, expand the VM you want to use to access TrueNAS storage, and click Devices.
Click more_vert in the NIC row and select Edit.
Select the new bridge interface from the NIC to Attach dropdown list, then click Save.
You can now access your TrueNAS storage from the VM.
You might have to set up shares or users with home directories to access certain files.
Assigning a Secondary NIC: Multiple Physical Interfaces
If you have more than one NIC on your system, you can assign VM traffic to a secondary NIC.
Configure the secondary interface as described in Managing Interfaces before attaching it to a VM.
If you are creating a new VM, use the Attach NIC dropdown menu under Network Interface to select the secondary NIC.
To edit the NIC attached to an existing VM:
Go to Virtualization, expand the VM you want to use to access TrueNAS storage, and click Devices.
SCALE Credential options are collected in this section of the UI and organized into a few different screens:
Users allows those with permissions to add, configure, and delete users on the system.
There are options to search for keywords in usernames, display or hide user characteristics, and toggle whether the system shows built-in users.
Groups allows those with permissions to add, configure, and delete user groups on the system.
There are options to search for keywords in group names, display or hide group characteristics, and toggle whether the system shows built-in groups.
Directory Services contains options to edit directory domain and account settings, set up Idmapping, and configure access and authentication protocols.
Specific options include configuring Kerberos realms and key tables (keytab), as well as setting up LDAP validation.
Backup Credentials stores credentials for cloud backup services, SSH Connections, and SSH Keypairs.
Users can set up backup credentials with cloud and SSH clients to back up data in case of drive failure.
Certificates contains all the information for certificates, certificate signing requests, certificate authorities, and DNS-authenticators.
TrueNAS comes equipped with an internal, self-signed certificate that enables encrypted access to the web interface, but users can make custom certificates for authentication and validation while sharing data.
2FA allows users to set up Two-Factor Authentication for their system.
Users can set up 2FA, then link the system to an authenticator app (such as Google Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator, etc.) on a mobile device.
Contents
Using Administrator Logins: Explains role-based administrator logins and functions. Provides instructions on configuring SSH and working with the admin and root user passwords.
Managing Users: Provides instructions on adding and managing administrator and user accounts.
Managing Groups: Provides instructions on adding and managing groups.
Configuring LDAP: Provides instructions on configuring and managing LDAP configurations in SCALE.
Configuring FreeIPA: Provides information and configuration instructions for adding FreeIPA directory service in SCALE.
Configuring Kerberos: Provides instructions on configuring and managing Kerberos realms and keytabs in SCALE.
Configuring IDMap: Provides instructions on configuring and managing ID mapping in SCALE.
Backup Credentials: Backup credential tutorials for integrating TrueNAS SCALE with cloud storage providers by setting up SSH connections and keypairs.
Adding Cloud Credentials: Provides basic instructions on adding backup cloud credentials and more detailed instructions for some cloud storage providers.
Adding SSH Credentials: Provides information on adding SSH connections, generating SSH key pairs, and adding the SSH public key to the root user.
Certificates: Information about adding and managing certificates, CSRs, CAs, and ACME DNS-Authenticators in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing Certificates: Provides information on adding or managing certificates in SCALE.
Creating ACME Certificates: Provides information on generating ACME certificates in TrueNAS SCALE using Let's Encrypt.
Configuring KMIP: Provides information on Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) in SCALE. Describes how to configure KMIP on TrueNAS SCALE Enterprise.
Using Administrator Logins
Root account logins are deprecated in SCALE Bluefin 22.12.0 or newer for security hardening and to comply with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).
All TrueNAS users should create an administrator account with all required permissions and begin using it to access TrueNAS.
When the root user password is disabled, only an administrative user account can log in to the TrueNAS web interface.
TrueNAS SCALE plans to permanently disable root account access in a future release.
The default SCALE administrator account name changes from admin to truenas_admin in TrueNAS SCALE 24.10 (Electric Eel) fresh installations.
Earlier releases of SCALE with the admin account retain this account when upgrading to 24.10 through the UI.
To improve security and minimize username discoverability, create one or more administrator accounts with unique usernames and passwords and disable password access for default administrator accounts (root, admin, or truenas_admin).
Configure appropriate administrative privileges for each admin account.
Follow the principle of least privilege (PoLP) and assign the lowest permissions required to perform the administrative tasks expected for that user.
If a task requires SSH login or sudo command permission, temporarily enable these settings then disable when the task is complete.
See Security Recommendations and Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
After adding the admin user account and group privileges, login to confirm UI access then disable the root and/or default administrator user password(s).
Go to Credentials > Users, click on the user, and select Edit.
Click the Disable Password toggle to disable the password, then click Save.
Administrator accounts have roles and privileges that allow greater control over access to functions in SCALE and to further utilize FIPS compliance.
SCALE includes three predefined admin user account levels:
Full Admin - Assigned to the local administrator account created by the system when clean installing SCALE using an iso file.
Also assigned when manually creating an admin user if logged in as the root user account after upgrading from a pre-22.12.3 release of SCALE or migrating from CORE to SCALE.
Sharing Admin - Assigned to users responsible for only managing shares (SMB, NFS, iSCSI).
This user can create shares and the datasets for shares, start/restart the share service, and modify the ACL for the share dataset.
Readonly Admin - Assigned to users that can monitor the system but not make changes to settings.
Adminstrator passwords can be changed on the Edit User screen or, if currently logged in as that admin user, by clicking the Settingsaccount_circle icon on the top toolbar and clicking Change Password.
Click on the Change Passworddialpad icon button to display the change password dialog where you can enter a new password for the currently logged-in user.
The truenas_admin user and admin users with full control permissions see the Change Password dialog with the New Password and Confirm Password fields.
These users do not need to enter their current password to change the password.
Sharing Admin and Readonly Admin users see the Change Password dialog with the Current Password, New Password, and Confirm Password fields.
These users must enter the current password to validate the user account before changing the password.
Alternatively, click Add to create a new group for administrative users, such as Share_Administrators.
Use the Privileges dropdown to select assign permissions as Local Administrator to allow full administrative access or select Read-Only Administrator or Sharing Administrator to limit permissions.
If required, set the sudo permissions to assign.
For improved security, temporarily enable limited sudo permissions only when required to complete an administrative task and disable sudo after completing the task.
See Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
Click Save.
After creating a new group, click groupMembers to open the Update Members screen and assign one or more administrative user accounts to the group.
Click Save.
Log out of the TrueNAS system and then log back in using the new user credentials to verify that the admin credentials work properly with your network configuration.
Allowing Sudo Commands
As a security hardening feature, administrator accounts in Linux-based TrueNAS releases (22.12.0 or newer) cannot execute certain root-level commands in a shell or SSH session by default.
If a user attempts to execute one of these commands without root-level access, TrueNAS returns a command not found error.
Administrative users who need to execute root-level commands to complete a task should temporarily enable sudo permissions for that user by going to Credentials and editing the user or group to enable some or all sudo commands.
For best security, enable only the required commands to perform the task and require password authentication, unless the task or app prevents it.
Disable sudo permissions when the task completes and they are no longer required.
Allowed sudo commands, Allow all sudo commands, Allowed sudo commands with no password, and Allow all sudo commands with no password grant limited root-like permissions using the sudo command.
Use Allowed sudo commands or Allowed sudo commands with no password to list specific sudo commands to allow.
Enter each command as an absolute path to the ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) executable file, for example, /usr/bin/nano.
/usr/bin/ is the default location for commands.
Press Enter after each command.
To allow full access to sudo commands, select either Allow all sudo commands or Allow all sudo commands with no password.
If sudo commands are allowed with password protection, the user is prompted for a password the first time a sudo command is entered, but not again in the same session.
Disable these settings after completing the task to return to a security-hardened system.
Do not allow sudo permissions for read-only administrators.
Disabling Root and Admin User Passwords
As a security measure, the root user is no longer the default account and the password is disabled when you create the truenas_admin or admin user during installation.
Do not disable the default admin account, root, and any custom admin account passwords at the same time.
If all root and administrator account passwords become disabled at the same time and the web interface session times out, a one-time sign-in screen allows access to the system.
Enter and confirm a password to gain access to the UI.
After logging in, immediately go to Credentials > Users to enable the password for an administrator account before the session times out again.
This temporary password is not saved as a new password and it does not enable the admin or root passwords, it only provides one-time access to the UI.
When disabling a password for UI login, it is also disabled for SSH access.
Accessing the System Through an SSH Session
To enable SSH access to the system as an admin user (or root user), you must first configure the SSH service.
Go to System > Services, then click (Edit) for the SSH service.
Enter the groups (truenas_admin, root, etc.) you want to enable for password authentication in the Password Login Groups field.
Enable Allow Password Authentication.
Click Save and restart the SSH service.
Now you must verify the user configuration options to allow SSH access.
If you want to SSH into the system as the root:
Go to Credentials > Users and click the root user, then click (Edit).
Make sure Disable Pasword is disabled. If the root user has Disable Password enabled, you cannot use it to gain SSH access to the system.
Click Save.
To allow an admin user to issue commands in an SSH session:
Go to Credentials > Users, click the admin user, then click (Edit).
Enable SSH password login enabled under Authentication.
Click Save.
Disable this after completing the SSH session to return to a security-hardened system.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Administrator Account Log In
To use two-factor authentication with an administrator account, first configure and enable SSH service to allow SSH access, then configure two-factor authentication.
If you have the root user configured with a password and enable it, you can SSH into the system with the root user.
Security best practice is to disable the root user password and only use a local administrator account.
Administrator Logins and TrueCommand
At present, administrator logins work with TrueCommand but you need to set up the TrueNAS connection using an API key.
Managing Users
In TrueNAS, user accounts allow flexibility for accessing shared data.
Typically, administrators create users and assign them to groups.
Doing so makes tuning permissions for large numbers of users more efficient.
When the network uses a directory service, import the existing account information using the instructions in Directory Services.
Using Active Directory requires setting Windows user passwords in Windows.
TrueNAS hides all built-in users (except root) by default. Click the toggle Show Built-In Users to see all built-in users.
Creating an Administrator User Account
Root account logins are deprecated in SCALE Bluefin 22.12.0 or newer for security hardening and to comply with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).
All TrueNAS users should create an administrator account with all required permissions and begin using it to access TrueNAS.
When the root user password is disabled, only an administrative user account can log in to the TrueNAS web interface.
TrueNAS SCALE plans to permanently disable root account access in a future release.
The default SCALE administrator account name changes from admin to truenas_admin in TrueNAS SCALE 24.10 (Electric Eel) fresh installations.
Earlier releases of SCALE with the admin account retain this account when upgrading to 24.10 through the UI.
To improve security and minimize username discoverability, create one or more administrator accounts with unique usernames and passwords and disable password access for default administrator accounts (root, admin, or truenas_admin).
Configure appropriate administrative privileges for each admin account.
Follow the principle of least privilege (PoLP) and assign the lowest permissions required to perform the administrative tasks expected for that user.
If a task requires SSH login or sudo command permission, temporarily enable these settings then disable when the task is complete.
See Security Recommendations and Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
After adding the admin user account and group privileges, login to confirm UI access then disable the root and/or default administrator user password(s).
Go to Credentials > Users, click on the user, and select Edit.
Click the Disable Password toggle to disable the password, then click Save.
Enter memorable name that is difficult to guess for the administrator account.
You can create multiple admin users with different names and assign each different administration roles and privileges.
Select Create New Primary Group to create a group with the same name as the admin user.
To assign the new admin to an existing group with appropriate administrative privileges, either assign the group as an auxiliary group or deselect Create New Primary Group and select the group as the primary group.
Add the home directory for the new admin user.
Enter or browse to select the location where SCALE creates the home directory.
For example, /mnt/tank. If you created a dataset to use for home directories, select that dataset.
Select the Read, Write, and Execute permissions for User, Group, and Other this directory should have, then select Create Home Directory.
Select the shell for this admin user from the Shell dropdown list.
We recommend setting shell to TrueNAS Console as this provides access to the Console Setup menu and the Linux shell from the SCALE Shell screen.
If required, set the sudo permissions to assign.
For improved security, temporarily enable limited sudo permissions only when required to complete an administrative task and disable sudo after completing the task.
See Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
For administrator accounts generated during the initial installation process, TrueNAS SCALE sets authorization to Allow all sudo commands.
Alternatively, accept default user sudo permissions and apply permissions to the group.
Click Save.
The system adds the user to the builtin-users group after clicking Save.
Assigning Administrative Group Privileges
SCALE 24.04 or newer supports administrator privileges for role-based administrator accounts.
Users can create new administrator accounts with limited privileges based on their needs.
Predefined administrator roles are read only, share admin, and the default full access local administrator account.
See Using Administrator Logins for more information.
Go to Credentials > Groups and select the row for primary group of the admin user to expand it.
Click editEdit.
Alternatively, click Add to create a new group for administrative users, such as Share_Administrators.
Use the Privileges dropdown to select assign permissions as Local Administrator to allow full administrative access or select Read-Only Administrator or Sharing Administrator to limit permissions.
If required, set the sudo permissions to assign.
For improved security, temporarily enable limited sudo permissions only when required to complete an administrative task and disable sudo after completing the task.
See Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
Click Save.
After creating a new group, click groupMembers to open the Update Members screen and assign one or more administrative user accounts to the group.
Click Save.
Log out of the TrueNAS system and then log back in using the new user credentials to verify that the admin credentials work properly with your network configuration.
Creating User Accounts
When creating a user, you must:
Enter a Full Name or description for the user, such as a first and last name.
Enter a Username or accept the generated user name.
Enter and enable a Password.
Specify or accept the default user ID (UID)
(Optional) Select the Shell the user has access to when they go to System > Shell.
Not all users can select a shell.
All other settings are optional.
Click Save after configuring the user settings to add the user.
Enter a personal name or description in Full Name, for example, John Doe or Share Anonymous User, then allow TrueNAS to suggest a simplified name derived from the Full Name or enter a name in Username.
Enter and confirm a password for the user.
Make sure the login password is enabled. Click the Disable Password toggle to enable/disable the login password. Setting the Disable Password toggle to active (blue toggle) disables these functions:
The Password field becomes unavailable and TrueNAS removes any existing password from the account.
The Lock User option disappears.
The account is restricted from password-based logins for services like SMB shares and SSH sessions.
Enter a user account email address in the Email field if you want this user to receive notifications
Accept the default user ID or enter a new UID.
TrueNAS suggests a user ID starting at 3000, but you can change it if you wish.
We recommend using an ID of 3000 or greater for non-built-in users.
Leave the Create New Primary Group toggle enabled to allow TrueNAS to create a new primary group with the same name as the user.
To add the user to a different existing primary group, disable the Create New Primary Group toggle and search for a group in the Primary Group field.
To add the user to more groups use the Auxiliary Groups dropdown list.
Configure a home directory and permissions for the user. Some functions, such as replication tasks, require setting a home directory for the user configuring the task.
When creating a user, the default home directory path is set to /var/empty.
This directory is an immutable directory shared by service accounts and accounts that should not have a full home directory.
If set to this path TrueNAS does not create a home directory for the user. You must change this to the path for the dataset created for home directories.
To add a home directory, enter or browse to a path in Home Directory, then select Create Home Directory.
Select Read, Write, and Execute for each role (User, Group, and Other) to set access control for the user home directory.
Built-in users are read-only and can not modify these settings.
Why did this change in TrueNAS 24.04 (Dragonfish) and later?
TrueNAS uses the pam_mkhomdir PAM module in the pam_open_session configuration file to automatically create user home directories if they do not exist.
pam_mkhomedir returns PAM_PERM_DENIED if it fails to create a home directory for a user, which eventually turns into a pam_open_session() failure.
This does not impact other PAM API calls, for example, pam_authenticate().
TrueNAS SCALE does include the customized version of pam_mkhomedir used in TrueNAS CORE that specifically avoided trying to create the /nonexistent directory. This led to some circumstances where users could create the /nonexistent directory on SCALE versions before 24.04.
Starting in SCALE 24.04 (Dragonfish), the root filesystem of TrueNAS is read-only, which prevents pam_mkhomdir from creating the /nonexistent directory in cases where it previously did.
This results in a permissions error if pam_open_session() is called by an application for a user account that has Home Directory set to /nonexistent.
Assign a public SSH key to a user for key-based authentication by entering or pasting the public key into the Authorized Keys field.
You can click Choose File under Upload SSH Key and browse to the location of an SSH key file.
Always keep a backup of an SSH public key if you are using one.
As of SCALE 24.04, the Shell setting defaults to nologin for read only and sharing administrators, which means they cannot access the Shell screen.
Select the shell option for the admin user from the Shell dropdown list.
Options are nologin, TrueNAS CLI, TrueNAS Console, sh, bash, rbash, dash, tmux, and zsh.
To disable all password-based functionality for the account, select Lock User. Clear to unlock the user.
If required, set the sudo permissions to assign.
For improved security, temporarily enable limited sudo permissions only when required to complete an administrative task and disable sudo after completing the task.
See Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
Leave SMB User selected to allow using the account credentials to access data shared with SMB.
Click Save.
Adding Home Directories
To add a home directory for a user account, first create a dataset to use for user home directories, for example a dataset named homedirs.
Next, go to Credentials > Users and either click Add to add a new user and their home directory, or select an existing user, click Edit, and then add a home directory for the user.
While on the user configuration screen:
Enter the path to the new dataset for home directories in Home Directory. For example, change /var/empty/ to the path to the new dataset /tank/homedirs.
Next select Create Home Directory, and select the level of permissions you want to apply. We recommend leaving the default selections, Read/Write/Execute selected for the user home directory.
Click Save. TrueNAS creates the new home directory for the user.
Editing User Accounts
To edit an existing user account, go to Credentials > Users.
Click anywhere on the user row to expand the user entry, then click Edit to open the Edit User configuration screen.
See Local User Screens for details on all settings.
Managing Groups
TrueNAS offers groups as an efficient way to manage permissions for many similar user accounts.
See Users for managing users.
The interface lets you manage UNIX-style groups.
If the network uses a directory service, import the existing account information using the instructions in Active Directory.
By default, TrueNAS hides the system built-in groups.
To see built-in groups, click the Show Built-In Groups toggle. The toggle turns blue and all built-in groups display. Click the Show Built-In Groups toggle again to show only non-built-in groups on the system.
Adding a New Group
To create a group, go to Credentials > Groups and click Add.
Enter a unique number for the group ID in GID that TrueNAS uses to identify a Unix group.
Enter a number above 3000 for a group with user accounts or enter the default port number as the GID for a system service.
Enter a name for the group.
The group name cannot begin with a hyphen (-) or contain a space, tab, or any of these characters: colon (:), plus (+), ampersand (&), hash (#), percent (%), carat (^), open or close parentheses ( ), exclamation mark (!), at symbol (@), tilde (~), asterisk (*), question mark (?) greater or less than (<) (>), equal (=).
You can only use the dollar sign ($) as the last character in a group name.
If required, set the sudo permissions to assign.
For improved security, temporarily enable limited sudo permissions only when required to complete an administrative task and disable sudo after completing the task.
See Allowing Sudo Commands for more information.
To allow Samba permissions and authentication to use this group, select SMB Group.
To allow more than one group to have the same group ID (not recommended), select Allow Duplicate GIDs.
Use only if absolutely necessary, as duplicate GIDs can lead to unexpected behavior.
Using the same group ID (GID) is not permitted as it can create confusion. The operating system treats it as the same group, even if a different name is assigned.
Select SMB Group to make this group available for permissions editors over SMB protocol, and add the share ACL editor.
This is not used for SMB authentication or when determining the user session token or internal permissions checks.
Click Save.
Managing Groups
Click anywhere on a row to expand that group and show the group management buttons.
To add a user account to the group, select the user and then click the right arrow .
To remove a user account from the group, select the user and then click the left arrow .
To select multiple users, press Ctrl and click on each entry.
Click Save.
Edit Group
To edit an existing group, go to Credentials > Groups, expand the group entry, and click editEdit to open the Edit Group configuration screen. See Groups Screens for details on all settings.
Managing Privileges
Never modify the settings for the standard pre-defined privileges (listed below)! Changing these pre-defined roles can result in lost access to the UI!
Pre-defined TrueNAS privileges are:
Read-Only Administrator - Allows the user to view settings but not make changes in the UI.
Sharing Administrator - Allows the user to create new shares and the share dataset.
Local Administrator - Gives full control (read/write/execute permissions) to the user.
Active Directory can provision groups in TrueNAS or you can add new groups that you assign to users in AD.
After adding a group, verify or edit the privilege(s) granted to the users in the group.
Adding a Privilege
To configure a new privilege, go to Credentials > Groups, click on Privileges to open the Privileges screen.
Click Add to define a new privilege. For example, if you want to create an group with the ability to only perform and manage backup, replication, or some other task.
You can create a new privilege to customize the functional access you want to grant.
On the New Privilege screen:
Enter a name for the new privilege. Names can include the dash (-) or underscore (_) special characters, and upper and lowercase alphanumeric characters.
Make the name descriptive of the privilege. For example, Replication Administrator, Backup Administrator, iSCSI Share Admin, etc.
You can create a privilege that can only manage iSCSI shares or one that can manage applications based on the selections made in the Roles field.
Click in the Local Groups field to see a list of groups on the system. To add another group, click in the field to select another group.
Click the x to the right of the group name to remove that group from the privilege.
Click the down arrow at the right of the Roles field to show the list of roles configured on the system. Select all roles to include.
Use the scroll bar at the right of the field to see all options.
Select Web Shell Access to allow access to the shell screen in the TrueNAS UI.
Click Save to create the new privilege.
Users assigned to the group show on the Users screen with the new privilege granted to the user in the Roles column, and the new group shows on the Groups screen with privilege listed in the Roles column.
Setting Up Directory Services
The SCALE Directory Services tutorials contain options to edit directory domain and account settings, set up ID mapping, and configure authentication and authorization services in TrueNAS SCALE.
Choosing Active Directory or LDAP
When setting up directory services in TrueNAS, you can connect TrueNAS to either an Active Directory or an LDAP server but not both.
To view Idmap and Kerberos Services, click Show next to Advanced Settings.
Configuring LDAP: Provides instructions on configuring and managing LDAP configurations in SCALE.
Configuring FreeIPA: Provides information and configuration instructions for adding FreeIPA directory service in SCALE.
Configuring Kerberos: Provides instructions on configuring and managing Kerberos realms and keytabs in SCALE.
Configuring IDMap: Provides instructions on configuring and managing ID mapping in SCALE.
Configuring Active Directory
The Directory Services screen and widgets provide access to TrueNAS settings to set up access to directory services and advanced authentication systems deployed in user environments.
TrueNAS does not configure Active Directory domain controllers or LDAP directory servers, nor does it configure Kerberos authentication servers or ID mapping systems.
Refer to documentation for these services and systems for information on how to configure each to suit your use case.
Configuring TrueNAS Active Directory Access
The Active Directory (AD) service shares resources in a Windows network.
AD provides authentication and authorization services for the users in a network, eliminating the need to recreate the user accounts on TrueNAS.
When joined to an AD domain, you can use domain users and groups in local ACLs on files and directories.
You can also set up shares to act as a file server.
Joining an AD domain also configures the Privileged Access Manager (PAM) to let domain users log on via SSH or authenticate to local services.
Users can configure AD services on Windows or Unix-like operating systems using Samba version 4.
Preparing to Configure AD in TrueNAS
Before configuring Active Directory (AD) in TrueNAs:
You need to know the hostname assigned to the TrueNAS system. The default value is truenas.
The Domain Account Name default is Administrator, or enter a name for TrueNAS to generate as the computer account upon domain join.
Enter the password for this account.
Verify name resolution.
Go to Network > Global Network Settings to verify your TrueNAS network DNS name servers are configured with the target domain controller address that you plan to add on the Active Directory screen.
Change the default hostname of the system from truenas to the name assigned to the TrueNAS system.
Active Directory relies on the time-sensitive Kerberos protocol.
TrueNAS adds the AD domain controller with the PDC Emulator FSMO Role as the preferred NTP server during the domain join process.
If your environment requires something different, go to System > General Settings, click Add to open the NTP Servers screen, then add a new or edit a listed server.
Keep the local system time sync within five (5) minutes of the AD domain controller time in a default AD environment.
Use an external time source when configuring a virtualized domain controller.
TrueNAS generates alerts if the system time gets out of sync with the AD domain controller time.
TrueNAS has a few options to ensure both systems are synchronized. Either:
Go to System > General Settings, click Settings in the Localization widget, and set Timezone to the value that matches the location of the AD domain controller.
Set the system BIOS to either local time or universal time.
Connecting to the Active Directory Domain
Before you begin, modify the system DNS server settings.
Take a screenshot of your current settings to refer to if you need to revert to pre-AD settings for any reason.
Change the nameserver 1 setting to the IP address of the AD sever and clear the other name server settings.
Make sure the domain name is set to something other than the default value truenas.
To connect TrueNAS to Active Directory:
Go to Credentials > Directory Services click Configure Active Directory to open the Active Directory configuration screen.
Enter the domain name for the AD in Domain Name and the bindname and bindpw account credentials in Domain Account Name and Domain Account Password.
Default Domain Account Name created for TrueNAS is Administrator.
Enter the TrueNAS hostname in NetBIOS Name. Change the default TRUENAS to something else.
Enter the TrueNAS host name that matches the information on the Network > Global Configuration screen in the Hostname field.
Select Enable to attempt to join the AD domain immediately after saving the configuration.
SCALE populates the Kerberos Realm and Kerberos Principal fields on the Advanced Options settings screen.
TrueNAS creates the default Kerberos realm and principal, and the Computer Account OU value /computers/servers/NAS.
If you get a DNS server error, go to Network > Global Configuration, click Settings and verify the DNS nameserver IP addresses are correctly configured with addresses that permit access to the Active Directory domain controller.
Correct any network configuration settings, then reconfigure the Active Directory settings.
Click Save.
TrueNAS offers advanced options for fine-tuning the AD configuration, but the preconfigured defaults are generally suitable.
I don't see any AD information!
TrueNAS can take a few minutes to populate the Active Directory information after configuration.
To check the AD join progress, open the assignmentTask Manager in the upper-right corner.
TrueNAS displays any errors during the join process in the Task Manager.
When the import completes, AD users and groups become available while configuring basic dataset permissions or an ACL with TrueNAS cache enabled (enabled by default).
Joining AD also adds default Kerberos realms and generates a default AD_MACHINE_ACCOUNT keytab.
TrueNAS automatically begins using this default keytab and removes any administrator credentials stored in the TrueNAS configuration file.
Troubleshooting - Resyncing the Cache
If the cache becomes out of sync or fewer users than expected are available in the permissions editors, resync it by clicking Settings in the Active Directory window and then click Rebuild Directory Service Cache.
The name in NetBIOS Name should match the name in Hostname on the Global Configuration settings screen.
Disabling Active Directory
To disable your AD server connection without deleting your configuration or leaving the AD domain, click Settings to open the Active Directory settings screen.
Select the Enable checkbox to clear it and click Save to disable the AD service.
This returns you to the main Directory Services screen now showing the two main directory services configuration options.
Click Configure Active Directory to open the Active Directory screen with your existing configuration settings.
Select Enable again, and click Save to reactivate your connection to your AD server.
Leaving Active Directory
TrueNAS requires users to cleanly leave an Active Directory to delete the configuration.
To cleanly leave AD, click Leave Domain on the Active Directory Advanced Settings screen to remove the AD object.
Remove the computer account and associated DNS records from the Active Directory.
If the AD server moves or shuts down without you using Leave Domain, TrueNAS does not remove the AD object, and you have to clean up the Active Directory.
Configuring LDAP
TrueNAS has an Open LDAP client for accessing the information on an LDAP server.
An LDAP server provides directory services for finding network resources like users and their associated permissions.
You can have either Active Directory or LDAP configured on SCALE but not both.
Does LDAP work with SMB?
LDAP authentication for SMB shares is disabled unless you configured and populated the LDAP directory with Samba attributes.
The most popular script for performing this task is smbldap-tools.
TrueNAS needs to be able to validate the full certificate chain (no self-signed certificates).
TrueNAS does not support non-CA certificates.
Configuring LDAP
To configure SCALE to use an LDAP directory server:
Go to Credentials > Directory Services and click Configure LDAP.
Enter your LDAP server host name. If using a cloud service LDAP server, do not include the full URL.
Enter your LDAP server base DN. This is the top of the top level of the LDAP directory tree to use when searching for resources.
Enter the bind DN (administrative account name for the LDAP server) and the bind password.
Select Enable to activate the server
Click Save.
If you want to further modify the LDAP configuration, click Advanced Options. See the LDAP UI Reference article for details about advanced settings.
Disabling LDAP
To disable LDAP but not remove the configuration, clear the Enable checkbox. The main Directory Services screen returns to the default view showing the options to configure Active Directory or LDAP.
To enable LDAP again, click Configure LDAP to open the LDAP screen with your saved configuration. Select Enable again to reactivate your LDAP directory server configuration.
Removing LDAP from SCALE
To remove the LDAP configuration, click Settings to open the LDAP screen.
Clear all settings and click Save.
Configuring FreeIPA
TrueNAS provides the option to configure a FreeIPA directory service client in SCALE using the LDAP configuration screen under Credentials > Directory Services.
Does LDAP work with SMB?
LDAP authentication for SMB shares is disabled unless you configured and populated the LDAP directory with Samba attributes.
The most popular script for performing this task is smbldap-tools.
TrueNAS needs to be able to validate the full certificate chain (no self-signed certificates).
TrueNAS does not support non-CA certificates.
You can have either Active Directory or LDAP configured on SCALE, but not both.
Before You Begin
You must do the following things listed in this section. See the procedure below for detailed steps.
Your IPA server must have DNS properly configured and have access through the firewall. Having functional DNS for the IPA domain is an absolute requirement.
If improperly configured, the IPA server cannot resolve Kerberos SRV records and the configuration in TrueNAS fails with network errors.
Running the IPA server as the LDAP client automatically joins the realm with the ldap creds.
Change the global network settings default Hostname setting from truenas to any other name. Leaving it set to the default breaks the configuration.
Change Nameserver 1 to the IP address for the IPA server and remove any other IP addresses configured as Nameserver 2 and Nameserver 3.
Having extra non-IPA DNS nameserver addresses configured in TrueNAS breaks DNS.
You must set the LDAP screen Hostname to the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) for for the IPA server.
Setting it to the IPA server IP address breaks the configuration.
Check the LDAP screen Base DN setting for extraneous spaces between dn records and remove them.
The LDAP service goes into a degraded state for systems with misconfigured FreeIPA.
To use Kerberos for NFS/SMB authentication, do not point a random windows client at the server or SMB does not work.
Configuring LDAP
To configure TrueNAS for a FreeIPA server:
Go to Network and click Configure on the Global Network Settings widget to open the network settings screen.
a. Change the Hostname to something other than the default truenas value. This can be any name of your choosing.
b. Change the IP address in Nameserver 1 to the IP address assigned to the IPA server.
c. Delete any other IP addresses in both Nameserver 2 and Nameserver 3.
d. Click Save
Go to Credentials > Directory Services and click Configure LDAP.
a. Enter the FQDN for the IPA server in the Hostname field. Do not enter the IP address for the IPA server!
b. Enter the base DN for the IPA server. For example, if the FQDN name is myIPAserver.mydept.mycompany.net, enter dc=mycompany,dc=mydept,dc=net if this represents the top of the top level of the LDAP directory tree to use when searching for resources.
Make sure there are no spaces between entries, and separate each dn entry with a comma.
c. Enter the bind DN. Include the uid=admin,cn=users,cn=accounts,dc=mydept,dc=mycompany,dc=net in the entry.
d. Enter the bind password, which is the password for the administrator account.
Select Enable to activate the server.
Click Save.
TrueNAS creates the Kerberos key and realm, and populates these fields on the LDAP Advanced Options screen.
See the LDAP UI Reference article for details about advanced settings.
Disabling LDAP
To disable IPA server but not remove the configuration, clear the Enable checkbox.
The main Directory Services screen returns to the default view showing the options to configure Active Directory or LDAP.
To enable again, click Configure LDAP to open the LDAP screen with your saved configuration.
Select Enable again to reactivate your IPA directory server configuration.
Removing LDAP from SCALE
To remove the LDAP configuration, click Settings to open the LDAP screen.
Clear all settings and click Save.
Configuring Kerberos
Kerberos is extremely complex. Only system administrators experienced with configuring Kerberos should attempt it.
Misconfiguring Kerberos settings, realms, and keytabs can have a system-wide impact beyond Active Directory or LDAP, and can result in system outages.
Do not attempt configure or make changes if you do not know what you are doing!
Kerberos is a computer network security protocol. It authenticates service requests between trusted hosts across an untrusted network (i.e., the Internet).
If you configure Active Directory in SCALE, SCALE populates the realm fields and the keytab with what it discovers in AD.
You can configure LDAP to communicate with other LDAP severs using Kerberos, or NFS if it is properly configured, but SCALE does not automatically add the realm or key tab for these services.
After AD populates the Kerberos realm and keytabs, do not make changes. Consult with your IT or network services department, or those responsible for the Kerberos deployment in your network environment for help.
For more information on Kerberos settings refer to the MIT Kerberos Documentation.
Kerberos uses realms and keytabs to authenticate clients and servers.
A Kerberos realm is an authorized domain that a Kerberos server can use to authenticate a client.
By default, TrueNAS creates a Kerberos realm for the local system.
A keytab (“key table”) is a file that stores encryption keys for authentication.
TrueNAS SCALE allows users to configure general Kerberos settings, as well as realms and keytabs.
Kerberos Realms
TrueNAS automatically generates a realm after you configure AD.
Users can configure Kerberos realms by navigating to Directory Services and clicking Add in the Kerberos Realms window.
Enter the realm and key distribution (KDC) names, then define the admin and password servers for the realm.
Click Save.
Kerberos Keytabs
TrueNAS automatically generates a keytab after you configure AD.
A Kerberos keytab replaces the administration credentials for Active Directory after intial configuration.
Since TrueNAS does not save the Active Directory or LDAP administrator account password in the system database, keytabs can be a security risk in some environments.
When using a keytab, create and use a less-privileged account to perform queries.
TrueNAS stores that account password in the system database.
Adding the Windows Keytab to TrueNAS
After generating the keytab, go back to Directory Services in TrueNAS and click Add in the Kerberos Keytab window to add it to TrueNAS.
To make AD use the keytab, click Settings in the Active Directory window and select it using the Kerberos Principal dropdown list.
When using a keytab with AD, ensure the keytab username and userpass match the Domain Account Name and Domain Account Password.
To make LDAP use a keytab principal, click Settings in the LDAP window and select the keytab using the Kerberos Principal dropdown list.
Kerberos Settings
If you do not understand Kerberos auxiliary parameters, do not attempt to configure new settings!
The Kerberos Settings screen includes two fields used to configure auxiliary parameters.
Kerberos is extremely complex. Only system administrators experienced with configuring Kerberos should attempt it.
Misconfiguring Kerberos settings, realms, and keytabs can have a system-wide impact beyond Active Directory or LDAP, and can result in system outages.
Do not attempt configure or make changes if you do not know what you are doing!
Configuring IDMap
Idmap settings exist for the purpose of integration with an existing directory domain to ensure that UIDs and GIDs assigned to Active Directory users and groups have consistent values domain-wide.
The correct configuration therefore relies on details that are entirely external to the TrueNAS server, e.g., how the AD administrator has configured other Unix-like computers in the environment.
The default is to use an algorithmic method of generating IDs based on the RID component of the user or group SID in Active Directory.
Only administrators experienced with configuring Id mapping should attempt to add new or edit existing idmaps.
Misconfiguration can lead to permissions incorrectly assigned to users or groups in the case where data is transferred to/from external servers via ZFS replication or rsync (or when access is performed via NFS or other protocols that directly access the UIDs/GIDs on files).
The Idmap directory service lets users configure and select a backend to map Windows security identifiers (SIDs) to UNIX UIDs and GIDs. Users must enable the Active Directory service to configure and use identity mapping (Idmap).
Users can click Add in the Idmap widget to configure backends or click on an already existing Idmap to edit it.
TrueNAS automatically generates an Idmap after you configure AD or LDAP.
Adding an ID Map
From the Directory Services screen, click Show to the right of Advanced Settings and then click Confirm to close the warning dialog.
Click Add on the Idmap widget to open the Idmap Settings screen.
Select the type from the Name field dropdown. Screen settings change based on the selection.
Select the Idmap Backend type from the dropdown list. Screen settings change based on the backend selected.
Enter the required field values.
Click Save.
Backup Credentials
TrueNAS backup credentials store cloud backup services credentials, SSH connections, and SSH keypairs.
Users can set up backup credentials with cloud and SSH clients to back up data in case of drive failure.
Contents
Adding Cloud Credentials: Provides basic instructions on adding backup cloud credentials and more detailed instructions for some cloud storage providers.
Adding SSH Credentials: Provides information on adding SSH connections, generating SSH key pairs, and adding the SSH public key to the root user.
Adding Cloud Credentials
The Cloud Credentials screen, accessed from the Backup Credentials screen allows users to integrate TrueNAS with cloud storage providers.
These providers are supported for Cloud Sync tasks in TrueNAS SCALE:
*TrueCloud backup tasks streamline functionality for Storj iX cloud backups and restoration.
To maximize security, TrueNAS encrypts cloud credentials when saving them.
However, this means that to restore any cloud credentials from a TrueNAS configuration file, you must enable Export Password Secret Seed when generating that configuration backup.
Remember to protect any downloaded TrueNAS configuration files.
Authentication methods for each provider could differ based on the provider security requirements.
You can add credentials for many of the supported cloud storage providers from the information on the Cloud Credentials Screens.
This article provides instructions for the more involved providers.
Adding a Cloud Credential
We recommend users open another browser tab to open and log into the cloud storage provider account you intend to link with TrueNAS.
Some TrueNAS providers credentials require entering additional information generated while creating the provider account.
For example, the Storj iX account produces an access and secret key that must be entered in the Cloud Credential screen to create the credential.
Have the authentication information required by your cloud storage provider on hand to make the process easier.
Authentication information can include but is not limited to user credentials, access tokens, and access and security keys.
To add a cloud credential:
Select the cloud service from the Provider dropdown list. The provider required authentication option settings display.
Enter the required authentication credentials, such as access token, access key and/or secret keys, and user credentials for the account into the appropriate fields.
Click Verify Credentials to test the entered credentials and verify they work.
Click Save.
Adding Storj Cloud Credentials
Storj iX is the default cloud storage provider in TrueNAS.
Go to Credentials > Backup Credentials and click Add on the Cloud Credentials widget.
The Cloud Credentials screen opens with Storj displayed as the default provider in the Provider field.
You must use this link to create your Storj account to take advantage of the benefits of the Storj iX pricing!
Enter your information in the fields, select the I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and click the button at the bottom of the screen.
The Storj main dashboard opens.
Select the permissions you want to allow this access key.
Choose Full Access to allow permanent full permissions to all buckets and data then click Create Access or select Advanced then click Next to customize access configuration.
b. Select the buckets to allow access to.
Click All Buckets or click Select Buckets and use the Buckets dropdown to select one or more bucket(s).
Click Next.
c. Select an expiration date if you want to set the duration or length of time to allow this credential to exist.
You can select a preset period, click Set Custom Expiration Date to use the calendar to set the duration, or select No expiration.
Click Next to open the Access Encryption window.
You can either create a TrueNAS compatible Storj bucket while configuring cloud credentials or wait to do so while configuring a TrueCloud back up or Cloud Sync task.
Not all Storj buckets are TrueNAS compatible.
To create a TrueNAS-compatible bucket, either log in to Storj using the ix Storj affiliate link before creating the bucket in the Storj UI, or use the TrueNAS UI to create the bucket using the Add New option.
To create a Storj bucket from the TrueNAS UI:
Go to Data Protection.
Click Add on either the TrueCloud Backup Tasks or Cloud Sync Tasks widget.
Select the stored Storj cloud credential from the Provider > Credentials dropdown.
Do this as part of setting up a task or use the wizard to create the bucket without saving a configured task.
Click Verify Credential for verification, then click Next to go to the What and When screen.
Click Save.
TrueNAS creates the remote bucket on Storj and then returns to the Cloud Sync Task Wizard.
Adding Amazon S3 Cloud Credentials
When adding an Amazon S3 cloud credential, you can either use the default authentication settings or advanced settings if you want to include endpoint settings.
To add a cloud credential for Amazon S3, select Amazon S3 in Provider, enter a name and then:
Navigate to My account > Security Credentials > Access Keys to obtain the Amazon S3 secret access key ID.
Access keys are alphanumeric and between 5 and 20 characters.
If you cannot find or remember the secret access key, go to My Account > Security Credentials > Access Keys and create a new key pair.
Enter or copy/paste the access key into Access Key ID.
Enter or copy/paste the Amazon Web Services alphanumeric password that is between 8 and 40 characters into Secret Access Key
(Optional) Enter a value to define the maximum number of chunks for a multipart upload in Maximum Upload Ports.
Setting a maximum is necessary if a service does not support the 10,000-chunk AWS S3 specification.
(Optional) Select Advanced Settings to display the endpoint settings.
To use the default endpoint for the region and automatically fetch available buckets leave this field blank.
For more information refer to the AWS Documentation for a list of Simple Storage Service Website Endpoints.
To detect the correct public region for the selected bucket leave the field blank.
Entering a private region name allows interaction with Amazon buckets created in that region.
c. (Optional) Configure a custom endpoint URL.
d. (Optional) Select Disable Endpoint Region to prevent automatic detection of the bucket region.
Enable only if your AWS provider does not support regions.
d. (Optional) Select Use Signature Version 2 to force using signature version 2 with the custom endpoint URL.
Select only if your AWS provider does not support default version 4 signatures.
For more information on using this to sign API requests see Signature Version 2.
Click Verify Credentials to check your credentials for any issues.
Click Save
Adding Cloud Credentials that Authenticate with OAuth
Cloud storage providers using OAuth as an authentication method are Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, pCloud, and Yandex.
Some providers like Google Drive and pCloud use additional settings to authenticate credentials.
Open the Cloud Credentials screen, select the name of the cloud storage provider on the Provider dropdown list, enter a name for the credential, and then:
Enter the provider account email in OAuth Client ID and the password for that user account in OAuth Client Secret.
Click Log In To Provider. The Authentication window opens. Click Proceed to open the OAuth credential account sign-in window.
Yandex displays a cookies message you must accept before you can enter credentials.
Enter the provider account user name and password to verify the credentials.
(Optional) Enter the value for any additional authentication method.
For pCloud, enter the pCloud host name for the host you connect to in Hostname.
For Google Drive when connecting to Team Drive, enter the Google Drive top-level folder ID.
Enter the access token from the provider if not populated by the provider after OAuth authentication. Obtaining the access token varies by provider.
Provider
Access Token
Box
For more information on the user access token for Box click here. An access token enables Box to verify a request belongs to an authorized session. Example token: T9cE5asGnuyYCCqIZFoWjFHvNbvVqHjl.
The authentication process creates the token for Google Drive and populates the Access Token field automatically. Access tokens expire periodically, so you must refresh them.
Google Photo
Does not use an access token.
pCloud
Create the pCloud access token here. These tokens can expire and require an extension.
Click Verify Credentials to make sure you can connect with the entered credentials.
Click Save.
Adding BackBlaze B2 Cloud Credentials
BackBlaze B2 uses an application key and key ID to authenticate credentials.
Open the Cloud Credentials screen, select BackBlaze B2 in Provider, enter a name and then:
Log into the BackBlaze account, go to the App Keys page, and add a new application key. Copy and paste this into Key ID.
Generate a new application key on the BackBlaze B2 website.
From the App Keys page, add a new application key. Copy the application Key string Application Key.
Click Verify Credentials.
Click Save.
Adding Google Cloud Storage Credentials
Google Cloud Storage uses a service account JSON file to authenticate credentials.
Open the Cloud Credentials screen, select Google Cloud Storage in Provider, enter a name and then:
Go to your Google Cloud Storage website to download this file to the TrueNAS SCALE server.
The Google Cloud Platform Console creates the file.
Click Choose File to browse the server to locate the downloaded JSON file and upload it. The file populates Preview JSON Service Account Key
For help uploading a Google Service Account credential file click here.
Click Verify Credentials.
Click Save.
Adding OpenStack Swift Cloud Credentials
OpenStack Swift authentication credentials change based on selections made in AuthVersion.
All options use the user name, API key or password, and authentication URL, and can use the optional endpoint settings.
For more information on OpenStack Swift settings, see rclone documentation.
Open the Cloud Credentials screen, select OpenStack Swift Cloud in Provider, enter a name for the credential and then:
(Optional) Select the version from the AuthVersion. For more information see rclone documentation.
Select the desired option based on your use case.
Set Auth(vx) to V1 or V2
d. Enter the ID in Tenant ID. Required for v2 and v3 and (optional) enter a Tenant Domain.
e. (Optional) Enter the alternative authentication token in Auth Token.
f. Enter a region name in Region Name
g. (Optional) Enter the URL in Storage URL.
h. (Required) Select the service catalog option from the Endpoint Type dropdown. Options are Public, Internal and Admin. Public is recommended.
Click Verify Credentials.
Click Save.
Using Automatic Authentication
Some providers can automatically populate the required authentication strings by logging in to the account.
To automatically configure the credential, click Login to Provider and enter your account user name and password.
We recommend verifying the credential before saving it.
Adding SSH Credentials
The SSH Connections and SSH Keypairs widgets on the Backup Credentials screen display a list of SSH connections and key pairs configured on the system.
Using these widgets, users can establish Secure Socket Shell (SSH) connections.
You must also configure and activate the SSH Service to allow SSH access.
Creating an SSH Connection
To begin setting up an SSH connection, go to Credentials > Backup Credentials.
The procedure in this section covers the semi-automatic setup method for creating an SSH connection with another TrueNAS system.
Semi-automatic simplifies setting up an SSH connection with another TrueNAS system without logging in to that system to transfer SSH keys.
This requires an SSH key pair on the local system and administrator account credentials for the remote TrueNAS.
You must configure the remote system to allow root access with SSH.
You can generate the key pair as part of the semiautomatic configuration or a manually created one using SSH Keypairs.
Click Add on the SSH Connections widget to open the configuration screen:
Enter a name for the connection, then select the Setup Method.
If establishing an SSH connection to another TrueNAS server use the default Semi-automatic (TrueNAS only) option.
If connecting to a non-TrueNAS server select Manual from the dropdown list.
a. Enter a valid URL scheme for the remote TrueNAS URL in TrueNAS URL.
If specifying an IPv6 address, you must enter the IPv6 address enclosed in square brackets.
For example, https://[ffff:ff:59f1:123::12].
b. Enter an admin user name, which is the username on the remote system entered to log in via the web UI to set up the connection.
You can leave Admin Username set to the default root user, then enter the user password in Admin Password.
c. (Optional) Enter the one-time password in One-Time Password (if necessary) if two-factor authentication is enabled.
d. Enter a Username, which is the user name on the remote system to log in via SSH.
e. Enter or import the private key from a previously created SSH key pair, or select Generate New to create a new one.
(Optional) Enter the number of seconds you want to have SCALE wait for the remote TrueNAS system to connect in Connect Timeout.
Saving a new connection automatically opens a connection to the remote TrueNAS and exchanges SSH keys.
The new SSH connection displays on the SSH Connection widget.
To edit it, click on the name to open the SSH Connections configuration screen populated with the saved settings.
Configuring a Manual SSH Connection
The instructions in this section cover how to set up an SSH connection to a non-TrueNAS system.
To manually set up an SSH connection, you must copy a public encryption key from the local system to the remote system.
A manual setup allows a secure connection without a password prompt.
Click Add on the SSH Connections widget to open the configuration screen:
Enter a name for the connection, then select Manual from the Setup Method dropdown list.
a. Enter the remote system host name or IP address.
An IP address example is https://10.231.3.76.
This is a required field.
b. Enter the port number of the remote system to use for the SSH connection.
c. Enter the username of the remote system you wish to connect to in Username.
d. Select the private key from the SSH key pair that you use to transfer the public key on the remote NAS from the Private Key dropdown.
e. Click Discover Remote Host Key after properly configuring all other fields to query the remote system and automatically populate the Remote Host Key field.
(Optional) Enter the number of seconds you want SCALE to wait for the remote TrueNAS system to connect in Connect Timeout.
Saving a new connection automatically opens a connection to the remote TrueNAS and exchanges SSH keys.
The new SSH connection displays on the SSH Connection widget.
To edit it, click on the name to open the SSH Connections configuration screen populated with the saved settings.
Adding a Public SSH Key to an Admin User Account
This procedure covers adding a public SSH key to the admin account on the TrueNAS SCALE system and generating a new SSH Keypair to add to the remote system (TrueNAS or other).
Copy the SSH public key text or download it to a text file:
Log into the TrueNAS system that generated the SSH key pair and go to Credentials > Backup Credentials.
Click on the name of the key pair on the SSH Keypairs widget to open the key pair for the SSH connection.
Copy the text of the public SSH key or download the public key as a text file.
Add the public key to the admin account on the system where you want to register the public key.
Log into the TrueNAS system where you want to register the public key and go to Credentials > Users.
Edit the admin account.
Click on the expand_more icon and then click Edit to open the Edit User screen.
If the remote NAS is not a TrueNAS system, refer to the documentation for that system, and find their instructions on adding a public SSH key.
Generating SSH Keypairs
TrueNAS generates and stores RSA-encrypted SSH public and private key pairs on the SSH Keypairs widget found on the Credentials > Backup Credentials screen.
Key pairs are generally used when configuring SSH Connections or SFTP Cloud Credentials.
TrueNAS does not support encrypted key pairs or key pairs with passphrases.
TrueNAS automatically generates key pairs as needed when creating new SSH Connections or Replication tasks.
To manually create a new key pair:
Click Add on the SSH Keypairs widget.
Click Generate New on the SSH Keypairs screen.
Give the new key pair a unique name and click Save.
The key pair displays on the SSH Keypairs widget.
Click the vertical ellipsis more_vert at the bottom of the SSH Keypairs configuration screen to download these strings as text files for later use.
Certificates
Use the Credentials > Certificates screen Certificates, Certificate Signing Requests (CSRs), Certificate Authorities (CA), and ACME DNS-Authenticators widgets to manage certificates, certificate signing requests (CSRs), certificate authorities (CA), and ACME DNS-authenticators.
Each TrueNAS comes equipped with an internal, self-signed certificate that enables encrypted access to the web interface, but users can make custom certificates for authentication and validation while sharing data.
Contents
Managing Certificates: Provides information on adding or managing certificates in SCALE.
Creating ACME Certificates: Provides information on generating ACME certificates in TrueNAS SCALE using Let's Encrypt.
Managing Certificates
The Certificates screen widgets display information for certificates, certificate signing requests (CSRs), certificate authorities(CAs), and ACME DNS-authenticators configured on the system, and provide the ability to add new ones.
TrueNAS comes equipped with an internal, self-signed certificate that enables encrypted access to the web interface, but users can make custom certificates for authentication and validation while sharing data.
Before creating a self-signed certificate in the system, first create a certificate authority. This is a necessary step in the self-signed certificate creation process, as it provides a trust anchor for the certificate in question.
Adding Certificates
By default, TrueNAS comes equipped with an internal, self-signed certificate that enables encrypted access to the web interface, but users can import and create more certificates by clicking Add in the Certificates window.
To add a new certificate:
Click Add on the Certificates widget to open the Add Certficates wizard.
First, enter a name as certificate identifier and select the type.
The Identifier and Type step lets users name the certificate and choose whether to use it for internal or local systems, or import an existing certificate.
Users can also select a predefined certificate extension from the Profiles dropdown list.
Next, specify the certificate options. Select the Key Type as this selection changes the settings displayed.
The Certificate Options step provides options for choosing the signing certificate authority (CSR), the type of private key type to use (as well as the number of bits in the key used by the cryptographic algorithm), the cryptographic algorithm the certificate uses, and how many days the certificate authority lasts.
Now enter the certificate location and basic information.
The Certificate Subject step lets users define the location, name, and email for the organization using the certificate.
Users can also enter the system fully-qualified hostname (FQDN) and any additional domains for multi-domain support.
Lastly, select any extension types you want to apply. Selecting Extended Key displays settings for Key Usage settings as well. Select any extra constraints you need for your scenario.
The Extra Constraints step contains certificate extension options.
Basic Constraints when enabled this limits the path length for a certificate chain.
Authority Key Identifier when enabled provides a means of identifying the public key corresponding to the private key used to sign a certificate.
Key Usage when enabled defines the purpose of the public key contained in a certificate.
Extended Key Usage when enabled it further refines key usage extensions.
Review the certificate options. If you want to change something Click Back to reach the screen with the setting option you want to change, then click Next to advance to the Confirm Options step.
Click Save to add the certificate.
Importing a Certificate
To import a certificate, first select Import Certificate as the Type and name the certificate.
Next, if the CSR exists on your SCALE system, select CSR exists on this system and then select the CSR.
Copy/paste the certificate and private Keys into their fields, and enter and confirm the passphrase for the certificate if one exists.
Review the options, and then click Save.
Managing Certificate Authorities
The Certificate Authorities widget lets users set up a certificate authority (CA) that certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate.
To add a new CA:
First, add the name and select the type of CA.
The Identifier and Type step lets users name the CA and choose whether to create a new CA or import an existing CA. Users can also select a predefined certificate extension from the Profiles drop-down list.
Next, enter the certificate options. Select the key type. The Key Type selection changes the settings displayed.
The Certificate Options step provides options for choosing what type of private key to use (as well as the number of bits in the key used by the cryptographic algorithm), the cryptographic algorithm the CA uses, and how many days the CA lasts.
Now enter the certificate subject information.
The Certificate Subject step lets users define the location, name, and email for the organization using the certificate. Users can also enter the system fully-qualified hostname (FQDN) and any additional domains for multi-domain support.
Lastly, enter any extra constraints you need for your scenario.
The Extra Constraints step contains certificate extension options.
Basic Constraints when enabled this limits the path length for a certificate chain.
Authority Key Identifier when enable provides a means of identifying the public key corresponding to the private key used to sign a certificate.
Key Usage when enabled defines the purpose of the public key contained in a certificate.
Extended Key Usage when enabled it further refines key usage extensions.
Review the CA options. If you want to change something Click Back to reach the screen with the setting option you want to change, then click Next to advance to the Confirm Options step.
Click Save to add the CA.
Managing Certificate Signing Requests
The Certificate Signing Requests widget allows users configure the message(s) the system sends to a registration authority of the public key infrastructure to apply for a digital identity certificate.
To add a new CSR:
First enter the name and select the CSR type.
The Identifier and Type step lets users name the certificate signing request (CSR) and choose whether to create a new CSR or import an existing CSR. Users can also select a predefined certificate extension from the Profiles drop-down list.
Next, select the certficate options for the CSR you selected.
The Certificate Options step provides options for choosing what type of private key type to use, the number of bits in the key used by the cryptographic algorithm, and the cryptographic algorithm the CSR uses.
Now enter the information about the certificate.
The Certificate Subject step lets users define the location, name, and email for the organization using the certificate. Users can also enter the system fully-qualified hostname (FQDN) and any additional domains for multi-domain support.
Lastly, enter any extra constraints you need for your scenario.
The Extra Constraints step contains certificate extension options.
Basic Constraints when enabled this limits the path length for a certificate chain.
Authority Key Identifier when enable provides a means of identifying the public key corresponding to the private key used to sign a certificate.
Key Usage when enabled defines the purpose of the public key contained in a certificate.
Extended Key Usage when enabled it further refines key usage extensions.
Review the certificate options. If you want to change something Click Back to reach the screen with the setting option you want to change, then click Next to advance to the Confirm Options step.
Click Save to add the CSR.
Adding ACME DNS-Authenticators
Automatic Certificate Management Environment (ACME) DNS authenticators allow users to automate certificate issuing and renewal. The user must verify ownership of the domain before TrueNAS allows certificate automation.
ACME DNS is an advanced feature intended for network administrators or AWS professionals. Misconfiguring ACME DNS can prevent you from accessing TrueNAS.
The system requires an ACME DNS Authenticator and CSR to configure ACME certificate automation.
Adding a DNS Authenticator
To add an authenticator,
Click Add on the ACME DNS-Authenticator widget to open the Add DNS Authenticator screen.
Enter a name, and select the authenticator you want to configure.
Options are cloudflare, Amazon route53, OVH, and shell.
Authenticator selection changes the configuration fields.
If you select cloudflare as the authenticator, you must enter your Cloudflare account email address, API key, and API token.
If you select route53 as the authenticator, you must enter your Route53 Access key ID and secret access key.
If you select OVH as the authenticator, you must enter your OVH application key, application secret, consumer key, and endpoint.
Click Save to add the authenticator.
Adding an Authenticator with a Shell Script
The shell authenticator option is meant for advanced users. Improperly configured scripts can result in system instability or unexpected behavior.
If you select shell as the authenticator, you must enter the path to an authenticator script, the running user, a certificate timeout, and a domain propagation delay.
Advanced users can select this option to pass an authenticator script, such as acme.sh, to shell and add an external DNS authenticator.
Requires an ACME authenticator script saved to the system.
Creating ACME Certificates
TrueNAS SCALE allows users to automatically generate custom domain certificates using Let’s Encrypt.
Requirements
An email address for your TrueNAS SCALE admin user.
A custom domain that uses Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, or OVH.
A DNS server that does not cache for your TrueNAS SCALE system.
Create an ACME DNS-Authenticator
Go to Credentials > Certificates and click ADD in the ACME DNS-Authenticators widget.
Enter the required fields depending on your provider, then click Save.
For Cloudflare, enter either your Cloudflare Email and API Key, or enter an API Token.
If you create an API Token, make sure to give the token the permission Zone.DNS:Edit, as it’s required by certbot.
For Route53, enter your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key. The associated IAM user must have permission to perform the Route53 actions ListHostedZones, ChangeResourceRecordSets, and GetChange.
For OVH, enter your OVH Application Key, OVH Application Secret, OVH Consumer Key, and OVH Endpoint.
Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
Next, click ADD in the Certificate Signing Requests widget.
You can use default settings except for the Common Name and Subject Alternate Names fields.
Enter your primary domain name in the Common Name field, then enter additional domains you wish to secure in the Subject Alternate Names field.
For example, if your primary domain is domain1.com, entering www.domain1.com secures both addresses.
Create ACME Certificate
Click the icon next to the new CSR.
Fill out the ACME Certificate form. Under Domains, select the ACME DNS Authenticator you created for both domains, then click Save.
You can create testing and staging certificates for your domain.
Set the GUI SSL Certificate
Go to System > General Settings and click Settings in the GUI widget.
Select the new ACME certificate you created from the GUI SSL Certificate dropdown, then click Save.
Select the Confirm checkbox, then press Continue to restart TrueNAS and apply the changes.
Configuring KMIP
TrueNAS Enterprise
KMIP is only available for TrueNAS SCALE Enterprise licensed systems.
Contact the iXsystems Sales Team to inquire about purchasing TrueNAS Enterprise licenses.
The Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) is an extensible client/server communication protocol for storing and maintaining keys, certificates, and secret objects.
KMIP on TrueNAS SCALE Enterprise integrates the system within an existing centralized key management infrastructure and uses a single trusted source for creating, using, and destroying SED passwords and ZFS encryption keys.
With KMIP, keys created on a single server are then retrieved by TrueNAS.
KMIP supports keys wrapped within keys, symmetric, and asymmetric keys.
KMIP enables clients to ask a server to encrypt or decrypt data without the client ever having direct access to a key.
You can also use KMIP to sign certificates.
Requirements
To simplify the TrueNAS connection process:
Have a KMIP server available with certificate authorities and certificates you can import into TrueNAS.
Have the KMIP server configuration open in a separate browser tab or copy the KMIP server certificate string and private key string to later paste into the TrueNAS web interface.
Log into the TrueNAS web interface and go to Credentials > Certificate.
Click Add on the Certificate Authorities widget.
Select Import CA from the Type dropdown list.
Enter a memorable name for the CA, then paste the KMIP server certificate in Certificate and the private key in Private Key.
Leave Passphrase empty.
Click Save.
Next, click Add on the Certificates widget.
Select Import Certificate from the Type dropdown list.
Enter a memorable name for the certificate, then paste the KMIP server certificate and private key strings into the related TrueNAS fields.
Leave Passphrase empty.
Click Save.
For security reasons, we strongly recommend protecting the CA and certificate values.
Enter the central key server host name or IP address in Server and the number of an open connection on the key server in Port.
Select the certificate and certificate authority that you imported from the central key server.
To ensure the certificate and CA chain is correct, click on Validate Connection. Click Save.
When the certificate chain verifies, choose the encryption values, SED passwords, or ZFS data pool encryption keys to move to the central key server.
Select Enabled to begin moving the passwords and keys immediately after clicking Save.
Refresh the KMIP screen to show the current KMIP Key Status.
If you want to cancel a pending key synchronization, select Force Clear and click Save.
Virtualization
The Virtualization section allows users to set up Virtual Machines (VMs) to run alongside TrueNAS.
Enterprise licensed High Availability (HA) systems do not support virtual machines.
Delegating processes to VMs reduces the load on the physical system, which means users can utilize additional hardware resources.
Users can customize six different segments of a VM when creating one in TrueNAS SCALE.
What system resources do VMs require?
TrueNAS assigns a portion of system RAM and a new zvol to each VM.
While a VM is running, these resources are not available to the host computer or other VMs.
TrueNAS VMs use the KVM virtual machine software.
This type of virtualization requires an x86 machine running a recent Linux kernel on an Intel processor with VT (virtualization technology) extensions or an AMD processor with SVM extensions (also called AMD-V).
Users cannot create VMs unless the host system supports these features.
To verify that you have Intel VT or AMD-V, check your processor model name on the vendor’s website.
If needed, enable virtualization in the BIOS Advanced > CPU Configuration settings.
A virtual machine (VM) is an environment on a host computer that you can use as if it is a separate, physical computer.
Users can use VMs to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single computer.
Operating systems running inside a VM see emulated virtual hardware rather than the host computer physical hardware.
VMs provide more isolation than Jails but also consume more system resources.
What system resources do VMs require?
TrueNAS assigns a portion of system RAM and a new zvol to each VM.
While a VM is running, these resources are not available to the host computer or other VMs.
TrueNAS VMs use the KVM virtual machine software.
This type of virtualization requires an x86 machine running a recent Linux kernel on an Intel processor with VT (virtualization technology) extensions or an AMD processor with SVM extensions (also called AMD-V).
Users cannot create VMs unless the host system supports these features.
To verify that you have Intel VT or AMD-V, check your processor model name on the vendor’s website.
If needed, enable virtualization in the BIOS Advanced > CPU Configuration settings.
A virtual machine (VM) is an environment on a host computer that you can use as if it is a separate, physical computer.
Users can use VMs to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single computer.
Operating systems running inside a VM see emulated virtual hardware rather than the host computer physical hardware.
VMs provide more isolation than Jails but also consume more system resources.
What system resources do VMs require?
TrueNAS assigns a portion of system RAM and a new zvol to each VM.
While a VM is running, these resources are not available to the host computer or other VMs.
TrueNAS VMs use the KVM virtual machine software.
This type of virtualization requires an x86 machine running a recent Linux kernel on an Intel processor with VT (virtualization technology) extensions or an AMD processor with SVM extensions (also called AMD-V).
Users cannot create VMs unless the host system supports these features.
To verify that you have Intel VT or AMD-V, check your processor model name on the vendor’s website.
If needed, enable virtualization in the BIOS Advanced > CPU Configuration settings.
Creating a Virtual Machine
Before creating a VM, obtain an installer .iso or image file for the OS you intend to install, and create a zvol on a storage pool that is available for both the virtual disk and the OS install file.
If the VM needs to access local NAS storage, you need to create a network bridge to allow communication.
See Accessing TrueNAS Storage from a VM below for more information.
To create a new VM, go to Virtualization and click Add to open the Create Virtual Machine configuration screen.
If you have not yet added a virtual machine to your system, click Add Virtual Machines to open the same screen.
Select the operating system you want to use from the Guest Operating System dropdown list.
Compare the recommended specifications for the guest operating system with your available host system resources when allocating virtual CPUs, cores, threads, and memory size.
Change other Operating System settings per your use case.
Select UTC as the VM system time from the System Clock dropdown if you do not want to use the default Local setting.
Select Enable Display to enable a SPICE Virtual Network Computing (VNC) remote connection for the VM.
The Bind and Password fields display. If Enable Display is selected:
Enter a display Password
Use the dropdown menu to change the default IP address in Bind if you want to use a specific address as the display network interface, otherwise leave it set to 0.0.0.0.
The Bind menu populates any existing logical interfaces, such as static routes, configured on the system.
Bind cannot be edited after VM creation.
If you selected Windows as the Guest Operating System, the Virtual CPUs field displays a default value of 2.
The VM operating system might have operational or licensing restrictions on the number of CPUs.
Do not allocate too much memory to a VM. Activating a VM with all available memory allocated to it can slow the host system or prevent other VMs from starting.
Leave CPU Mode set to Custom if you want to select a CPU model.
Use Memory Size and Minimum Memory Size to specify how much RAM to dedicate to this VM.
To dedicate a fixed amount of RAM, enter a value (minimum 256 MiB) in the Memory Size field and leave Minimum Memory Size empty.
To allow for memory usage flexibility (sometimes called ballooning), define a specific value in the Minimum Memory Size field and a larger value in Memory Size.
The VM uses the Minimum Memory Size for normal operations but can dynamically allocate up to the defined Memory Size value in situations where the VM requires additional memory.
Reviewing available memory from within the VM typically shows the Minimum Memory Size.
Select the network interface type from the Adapter Type dropdown list. Select Intel e82585 (e1000) as it offers a higher level of compatibility with most operating systems, or select VirtIO if the guest operating system supports para-virtualized network drivers.
Select the network interface card to use from the Attach NIC dropdown list.
If the VM needs to access local NAS storage, attach a network bridge interface.
Click Next.
Upload installation media for the operating system you selected.
The VirtIO network interface requires a guest OS that supports VirtIO para-virtualized network drivers.
iXsystems does not have a list of approved GPUs at this time but TrueNAS does support various GPU from Nvidia, Intel, and AMD.
As of TrueNAS 24.10, TrueNAS does not automatically install NVIDIA drivers. Instead, users must manually install drivers from the TrueNAS UI. For detailed instructions, see (https://apps.truenas.com/getting-started/initial-setup/#installing-nvidia-drivers).
Confirm your VM settings, then click Save.
Adding and Removing Devices
After creating the VM, you can add or remove virtual devices.
Click on the VM row on the Virtual Machines screen to expand it and show the options, then click device_hubDevices.
An active VM displays options for settings_ethernetDisplay and keyboard_arrow_rightSerial Shell connections.
When a Display device is configured, remote clients can connect to VM display sessions using a SPICE client, or by installing a 3rd party remote desktop server inside your VM.
SPICE clients are available from the SPICE Protocol site.
If the display connection screen appears distorted, try adjusting the display device resolution.
Use the State toggle or click stopStop to follow a standard procedure to do a clean shutdown of the running VM.
Click power_settings_newPower Off to halt and deactivate the VM, which is similar to unplugging a computer.
If the VM does not have a guest OS installed, the VM State toggle and stopStop button might not function as expected.
The State toggle and stopStop buttons send an ACPI power down command to the VM operating system, but since an OS is not installed, these commands time out.
Use the Power Off button instead.
Installing an OS
After configuring the VM in TrueNAS and an OS .iso, file is attached, start the VM and begin installing the operating system.
Some operating systems can require specific settings to function properly in a virtual machine.
For example, vanilla Debian can require advanced partitioning when installing the OS.
Refer to the documentation for your chosen operating system for tips and configuration instructions.
Installing Debian OS Example
Upload the Debian .iso to the TrueNAS system and attach it to the VM as a CD-ROM device.
This example uses Debian 12 and basic configuration recommendations.
Modify settings as needed to suit your use case.
Click Virtualization, then ADD to use the VM wizard.
The table below lists the settings used in this example.
Select the physical interface to associate with the VM.
Installation Media:
Installation ISO is uploaded to local storage. If the ISO is not uploaded, select Upload an installer image file. Select a dataset to store the ISO, click Choose file, then click Upload. Wait for the upload to complete.
GPU:
Leave the default values.
Confirm Options
Verify the information is correct and then click Save.
After creating the VM, start it. Expand the VM entry and click Start.
Click Display to open a SPICE interface and see the Debian Graphical Installation screens.
Press Enter to start the Debian Graphical Install.
a. Enter your localization settings for Language, Location, and Keymap.
b. Debian automatically configures networking and assigns an IP address with DHCP.
If the network configuration fails, click Continue and do not configure the network yet.
c. Enter a name in Hostname.
d. Enter a Domain name
e. Enter the root password and re-enter the root password.
f. Enter a name in New User.
g. Select the username for your account or accept the generated name.
h. Enter and re-enter the password for the user account.
j. Choose the time zone, Eastern in this case.
Detect and partition disks.
a. Select Guided - use entire disk to partition.
b. Select the available disk.
c. Select All files in one partition (recommended for new users).
d. Select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk.
e. Select Yes to Write the changes to disks?.
Install the base system
a. Select No to the question Scan extra installation media.
b. Select Yes when asked Continue without a network mirror.
Install software packages
a. Select No when asked Participate in the package usage survey.
b. Select Standard system utilities.
c. Click Continue when the installation finishes.
After the Debian installation finishes, close the display window.
Remove the device or edit the device order.
In the expanded section for the VM, click Power Off to stop the new VM.
a. Click Devices.
b. Remove the CD-ROM device containing the install media or edit the device order to boot from the Disk device.
To remove the CD-ROM from the devices, click the and select Delete.
Click Delete Device.
To edit the device boot order, click the and select Edit.
Change the CD-ROM Device Order to a value greater than that of the existing Disk device, such as 1005.
Click Save.
Return to the Virtual Machines screen and expand the new VM again.
Click Start, then click Display.
What if the grub file does not run after starting the VM?
The grub file does not run when you start the VM, enter the following after each start.
At the shell prompt:
Enter FS0: and press Enter.
Enter cd EFI and press Enter.
Enter cd Debian and press Enter.
Enter grubx64.efi and press Enter.
To ensure it starts automatically, create the startup.nsh file at the root directory on the VM. To create the file:
Go to the Shell.
At the shell prompt enter edit startup.nsh.
In the editor enter:
a. Enter FS0: and press Enter.
b. Enter cd EFI and press Enter.
c. Enter cd Debian and press Enter.
d. Enter grubx64.efi and press Enter.
Use the Control+s keys (Command+s for Mac OS) then press Enter.
Use the Control+q keys to quit.
Close the display window
To test if it boots up on startup:
a. Power off the VM.
b. Click Start.
c. Click Display.
d. Log into your Debian VM.
Configuring Virtual Machine Network Access
Configure VM network settings during or after installation of the guest OS.
To communicate with a VM from other parts of your local network, use the IP address configured or assigned by DHCP within the VM.
To confirm network connectivity, send a ping to and from the VM and other nodes on your local network.
Debian OS Example
Open a terminal in the Debian VM.
Enter ip addr and record the address.
Enter ping followed by the known IP or hostname of another client on the network, that is not your TrueNAS host.
Confirm the ping is successful.
To confirm internet access, you can also ping a known web server, such as ping google.com.
Log in to another client on the network and ping the IP address of your new VM.
Confirm the ping is successful.
Accessing TrueNAS Storage From a VM
By default, VMs are unable to communicate directly with the host NAS.
If you want to access your TrueNAS SCALE directories from a VM, to connect to a TrueNAS data share, for example, you have multiple options.
If your system has more than one physical interface, you can assign your VMs to a NIC other than the primary one your TrueNAS server uses. This method makes communication more flexible but does not offer the potential speed of a bridge.
To create a bridge interface for the VM to use if you have only one physical interface, stop all existing apps, VMs, and services using the current interface, edit the interface and VMs, create the bridge, and add the bridge to the VM device.
See Accessing NAS from VM for more information.
After creating a VM, the next step is to add virtual devices for that VM.
Using the Create Virtual Machine wizard configures at least one disk, NIC, and the display as part of the process.
To add devices, from the Virtual Machines screen, click anywhere on a VM entry to expand it and show the options for the VM.
Click device_hubDevices to open the Devices screen for the VM.
From this screen, you can edit, add, or delete devices.
Click the more_vert icon at the right of each listed device to see device options.
A virtual machine attempts to boot from devices according to the Device Order, starting with 1000, then ascending.
A CD-ROM device allows booting a VM from a CD-ROM image like an installation CD.
The CD image must be available in the system storage.
With a Display device, remote clients can connect to VM display sessions using a SPICE client, or by installing a 3rd party remote desktop server inside your VM.
SPICE clients are available from the SPICE Protocol site.
Before adding, editing, or deleting a VM device, stop the VM if it is running.
Click the State toggle to stop or restart a VM, or use the Stop and Restart buttons.
Editing a Device
Select Edit to open the Edit Device screen.
You can change the type of virtual hard disk, the storage volume to use, or change the device boot order.
To edit a VM device:
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices to open the list of devices for the selected VM.
Click on the more_vert icon at the right of the listed device you want to edit, then select Edit to open the Edit Device screen.
Select the path to the zvol created when setting up the VM on the Zvol dropdown list.
Select the type of hard disk emulation from the Mode dropdown list.
Select AHCI for better software compatibility, or select VirtIO for better performance if the guest OS installed in the VM has support for VirtIO disk devices.
(Optional) Specify the disk sector size in bytes in Disk Sector Size.
Leave set to Default or select either 512 or 4096 byte values from the dropdown list.
If not set, the sector size uses the ZFS volume values.
Specify the boot order or priority level in Device Order to move this device up or down in the sequence.
The lower the number the higher the priority in the boot sequence.
Click Save.
Restart the VM.
Deleting a Disk Device
Deleting a device removes it from the list of available devices for the selected VM.
To delete a VM device:
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices to open the list of devices for the selected VM.
Click on the more_vert icon at the right of the listed device you want to edit, then select Delete.
The Delete Virtual Machine dialog opens.
Select Delete zvol device to confirm you want to delete the zvol device.
Select Force Delete if you want the system to force the deletion of the zvol device, even if other devices or services are using or affiliated with the zvol device.
Click Delete Device.
Changing the Device Order
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices to open the list of devices for the selected VM
Click Edit.
Enter the number that represents where in the boot sequence you want this device to boot in the Devices Order field.
The lower the number, the higher the device is in the boot sequence.
Click Save.
Restart the VM.
Adding a CD-ROM Device
Select CD-ROM as the Device Type on the Add Device screen and set a boot order.
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices.
Click Add and select CD-ROM from the Device Type dropdown list.
Specify the mount path.
Click on the to the left of /mnt and at the pool and dataset levels to expand the directory tree. Select the path to the CD-ROM device.
Specify the boot sequence in Device Order.
Click Save.
Restart the VM.
Adding a NIC Device Type
Select NIC in the Device Type on the Add Device screen to add a network interface card for the VM to use.
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices.
Click Add and select NIC from the Device Type dropdown list.
Select the adapter type. Choose Intel e82585(e1000) for maximum compatibility with most operating systems.
If the guest OS supports VirtIO paravirtualized network drivers, choose VirtIO for better performance.
Click Generate to assign a new random MAC address to replace the random default address, or enter your own custom address.
Select the physical interface you want to use from the NIC To Attach dropdown list.
(Optional) Select Trust Guest Filters to allow the virtual server to change its MAC address and join multicast groups.
This is required for the IPv6 Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).
Setting this attribute has security risks.
It allows the virtual server to change its MAC address and receive all frames delivered to this address.
Determine your network setup needs before setting this attribute.
Click Save.
Restart the VM
Add a Disk Device Type
Select Disk in Device Type on the Add Device screen to configure a new disk location, drive type and disk sector size, and boot order.
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices.
Click Add and select Disk from the Device Type dropdown list.
Select the path to the zvol you created when setting up the VM using the Zvol dropdown list.
Select the hard disk emulation type from the Mode dropdown list.
Select AHCI for better software compatibility, or VirtIO for better performance if the guest OS installed in the VM supports VirtIO disk devices.
Specify the sector size in bytes in Disk Sector Size.
Leave set to Default or select either 512 or 4096 from the dropdown list to change it.
If the sector size remains unset it uses the ZFS volume values.
Specify the boot sequence order for the disk device.
Click Save.
Restart the VM.
Adding a PCI Passthrough Device
Select PCI Passthrough Device in the Device Type on the Add Device screen to configure the PCI passthrough device and boot order.
Depending upon the type of device installed in your system, you might see a warning: PCI device does not have a reset mechanism defined.
You may experience inconsistent or degraded behavior when starting or stopping the VM.
Determine if you want to proceed with this action in such an instance.
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices.
Click Add and select PCI Passthrough Device from the Device Type dropdown list.
Enter a value in PCI Passthrough Device using the format of bus#/slot#/fcn#.
Select the Controller Type from the dropdown list.
Select the hub controller type from the Device dropdown list.
If the type is not listed, select Specify custom, then enter the Vendor ID and Product ID.
Specify the boot sequence order.
Click Save.
Restart the VM.
Adding a Display Device
Select Display as Device Type on the Add Device screen to configure a new display device.
Stop the VM if it is running, then click Devices.
Click Add and select Display from the Device Type dropdown list.
Enter a fixed port number in Port.
To allow TrueNAS to assign the port after restarting the VM, set the value to zero (leave the field empty).
Specify the display session settings:
a. Select the screen resolution to use for the display from the Resolution dropdown.
b. Select an IP address for the display device to use in Bind. The default is 0.0.0.0.
c. Enter a unique password for the display device to securely access the VM.
Select Web Interface to allow access to the VNC web interface.
Click Save.
Restart the VM.
Display devices have a 60-second inactivity timeout.
If the VM display session appears unresponsive, try refreshing the browser tab.
Reporting
TrueNAS has a built-in reporting engine that provides helpful graphs and information about the system.
What does TrueNAS SCALE use for reporting?
TrueNAS SCALE uses Netdata to gather metrics, create visualizations, and provide reporting statistics.
Click Netdata from the Reporting screen to see the built-in Netdata UI.
This UI bases metrics on your local system and browser time, which might differ from the default TrueNAS system time.
The built-in Netdata UI, accessible from the Netdata button on the Reporting screen in TrueNAS 24.04 and 24.10, is removed in TrueNAS 25.04 (and later) for security hardening.
Users wishing to continue using the Netdata UI to monitor system reports after updating to 25.05 can install the Netdata application.
Reporting data is saved to permit viewing and monitoring usage trends over time.
This data is preserved across system upgrades and restarts.
TrueCommand offers enhanced features for reporting like creating custom graphs and comparing utilization across multiple systems.
Interacting with Graphs
Click on and drag a certain range of the graph to expand the information displayed in that selected area in the Graph.
Click on the icon to zoom in on the graph.
Click on the icon to zoom out on the graph.
Click the to move the graph forward.
Click the to move the graph backward.
Using the Netdata UI
The built-in Netdata UI, accessible from the Netdata button on the Reporting screen in TrueNAS 24.04 and 24.10, is removed in TrueNAS 25.04 (and later) for security hardening.
Users wishing to continue using the Netdata UI to monitor system reports after updating to 25.05 can install the Netdata application.
Click Netdata from the Reporting screen to see the built-in Netdata UI.
This UI bases metrics on your local system and browser time, which might differ from the default TrueNAS system time.
A new password generates each time the Netdata button is clicked on the Reporting screen.
Click Generate New Password on the dialog to force regeneration.
The Netdata UI opens a login prompt.
Enter the newly generated password to regain access.
You can configure TrueNAS to export Netdata information to any time-series database, reporting cloud service, or application installed on a server.
For example, Graphite, Grafana, etc., installed on a server or use their cloud service.
Creating reporting exporters enables SCALE to send Netdata data reporting metrics, formatted as a JSON object, to another reporting entity.
For more information on exporting Netdata records to other servers or services, refer to the Netdata exporting reference guide.
Graphite is a monitoring tool available as an application you can deploy on a server or use their cloud service.
It stores and renders time-series data based on a plaintext database.
Netdata exports data reporting metrics to Graphite in the format prefix.hostname.chart.dimension.
For additional information, see the Netdata Graphite exporting guide.
Adding a Reporting Exporter
To configure a reporting exporter in SCALE, you need the:
IP address of the reporting service or server.
If using another TrueNAS system with a data reporting application, this is the IP address of the TrueNAS running the application.
Port number the reporting service listens on.
If using another TrueNAS system with a reporting application, this is the port number the TrueNAS system listens on (port:80)
Go to Reporting and click on Exporters to open the Reporting Exporters screen.
Any reporting exporters configured on the system display on the Reporting Exporters screen.
Select Enable to send reporting metrics to the configured exporter instance.
Clearing the checkmark disables the exporter without removing the configuration.
Enter the IP address for the data collection server or cloud service.
Enter the port number the report collecting server, etc. listens on.
Enter the file hierarchy structure, or where in the collecting server, etc. to send the data.
First, enter the top-level in Prefix and then the data collection folder in the Namespace field.
For example, entering DF in Prefix and test in Namespace creates two folders in Graphite with DF as the parent to Test.
You can accept the defaults for all other settings, or enter configuration settings to match your use case.
Click Save.
To view the Graphite web UI, enter the IPaddress:Port# of the system hosting the application.
SCALE can now export the data records as Graphite-formatted JSON objects to the other report collection and processing application, service, or servers.
SCALE also populates the exporter screen with default settings.
To view these settings, click Edit on the row for the exporter.
System Settings
SCALE system management options are collected in this section of the UI and organized into a few different screens:
Update controls when the system applies a new version.
There are options to download and install an update, have the system check daily and stage updates, or apply a manual update file to the system.
General Settings shows system details and has basic, less intrusive management options, including web interface access, localization, and NTP server connections.
This is also where users can input an Enterprise license or create a software bug ticket.
Advanced Settings contains options that are more central to the system configuration or meant for advanced users.
Specific options include configuring the system console, log, and dataset pool, managing sessions, adding custom system controls, kernel-level settings, scheduled scripting or commands, global two-factor authentication, and determining any isolated GPU devices.
Warning: Advanced settings can be disruptive to system function if misconfigured.
Boot lists each ZFS boot environment stored on the system.
These restore the system to a previous version or specific point in time.
Services displays each system component that runs continuously in the background.
These typically control data sharing or other external access to the system.
Individual services have their own configuration screens and activation toggles, and can be set to run automatically.
Shell allows users to use the Linux command-line interface (CLI) directly in the web UI.
Alert Settings allows users to configure Alert Services and to adjust the threshold and frequency of various alert types. See Alerts Settings Screens for more information.
Audit allows users to review auditing logs of all actions performed by a session, user, or service (SMB, middleware).
Enclosure appears when the system is attached to compatible SCALE hardware.
This is a visual representation of the system with additional details about disks and other physical hardware components.
Contents
Updating SCALE: Provides instructions on updating SCALE releases in the UI.
General Settings: Tutorials for configuring many general TrueNAS SCALE settings.
Managing the System Configuration: Provides information on downloading your TrueNAS SCALE configuration to back up system settings, uploading a new configuration file, and resetting to default settings.
Managing General Settings: Provides information on configuring GUI options, localizing TrueNAS SCALE to your region and language, and adding NTP servers.
Setting Up System Email: Provides instructions on configuring email using SMTP or GMail OAuth and setting up the email alert service in SCALE.
Advanced Settings: Tutorials for configuring advanced system settings in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing Cron Jobs: Provides information on adding or modifying cron jobs in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing the Console Setup Menu: Provides information on the Console setup menu configuration settings including the serial port, port speed, password protection, and the banner users see.
Managing System Logging: Provides information on setting up or changing the syslog server, the level of logging and the information included in the logs, and using TLS as the transport protocol.
FTP: Provides instructions on configuring the FTP service including storage, user, and access permissions.
NFS: Provides information on configuring NFS service in TrueNAS SCALE.
S.M.A.R.T.: Provides information on S.M.A.R.T. service screen settings.
SMB: Provides instructions on configuring the SMB service in TrueNAS SCALE.
SNMP: Provides information on configuring SNMP service in TrueNAS SCALE.
SSH: Provides information on configuring the SSH service in TrueNAS SCALE and using an SFTP connection.
UPS: Provides information on configuring UPS service in TrueNAS SCALE.
Using Shell: Provides information on using the TrueNAS SCALE Shell.
Audit Logs: Provides information on the System and SMB Share auditing screens and function in TrueNAS SCALE.
Updating SCALE
TrueNAS has several software branches (linear update paths) known as trains. If SCALE is in a prerelease train it can have various preview/early build releases of the software.
The Update Screen only displays the current train.
When upgrading TrueNAS to a new major version, follow the upgrade path of major versions until the system is on the desired major version release.
For more information on other available trains and the upgrade path from one version to the next, see Software Releases.
See the Software Status page for the latest recommendations for software usage.
Do not change to a prerelease or nightly release unless you intend to keep the system permanently on early versions and are not storing critical data on it.
If you are using a non-production train, be prepared to experience bugs or other problems.
Testers are encouraged to submit bug reports and debug files.
For information on how to file an issue ticket see Filing an Issue Ticket in SCALE.
The TrueNAS Update screen provides users with two different updated methods for the system, automatic or manual.
We recommend updating SCALE when the system is idle (no clients connected, no disk activity, no ongoing S.M.A.R.T. tests, etc.).
The system restarts after an upgrade.
Update during scheduled maintenance times to avoid disrupting user activities.
All auxiliary parameters are subject to change between major versions of TrueNAS due to security and development issues.
We recommend removing all auxiliary parameters from TrueNAS configurations before upgrading.
Select Export Password Secret Seed then click Save Configuration.
Why should I save the secret seed?
The secret seed is used to decrypt encrypted fields in the TrueNAS configuration database.
Various fields are encrypted because they might contain sensitive information such as cryptographic certificates, passwords (not user login passwords), or weak hashing algorithms (for example, NT hashes of SMB users).
When a config file is restored without the secret seed, encrypted fields are set to empty values. This means various services can break due to the missing information. Examples are SMB via local accounts and apps.
Always select the option to save the secret seed when downloading the system config file!
Note, the secret seed does not store local users passwords in any form, only a hash of the password sufficient for authentication. Hashed passwords are not encrypted.
What happens if I do not save the secret seed?
You might be prompted to enter a default password or reset the password.
The UI should allow users to log into the system with their current password but might be prompted to enter a new password.
Users can connect a keyboard and monitor to the system and enter a new password if they cannot log into the web UI or reset the current password.
Is there a default password for the system?
Enterprise users are issued a password to enter if prompted for such a password after the system resets.
Community users are not issued a default password and the system does not generate a default password for this purpose.
If you cannot log into the UI with the current administration password, connect a keyboard and monitor to the system server to reset the password.
After logging into the system, recheck all system settings to verify the configurations are correct, and then test to verify the system is working as desired.
When complete and the system is operating per the desired configuration, download and save the system configuration with the secret seed option selected and keep it in a secure location.
It is a best practice to always save the secret seed with the system configuration file after making system configuration changes to have a current backup copy to use should the need arise.
Select Confirm, then Continue to start the automatic installation process.
TrueNAS downloads the configuration and the update files, and then starts the installation.
After updating, clear the browser cache (CTRL+F5) before logging in to SCALE. This ensures stale data doesn’t interfere with loading the SCALE UI.
Performing a Manual Update
If the system detects an available update, to do a manual update click Download Updates and wait for the file to download to your system.
Click Install Manual Update File.
The Save configuration settings from this machine before updating? window opens.
Click Export Password Secret Seed then click Save Configuration.
The Manual Update screen opens.
Click Choose File to locate the update file on the system.
Select a temporary location to store the update file. Select Memory Device or select one of the mount locations on the dropdown list to keep a copy in the server.
Click Apply Update to start the update process. A status window opens and displays the installation progress. When complete, a Restart window opens.
Click Confirm, then Continue to restart the system.
Update Progress
When a system update starts, appears in the toolbar at the top of the UI.
Click the icon to see the current status of the update and which TrueNAS administrative account initiated the update.
This procedure only applies to SCALE Enterprise (HA) systems.
If attempting to migrate from CORE to SCALE, see Migrating from TrueNAS CORE.
Updating Enterprise (HA) Systems
If the system does not have an administrative user account, create the admin user as part of this procedure.
Take a screenshot of the license information found on the Support widget on the System > General Settings screen. You use this to verify the license after the update.
To update your Enterprise (HA) system to the latest SCALE release, log into the SCALE UI using the virtual IP (VIP) address and then:
Check for updates. Go to the main Dashboard and click Check for Updates on the System Information widget for the active controller.
This opens the System > Update screen. If an update is available it shows on this screen.
Save the password secret seed and configuration settings to a secure location. Click Install Manual Updates. The Save configuration settings window opens.
Select Export Password Secret Seed then click Save Configuration. The system downloads the file with sensitive system data. Keep this file in a secure location.
Why should I save the secret seed?
The secret seed is used to decrypt encrypted fields in the TrueNAS configuration database.
Various fields are encrypted because they might contain sensitive information such as cryptographic certificates, passwords (not user login passwords), or weak hashing algorithms (for example, NT hashes of SMB users).
When a config file is restored without the secret seed, encrypted fields are set to empty values. This means various services can break due to the missing information. Examples are SMB via local accounts and apps.
Always select the option to save the secret seed when downloading the system config file!
Note, the secret seed does not store local users passwords in any form, only a hash of the password sufficient for authentication. Hashed passwords are not encrypted.
What happens if I do not save the secret seed?
You might be prompted to enter a default password or reset the password.
The UI should allow users to log into the system with their current password but might be prompted to enter a new password.
Users can connect a keyboard and monitor to the system and enter a new password if they cannot log into the web UI or reset the current password.
Is there a default password for the system?
Enterprise users are issued a password to enter if prompted for such a password after the system resets.
Community users are not issued a default password and the system does not generate a default password for this purpose.
If you cannot log into the UI with the current administration password, connect a keyboard and monitor to the system server to reset the password.
After logging into the system, recheck all system settings to verify the configurations are correct, and then test to verify the system is working as desired.
When complete and the system is operating per the desired configuration, download and save the system configuration with the secret seed option selected and keep it in a secure location.
It is a best practice to always save the secret seed with the system configuration file after making system configuration changes to have a current backup copy to use should the need arise.
Select the update file and start the process.
Click Choose File and select the update file downloaded to your system, then click Apply Update to start the update process.
After the system finishes updating it restarts.
Sign into the TrueNAS UI. If using root to sign in, create the admin account now.
If using admin, continue to the next step.
Verify the system license after the update. Go to System > General Settings.
Verify the license information in the screenshot of the Support widget you took before the update matches the information on the Support widget after updating the system.
Verify the admin user settings, or if not created, create the admin user account now.
If you want the admin account to have the ability to execute sudo commands in an SSH session, select the option for the sudo access you want to allow.
Also, verify Shell is set to bash if you want to give the admin user the ability to execute commands in Shell.
To set a location where the admin user can save or browse files, and then select the dataset path in Home Directory. If set to the default /nonexistent files are not saved for this user.
Test the admin user access to the UI.
a. Log out of the UI.
b. Enter the admin user credentials in the sign-in splash screen.
After validating access to the TrueNAS UI using the admin credentials, disable the root user password.
Go to Credentials > Local User and edit the root user. Select Disable Password and click Save.
The TrueNAS SCALE General Settings section provides settings options for support, graphic user interface, localization, NTP servers, and system configuration.
Managing the System Configuration: Provides information on downloading your TrueNAS SCALE configuration to back up system settings, uploading a new configuration file, and resetting to default settings.
Managing General Settings: Provides information on configuring GUI options, localizing TrueNAS SCALE to your region and language, and adding NTP servers.
Setting Up System Email: Provides instructions on configuring email using SMTP or GMail OAuth and setting up the email alert service in SCALE.
Managing the System Configuration
TrueNAS SCALE allows users to manage the system configuration by uploading or downloading configurations or by resetting the system to the default configuration.
System Configuration Options
The Manage Configuration option on the System > General Settings screen provides three options:
Download File that downloads your system configuration settings to a file on your system.
Upload File that allows you to upload a replacement configuration file.
Reset to Defaults resets system configuration settings back to factory settings.
Downloading the File
The Download File option downloads your TrueNAS SCALE current configuration to the local machine.
In TrueNAS 25.04 (and later), users must log in as a system administrator with full administrative access to upload or download a system configuration file.
Other users, including restricted admin accounts such as a shares administrator, cannot perform database operations.
See Using Administrator Logins for more information on admin account types.
When downloading the configuration (config) file, select the Export Password Secret Seed option to include the secret seed in the config file.
Downloading the config file allows you to restore the system to a different operating system device where the secret seed is not already present.
Why should I save the secret seed?
The secret seed is used to decrypt encrypted fields in the TrueNAS configuration database.
Various fields are encrypted because they might contain sensitive information such as cryptographic certificates, passwords (not user login passwords), or weak hashing algorithms (for example, NT hashes of SMB users).
When a config file is restored without the secret seed, encrypted fields are set to empty values. This means various services can break due to the missing information. Examples are SMB via local accounts and apps.
Always select the option to save the secret seed when downloading the system config file!
Note, the secret seed does not store local users passwords in any form, only a hash of the password sufficient for authentication. Hashed passwords are not encrypted.
What happens if I do not save the secret seed?
You might be prompted to enter a default password or reset the password.
The UI should allow users to log into the system with their current password but might be prompted to enter a new password.
Users can connect a keyboard and monitor to the system and enter a new password if they cannot log into the web UI or reset the current password.
Is there a default password for the system?
Enterprise users are issued a password to enter if prompted for such a password after the system resets.
Community users are not issued a default password and the system does not generate a default password for this purpose.
If you cannot log into the UI with the current administration password, connect a keyboard and monitor to the system server to reset the password.
After logging into the system, recheck all system settings to verify the configurations are correct, and then test to verify the system is working as desired.
When complete and the system is operating per the desired configuration, download and save the system configuration with the secret seed option selected and keep it in a secure location.
It is a best practice to always save the secret seed with the system configuration file after making system configuration changes to have a current backup copy to use should the need arise.
Physically secure the config file with the secret seed, and any encryption key files to decrypt encrypted datasets or pools.
We recommend backing up the system configuration regularly.
Doing so preserves settings when migrating, restoring, or fixing the system if it runs into any issues.
Save the configuration file each time the system configuration changes.
To download the configuration file:
Go to System > General Settings and click on Manage Configuration.
Select Download File.
Select Export Password Secret Seed and then click Save. The system downloads the system configuration.
Keep this file in a safe location on your network where files are regularly backed up.
Uploading the File
The Upload File option gives users the ability to replace the current system configuration with any previously saved TrueNAS configuration file.
If you do not save the secret seed by downloading the system config file, various services can break due to missing information.
Without the secret seed, encrypted fields are set to empty values. For example, SMB via local accounts and apps.
Always select the option to save the secret seed when downloading the system config file!
Uploading a configuration file from a FreeBSD-based release wipes any existing administrative users and replaces them with the original root user and password from the uploaded configuration file.
To secure the system after restoring from a FreeBSD-based TrueNAS config file, log in with the original root user credentials, recreate an administrative account, and finally re-disable the root account password.
Resetting to Defaults
TrueNAS Enterprise
Enterprise High Availability (HA) systems should never reset their system configuration to defaults.
Contact iXsystems Support if a system configuration reset is required.
iXsystems Support
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
Save the current system configuration with the Download File option before resetting the configuration to default settings!
If you do not save the system configuration before resetting it, you could lose data that was not backed up, and you cannot revert to the previous configuration.
The Reset to Defaults option resets the system configuration to factory settings.
After the configuration resets, the system restarts, and users must set a new login password.
Remote Backups of the Config File
TrueCommand provides an easy solution for users who want to schedule an automatic remote backup of the system configuration file:
The TrueNAS SCALE General Settings section provides settings options for support, graphic user interface, localization, NTP servers, and system configuration.
The Support widget shows information about the TrueNAS version and system hardware.
Links to the open source documentation, community forums, and official Enterprise licensing from iXsystems are also provided.
Add License opens the sidebar with a field to paste a TrueNAS Enterprise license (details).
File Ticket opens a window to provide feedback directly to the development team.
Feedback window
The Send Feedback icon opens a feedback window.
Alternately, go to System > General, find the Support widget, and click File Ticket to see the feedback window.
The feedback window allows users to send page ratings, comments, vote for new features on the community forum, report issues, or suggest improvements directly to the TrueNAS development team.
Submitting a bug report requires a free Atlassian account.
Click between the tabs at the top of the window to see options for your specific feedback.
Rate this page
Use the Rate this page tab to quickly review and provide comments on the currently active TrueNAS user interface screen.
You can include a screenshot of the current page and/or upload additional images with your comments.
Report a bug
Use the Report a bug tab to notify the development team when a TrueNAS screen or feature is not working as intended.
For example, report a bug when a middleware error and traceback appears while saving a configuration change.
Enter a descriptive summary in the Subject.
TrueNAS can show a list of existing Jira tickets with similar summaries.
When there is an existing ticket about the issue, consider clicking on that ticket and leaving a comment instead of creating a new one.
Duplicate tickets are closed in favor of consolidating feedback into one report.
Enter details about the issue in the Message.
Keep the details concise and focused on how to reproduce the issue, what the expected result of the action is, and what the actual result of the action was.
This helps ensure a speedy ticket resolution.
Include system debug and screenshot files to also speed up the issue resolution.
Bug Reports from Enterprise Licensed Systems
TrueNAS Enterprise
When an Enterprise license is applied to the system, the Report a bug tab has additional environment and contact information fields for sending bug reports directly to iXsystems.
Filling out the entire form with precise details and accurate contact information ensures a prompt response from the iXsystems Customer Support team.
Configuring GUI Options
The GUI widget allows users to configure the TrueNAS SCALE web interface address. Click Settings to open the GUI Settings configuration screen.
Changing the GUI SSL Certificate
The system uses a self-signed certificate to enable encrypted web interface connections. To change the default certificate, select a different certificate that was created or imported in the Certificates section from the GUI SSL Certificate dropdown list.
Setting the Web Interface IP Address
To set the WebUI IP address, if using IPv4 addresses, select a recent IP address from the Web Interface IPv4 Address dropdown list. This limits the usage when accessing the administrative GUI. The built-in HTTP server binds to the wildcard address of 0.0.0.0 (any address) and issues an alert if the specified address becomes unavailable. If using an IPv6 address, select a recent IP address from the Web Interface IPv6 Address dropdown list.
Configuring HTTPS Options
To allow configuring a non-standard port to access the GUI over HTTPS, enter a port number in the Web Interface HTTPS Port field.
Select the cryptographic protocols for securing client/server connections from the HTTPS Protocols dropdown list. Select the Transport Layer Security (TLS) versions TrueNAS SCALE can use for connection security.
To redirect HTTP connections to HTTPS, select Web Interface HTTP -> HTTPS Redirect. A GUI SSL Certificate is required for HTTPS.
Activating this also sets the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) maximum age to 31536000 seconds (one year).
This means that after a browser connects to the web interface for the first time, the browser continues to use HTTPS and renews this setting every year.
A warning displays when setting this function.
Give special consideration when TrueNAS is installed in a VM, as VMs are not configured to use HTTPS.
Enabling HTTPS redirect can interfere with the accessibility of some apps.
To determine if the HTTPS redirect is active, go to System > General Settings > GUI > Settings and locate the Web Interface HTTP -> HTTPS Redirect checkbox.
To disable HTTPS redirects, clear the checkbox and click Save, then clear the browser cache before attempting to connect to the app again.
To send failed HTTP request data which can include client and server IP addresses, failed method call tracebacks, and middleware log file contents to iXsystems, select Crash Reporting.
Sending Usage Statistics to iXsystems
To send anonymous usage statistics to iXsystems, select the Usage Collection option.
To display console messages in real time at the bottom of the browser, select the Show Console Messages option.
Localizing TrueNAS SCALE
To change the WebUI on-screen language and set the keyboard to work with the selected language, click Settings on the System > General > Localization widget. The Localization Settings configuration screen opens.
Select the language from the Language dropdown list, and then the keyboard layout in Console Keyboard Map.
Enter the time zone in Timezone and then select the local date and time formats to use.
Click Save.
Adding NTP Servers
The NTP Servers widget allows users to configure Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers.
These sync the local system time with an accurate external reference.
By default, new installations use several existing NTP servers. TrueNAS SCALE supports adding custom NTP servers.
Setting Up System Email
The Email widget displays information about current system mail settings.
When configured, an automatic script sends a nightly email to the administrator account containing important information such as the health of the disks.
To configure the system email send method, click Settings to open the Email Options screen.
Select either SMTP or GMail OAuth to display the relevant configuration settings.
Adding a License and Proactive Support
Adding a TrueNAS Enterprise License
For users with a valid TrueNAS license, click Add License.
Copy your license into the box and click Save.
You are prompted to reload the page for the license to take effect, click RELOAD NOW.
Log back into the WebUI where the End User License Agreement (EULA) displays.
Read it thoroughly and completely.
After you finish, click I AGREE.
The system information updates to reflect the licensing specifics for the system.
Silver and Gold level Support customers can also enable Proactive Support on their hardware to automatically notify iXsystems if an issue occurs.
To find more details about the different Warranty and Service Level Agreement (SLA) options available, see iXsystems Support.
When the system is ready to be in production, update the status by selecting This is a production system and then click the Proceed button.
This sends an email to iXsystems declaring that the system is in production.
While not required for declaring the system is in production, TrueNAS has the option to include an initial debug with the email that can assist support in the future.
Setting Up Proactive Support
Silver/Gold Coverage Customers can enable iXsystems Proactive Support.
This feature automatically emails iXsystems when certain conditions occur in a TrueNAS system.
To configure proactive support, click Get Support on the Support widget located on the System > General Settings screen.
Select Proactive Support from the dropdown list.
Complete all available fields and select Enable iXsystems Proactive Support, then click Save.
Setting Up System Email
An automatic script sends a nightly email to the administrator account containing important information such as the health of the disks.
Configure the system to send these emails to the administrator remote email account for fast awareness and resolution of any critical issues.
Configure the email address for the admin user as part of your initial system setup or using the procedure below.
You can also configure email addresses for additional user accounts as needed.
Configuring the Admin User Email Address
Before configuring anything else, set the local administrator email address.
Click here for instructions
Go to Credentials > Users, click on the admin user row to expand it. Select Edit to display the Edit User configuration screen.
In the Email field, enter a remote email address that the system administrator regularly monitors (like admin@example.com) and click Save.
Configuring User Emails
Add a new user as an administrative or non-administrative account and set up email for that user.
Follow the directions in Configuring the Admin User Email Address above for an existing user or see Managing Users for a new user.
Setting Up System Email
After setting up the admin email address, you need to set up the send method for email service.
There are two ways to access email configuration options.
Go to the System > General Settings screen and locate the Email widget to view current configuration or click the Alerts icon in the top right of the UI, then click the gear icon, and select Email to open the General Settings screen.
Click Settings on the Email Widget to open the Email Options configuration screen.
The configuration options change based on the selected method.
After configuring the send method, click Send Test Mail to verify the configured email settings are working.
If the test email fails, verify that the Email field is correctly configured for the admin user.
Return to Credentials > Users to edit the admin user.
Save stores the email configuration and closes the Email Options screen.
Configuring Email Using SMTP
To set up SMTP service for the system email send method, you need the outgoing mail server and port number for the email address.
Enter the email address you want to use in From Email and the name in From Name.
This is the email that sends the alerts and the name that appears before the address.
Enter the host name or IP address of the SMTP server to use in Outgoing Mail Server.
Enter the SMTP port number in Mail Server Port.
Typically, this is 25/465 (secure SMTP) or 587 (submission).
Select the level of security from the Security dropdown list.
Options are Plain (No Encryption), SSL (Implicit TLS), or TLS (STARTTLS).
Select SMTP Authentication for TrueNAS to reuse authentication credentials from the SMTP server.
Enter the SMTP credentials in the new fields that appear.
Typically, Username is the full email address and Password is the password for that account.
Click Send Test Email to verify you receive an email.
Click Save.
Configuring Email Using GMail OAuth
To set up the system email using Gmail OAuth, you need to log in to your Gmail account through the TrueNAS SCALE web UI.
Select the account to use for authentication or select Use another account.
If prompted, enter the Gmail account credentials.
Type in the GMail account to use and click Next.
Enter the password for the GMail account you entered.
When the TrueNAS wants to access your Google Account window displays, scroll down and click Allow to complete the set up or Cancel to exit set up and close the window.
After setting up Gmail OAuth authentication, the Email Options screen displays Gmail credentials have been applied and the button changes to Log In To Gmail Again.
Click Send Test Email to verify you receive an email.
Click Save.
Setting Up the Email Alert Service
If the system email send method is configured, the admin email receives a system health email every night/morning.
You can also add/configure the Email Alert Service to send timely warnings when a system alert hits a warning level that is specified in Alert Settings.
From the Alertsnotifications panel, select the settings icon and then Alert Settings, or go to System > Alert Settings.
Locate Email under Alert Services, select the more_vert icon, and then click Edit to open the Edit Alert Service screen.
Add the system email address in the Email Address field.
Use the Level dropdown to adjust the email warning threshold or accept the default Warning.
Use Send Test Alert to generate a test alert and confirm the email address and alert service works.
Advanced Settings
Advanced Settings provides configuration options for the console, syslog, kernel, sysctl, replication, cron jobs, init/shutdown scripts, system dataset pool, isolated GPU device(s), self-encrypting drives, system access sessions, allowed IP addresses, audit logging, and global two-factor authentication.
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
This article provides information on sysctl, system dataset pool, setting the maximum number of simultaneous replication tasks the system can perform, and managing sessions.
Configuring System Auditing
The Audit widget displays the current audit storage and retention policy settings. The public-facing API allows querying
audit records, exporting audit reports, and configuring audit dataset settings and retention periods.
The Audit configuration screen sets the retention period, reservation size, quota size and percentage of used space in the audit dataset that triggers warning and critical alerts.
Enter the number of days to retain local audit messages.
Reservation (in GiB)
Enter the size (in GiB) of reserved space to allocate on the ZFS dataset where the audit databases are stored. The reservation specifies the minimum amount of space guaranteed to the dataset, and counts against the space available for other datasets in the zpool where the audit dataset is located. To disable, enter zero (0).
Quota (in GiB)
Enter the size (in GiB) of the maximum amount of space that can be consumed by the dataset where the audit databases are stored. To disable, enter zero (0).
Quota Fill Warning (in %)
Enter a percentage threshold. TrueNAS generates a warning level alert when the dataset quota reaches that capacity used. Allowed range:5 - 80.
Quota Fill Critical (in %)
Enter a percentage threshold. TrueNAS generates a critical level alert when the dataset quota reaches that capacity used. Allowed range:50 - 95.
Use Add on the Sysctl widget to add a tunable that configures a kernel module parameter at runtime.
The Add Sysctl or Edit Sysctl configuration screens display the settings.
Enter the sysctl variable name in Variable. Sysctl tunables configure kernel module parameters while the system runs and generally take effect immediately.
Enter a description and then select Enabled. To disable but not delete the variable, clear the Enabled checkbox.
Click Save.
Managing the System Dataset Pool
Storage widget displays the pool configured as the system dataset pool and allows users to select the storage pool they want to hold the system dataset.
The system dataset stores core files for debugging and keys for encrypted pools.
It also stores Samba4 metadata, such as the user and group cache and share-level permissions.
Configure opens the Storage Settings configuration screen.
Storage Settings Configuration Screen
If the system has one pool, TrueNAS configures that pool as the system dataset pool.
If your system has more than one pool, you can set the system dataset pool using the Select Pool dropdown.
Users can move the system dataset to an unencrypted pool or a key-encrypted pool.
Users can move the system dataset to a key-encrypted pool, but cannot change the pool encryption type afterward.
If the encrypted pool already has a passphrase set, you cannot move the system dataset to that pool.
Setting the Number of Replication Tasks
The Replication widget displays the number of replication tasks that can execute simultaneously on the system. It allows users to adjust the maximum number of replication tasks the system can execute simultaneously.
Click Configure to open the Replication configuration screen.
Enter a number for the maximum number of simultaneous replication tasks you want to allow the system to process and click Save.
Managing Allowed IP Addresses
Use the System > Advanced Settings screen Allowed IP Addresses configuration screen to restrict access to the TrueNAS SCALE web UI and API.
Entering an IP address limits access to the system to only the address(es) entered here. To allow unrestricted access to all IP addresses, leave this list empty.
Managing Access (WebSocket Sessions)
The Access widget shows a list of all active sessions including the current logged-in user and the time it started.
The Session Timeout setting shows the number of minutes for the current session.
The Login Banner shows the custom text entered on the Access Settings screen. This text shows before the login screen.
When configured, users see the login banner and must click Continue to show the TrueNAS login splash screen.
Administrators can manage other active sessions and configure the session timeout for their accounts.
Terminate Other Sessions ends all sessions except the current session.
To end individual sessions, click the logout button next to that session.
You must check a confirmation box before the system allows you to end sessions.
The logout icon is inactive for the currently logged-in administrator session and active for any other current sessions.
It cannot be used to terminate the currently logged-in active administrator session.
Session Timeout shows the configured token duration for the current session (default is five minutes).
TrueNAS logs out user sessions that are inactive for longer than the configured token setting for the user.
New activity resets the token counter.
When the configured session timeout is exceeded, TrueNAS displays a Logout dialog with the exceeded ticket lifetime value and the time the session is scheduled to terminate.
Enter a value in the number of seconds to suit your needs and security requirements. For example, to change the timeout to 10 minutes, enter 6000.
The default session timeout setting is 300 seconds or five minutes.
The minimum value allowed is 30 seconds, and the maximum is 2147482 seconds, or 20 hours, 31 minutes, and 22 seconds.
Click Save.
Adding a Banner
To show a login banner before the login screen shows, enter the text in the Login Banner field.
Use carriage returns to break up a large block of text and to improve the readability of the text.
After saving the text. The next time an administrative user logs into the UI, a banner screen shows.
To advance to the login screen, click Continue.
Allowing Directory Service Users to Access the UI
TrueNAS Enterprise
Only Enterprise-licensed systems allow TrueNAS web UI access for Directory Service accounts
TrueNAS allows Enterprise users to show the UI to users in an Active Directory group.
To configure this access, first, add the selected AD users to a group that is granted a TrueNAS privilege that permits it, and enable the Allow Directory Service users to access WebUI option on the Access Settings screen. This option only shows on Enterprise-licensed systems.
After TrueNAS joins AD, it automatically creates a new privilege entry in the Privileges screen table, and this privilege is automatically populated with the domain admins group for the domain.
You can edit this privilege by selecting the table row and clicking Edit.
Never modify the settings for the standard pre-defined privileges (listed below)! Changing these pre-defined roles can result in lost access to the UI!
Pre-defined TrueNAS privileges are:
Read-Only Administrator - Allows the user to view settings but not make changes in the UI.
Sharing Administrator - Allows the user to create new shares and the share dataset.
Local Administrator - Gives full control (read/write/execute permissions) to the user.
Setting Up FIPS and STIG
TrueNAS Enterprise
Only Enterprise-licensed systems show the Security widget and have access to FIPS and STIG settings.
To configure FIPS or STIG compliance on a TrueNAS server, you must first configure two-factor authentication for an admin user with full permissions.
After configuring two-factor authentication, go to System > Advanced Settings and locate the Security widget.
Click Settings to open the System Security configuration screen.
Select the toggle to enable FIPS and STIG, then click Save. You must enable FIPS with STIG!
The system prompts you to restart.
The system restart takes several minutes to complete before showing the login screen.
## Contents
Managing Cron Jobs: Provides information on adding or modifying cron jobs in TrueNAS SCALE.
Managing the Console Setup Menu: Provides information on the Console setup menu configuration settings including the serial port, port speed, password protection, and the banner users see.
Managing System Logging: Provides information on setting up or changing the syslog server, the level of logging and the information included in the logs, and using TLS as the transport protocol.
Developer Mode (Unsupported): Provides information on the unsupported SCALE developer mode and how to enable it.
Managing Cron Jobs
Cron jobs allow users to configure jobs that run specific commands or scripts on a regular schedule using cron(8). Cron jobs help users run repetitive tasks.
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
The Cron Jobs widget on the System > Advanced Settings screen displays No Cron Jobs configured until you add a cron job, and then it displays information on cron job(s) configured on the system.
Click Add to open the Add Cron Job configuration screen and create a new cron job. If you want to modify an existing cron job, click anywhere on the item to open the Edit Cron Jobs configuration screen populated with the settings for that cron job.
The Add Cron Job and Edit Cron Job configuration screens display the same settings.
Enter a description for the cron job.
Next, enter the full path to the command or script to run in Command. For example, for a command string to create a list of users on the system and write that list to a file, enter cat /etc/passwd > users_$(date +%F).txt.
Select a user account to run the command from the Run As User dropdown list. The user must have permissions allowing them to run the command or script.
Select a schedule preset or choose Custom to open the advanced scheduler.
An in-progress cron task postpones any later scheduled instances of the task until the one already running completes.
Cron Job Schedule Format
Cron job schedules use six asterisks that represent minutes, hours, days of the month, days of the week, and months in that order.
For example, a schedule of 1 1 1 * sat,sun would run at 01:01 AM, on day 1 of the month, and only on Saturday and Sunday.
Separate multiple values for a segment with commas, not spaces.
If you want to hide standard output (stdout) from the command, select Hide Standard Output. If left cleared, TrueNAS emails any standard output to the user account cron that ran the command.
To hide error output (stderr) from the command, select Hide Standard Error. If left cleared, TrueNAS emails any error output to the user account cron that ran the command.
Select Enabled to enable this cron job. Leave this checkbox cleared to disable the cron job without deleting it.
Click Save.
Managing the Console Setup Menu
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
The Console widget on the System > Advanced Settings screen displays current console settings for TrueNAS.
Click Configure to open the Console configuration screen. The Console configuration settings determine how the Console setup menu displays, the serial port it uses and the speed of the port, and the banner users see when it is accessed.
To display the console without being prompted to enter a password, select Show Text Console without Password Prompt. Leave it clear to add a login prompt to the system before showing the console menu.
Select Enable Serial Console to enable the serial console but do not select this if the serial port is disabled.
Enter the serial console port address in Serial Port and set the speed (in bits per second) from the Serial Speed dropdown list. Options are 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 or 115200.
Finally, enter the message you want to display when a user logs in with SSH in MOTD Banner.
Click Save
Managing System Logging
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
By default, TrueNAS writes system logs to the system boot device.
The Syslog widget on the System > Advanced Settings screen allows users determine how and when the system sends log messages to a connected syslog server.
The Syslog widget displays the existing system logging settings.
Before configuring your syslog server to use TLS as the Syslog Transport method, first make sure you add a certificate and certificate authority (CA) to the TrueNAS system. Go to Credentials > Certificates and use the Certificate Authority (CA) and Certificates widgets to verify you have the required certificates or to add them.
Click Configure to open the Syslog configuration screen.
The Syslog configuration screen settings specify the logging level the system uses to record system events, the syslog server DNS host name or IP, the transport protocol it uses, and if using TLS, the certificate and certificate authority (CA) for that server, and finally if it uses the system dataset to store the logs.
Enter the remote syslog server DNS host name or IP address in Syslog Server. To use non-standard port numbers like mysyslogserver:1928, add a colon and the port number to the host name. Log entries are written to local logs and sent to the remote syslog server.
Enter the transport protocol for the remote system log server connection in Syslog Transport. Selecting Transport Layer Security (TLS) displays the Syslog TLS Certificate and Syslog TSL Certificate Authority fields.
Next, select the transport protocol for the remote system log server TLS certificate from the Syslog TLS Certificate dropdown list, and select the TLS CA for the TLS server from the Syslog TLS Certificate Authority dropdown list.
Select Use FQDN for Logging to include the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) in logs to precisely identify systems with similar host names.
Select the minimum log priority level to send to the remote syslog server from Syslog Level the dropdown list.
The system only sends logs at or above this level.
Click Save.
Managing Init/Shutdown Scripts
The Init/Shutdown Scripts widget on the System > Advanced Settings screen allows you to add scripts to run before or after initialization (start-up), or at shutdown. For example, creating a script to backup your system or run a systemd command before exiting and shutting down the system.
Init/shutdown scripts are capable of making OS-level changes and can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before creating script or command tasks.
The Init/Shutdown Scripts widget displays No Init/Shutdown Scripts configured until you add either a command or script, and then the widget lists the scripts configured on the system.
Note that the table(s) below can be reorganized by clicking on the column titles. This allows you to toggle the information in each toggle between a descending and ascending order.
Enter a description and then select Command or Script from the Type dropdown list. Selecting Script displays additional options.
Enter the command string in Command, or if using a script, enter or use the browse to the path in Script. The script runs using dash(1).
Select the option from the When dropdown list for the time this command or script runs.
Enter the number of seconds after the script runs that the command should stop in Timeout.
Select Enable to enable the script. Leave clear to disable but not delete the script.
Click Save.
Editing an Init/Shutdown Script
Click a script listed on the Init/Shutdown Scripts widget to open the Edit Init/Shutdown Script configuration screen populated with the settings for that script.
You can change from a command to a script, and modify the script or command as needed.
To disable but not delete the command or script, clear the Enabled checkbox.
Click Save.
Managing SEDs
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
The Self-Encrypting Drive(s) widget on the System > Advanced Settings screen allows you set the user and global SED password in SCALE.
Managing Self-Encrypting Drives
The Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) widget displays the ATA security user and password configured on the system.
Click Configure to open the Self-Encrypting Drive configuration screen.
The Self-Encrypting Drive configuration screen allows users set the ATA security user and create a SED global password.
Select the user passed to camcontrol security -u to unlock SEDs from the ATA Security User dropdown list. Options are USER or MASTER.
Enter the global password to unlock SEDs in SED Password and in Confirm SED Password.
Click Save.
Isolating GPU for VMs
Systems with more than one graphics processing unit (GPU) installed can isolate additional GPU device(s) from the host operating system (OS) and allocate them for use by a virtual machine (VM).
Isolated GPU devices are unavailable to the OS and for allocation to applications.
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
To isolate a GPU, you must have at least two in your system; one available to the host system for system functions and the other available to isolate for use by a VM.
One isolated GPU device can be used by a single VM.
Isolated GPU cannot be allocated to applications.
To allocate an isolated GPU device, select it while creating or editing VM configuration.
When allocated to a VM, the isolated GPU connects to the VM as if it were physically installed in that VM and becomes unavailable for any other allocations.
Click Configure on the Isolated GPU Device(s) widget to open the Isolate GPU PCI Ids screen, where you can select a GPU device to isolate.
Reboot the system after adding or removing a GPU from isolation to ensure the device isolation status is fully updated.
Managing Global 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication)
Global Two-factor authentication (2FA) is great for increasing security.
TrueNAS offers global 2FA to ensure that entities cannot use a compromised administrator or root password to access the administrator interface.
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes.
Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
To use 2FA, you need a mobile device with the current time and date, and an authenticator app installed.
We recommend Google Authenticator.
You can use other authenticator applications, but you must confirm the settings and QR codes generated in TrueNAS are compatible with your particular app before permanently activating 2FA.
Two-factor authentication is time-based and requires a correct system time setting.
We strongly recommend ensuring Network Time Protocol (NTP) is functional before enabling two-factor authentication!
What is 2FA and why should I enable it?
2FA adds an extra layer of security to your system to prevent someone from logging in, even if they have your password.
2FA requires you to verify your identity using a randomized six-digit code that regenerates every 30 seconds (unless modified) to use when you log in.
Benefits of 2FA
Unauthorized users cannot log in since they do not have the randomized six-digit code.
Authorized employees can securely access systems from any device or location without jeopardizing sensitive information.
Internet access on the TrueNAS system is not required to use 2FA.
Drawbacks of 2FA
2FA requires an app to generate the 2FA code.
If the 2FA code is not working or users cannot get it, the system is inaccessible through the UI and SSH (if enabled).
You can bypass or unlock 2FA using the CLI.
Enabling 2FA
Set up a second 2FA device as a backup before proceeding.
Before you begin, download Google Authenticator to your mobile device.
Go to System > Advanced Settings, scroll down to the Global Two Factor Authentication widget, and click Config.
If you want to enable two-factor authentication for SSH logins, select Enable Two-Factor Auth for SSH before you click Save.
TrueNAS takes you to the Two-Factor Authentication screen to finish 2FA setup.
You can also access the two-factor authentication settings for the currently logged-in user from the Settings option on the top toolbar.
Click the Settings icon, then select Two-Factor Authentication to open the User Two-Factor Authentication Actions screen.
You can configure two-factor authentication and get the QR code for an authenticator app for the logged-in user at any time, but you must configure global two-factor authentication to enable it.
When using Google Authenticator, set Interval to 30 or the authenticator code might not function when logging in.
Click Configure 2FA Secret to open the User Two-Factor Authentication Actions screen where you scan the QR code using Google Authenticator.
To generate a new QR code click Renew 2FA Secret.
After scanning the code click CLOSE to close the dialog on the Two-Factor Authentication screen.
Accounts that are already configured with individual 2FA are not prompted for 2FA login codes until Global 2FA is enabled.
When Global 2FA is enabled, user accounts without 2FA settings configured see the Two-Factor Authentication screen on their next login to configure and enable 2FA authentication for that account.
Disabling or Bypassing 2FA
Go to System > Advanced Settings, scroll down to the Global Two Factor Authentication widget, and click Config. Clear the Enable Two-Factor Authentication Globally checkbox and click Save.
Reactivating 2FA
If you want to enable 2FA again, go to System > Advanced Settings, scroll down to the Global Two Factor Authentication widget, and click Config.
Check Enable Two Factor Authentication Globally, then click Save.
To change the system-generated Secret, click on the Settings icon on the top toolbar and select Two-Factor Authentication.
Click Renew 2FA Secret.
Using 2FA to Log in to TrueNAS
Enabling 2FA changes the login process for both the TrueNAS web interface and SSH logins.
Logging In Using the Web Interface
The login screen adds another field for the randomized authenticator code. If this field is not immediately visible, try refreshing the browser.
Enter the code from the mobile device (without the space) in the login window and use the admin username and password.
If you wait too long, a new number code displays in Google Authenticator so you can retry.
Logging In Using SSH
Confirm that you set Enable Two-Factor Auth for SSH in System > Advanced > Global Two Factor Authentication.
Go to Credentials > Users and edit the desired user account. Set SSH password login enabled, then click Save.
Go to System Settings > Services and click the SSH toggle. Wait for the service status to show that it is running.
Open the Google Authentication app on your mobile device.
Open a terminal (such as Windows Shell) and SSH into the system using either the host name or IP address, the administrator account user name and password, and the 2FA code.
Developer Mode (Unsupported)
Developer mode is for developers only.
Users that enable this functionality will not receive support on any issues submitted to iXsystems.
Only enable when you are comfortable with debugging and resolving all issues encountered on the system.
Never enable on a system that has production storage and workloads.
TrueNAS is an Open Source Storage appliance, not a standard Linux operating system (OS) that allows customization of the OS environment.
By default, the root/boot filesystem and tools such as apt are disabled to prevent accidental misconfiguration that renders the system inoperable or puts stored data at risk.
However, as an open-source appliance, there are circumstances in which software developers want to create a development environment to install new packages and do engineering or test work before creating patches to the TrueNAS project.
Do not make system changes using the TrueNAS UI web shell.
Using package management tools in the web shell can result in middleware changes that render the system inaccessible.
Connect to the system using SSH or a physically connected monitor and keyboard before enabling or using developer mode.
To enable developer mode, log into the system as the root account and access the Linux shell.
Run the install-dev-tools command.
Running install-dev-tools removes the default TrueNAS read-only protections and installs a variety of tools needed for development environments on TrueNAS.
These changes do not persist across updates and install-dev-tools must be re-run after every system update.
Boot Pool Management
System > Boot contains options for monitoring and managing the ZFS pool and devices that store the TrueNAS operating system.
Changing the Scrub Interval
The Stats/Settings option displays current system statistics and provides the option to change the scrub interval, or how often the system runs a data integrity check on the operating system device.
Go to System > Boot screen and click Stats/Settings.
The Stats/Settings window displays statistics for the operating system device: Boot pool Condition as ONLINE or OFFLINE, Size in GiB and the space in use in Used, and Last Scrub Run with the date and time of the scrub.
By default, the operating system device is scrubbed every 7 days.
To change the default scrub interval, input a different number in Scrub interval (in days) and click Update Interval.
Boot Pool Device Management
From the System > Boot screen, click the Boot Pool Status button to open the Boot Pool Status screen.
This screen shows the boot-pool and expands to show the devices that are allocated to that pool.
Read, write, or checksum errors are also shown for the pool.
TrueNAS supports a ZFS feature known as boot environments.
These are snapshot clones of the TrueNAS boot-pool install location that TrueNAS boots into.
Only one boot environment is used for booting at a time.
A boot environment allows rebooting into a specific point in time and greatly simplifies recovering from system misconfigurations or other potential system failures.
With multiple boot environments, the process of updating the operating system becomes a low-risk operation.
For example, the TrueNAS update process automatically creates a snapshot of the current boot environment and adds it to the boot menu before applying the update.
If anything goes wrong during the update, the system administrator can activate the snapshot of the pre-update environment and reboot TrueNAS to restore system functionality.
Boot environments do not preserve or restore the state of any attached storage pools or apps, only the system boot-pool.
Storage backups must be handled through the ZFS snapshot feature or other backup options.
TrueNAS applications also use separate upgrade and container image management methods to provide app update and rollback features.
To view the list of boot environments on the system, go to System > Boot.
Each boot environment entry contains this information:
Name: the name of the boot entry as it appears in the boot menu.
Active: indicates which entry boots by default if a boot environment is not active.
Date Created: indicates the boot environment creation date and time.
Space: shows boot environment size.
Keep: indicates whether or not TrueNAS deletes this boot environment when a system update does not have enough space to proceed.
To access more options for a boot environment, click to display the list of options:
Activate (Click to expand)
The option to activate a boot environment only displays for boot entries not set to Active
Activating an environment means the system boots into the point of time saved in that environment the next time it is started.
Click the more_vert for an inactive boot environment, and then select Activate to open the Activate dialog.
The System Boot screen status changes to Reboot and the current Active entry changes from Now/Reboot to Now, indicating that it is the current boot environment but is not used on next boot.
Clone (Click to expand)
Cloning copies the selected boot environment into a new inactive boot environment that preserves the boot-pool state at the clone creation time.
Click the more_vert for a boot environment, and then select Clone to open the Clone Boot Environment window.
Enter a new name using only alphanumeric characters, and/or the allowed dashes (-), underscores (_), and periods (.) characters.
The Source field displays the boot environment you are cloning. If the displayed name is incorrect, close the window and select the correct boot environment to clone.
Click Save.
Rename (Click to expand)
You can change the name of any boot environment on the System > Boot screen.
Click the more_vert for a boot environment, and then select Rename to open the Rename Boot Environment window.
You cannot delete the default or any active entries.
Because you cannot delete an activated boot entry, this option does not display for activated boot environments.
To delete the active boot environment, first activate another entry and then delete the environment you want to remove.
Keep/Unkeep (Click to expand)
By default, TrueNAS prunes boot environments when the boot-pool has no remaining storage space.
Keep toggles with the Unkeep option, and they determine whether the TrueNAS updater can automatically delete this boot environment if there is not enough space to proceed with an update.
Click the more_vert for a boot environment, and then select Keep to open the Keep dialog.
Select Confirm and then click Keep Flag.
This makes the boot environment subject to automatic deletion if the TrueNAS updater needs space for an update.
Services
TrueNAS Enterprise
iXsystems TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact iXsystems Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.
System > Services displays each system component that runs continuously in the background. These typically control data-sharing or other external access to the system. Individual services have configuration screens and activation toggles, and you can set them to run automatically.
Documented services related to data sharing or automated tasks are in their respective Shares and Tasks articles.
Contents
FTP: Provides instructions on configuring the FTP service including storage, user, and access permissions.
NFS: Provides information on configuring NFS service in TrueNAS SCALE.
S.M.A.R.T.: Provides information on S.M.A.R.T. service screen settings.
SMB: Provides instructions on configuring the SMB service in TrueNAS SCALE.
SNMP: Provides information on configuring SNMP service in TrueNAS SCALE.
SSH: Provides information on configuring the SSH service in TrueNAS SCALE and using an SFTP connection.
UPS: Provides information on configuring UPS service in TrueNAS SCALE.
FTP
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a simple option for data transfers.
The SSH options provide secure transfer methods for critical objects like configuration files, while the Trivial FTP options provide simple file transfer methods for non-critical files.
Options for configuring FTP, SSH, and TFTP are in System > Services.
Click the edit to configure the related service.
Configuring FTP For Any Local User
FTP requires a new dataset and a local user account.
Go to Storage to add a new dataset to use as storage for files.
Next, add a new user. Go to Credentials > Users and click Add to create a local user on the TrueNAS.
Assign a user name and password, and link the newly created FTP dataset as the user home directory.
You can do this for every user or create a global account for FTP (for example, OurOrgFTPaccnt). Note, however, that you cannot create multiple accounts utilizing the same dataset as your home directory.
Edit the file permissions for the new dataset. Go to Datasets, then click on the name of the new dataset. Scroll down to Permissions and click Edit.
Enter or select the new user account in the User and Group fields.
Select Apply User and Apply Group.
Select the Read, Write, and Execute for User, Group, and Other you want to apply.
Click Save.
Configuring FTP Service
To configure FTP, go to System > Services and find FTP, then click edit to open the Services > FTP screen.
Configure the options according to your environment and security considerations. Click Advanced Settings to display more options.
To confine FTP sessions to the home directory of a local user, select both chroot and Allow Local User Login.
Do not allow anonymous access unless it is necessary.
Enable TLS when possible (especially when exposing FTP to a WAN). TLS effectively makes this FTPS for better security.
Click Save and then start the FTP service.
Configuring FTP Services For FTP Group
FTP requires a new dataset and a local user account.
Go to Storage and add a new [dataset]](/scaletutorials/datasets/datasetsscale/).
Next, add a new user. Go to Credentials > Users and click Add to create a local user on the TrueNAS.
Assign a user name and password, and link the newly created FTP dataset as the user home directory. Then, add ftp to the Auxiliary Groups field and click Save.
Edit the file permissions for the new dataset. Go to Datasets, then click on the name of the new dataset. Scroll down to Permissions and click Edit.
Enter or select the new user account in the User and Group fields.
Enable Apply User and Apply Group.
Select the Read, Write, and Execute for User, Group, and Other you want to apply, then click Save.
Configuring FTP Service
Go to System > Services and find FTP, then click edit to open the Services > FTP screen.
Configure the options according to your environment and security considerations. Click Advanced Settings to display more options.
When configuring FTP bandwidth settings, we recommend manually entering the units you want to use, e.g. KiB, MiB, GiB.
To confine FTP sessions to the home directory of a local user, select chroot.
Do not allow anonymous access unless it is necessary.
Enable TLS when possible (especially when exposing FTP to a WAN). TLS effectively makes this FTPS for better security.
Click Save, then start the FTP service.
Connecting with FTP
Use a browser or FTP client to connect to the TrueNAS FTP share.
The images below use FileZilla, which is free.
The user name and password are those of the local user account on the TrueNAS system.
The default directory is the same as the user home directory.
After connecting, you can create directories and upload or download files.
The Services > NFS configuration screen displays settings to customize the TrueNAS NFS service.
You can access it from System > Services screen, locate NFS and click edit to open the screen, or use the Config Service option on the Unix (NFS) Share widget options menu found on the main Sharing screen.
Select Start Automatically to activate the NFS service when TrueNAS boots.
We recommend using the default NFS settings unless you require specific settings.
Select the IP address from the Bind IP Addresses dropdown list if you want to use a specific static IP address, or leave this field blank for NFS to listen to all available addresses.
By default, TrueNAS dynamically calculates the number of threads the kernel NFS server uses.
To manually enter an optimal number of threads the kernel NFS server uses, clear Calculate number of threads dynamically and enter the number of threads you want in the Specify number of threads manually field.
If using NFSv4, select NFSv4 from Enabled Protocols. NFSv3 ownership model for NFSv4 clears, allowing you to enable or leave it clear.
Selecting NFSv3 ownership model for NFSv4 deactivates the Manage Group Server-side option.
To force NFS shares to fail if the Kerberos ticket is unavailable, select Require Kerberos for NFSv4.
Next, enter a port to bind to in the field that applies:
Enter a port to bind mountd(8) in mountd(8) bind port.
Enter a port to bind rpc.statd(8)in rpc.statd(8) bind port.
Enter a port to bind rpc.lockd(8) in rpc.lockd(8) bind port.
The UDP protocol is deprecated and not supported with NFS. It is disabled by default in the Linux kernel.
Using UDP over NFS on modern networks (1Gb+) can lead to data corruption caused by fragmentation during high loads.
Only select Allow non-root mount if the NFS client requires it to allow serving non-root mount requests.
Select Manage Groups Server-side to allow the server to determine group IDs based on server-side lookups rather than relying solely on the information provided by the NFS client.
This can support more than 16 groups and provide more accurate group memberships.
It is equivalent to setting the --manage-gids flag for rpc.mountd.
This setting assumes group membership is configured correctly on the NFS server.
Click Save.
Start the NFS service.
When TrueNAS is already connected to Active Directory, setting NFSv4 and Require Kerberos for NFSv4 also requires a Kerberos Keytab.
S.M.A.R.T.
There is a special consideration when installing TrueNAS in a Virtual Machine (VM), as S.M.A.R.T services monitor actual physical devices, which are abstracted in a VM. After the installation of TrueNAS completes on the VM, go to System > Services > and click the blue toggle button on the S.M.A.R.T. service to stop the service from running. Clear the Start Automatically checkbox so the service does not automatically start when the system reboots.
Note that the table(s) below can be reorganized by clicking on the column titles. This allows you to reorganize the information in each column by togglnig between a descending and ascending order.
Use the Services > S.M.A.R.T. screen to configure when S.M.A.R.T. tests run and when to trigger alert warnings and send emails.
Click the editConfigure icon to open the screen.
Enter the time in minutes smartd to wake up and check if any tests are configured to run in Check Interval.
Select the Power Mode from the dropdown list. Choices include Never, Sleep, Standby, and Idle. TrueNAS only performs tests when you select Never.
Set the temperatures that trigger alerts in Difference, Informational and Critical.
Click Save after changing any settings.
Start the service.
SMB
The Services > SMB screen displays after going to the Shares screen, finding the Windows (SMB) Shares section, and clicking more_vert + Config Service.
Alternatively, you can go to System > Services and click the edit edit icon for the SMB service.
Configuring SMB Service
The SMB Services screen displays setting options to configure TrueNAS SMB settings to fit your use case.
In most cases, you can set the required fields and accept the rest of the setting defaults. If you have specific needs for your use case, click Advanced Options to display more settings.
Enter the name of the TrueNAS host system if not the default displayed in NetBIOS Name. This name is limited to 15 characters and cannot be the Workgroup name.
Enter any alias name or names that do not exceed 15 characters in the NetBIOS Alias field. Separate each alias name with a space between them.
Enter a name that matches the Windows workgroup name in Workgroup. TrueNAS detects and sets the correct workgroup from these services when unconfigured with enabled Active Directory or LDAP active.
If using SMB1 clients, select Enable SMB1 support to allow legacy SMB1 clients to connect to the server. Note: SMB1 is deprecated. We advise upgrading clients to operating system versions that support modern SMB protocols.
If you plan to use the insecure and vulnerable NTLMv1 encryption, select NTLMv1 Auth to allow smbd attempts to authenticate users.
This setting enables backward compatibility with older versions of Windows, but we do not recommend it. Do not use on untrusted networks.
Enter any notes about the service configuration in Description.
TrueNAS and Samba default behavior for SMB transport encryption allows SMB clients to negotiate different encryption levels for shares.
This default setting enables negotiating encryption but does not turn on data encryption globally per share.
SMB1 and SMB2 provide different settings to change the level of global or per-share SMB encryption applied to connections.
See Samba Server SMB Encrypt(s) for more information.
You can change the SMB service to apply different SMB transport encryption levels to suit your use case.
Go to the SMB service, found on the System > Services screen, and click Edit for the SMB service to open the SMB Service screen, then click on Advanced Settings.
Click in the Transport Encryption Behavior field to select the option and behavior you want applied:
Default - follow upstream/TrueNAS default
Negotiate - only encrypt transport if explicitly requested by the SMB client
Desired - encrypt transport if supported by client during session negotiation
Required - always encrypt transport (rejecting access if client does not support encryption - incompatible with SMB1 server enable_smb1)
Select the Default option to use the TrueNAS current behavior.
If set to default, there is not a technical limitation preventing an SMB client from negotiating an encrypted session if it is required.
If concerned about having Windows SMB clients always using signing in your environment, make a GPO change on the client side to always sign SMB2+ traffic.
This defaults to the Windows settings digitally sign communications (always) and to off.
To monitor SMB service event logs, such as when a client attempts to authenticate to the share, use the TrueNAS SCALE auditing screen.
Go to System > Audit to review event logs including SMB connect, disconnect, create, read or write events, and others.
Enter SMB in the search bar to view only SMB service logs or use the advanced search to further limit results.
Configuring SMB Share Auditing
Configure and enable SMB auditing for an SMB share at creation or when modifying an existing share.
SMB auditing is only supported for SMB2 (or newer) protocol-negotiated SMB sessions.
SMB1 connections to shares with auditing enabled are rejected.
From the Add SMB Share or Edit SMB Share screen, click Advanced Options and scroll down to Audit Logging.
Selecting Enable turns auditing on for the share you are creating or editing.
Use the Watch List and Ignore List functions to add audit logging groups to include or exclude.
Click in Watch List to see a list of user groups on the system.
Click on a group to add it to the list and record events generated by user accounts that are members of the group.
Leave Watch List blank to include all groups, otherwise auditing is restricted to only the groups added.
Click in Ignore List to see a list of user groups on the system..
Click on a group to add it to the list and explicitly avoid recording any events generated by user accounts that are members of this group.
The Watch List takes precedence over the Ignore List when using both lists.
Click Save.
You might need to stop and restart the SMB service in order to view logged events.
SNMP
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) monitors network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention.
TrueNAS uses Net-SNMP to provide SNMP.
To configure SNMP, go to System > Services page, find SNMP, and click the edit.
To download an MIB from your TrueNAS system, you can enable SSH and use a file transfer command like scp.
When using SSH, make sure to validate the user logging in has SSH login permissions enabled and the SSH service is active and using a known port (22 is default).
Management Information Base (MIB) files are located in /usr/local/share/snmp/mibs/.
Example (replace mytruenas.example.com with your system IP address or hostname):
Allowing external connections to TrueNAS is a security vulnerability!
Do not enable SSH unless you require external connections.
See Security Recommendations for more security considerations when using SSH.
Configuring SSH Service
To configure SSH go to System > Services, find SSH, and click edit to open the basic settings General Options configuration screen.
Use the Password Login Groups and Allow Password Authentication settings to allow specific TrueNAS account groups the ability to use password authentication for SSH logins.
Click Save. Select Start Automatically and enable the SSH service.
Configuring Advanced SSH Settings
If your configuration requires more advanced settings, click Advanced Settings.
The basic options continue to display above the Advanced Settings screen.
Configure the options as needed to match your network environment.
These Auxiliary Parameters can be useful when troubleshooting SSH connectivity issues:
Increase the ClientAliveInterval if SSH connections tend to drop.
Increase the MaxStartups value (10 is default) when you need more concurrent SSH connections.
Remember to enable the SSH service in System > Services after making changes.
Create and store SSH connections and keypairs to allow SSH access in Credentials > Backup Credentials or by editing an administrative user account. See Adding SSH Credentials for more information.
Using SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is available by enabling SSH remote access to the TrueNAS system.
SFTP is more secure than standard FTP as it applies SSL encryption on all transfers by default.
Go to System > Services, find the SSH entry, and click the edit to open the Services > SSH basic settings configuration screen.
Go to Credentials > Users. Click anywhere on the row of the user you want to access SSH to expand the user entry, then click Edit to open the Edit User configuration screen. Make sure that SSH password login enabled is selected. See Managing Users for more information.
SSH with root is a security vulnerability. It allows users to fully control the NAS remotely with a terminal instead of providing SFTP transfer access.
Choose a non-root administrative user to allow SSH access.
Review the remaining options and configure them according to your environment or security needs.
Remember to enable the SSH service in System > Services after making changes.
Create and store SSH connections and keypairs to allow SSH access in Credentials > Backup Credentials or by editing an administrative user account. See Adding SSH Credentials for more information.
Using SFTP Connections
Open an FTP client (like FileZilla) or command line.
This article shows using FileZilla as an example.
Using FileZilla, enter SFTP://{TrueNAS IP} {username} {password} {port 22}. Where {TrueNAS IP} is the IP address for your TrueNAS system, {username} is the administrator login user name, and {password} is the adminstrator password, and {port 22} to connect.
SFTP does not offer chroot locking.
While chroot is not 100% secure, lacking chroot lets users move up to the root directory and view internal system information.
If this level of access is a concern, FTP with TLS might be the more secure choice.
UPS
An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a power backup system that ensures continuous electricity during outages, preventing downtime and damage.
TrueNAS uses NUT (Network UPS Tools) to provide UPS support.
For supported device and driver information, see their hardware compatibility list.
Further device-specific compatibility information is available from the NUT Devices Dumps Library.
TrueNAS High Availability (HA) systems are not compatible with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).
Some UPS models are unresponsive with the default polling frequency (default is two seconds).
TrueNAS displays the issue in logs as a recurring error like libusb_get_interrupt: Unknown error.
If you get an error, decrease the polling frequency by adding an entry to Auxiliary Parameters (ups.conf): pollinterval = 10.
How do I find a device name?
For USB devices, the easiest way to determine the correct device name is to set Show console messages in System > Advanced Settings.
Plug in the USB device and look for a /dev/ugen or /dev/uhid device name in the console messages.Can I attach Multiple Computers to One UPS?
A UPS with adequate capacity can power multiple computers.
One computer connects to the UPS data port with a serial or USB cable.
This primary system makes UPS status available on the network for other computers.
The UPS powers the secondary computers, and they receive UPS status data from the primary system.
See the NUT User Manual and NUT User Manual Pages.
Using Shell
The SCALE Shell is convenient for running command line tools, configuring different system settings, or finding log files and debug information.
Warning! The supported mechanisms for making configuration changes are the TrueNAS WebUI and API exclusively.
All other are not supported and result in undefined behavior that can result in system failure!
The Set font size slider adjusts the Shell displayed text size.
Restore Default resets the font size to default.
The Shell stores the command history for the current session.
Leaving the Shell screen clears the command history.
Click Reconnect to start a new session.
Navigating In Shell
This section provides keyboard navigation shortcuts you can use in Shell.
Action
Keyboard/Command
Description
Scroll up
Up arrow expand_less
Scroll up through previous commands.
Scroll down
Down arrow expand_more
Scroll down through following commands.
Re-enter command
Enter
After entering a command, press Enter to re-enter the command.
Top of screen
Home
Moves the cursor to the top of the screen entries and results.
Bottom of screen
End
Moves the cursor to the bottom of the screen command entries and results.
Delete
Delete
Deletes what you highlight.
Auto-fill text
Tab
Type a few letters and press Tab to complete a command name or filename in the current directory.
right-click
Right-clicking in the terminal window displays a reminder about using Command+c and Command+v or Ctrl+Insert and Shift+Insert for copy and paste operations.
Exit to root prompt
exit
Entering exit leaves the session.
Copy text
Ctrl+Insert
Enter Ctrl+Insert to copy highlighted text in Shell.
Paste text
Shift+Insert
Enter Shift+Insert to paste copied text in Shell.
Kill running process
Ctrl+c
Enter Ctrl+c to kill a process running in Shell. For example, the ping command.
Changing the Default Shell
zsh is the default shell, but you can change this by going to Credentials > Users.
Select the admin or other user to expand it.
Click Edit to open the Edit User screen.
Scroll down to Shell and select a different option from the dropdown list.
Options are nologin, TrueNAS CLI, TrueNAS Console, sh, bash, rbash, dash, tmux, and zsh.
Click Save.
Admin users can set the Shell to default to the TrueNAS Console by selecting TrueNAS Console in Shell on the Edit User screen.
Clicking other SCALE UI menus options closes the shell session and stops commands running in the Shell screen.
Tmux allows you to detach sessions in Shell and then reattach them later.
Commands continue to run in a detached session.
Audit Logs
TrueNAS SCALE auditing and logs provide a trail of all actions performed by a session, user, or service (SMB, middleware).
The audit function backends are both the syslog and the Samba debug library.
Syslog sends audit messages via explicit syslog call with configurable priority (WARNING is the default) and facility (for example, USER).
The default is syslog sent audit messages.
Debug sends audit messages from the Samba debug library and these messages have a configurable severity (WARNING, NOTICE, or INFO).
The System > Audit screen lists all session, or user events, facilitating comprehensive monitoring.
Logs include who performed the action, timestamp, event type, and a short string of the action performed (event data).
Authentication Events
Audit message generated every time a client logs into the SCALE UI or an SSH session or makes changes to user credentials.Method Call Events
Audit message generated every time the currently logged in user creates a new user account or changes user credentials.Sudo Accept or Reject Events
Generated every time a user logged in to a shell session uses sudo to perform a command as root or is denied sudo permission.
The event data for a sudo event includes the command.
SMB Auditing Events
SMB events are omitted by default from the System > Audit screen.
To view SMB audit results, go to System > Services and click receipt_longAudit Logs for the SMB service or use advanced search on the main Audit screen to query
"Service" = "SMB"
.
SMB audit logs include all SMB protocol events, but do not include changes to SMB configuration such as creating an SMB share or querying and modifying SMB ACLs.
See the middleware service log to review those events.
Connect Events
Generated every time an SMB client performs an SMB tree connection (TCON) to a given share.
Each session can have zero or more TCONs.Disconnect Events
Generated every time an SMB client performs an SMB tree disconnect to a given share.Create Events
Generated every time an SMB client performs an SMB create operation on a given tree connection (TCON).
Does not log internally-initiated create operations.
Each SMB tree connection can have multiple open files.Read or Write Events
Generated at configurable intervals as an SMB client reads from or writes to a file.
Specifies the minimum amount of time to wait before generating another read or write event for a given file type.
For example, when set to 5 and an SMB client does constant writes to a file, only 12 events are generated per minute.
The default value is 60, or one event per type per minute.
File-based counters are printed within close messages, and connection-based counters are included in disconnect messages.
Read or Write Offload Events
Generated at configurable intervals as an SMB client performs offloads of reads from or writes to a file.
Specifies the minimum amount of time to wait before generating another offload read or write event for a given file type.
For example, when set to 5 and an SMB client does constant writes to a file, only 12 events are generated per minute.
The default value is 60, or one event per type per minute.
File-based counters are printed within close messages, and connection-based counters are included in disconnect messages.
Open or Close Events
Generated every time an SMB client opens or closes a file.
When a file is opened or closed a summary of file system operations performed on the type is included in the audit message.Rename Events
Generated when a client attempts to rename a file.Set_Attr Events
Generated when a client attempts to set basic file attributes (for example DOS mode or file timestamps).
The key attr_type indicates the precise type of attributes that are changed in the event this message records.Set_Quota Events
Generated when a client attempts to set basic file attributes (for example DOS mode or file timestamps).
The key attr_type indicates the precise type of attributes that are changed in the event this message records.Unlink Events
Generated when a client attempts to delete a file or directory from a share.Set_ACL Events
Generated when a client attempts to set an NFSv4 ACL on a file system or to grant a user (OWNER) read and write permissions to the file system.
Audit Message Records
Audit records contain information that establishes:
Type of event
When the event occurred (timestamp)
Where the event occurred (source and destination addresses)
Source of the event (user or process)
Outcome of the event (success or failure)
Identity of any individual or file names associated with the event
Each audit message is a single JSON file containing mandatory fields.
It can also include additional optional records.
Message size is limited to not exceed 1024 bytes for maximum portability with different syslog implementations.
Use the Export to CSV button on an audit screen to download audit logs in a format readable in a spreadsheet program.
Use the Copy to Clipboard option on the Event Data widget to copy the selected audit message event record to a text or JSON object file.
The JSON object for an audit message contains the version information, the service which is the name of the SMB share, a session ID and the tree connection (tcon_id).
Message Fields
Each audit message JSON object includes:
Field
Description
aid
GUID uniquely identifying the audit event.
vers
JSON object containing version information of the audit event. Audit version identifiers represent the major and minor versions of the internal TrueNAS audit message. Major versions are not made outside a major SCALE release. Minor version changes indicate non-breaking changes to format, such as adding a new optional field. Major version changes can be renaming or removing an existing mandatory field.
time
UTC timestamp indicating when the event occurs.
addr
IPv4 or IPv6 address for the client generating the audit message.
user
Username of either the user or client generating the audit message. If no username, could be the user ID prefixed with UID.
svc
Unique human-readable service identifier (all uppercase alpha characters) for the TrueNAS service generating the audit message (always SMB).
event
Human-readable name for the event type for the audit message. Name is in all uppercase alpha characters that can include an underscore (_) or dot(.) special characters. See Audit Event Types above for more information.
svc_data
A JSON object containing tree connection (TCON) specific data. This is standardized for all events.
event_data
A JSON object containing event-specific data. This varies based on the event type.
sess
GUID unique identifier for the session.
success
Shows true if the operation succeeded or false if it fails.
Accessing Auditing Screens
Users have access to audit information from three locations in the SCALE UI:
Credentials > Users details screen through the Audit Logs option
On the Users screen, click Audit Logs on the Users details screen to open the Audit log screen with the Search field filtered to show events (authentication, changes to existing users, creating new users, etc.) specific to that user. For more details see Audit Screen.
Shares > Window (SMB) Shares details screen through the share edit Audit Logging option
On the Sharing screen, click the editEdit icon on the desired SMB share row where Enable, watch and ignore settings are available. For details see Configuring SMB Auditing.
System > Services > SMB to view SMB audit logs
On the Services screen, click the receipt_longAudit Logs icon on the SMB row. This opens the main Audit log page with the Search field filter configured to show only SMB events. For details see Audit Screen.
System > Audit option on the main navigation panel
The default Audit log screen is unfiltered and displays all system events such as authentication and SMB events.
The audit screen includes basic and advanced search options.
Click Switch to Basic to change to the basic search function or click Switch to Advanced to show the advanced search operators.
You can enter any filters in the basic Search field to show events matching the entry.
To enter advanced search parameters, use the format displayed in the field, for example, Service = “SMB” AND Event = “CLOSE” to show closed SMB events.
Event types are listed in Auditing Event Types.
Advanced search uses a syntax similar to SQL/JQL and allows several custom variables for filtering.
Parentheses define query priority.
Clicking the advanced Search field prompts you with a dropdown of available event types, options, and operators to help you complete the search string.
For example, to search for any SMB connect or close event from the user smbuser or any non-authentication SMB events, enter (Service = "SMB" AND Event in ("Connect", "Close") AND User in ("smbuser")) OR (Event != "Authentication" AND Service = "SMB").
The advanced search automatically checks syntax and shows done when the syntax is valid and warning for invalid syntax.
Click on a row to show details of that event in the Metadata and Event Data widgets.
Export as CSV sends the event log data to a csv file you can open in a spreadsheet program (i.e., MS Excel, Google Sheets, etc.) or other data management app that accept CSV files.
The assignment (Copy to Clipboard) icon shows two options, Copy Text and Copy Json.
Copy Text copies the event to a text file.
Copy Json copies the event to a JSON object.
Configuring SMB Auditing
Configure and enable SMB auditing for an SMB share at creation or when modifying an existing share.
SMB auditing is only supported for SMB2 (or newer) protocol-negotiated SMB sessions.
SMB1 connections to shares with auditing enabled are rejected.
From the Add SMB Share or Edit SMB Share screen, click Advanced Options and scroll down to Audit Logging.
Selecting Enable turns auditing on for the share you are creating or editing.
Use the Watch List and Ignore List functions to add audit logging groups to include or exclude.
Click in Watch List to see a list of user groups on the system.
Click on a group to add it to the list and record events generated by user accounts that are members of the group.
Leave Watch List blank to include all groups, otherwise auditing is restricted to only the groups added.
Click in Ignore List to see a list of user groups on the system..
Click on a group to add it to the list and explicitly avoid recording any events generated by user accounts that are members of this group.
The Watch List takes precedence over the Ignore List when using both lists.
Click Save.
You might need to stop and restart the SMB service in order to view logged events.
Configuring Audit Storage and Retention Policies
To configure Audit storage and retention settings, click Audit Settings on the Audit screen or go to System > Advanced Settings, then click Configure on the Audit widget.
The Audit configuration screen sets the retention period, reservation size, quota size and percentage of used space in the audit dataset that triggers warning and critical alerts.
Enter the number of days to retain local audit messages.
Reservation (in GiB)
Enter the size (in GiB) of reserved space to allocate on the ZFS dataset where the audit databases are stored. The reservation specifies the minimum amount of space guaranteed to the dataset, and counts against the space available for other datasets in the zpool where the audit dataset is located. To disable, enter zero (0).
Quota (in GiB)
Enter the size (in GiB) of the maximum amount of space that can be consumed by the dataset where the audit databases are stored. To disable, enter zero (0).
Quota Fill Warning (in %)
Enter a percentage threshold. TrueNAS generates a warning level alert when the dataset quota reaches that capacity used. Allowed range:5 - 80.
Quota Fill Critical (in %)
Enter a percentage threshold. TrueNAS generates a critical level alert when the dataset quota reaches that capacity used. Allowed range:50 - 95.
For example, to change the percent usage warning threshold for the storage allocated to the Audit database:
Navigate to System > Advanced Settings screen.
Select the Configure button on the Audit widget.
In the Audit configuration popup, change the value in the Quota Fill Warning field to the desired percentage.
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Alternately, go to System > General, find the Support widget, and click File Ticket to see the feedback window.
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