Instructions for configuring the various TrueNAS features. Articles are organized parallel to the TrueNAS 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 Tutorials
⎙ Download or Print: View all TrueNAS Tutorials as a single page for download or print.
Top Toolbar: Tutorials about options available from the TrueNAS top toolbar.
Using UI Global Search: This tutorial shows how to use the Global Search feature to explore the TrueNAS UI and documentation.
Managing API Keys: This tutorial shows how to add, create, or edit an API key in TrueNAS and access API Documentation.
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.
Managing TrueCloud Backup Tasks: Provides instructions on setting up a TrueCloud backup task and configuring a Storj TrueNAS 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.
Network: Tutorials for configuring network interfaces and connections in TrueNAS.
Interface Configurations: Tutorials about configuring the various types of network interfaces available in TrueNAS.
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 TrueNAS web UI.
Setting Up IPMI: Guides you through setting up Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) on TrueNAS.
Accessing NAS from VMs and Containers: 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 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 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.
Configuring KMIP: Provides information on Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) in TrueNAS. Describes how to configure KMIP on TrueNAS Enterprise.
Containers: Tutorials for configuring the TrueNAS Containers feature, creating, and managing containers.
Virtual Machines: Tutorials for configuring TrueNAS SCALE virtualization features and creating virtual machines.
Reporting: Provides information on changing settings that control how TrueNAS 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 web interface.
Updating TrueNAS: Provides instructions on updating TrueNAS releases in the UI.
Using Shell: Provides information on using the TrueNAS shell.
Audit Logs: Provides information on the System and SMB Share auditing screens and function in TrueNAS.
Top Toolbar
The TrueNAS 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 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 indicates the selected element with an arrow.
Searching TrueNAS Documentation
Click Search Documentation for «query» to redirect the search to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub.
TrueNAS 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.
Send Feedback
Status of TrueCommand
The Status of TrueCommand icon lets users sign up with and connect to TrueCommand Cloud.
Click on either service to go to its configuration screen.
Jobs
The Running Jobsassignment icon button opens the Running Jobs window showing a minimized view of all running and failed jobs/processes.
Hover the mouse over an error job to view a pop-up window with the error message for that failed job.
Click the minus (-) at the top right corner of any dialog or pop-up window to minimize a job/process.
Click on a running job to open a dialog for that job.
A running job shows a progress bar and a stop_circle button to the right of the job. Click on this to show the Abort dialog.
Click Abort to stop the job and abort the process.
Beginning in 25.04, the Abort option is only available for select jobs. Jobs that are unable to be aborted are listed without the stop_circle button as an option.
Click on Go to Jobs to open the Jobs screen with tabs to screens listing all successful, active, or failed and aborted 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 TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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 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 TrueNAS home page.
Log Out
Log Out logs the current user out of the TrueNAS 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.
The restart function logs you out of the TrueNAS UI and restarts the server.
The shutdown function logs you out of the UI and then powers off the system.
Restart and Shutdown open a dialog to record the power off reason for audit logging.
Select an option from the Reason dropdown list, then select Confirm to activate the Restart or Shutdown button.
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 UI and documentation.
Managing API Keys: This tutorial shows how to add, create, or edit an API key in TrueNAS and access API Documentation.
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 indicates the selected element with an arrow.
Searching TrueNAS Documentation
Click Search Documentation for «query» to redirect the search to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub.
TrueNAS 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
TrueNAS 25.04 and later uses a versioned JSON-RPC 2.0 over WebSocket API with support for user-linked API access keys (API Reference).
User-linked API keys allow administrators to configure per-user access to the TrueNAS API.
Keys are revocable and can be configured to expire on a preset date.
Click laptopMy API Keys on the top right toolbar account_circle user settings dropdown menu to open the User API Keys screen.
The User API Keys screen shows a table listing API keys added to the system, and allows adding, searching for, editing, or deleting keys.
Active Directory/LDAP user-linked API key support is available to TrueNAS Enterprise customers only.
Always back up and secure keys.
TrueNAS displays the key string only once, in the API Key confirmation dialog, immediately after creation.
User-linked API keys allow password-equivalent access to the TrueNAS middleware.
API keys are not subject to the two-factor authentication (2FA) configuration of the associated user account.
A compromised API key results in access to the TrueNAS API as the associated user, even if the account is configured to require 2FA.
For increased security, HTTPS with SSL/TLS transport security is required for TrueNAS API authentication using API keys.
TrueNAS automatically revokes any user-linked API keys passed as part of an authentication attempt via insecure (HTTP) transport.
A revoked API key cannot be used until it is reset.
Resetting generates a new key-string.
Remember to update clients to use the new key.
Open the User API Keys screen by clicking Settings on the top toolbar or API Keys on the Users screen.
Enter a descriptive name for the key.
Select an administrative user to associate with this key from the Username dropdown.
To add a user API key token that does not expire (no expiration date), leave Non-expiring enabled.
A non-expiring key remains active until it is manually revoked or changed to expire.
To create a key with a scheduled expiration, disable Non-expiring by clearing the checkbox.
Click on the calendar icon in the Expires On field and select the expiration date. The field does not allow typing a date.
The token only shows in the API Key dialog.
To save the key for use as an authentication token, click Copy to Clipboard, paste it into a text file, then save the fle in a secure location.
Can I view the API Key again after closing the API Key dialog?
You cannot view the API key string after closing the API Key dialog.
If you close the dialog before copying the key, select the user row and click Edit to open the Edit API Key screen.
Select Reset. TrueNAS opens the API Key dialog showing a new key string. Copy the key before closing the dialog.
Remember to update settings using the API key token.
Click Close to return to the User API Keys screen.
Migrating API Keys
Legacy API keys created in TrueNAS 24.10 or earlier migrate to the root, admin, or truenas_admin account, depending on server configuration.
Existing API keys created via the TrueNAS API (not UI or TrueCommand) that specify an allow list with white-listed API methods are revoked upon upgrade because there is no clean way to migrate to the new system.
Administrators should create a service account (a user account for this particular purpose), define desired access rights for this service account, generate a new user-linked API key, and distribute it to the API client.
Editing an API Key
Select the user row and then click edit edit to open the Edit API Key screen.
To remove the existing API key string and generate a new random key, select Reset.
The API Key dialog opens, showing a new key string.
Click Copy to Clipboard to copy the token, then paste it into a text file and save it in a secure location.
Update any clients using the reset API Key with the new key string.
Deleting an API Key
Click delete delete for any API key on the list to remove that key.
TrueNAS opens a Delete API Key dialog.
Click API Docs on the User or User API Keys screen to access the TrueNAS API documentation built into the system.
A new browser window opens, showing the API documentation Table of Contents.
Click the link for the content you want to access:
JSON-RPC 2.0 over WebSocketAPI shows an overview of the JSON-RPC 2.0 format with example objects.
API Methods shows a table of contents listing TrueNAS API methods
API Events shows the list of API methods with query call options
Jobs shows an overview of the job options, uploading/downloading file example scripts, and information on running a query for job status.
Query Methods shows query basic usage, supported operators, and information on query operations and syntax.
TrueNAS 25.04 and later uses a versioned JSON-RPC 2.0 over WebSocket API.
API versions are numbered in conjunction with TrueNAS version releases.
The API documentation provides information about supported API methods and events.
Documentation is included for all API versions supported by the current TrueNAS release and defaults to the latest supported API.
Use the dropdown to view documentation for different supported API versions.
Advanced users can interact with the TrueNAS API to perform management tasks using the TrueNAS API Client as an alternative to the TrueNAS web UI.
This websocket client provides the command line tool midclt and allows users to communicate with middleware using Python by making API calls.
The client can connect to the local TrueNAS instance or to a specified remote socket.
For more information on the API documentation see [API Reference](({{ relref “/}}).
Shutting Down TrueNAS Enterprise HA
TrueNAS Enterprise
This procedure applies to TrueNAS Enterprise High Availability (HA) systems only.
If you need to power down your TrueNAS Enterprise system with HA enabled, this is the procedure:
Shut Down From the TrueNAS Web UI
While logged into the TrueNAS Web UI using the virtual IP (VIP), click the power button in the top right corner of the screen.
Select Shut Down from the dropdown list.
This shuts down the active controller.
The system fails over to the standby controller.
When the TrueNAS Web UI login screen displays, log back in to the system. This logs you in to the standby controller.
Click the power button in the top right corner of the screen.
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 to delete the widget and remove it from 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 TrueNAS 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. 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.
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.
Fusion Pools: Provides information on setting up and using fusion pools.
Managing Pools: Provides instructions on managing storage pools, VDEVs, and disks in TrueNAS.
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 Linux-based TrueNAS cannot import GELI-encrypted pools.
See the GELI Pool Migrations section in the TrueNAS 13.0 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 TrueNAS 13.0 (or 13.3 for community users) with GELI-encrypted pools to 24.04.
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 can 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.
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 a failed disk in TrueNAS systems with and without an available hot spare.
To replace a disk in a pool without a hot spare available:
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 off-lining 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.
Off-lining 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-hotswappable 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-hotswappable systems, as disks cannot be removed or inserted in a non-hotswappable system if the power is still on.
After your system is powered off, remove the failed drive from the system. Double-check the serial number on the removed drive matches the failed drive you previously identified.
Insert and connect the replacement disk and power-up 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.
Force overrides the safety check and adds the disk to the pool. Selecting this option erases any data stored on the disk!
Preserve Power Management and S.M.A.R.T. settings transfers all power management and S.M.A.R.T. test configurations from the original disk to your replacement disk. This option is enabled by default. Select to clear the checkmark so you can reset your configurations.
Preserve disk description maintains any descriptions associated with the original disk, which prevents you from needing to copy descriptors to the new disk manually. This option is enable by default. Select to clear the checkmark if you want the replacement disk to use descriptors that differ from those attached to the original disk.
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 TrueNAS Enterprise Support to review your overprovisioning needs and schedule a maintenance window.
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS Support contract.
UI management of Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) is an Enterprise-licensed feature in TrueNAS 25.04 (and later).
SED configuration options are not visible in the TrueNAS Community Edition.
Community users wishing to implement SEDs can continue to do so using the command line sedutil-cli utility.
Note: Additional changes to SED management options in the TrueNAS UI ahead of the 25.04.0 release version, with documentation updates to follow.
Supported Specifications
Legacy interface for older ATA devices (Not recommended for security-critical environments!)
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 sedutil-cli for TCG compliant devices.
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 on boot.
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 or a full cryptographic erase with PSID revert.
Deploying SEDs
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.
SED passwords are used during initial set up and for unlocking SEDs.
Configuring Global SED Settings
To configure global SED settings, go to the System > Advanced Settings screen and locate the Self-Encrypting Drive widget.
Select the user to unlock SEDs from the ATA Security User dropdown list.
Options are USER or MASTER.
Enter the global SED password in SED Password and in Confirm SED Password.
Click Save.
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 location!
Configuring Individual SED Passwords
To configure individual, per-disk SED passwords, go to Storage and click Disks in the top right of the screen to open the Disks screen.
Click the row or expand_more for a confirmed SED to expand the row.
Click Edit to open the Edit Disk screen.
Enter and confirm the password in the SED Password fields to assign an individual SED password.
If both an individual and global SED password are present, the individual SED password overrides the global password for the disk it is configured on.
Repeat this process for each SED and any SEDs added to the system in the future.
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.
Managing SED Disks and Data
Improper use of the sedutil-cli can be destructive to data and passwords.
Keep backups and use with caution.
Additional SED management options are available using a shell session and the sedutil-cli utility.
Enter sedutil-cli -h or see the sedutil-cli.8 man page for more information.
TrueNAS Enterprise
TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact TrueNAS Enterprise Support for assistance with the initial set up and management of SEDs using sedutil-cli.
Contacting TrueNAS Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS Support contract.
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 TrueNAS Enterprise 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 TrueNAS Enterprise 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.
ZFS allows groups to span multiple rows, which means it does not require each row to contain a whole number of redundancy groups. This layout has several advantages over requiring whole groups in each row:
Group count - Group count is not a relevant parameter when defining a dRAID layout. ZFS only needs the group width and all groups will have the desired size.
Group widths - ZFS can support all possible group widths (greater than or equal to the physical disk count).
ZFS determines the number of groups by the least common multiple (LCM) of the group width (D+P) and the number of physical drives minus spares (C-S). The logic within dRAID is simplified when the group width is the same for all groups, although some aspects, such as computing permutation numbers and drive offsets, are more complex. This flexible layout ensures even distribution of data and parity while maintaining high performance and resilvering efficiency.
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 TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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
TrueNAS 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, TrueNAS 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 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.
TrueNAS automatically expands the usable capacity of the pool to fit all available space once the last attached disk is replaced.
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 TrueNAS 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.
Managing Snapshots: Provides instructions on managing ZFS snapshots in TrueNAS.
Storage Encryption: Provides information on TrueNAS 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.
Also use for datasets for containers, virtual machines, and other 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.
When no ACL exists to inherit, TrueNAS calculates one that grants full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
TrueNAS grants modify control 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
Inherit
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.
The Compression Level setting lists several compression algorithm to choose from. Select the option that best suits your needs from the dropdown list.
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 or clear 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 TrueNAS to operate properly. For more information, see TrueNAS 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.
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 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.
Disabling 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.
Also use for datasets for containers, virtual machines, and other 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.
When no ACL exists to inherit, TrueNAS calculates one that grants full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
TrueNAS grants modify control 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
Inherit
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, disable 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, disable 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 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 TrueNAS
TrueNAS offers two ACL types: POSIX and NFSv4.
For a more in-depth explanation of ACLs and configurations in TrueNAS, 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.
Also use for datasets for containers, virtual machines, and other 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.
When no ACL exists to inherit, TrueNAS calculates one that grants full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
TrueNAS grants modify control 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
Inherit
Apps
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
Multiprotocol
NFSv4
Passthrough
Sensitive
Off
TrueNAS 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 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.
Users can grant root permissions to containers and instances through an unprivileged root account using the ACL editor in the UI or the TrueNAS API.
To ensure functionality, add an ACE for the truenas_container_unpriv_root user and assign the appropriate permissions (such as read, modify, and execute).
For container environments, verify that the ACL includes an entry for truenas_container_unpriv_root with the required access to any dataset paths used by the container.
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.
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 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
TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact TrueNAS Enterprise Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS 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 FreeBSD- to Linux-based TrueNAS versions.
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.
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.
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 present in TrueNAS.
However, users can sidegrade AFP configurations into TrueNAS 24.04 to migrate previously-saved AFP configurations into SMB configurations.
Migrating AFP Shares
To prevent data corruption that could result from the sidegrade operation, in TrueNAS, 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 not present in TrueNAS 21.06 or later.
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 migrated to TrueNAS 24.04, 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, 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
TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact TrueNAS Enterprise Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS 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 clould 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.
TrueNAS 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 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 use 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.
To use the setup wizard:
Click Wizard to open the Target screen. Click Create New.
Enter a name using up to 64 lowercase alphanumeric and special characters. Allowed characters are dot (.), dash (-), and colon (:). A name longer than 64 characters is not allowed.
Select the extent type. Choose between device and file based on your use case.
Adding a Device
If choosing Device, select an existing device from the dropdown list or Create New to add a new device.
Enter or browse to select the path to the dataset to use for storage. If one does not exist, click Create Dataset to add a new dataset.
Enter a numerical value and suffix to specify the size of the zvol you are creating in Size.
Adding a File
If choosing File, enter or browse to select the mount point for the directory the extent uses.
If a directory does not exist, after selecting the dataset where you want to add the directory, enter a / followed by the name to add the directory to the dataset.
Enter the size for the directory in Filesize. Leaving this set to 0 uses the actual file size and requires that the file already exists. Otherwise, specify the file size for the new file.
Select a portal from the dropdown list or click Create New to add a new portal.
If you create a new portal, click Add to enter an IP address and netmask (CIDR) for the portal. To add another, click Add again.
Leave Initiator blank to allow all, or enter a host name. To enter more than one host name, press Enter after each to separate each entry.
select a Discovery Authentication Method from the dropdown list.
click Save.
iSCSI Manual Setup
This procedure guides you through adding an iSCSI share using the individual configuration screens.
While the procedure places each screen in order, you can select tab screens in any order.
Click on the Block (iSCSI) Share Targets widget header to open the individual share screens. The Targets screen opens by default.
b. Enter a name using lowercase alphanumeric characters plus dot (.), dash (-), and colon (:) in Target Name.
Use the iqn.format for the name. See the “Constructing iSCSI names using the iqn.format” section of RFC3721.
You can enter a common name for the target in Target Alias but this is not required.
c. Add authorized networks. Click Add to show the Network fields to enter an IP address and netmask (CIDR).
This allows communication between client computers and the iSCSI target. Click Add for each address you want to add.
Addresses are added to the authorized networks list.
d. Click Add to the right of Add Groups to enter portal settings.
Select a target with a number assignment from the dropdown list in Portal ID.
Select the authentication method from the dropdown list.
None allows anonymous discovery. CHAP uses one-way authentication. Mutual CHAP uses two-way authentication.
For more information on authentication methods, see iSCSI Screens.
Select a portal ID from the Initiator Group ID dropdown list.
The Authentication Group Number dropdown list is populated after configuration groups on the Add Authorized Access screen.
Edit the target after adding these groups if you want to include them.
e. Click Save.
Add extent(s). Click on the Extents tab, then click Add to open the Add Extent screen.
b. Add a description about the extent if you want but this is not required.
c. Select Enabled to enable the extent.
d. Leave Enable TCP selected. To disable it, clear the checkbox.
Select Xen initiator compat mode* if required for your share.
e. Set the device type as Device or File.
Adding a Device Extent
After choosing **Device** in **Extent Type**, select the zvol or zvol snapshot from the **Device** dropdown list.
Accept the default in **Logical Block Size** or change the size to what fits your use case.
Adding a File Extent
After choosing **File** in **Extent Type**, enter or browse to select the path to an existing file.
Enter a slash (/) followed by a file name to create a file in a dataset and append the file name to the path (/filename.ext).
Enter the file size. Enter 0 to use the actual file size of an existing file, or specify the size to apply to the new file added in **Path to the Extent**.
f. Leave Disable Physical Block Size Reporting disabled unless you want to enable this function.
g. Click Save.
Add initiator groups. Click on the Initiators tab, then click Add to open the Add Initiator screen.
Leave Allow All Initiators selected, or clear and 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.
Click Save.
Add portals. Click on the Portals tab, then click Add to open the Add Portal screen.
a. Enter a number in Group ID. This field allows configuring different groups with different authentication profiles.
For example, all users with a group ID of 1 inherit the authentication profile associated with Group 1.
b. Select the discovery method from the dropdown list. None allows anonymous discovery. CHAP uses one-way discovery.
Mutual CHAP uses two-way discovery.
c. Enter a user account name and password for CHAP authentication to the remote system. This can be the admin user account credentials.
d. Enter a peer user account and password if using Mutual CHAP authentication.
e. Click Save.
Creating a Quick iSCSI Target
TrueNAS allows users to add iSCSI targets without needing to add another share.
Go to Shares and click the Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets widget header to open the Targets screen.
Click Add at the top right of the screen to open the Add iSCSI Target screen.
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.
(Optional) Enter a user-friendly name in Target Alias.
Add authorized networks. Click Add to show the Network fields where you can enter an IP address and netmask (CIDR).
This allows communication between client computers and the iSCSI target. Click Add for each address you want to add.
Addresses are added to the authorized networks list.
Click Add to the right of Add Groups to enter portal settings.
Select a target with a number assignment from the dropdown list in Portal ID.
Select the authentication method from the dropdown list.
None allows anonymous discovery. CHAP uses one-way authentication. Mutual CHAP uses two-way authentication.
For more information on authentication methods, see iSCSI Screens.
Select a portal ID from the Initiator Group ID dropdown list.
The Authentication Group Number dropdown list is populated after configuration groups on the Add Authorized Access screen.
Edit the target after adding these groups if you want to include them.
Click Save.
Starting the iSCSI Service
After adding a share with the iSCSI wizard or manual entry screens, the system shows a dialog prompting you to start or restart the service.
You can also start the service by clicking on the more_vert on the Block (iSCSI) Shares Targets widget and selecting Turn On Service.
You can also go to System > Services, locate iSCSI on the service list, and click the Running toggle to start the service.
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 the 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
TrueNAS 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 you are 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.
Also use for datasets for containers, virtual machines, and other 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.
When no ACL exists to inherit, TrueNAS calculates one that grants full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
TrueNAS grants modify control 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
Inherit
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, 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 client credentials to the root user, enter a string or select the user from the Maproot User dropdown list.
To map client credentials to all users, enter a string or select the user from the Mapall User dropdown list.
To map group credentials to the root user, enter a string or select the group from the Maproot Group dropdown list.
To map group credentials to all users, 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 (NFS) Shares 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 the NFS Service
You can configure the NFS service from either the System > Services screen or the Shares > Unix (NFS) Shares 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 (NFS) Shares 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.
TrueNAS Enterprise
NFS over RDMA
TrueNAS Enterprise customers utilizing NFS shares with compatible hardware can enable NFS over RDMA to improve NFS performance and efficiency.
Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) lets a client system transfer data directly from a server’s memory to its own, improving speed, reducing latency, and lowering CPU usage.
NFS over RDMA support requires an active Enterprise license and RDMA-capable network interface cards (NICs) in both the TrueNAS host and client systems.
Interested customers should contact Enterprise Support for assistance.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS Support contract.
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 the 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 who 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.
To prevent unexpected failures in SMB shares, TrueNAS 25.04 and later automatically disables SMB2/3 lease support and AAPL extensions (typically used to configure Time Machine) globally when multiprotocol SMB/NFS shares are enabled.
This means that in TrueNAS 25.04 and later, multiprotocol shares are incompatible with Time Machine shares on the same system.
To prevent service interruption, Time Machine users should make sure that no multiprotocol shares are configured on TrueNAS.
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 a 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.
Multiprotocol shares are not compatible with the Apple Time Machine feature.
Configuring a multiprotocol share disables the option to use AAPL extensions globally.
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, start both the SMB and NFS services and configure the NFS service for Kerberos authentication.
Configure the NFS service before joining AD for a simpler Kerberos credential creation.
You can either use the Shares 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 SMB and NFS 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, 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 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
You can create a share and dataset from either the Add Dataset or Add SMB screen.
The multi-protocol share type is mutually exclusive with AAPL extension support like time machine. These extensions require the SMB2/3 lease support which is no longer available in multi-protocol shares. Therefore, time machine cannot be enabled and a warning message shows in the UI. Selecting other Apple protocol options also displays warning messages. Multi-protocol shares can impact the performance of all SMB shares.
Using the Add Dataset Screen
TrueNAS allows you to 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 multi-mode dataset, then click Add Dataset.
Enter a name for the dataset.
Select Multiprotocol from the Dataset Preset dropdown.
The share configuration options display with Create NFS Share and Create SMB Share preselected, and the dataset name populates the SMB Name field and becomes the name of the SMB and NFS shares.
(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 multi-protocol SMB and NFS shares.
TrueNAS sets the same share presets as the Multi-protocol (SMB/NFS) share setting in Purpose on the Advanced Options for the Add SMB screen.
To configure other share settings, go to the Sharing, select the share, click the edit icon to open the Edit SMB screen, and click Advanced Options to modify the settings.
Editing the SMB Share
After adding the dataset, edit the dataset ACL.
Using the Add SMB Screen
To create a share and dataset from the Add SBM share screen, go to Shares, and click Add on the Windows (SMB) Shares widget to open the Add SMB screen.
Enter or browse to select the dataset where you want to add the share dataset, then click Create Dataset.
The dataset name populates the Name field. Both the dataset and share have the same name.
Select Multi-protocol (NFSv4/SMB) shares from the Purpose dropdown list.
This applies the pre-determined Other Options selected on the Advanced Options screen.
Enable Kerberos security. Click Advanced Options.
Select KRB5 from the Security dropdown to enable the Kerberos ticket 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, and creating a multi-mode dataset and the SMB and NFS shares, adjust the dataset/file system ACL permissions 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 the selected share (SMB and NFS).
Select the share row on the widget, then click the edit icon to modify permissions for the share dataset. Perform this for both the SMB and NFS shares.
Or go to Datasets, select the dataset row created for the multiprotocol share on the Datasets table, then scroll down to the Permissions widget for the dataset.
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 multi-mode 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 multi-protocol share using either SMB or NFS protocols from a variety of client operating systems including Windows, Apple, FreeBSD, and Linux/Unix systems.
Fibre Channel is a TrueNAS Enterprise feature. Only TrueNAS systems licensed for Fibre Channel show iSCSI Fibre Channel screens and settings found by going to Sharing > Block Shares (iSCSI).
The Fibre Channel feature is available to Enterprise-licensed High Availability (HA) and non-HA systems.
Any Enterprise system, equipped with the required fibre channel hardware can implement this feature.
This article provides instructions for VMware VCenter ESXi.
If you are using a different platform for your block share backups, use the documentation for that platform for alternative instructions for the ESXi process documented in this tutorial.
.
Before You Begin
When setting up iSCSI fibre channel for the first time:
(Optional) Create a zvol for each fibre channel port with a network interface associated with it.
The wizard provides an option to create a dataset on the Extents screen when adding the device.
Selecting this option creates a dataset for organizational purposes and a zvol of the same name for block storage.
Configuring Fibre Channel - First-Time Install
We recommend using the iSCSI wizard to create your target, create the extents, and set up fibre channel ports.
If the system is a High Availability (HA) system, turn on ALUA.
Click on the iSCSI widget header to open the Sharing iSCSI screens. Click on Global Target Configuration. Scroll down and select Asynchronous Logic Unit Access (ALUA), then click Save.
b. Select Device in Extent Type, then select Create New on the Device dropdown list.
When selecting Create New, the Pool/Dataset and /mnt fields display.
Navigate through the pool and datasets to select the zvol and populate the /mnt field with the path.
Clicking Create Dataset allows you to add a dataset where the /mnt path indicates. TrueNAS creates the dataset for organizational purposes and a zvol of the same name for block storage.
c. Enter a value in Size.
d. Select the platform option that matches your use case and for this iSCSI share on the Sharing Platform dropdown list.
For example, if using the VMware ESXi platform for your block storage, select VMware: Extent block size 512b, TCP enabled, no Xen compat mode, SSD speed.
e. Click Next to show the Protocol Options screen.
Select the protocol option for your use case.
When installing iSCSI fibre channel ports the first time, select Create new virtual port.
Start the iSCSI service when prompted.
If you did not stop the iSCSI service, restart it by clicking the more_vert button, stop the service, and when the status indicates it is stopped, start it.
Log into your block storage backup platform (i.e., VCenter ESXi) and configure your adaptors, devices, and datastores.
Refer to VMWare or documentation for the platform used for instructions on completing the configuration.
Windows Shares (SMB)
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, Mac OS, 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 TrueNAS 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 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 they are not the default.
Legacy SMB clients rely on NetBIOS name resolution to discover SMB servers on a network. TrueNAS enables the NetBIOS server by default.
Disable it on the Network > Global Settings screen if this functionality is not required.
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 an SMB server.
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
TrueNAS 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 your Active Directory connections are working and error-free before adding an SMB share.
When an SMB share is configured but not working or is in an error state, AD cannot bind, and TrueNAS cannot start the SMB service.
Creating an SMB share on your system requires adding the share and then getting 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.
You can create a basic SMB share or for more specific share types or feature requirements from the Add SMB screen using the Advanced Options instructions before saving the share.
The Add Dataset and the Add SMB share screens allow TrueNAS to create a dataset and SMB share from that screen.
Use either option to create a basic SMB share.
When creating an SMB share that requires customization or is intended for a specific purpose, such as working with Veeam Backup & Restore immutability or a repository for block or fast cloning, use the Add SMB screen presets and advanced options to create the share and dataset for these special SMB shares.
For more information on Veeam SMB shares refer to the Solutions > IntegrationsVeeam and Veeam Immutability guides.
When setting up multi-protocol (SMB and NFS) shares refer to the [Multiprotocol Shares]](/scaletutorials/shares/mixedmodeshares/) tutorial for configuration instructions.
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 or edit users, go to Credentials > Users to add or edit the SMB share user(s).
Click Add to create a new user or as many new user accounts as needed.
Joining TrueNAS to Active Directory creates the user 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 allowing guest access can create a security vulnerability and is not recommended for Enterprise customers or systems with more than one SMB share administrator account.
Using a guest account increases the likelihood of unauthorized users gaining access to your data in the SMB share.
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 a dataset and the share using the Add SMB share screen.
This article covers adding the dataset on the Add SMB share 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.
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 dataset, which becomes the name of the share, in the Create Dataset dialog, and then click Create.
The system creates the new dataset and populates the Name field with the dataset name.
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.
Select a preset from the Purpose dropdown list to apply.
The preset selected, locks or unlocks the 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 setting. Users can manually configure the SMB settings and parameters.
Default share parameters
The default option when you open the Add SMB screen. Use for any basic SMB share. These settings provide a baseline configuration that ensures compatibility and functionality and allows 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 ensuring that each backup is kept separate and secure from the others.
Multi-Protocol (NFSv4/SMB) shares
Select for multi-protocol (NFSv4/SMB) shares. Choosing this option allows NFS and SMB users to access TrueNAS at the same time. Multi-protocol shares in TrueNAS try to enable kernel oplocks which are enabled per share when the chosen share uses both NFS and SMB protocols, but the oplocks are incompatible with SMB2/3 lease support. This incompatibility might trigger unexpected failures depending on the order in which the SMB client negotiates the first SMB tree connect. The multi-protocol share type is mutually exclusive with AAPL extension support like time machine that requires the SMB2/3 lease support. Therefore, time machine cannot be enabled and a warning message shows in the UI. Selecting other Apple protocol options also displays warning messages. Mulit-protocol shares can impact performance on all SMB shares.
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.
Veeam repository with Fast Clone
Requires an Enterprise license. Select to set up an SMB share to work with a Veeam repository for fast cloning. TrueNAS sets the ZFS record size to the default 128 KiB and the SMB block size to 128 KiB (131072 default). This facilitates the file size information reported by the Sectors per Allocation Unit to Veeam Backup & Restore so that it uses the correct offsets and lengths when it issues the FSCTL_DUPLICTE_EXTENTS_TO_FILE requests. It prevents ZFS from rejecting fast copy requests due to improper alignments and prevents ZFS from falling back to an internal copy of the specified range. Sets the Additional Parameters String found at the bottom of the Add SMB > Advanced Options screen to show block size = 131072, the required default setting.
(Optional) Enter a Description to help explain the purpose or details on how the share is used.
Select Enabled to allow sharing of this path when the SMB service is activated.
Leave the checkbox 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
A basic SMB share does not need to use the Advanced Options settings, 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 granted are the same as those for a 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.
Mac OS clients - Prevents attempts to connect as a user that does not exist in TrueNAS and does not automatically connect as the guest account.
Connect As: Guest - Allows a guest to log into the Mac OS with the guest account.
See the Apple documentation for more details.
To prohibit writes to the share, select Export Read-Only.
Select Access Based Share Enumeration to restrict share visibility for users with read or write access to the share.
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 IP addresses.
Separate entries by pressing Enter.
Entering values in the Host Allow restricts access to only the addresses entered into this list!
This list can break UI access for all other IP or host name entries.
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 Mac OS, use the Advanced Options settings provided for these use cases:
Legacy AFP Compatibility controls how the SMB share reads and writes data.
Leave unset to have the share 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 the Mac OS 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. This is useful as an alternate way to create 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
Select Enable ACL under Advanced Options on either the Add SMB or Edit SMB screens to add ACL support to the share.
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 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 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 you wish to restrict this group to read only and the share dataset is nested under parent datasets, go to each parent dataset and edit each ACL.
Add an ACE entry for the new group, and select Traverse for group permissions. For the parent dataset(s) permissions, keep these at either Full_Control or MODIFY.
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 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 SMB toggle.
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 the 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 restart the system.
After restarting, you are prompted to enter the authentication credentials again.
Mounting on an Apple System
Before you begin this process, have the username and password for the user assigned to the pool or the credentials for the guest if the share has guest access ready.
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 a guest user if the share has guest access.
Mounting on a FreeBSD system involves creating the mount point and 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 are on which boxes for clients.
This feature allows admins to see and connect to any TrueNAS system with external shares active.
Create the SMB share on another TrueNAS 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 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 on 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.
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
TrueNAS 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 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 you wish to restrict this group to read only and the share dataset is nested under parent datasets, go to each parent dataset and edit each ACL.
Add an ACE entry for the new group, and select Traverse for group permissions. For the parent dataset(s) permissions, keep these at either Full_Control or MODIFY.
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.
To prevent unexpected failures in SMB shares, TrueNAS 25.04 and later automatically disables SMB2/3 lease support and AAPL extensions (typically used to configure Time Machine) globally when multiprotocol SMB/NFS shares are enabled.
This means that in TrueNAS 25.04 and later, multiprotocol shares are incompatible with Time Machine shares on the same system.
To prevent service interruption, Time Machine users should make sure that no multiprotocol shares are configured on TrueNAS.
TrueNAS 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.
Also use for datasets for containers, virtual machines, and other 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.
When no ACL exists to inherit, TrueNAS calculates one that grants full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
TrueNAS grants modify control 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
Inherit
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 Private Dataset 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 Share is a legacy feature for organizations looking to maintain existing SMB configurations.
TrueNAS removed the home share option from the SMB share Purpose list in 24.04 (Dragonfish).
The SMB share Other Options includes a home share legacy option but it is not recommended for new shares, it 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.
Future TrueNAS releases can introduce instability or require configuration changes affecting this legacy feature.
Microsoft has eliminated the Home Share feature in Windows 11 and deprecated it in Windows 10.
Microsoft ending support for Home Shares is planned for October 2025.
Replacing SMB Home Shares
TrueNAS does not recommend setting up new home shares and has removed the Use as Home Share option, found in the Other Options section of the Advanced Options screen for the Add SMB and Edit SMB screens.
The Private SMB Datasets and Shares setting replaces the home shares option and is the recommended method to provide users with a private personal folder they access through an SMB share.
Follow the instructions in the Adding Private SMB Datasets and Shares section below to set up private and personal shares.
What is a private dataset and share?
The private dataset and share option allows creating a private personal directory under the dataset specified as the home directory for the user, and when correctly configured, provides users with a private folder they access through an SMB share.
TrueNAS allows creating one private directory per user, but allows creating as many non-private directories as desired or needed.
Users can create as many directories as needed in their private share through Windows File Explorer.
TrueNAS does not control what Windows allows through the File Explorer.
If the personal directories show in File Explorer, use Windows file properties and access control to hide the folder in the share.
After creating a dataset and SMB share, use the path to this dataset as the home directory for each user with a private share directory.
Other users who do not require a private personal share can use a path to another dataset for their home directory.
This replaces the legacy home share personal home directory when connecting to the share.
Home directories are not visible to or accessible by other users.
Private directories created for users do not display in the datasets table on the Datasets screen.
They are visible on the Edit User screen in the file explorer section under the Home Directory field.
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 to 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 private dataset and share requires provisioning users or joining Active Directory, and configuring the system storage and share.
Adding Private SMB Datasets and Shares
Private directories are not intended for every user on the system.
When using the Private SMB Datasets and Shares share Purpose preset and configuring it as a home directory the system TrueNAS does not show the private directories to all users with access to the root level of the share.
Examples of setting up private SMB shares are those for backups, system configuration, and users or departments that need to keep information private from other users.
You can manually add users and groups in TrueNAS, or configure groups in Active Directory and add users to each group, and then have AD add the users and group to TrueNAS.
After adding users and groups, configure private directories and home directories for the users and group(s).
Before setting up SMB shares, check system alerts to verify no errors related to connections to Active Directory are listed.
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 (and dataset) 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.
Add the home directory path to the dataset where you want to create the private directory, and set permissions.
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 or create a new dataset for the share.
We recommend using the Add SMB screen to create a new share and dataset for this procedure.
While you can add a share while creating the dataset on the Add Dataset screen, this method requires editing the share settings afterward.
In general, when creating a simple SMB share and dataset you can use either method, but if customizing the dataset, use the Add Dataset screen to access dataset advanced setting options.
To configure and customize an SMB share, using the Add SMB share method is better as it provides access to the advanced setting options for shares, meaning you do not have to edit settings afterward.
To create SMB private datasets and shares, go to Shares and click Add on the Windows (SMB) Shares widget to open the Add SMB screen.
Enter or browse to select the path to where you want to add the share dataset, then click Create Dataset. This populates the Path for the share.
Or, if the dataset is already created, select the share on the SMB widget, click edit, then change the Purpose setting to Private SMB Datasets and Shares.
If creating a new share and dataset using the Add SMB screen, select Private SMB Datasets and Shares from the Purpose dropdown list before clicking Advanced Options to make other setting changes. See Step 3.
Enter a name for the dataset in the dialog field, then click Create Dataset. For example, creating a share and dataset named private.
The dataset name populates the share Name field and becomes the share name. The Path field is updated with the dataset name.
The share and dataset must have the same name.
Select Private SMB Dataset and Share on the Purpose dropdown list.
Click Advanced Options to show the additional settings to configure additional share setting options.
Scroll down to Other Options to select Export Recycle Bin, which allows 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 a nested dataset, the directory is at the root of the current dataset. If this is the case, there is no automatic deletion based on file size.
Click Save.
Enable or restart the SMB service when prompted and make the share available on your network.
When prompted by the system to configure the dataset ACL, accept the option. The Edit ACL screen opens.
Setting Dataset ACL Permissions
Dataset ACL permissions are configured on the Edit ACL screen.
The user assigned the private directory share does not need to be added as an ACL entry in the dataset ACL.
Add an ACL entry to the dataset ACL to grant another user, other than the private share user or a group of users, to allow access to the private directory.
If on the Datasets screen, select the dataset row for the share dataset, 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 and not prompted by the system to configure the ACL permissions or if you closed the prompt window, select the share on the Windows (SMB) Share widget, then click Edit Filesystem ACL to open the Edit ACL screen.
Do not select the option to edit the share permissions. Share permissions only apply to the share and not the dataset the share uses for storage.
See SMB Shares for detailed information on editing the share dataset permissions.
Set the permission for the private dataset to allow additional users or a group if others are permitted to access the private directory share.
Click the Owner dropdown, 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 to apply the changes.
Click Use Preset and choose NFS4_HOME. If the dataset has a POSIX ACL choose HOME.
Click Continue, then click Save Access Control List.
Next, click Add Entry to add entries for each user that needs access to the dataset.
To assign required permissions, select User in Who and locate the user name on the User dropdown list.
Select the required permissions.
Repeat for each user that needs access.
Alternatively, if you added users to a group, select, set Who to Group and locate the group on the dropdown list.
As of TrueNAS 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 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.
After adding all users or groups and setting the required permissions for each, click Save Access Control List.
Adding Local Share Users
Add users by joining Active Directory to TrueNAS, or manually create users in TrueNAS.
Edit existing users or the group to add home directories and grant access to private datasets and shares.
If manually adding existing users to a group in TrueNAS, go to Groups, click Add to create the group, then either configure Active Directory to assign the group or manually add the group to individual users in TrueNAS.
Go to Credentials > Users and click Add to create new users, or select the user on the Users screen and click Edit.
If adding a new user, enter the name and password information.
Next, add bulitin-users in Auxilliary Group, or for users in a group, add the group name.
Enter or browse to select the path to the dataset where you want to create home directories. For private datasets, create the private directory for the share.
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.
For home directories, make the username all lowercase.
Select the permissions below the path field.
Configure permissions for the user of the private share to allow login access to the share and the ability to see a folder matching their username.
Select Create Home Directory.
Click Save. TrueNAS adds the user and creates the home directory for the user.
The home directory shows on the Edit User screen but not on the Datasets screen.
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 this previously occurred.
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 modify 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
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 TrueNAS 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: 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.
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.
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 TrueNAS account and TrueNAS credential.
To take advantage of the lower-cost benefits of the TrueCloud backup service, you must create your Storj TrueNAS account using the link provided on the Add Cloud Credentials screen.
You must also create and authorize the storage buckets on Storj for TrueNAS to use.
TrueNAS 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 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 TrueNAS 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 datasets or a single non-Container managed zvol that you want sent to the cloud for backup.
In 25.04.2 onwards, a zvol managed by the Virtual Machine feature can be selected.
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.
Restic uses the password you created for the backup repository to encrypt and manage the repository. Without this password, you cannot access or restore backup data, and restic cannot decrypt the repository.
TrueNAS only stores the password as part of the TrueCloud backup task. It passes the password to restic using the environment variable RESTIC_PASSWORD each time you access the repository. TrueNAS does this so that restic can further manage and encrypt the repository.
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.
When you finish creating a task, the Task Details for it become available on the right side of the screen.
The task status changes to SUCCESS when it runs successfully.
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:
*TrueCloud backup tasks streamline functionality for Storj TrueNAS cloud backups and restoration.
Using the cloud means data can go to a third-party commercial vendor not directly affiliated with TrueNAS.
You should fully understand vendor pricing policies and services before using them for cloud sync tasks.
TrueNAS is not responsible for any charges incurred 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 TrueNAS 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 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 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 selecting Filename Encryption 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, the 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 TrueNAS 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.
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 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: 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 Sync 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).
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 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 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 dataset path in Directory/Files and the Google Drive path in Folder.
If PUSH is the selected Direction, this is where on TrueNAS 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 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
On March 31, 2025, Google changed the Google Photos API to allow external applications to access and manage only the media and albums they create.
Cloud sync tasks continue to upload photos to albums created by the TrueNAS sync client, but reading from your full photo library or from shared albums does not work as expected.
Some operations return permission errors.
Tokens issued before March 31, 2025 do not provide full-library access under the new API rules.
Generate new credentials if you need to continue uploading into albums created by the sync client.
Review existing Google Photos cloud sync tasks and configure them to use albums created by the TrueNAS source.
A complete backup of a Google Photos library through the API is not possible.
Google Photos cloud sync tasks in TrueNAS 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:
A Google Photos cloud sync task can either push local files to Google Photos or (limited) pull files from Google Photos to a local TrueNAS dataset.
Select the direction that fits how you want to manage your media files.
Pull is restricted by the Google Photos API and only accesses albums created by the TrueNAS sync client.
Pulling your full library or from shared albums is not possible.
Push uploads local files into albums created by the TrueNAS sync client.
Use push to manage media in your local dataset and back it up to Google Photos.
Next, select the data transfer mode that fits how you want to manage file retention between the source and destination.
There are three options:
SYNC - Matches files on the destination to the source.
Deletes files from the destination if they do not exist on the source.
Only affects albums created by the sync client.
COPY - Duplicates each source file into the destination.
Overwrites files with the same name.
Only affects albums created by the sync client.
MOVE - Transfers files from the source to the destination and deletes them from the source.
Overwrites files with the same name.
Only affects albums created by the sync client.
Choosing a Target Folder
After choosing the direction and mode for your cloud sync task, select the remote Google Photos folder that rclone targets. Each folder option has specific file management and structure requirements due to API restrictions. Cloud sync tasks cannot target the root folder (/).
Folder
Recommended
Direction
Description
/album
Yes
Push or Pull
Use this folder for push tasks or to organize media into albums. Only albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client are accessible. Pull returns only items in these albums; push uploads work as expected. All local files must be in child directories (albums) under the dataset.
/media/all
No
Pull
API restrictions prevent reading your full Google Photos library. Only items in app-created albums are accessible. Do not use this option for full-library sync.
/upload
No
Push
Temporary upload location. Files pushed here are not sorted into albums, metadata can be lost, and repeated sync tasks can produce duplicates or unstable filenames. Use only for temporary transfers.
Selecting the Dataset and Organizing Files
Select a TrueNAS 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.
Also use for datasets for containers, virtual machines, and other 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.
When no ACL exists to inherit, TrueNAS calculates one that grants full control to the owner@, group@, members of the builtin_administrators group, and domain administrators.
TrueNAS grants modify control 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
Inherit
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.
For push tasks, organize files in the local dataset so they map to albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client. For pull tasks, the Google Photos API only provides access to items in albums created by the sync client.
Full-library pulls or shared albums are not accessible.
Configure your dataset accordingly based on your chosen direction, mode, and target folder.
Creating the API Credentials
Tokens generated before March 31, 2025 do not provide full access to your Google Photos library under the new API rules. When creating credentials, ensure that your OAuth client and token are intended for use with albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client.
Only these app-created albums can be accessed for push or pull tasks.
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.
Enter photos library api in the search bar, then select Photos Library API and click ENABLE.
This enables the API for your project
Access remains limited to albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client.
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 testing mode 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.
Note: After March 31, 2025, full-library access is no longer possible under the Google Photos API.
Even if rclone requests full access, it only sees albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client.
Enter y to authenticate rclone using the web browser.
A browser window opens to authorize rclone access.
Click Allow.
In the command line, enter y to confirm rclone uploads media items with full resolution and complete the configuration.
Only albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client are accessible.
Copy and save the type, client_id, client_secret, and token, then enter y to save the new remote.
Select Google Photos as the Provider and enter a name.
Paste the Google Photos API client ID and client secret in the OAuth Client ID and OAuth Client Secret fields.
Paste your rclone token into the Token field.
Note: Due to API restrictions, these credentials only provide access to albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client
Full-library or shared-album access is not possible.
Click Verify Credential to ensure the credentials are valid, then click Save.
Creating the Cloud Sync Task
Go to Data Protection > Cloud Sync Tasks and click Add. The Cloud Sync Task Wizard opens.
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.
Note: Pull tasks only access albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client.
Full-library pulls or shared albums are not accessible.
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 created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client in Google Photos.
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 messages.
Common error messages for failed Google Photos tasks include:
Failed to copy: can't upload files here
Problem: A push task attempts to upload files to the root level / folder or the /upload folder.
Solution: Reconfigure the push task to target the /album folder and organize your files into child directories (albums).
Directories under the local dataset correspond to albums the TrueNAS cloud sync client creates in Google Photos.
Only albums the sync client creates are accessible to cloud sync tasks.
Pulling from the root directory is not allowed. Please, select a specific directory
Problem: A pull or push task targets the root level / folder.
Solution: Change the target folder to /album.
Pull tasks transfer only media that exist in albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client.
Full-library pulls and shared albums are not accessible via the API.
Do not rely on /media/all for a full export.
Failed to copy: directory not found
Problem: A pull task targets the /upload folder.
Solution: The /upload folder functions as a temporary upload queue.
rclone cannot pull from /upload.
Change the target folder to /album and organize files accordingly.
Remember that only albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client are accessible for pull tasks.
If a pull task runs but some or all files never appear in the local dataset, those files are not in albums created by the TrueNAS cloud sync client and the API does not expose them to the sync client.
To get originals from Google Photos you can:
Export your account via Google Takeout (download the archive and import the files into TrueNAS).
Download desired photos directly from Google Photos and copy them into your TrueNAS dataset.
If you want the sync client to manage media going forward, create and sync albums via TrueNAS.
Those albums then remain accessible to the TrueNAS cloud sync client.
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 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 a host name or host IP address for the remote non-TrueNAS system as a valid URL.
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 a user name for logging into the remote system 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 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.
Adding an Rsync Task
Enabled SSH on both the local host TrueNAS and the remote destination system.
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 an rsync module on the remote system.
On TrueNAS, install an rsync app (such as Rsyncd) and configure the module.
Setting Up an Rsync Task Using Module Mode
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 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.
Creating VMWare Snapshots
Use this procedure to create ZFS snapshots when using TrueNAS as a VMWare datastore.
You must have a paid edition of VMWare ESXi to use the TrueNAS VMWare Snapshots feature.
ESXi free has a locked (read-only) API that prevents using TrueNAS 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 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 TrueNAS Enterprise Support to learn more and schedule a time to deploy or upgrade the plugin.
Contacting TrueNAS Enterprise Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS Support contract.
Before using TrueNAS 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 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 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 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, 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. 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.
After starting a S.M.A.R.T. test a loading bar shows next to the chosen disks.
Refer to this loading bar for the status of your running tests, as it updates in accordance with test completion rates.
If your disks that cannot support S.M.A.R.T. tests, the dialog window lists the incompatible disks beneath the loading bar.
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 replication allows users to create one-time or regularly scheduled snapshots of data stored in pools, datasets or zvols on their TrueNAS 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 system using different pools or datasets.
Remote replication can occur between your TrueNAS 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 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 TrueNAS to operate properly. For more information, see TrueNAS 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.
TrueNAS 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 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 advanced replication allows users to create one-time or regularly scheduled snapshots of data stored in pools, datasets or zvols on their TrueNAS 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 system using different pools or datasets.
Remote replication can occur between your TrueNAS 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.
TrueNAS always preserves the latest snapshot so replication can resume later.
If you delete a dataset or zvol on the source, you must manually delete the replicated dataset or zvol and the most recent snapshot on the destination.
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 replication allows users to create replicated snapshots of data stored in encrypted pools, datasets or zvols 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 TrueNAS 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 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.
TrueNAS 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 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
TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact TrueNAS Enterprise Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS web UI.
Setting Up IPMI: Guides you through setting up Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) on TrueNAS.
Accessing NAS from VMs and Containers: Provides instructions on how to create a bridge interface for virtual machines or applications and provides Linux and Windows examples.
Interface Configurations
TrueNAS 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.
The Network screen provides access interface and other network settings.
This article covers adding new or changing existing network interfaces, and configuring static routes, and alias IPv4 addresses.
For information on configuring IPv6 addresses, see Configuring IPv6.
Why should I use different interface types?
A LAGG (Link Aggregation) optimizes multi-user performance, balances network traffic, and provides network failover protection.
In a failover it prevents a network outage by dynamically reassigning traffic to another interface when a physical link, like a cable or NIC, fails.
Anetwork bridge enables communication between two networks and provides a way for them to work as a single network.
Bridges can serve IP addresses to multiple VMs on one interface, which allows your VMs to be on the same network as the host.
You must know the DNS name server and default gateway addresses for your IP address.
Static IP or DHCP-Assigned?
By default, TrueNAS configures the primary network interface for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) IP address management during installation.
However, some administrators might choose to assign a static IP address to the primary network interface.
This choice can 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.
Disruptive Change!
You can lose your TrueNAS connection if you change the network interface that the web interface uses!
Command line knowledge and physical access to the TrueNAS system are often required to fix misconfigured network settings.
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.
Before making network interface changes:
Stop running apps.
Power off running virtual machines (VMs) and containers.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs and containers.
Sharing services such as SMB that use the IP address(s) assigned to the primary interface might cause issues with testing network changes.
To resolve issues, stop sharing services such as SMB, change the interface, and test the connection. Restart the service when complete.
Adding an Interface
DHCP provides the IP address for only one network interface.
TrueNAS uses DHCP to assign an IP address to the primary network interface during installation to provide access to the web UI.
You can change this to a static, or fixed IP address using the Console Setup menu before accessing the web UI or after logging into the UI from the Network screen.
We recommend using the UI to make network changes because of the safeguards in place to prevent you from losing access to the system due to incorrectly configured interfaces.
To add another network interface, go to Network and click Add on the Interfaces widget to open the Add Interface screen.
Leave the DHCP checkbox clear.
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Add to the right of Aliases, and enter the static IP address for the interface.
You must specify the type of interface to create.
Select the interface type from the Type dropdown options: Bridge, Link Aggregation (LAGG), or VLAN (virtual LAN).
The interface type cannot be changed after clicking Save.
To change the interface type, delete the interface and then add a new interface with the correct type selected.
Each interface type displays new fields on the Add Interface screen.
Testing Network Interface Changes
If you have only one active network interface the system protects your connection to the interface by displaying the Test Changes dialog.
After adding a new or changing an existing interface that can impact access to the UI, TrueNAS displays the Test Changes and Revert Changes button.
Test Changes is intended to prevent changes that can break access to the UI. You have 60 seconds to test and save a change.
Revert Changes discards any changes made to the interface within the same 60 second period.
Click Test Changes. You have 60 seconds to test the network change.
Open a new browser window while keeping current the browser session open.
Enter the IP address in the browser URL field of the new window and press Enter.
The TrueNAS login screen displays.
Enter the administrator login credentials to access the system.
Go to Network and click Save Changes.
If you cannot access the UI, return to the original browser session and click Revert Changes on the Network screen.
Click Test Changes to verify the change does not interfere with UI access, or Revert Changes to discard the changes.
Editing an Interface
To change an existing interface, select the existing interface listed on the Interfaces widget and click Edit to open the Edit Interface screen.
The Edit Interface and Add Interface settings are identical but the Type and Name fields are not editable after saving an interface.
Name shows on the Edit Interface screen, but you cannot change the name.
Type only shows on the Add Interface screen.
If you make a mistake with either 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.
To change from a DHCP-provided IP address to a static IP, you must also add the new default gateway and DNS name servers that work with the new IP address.
Deleting the primary network interface can result in lost access to the TrueNAS UI and losing the connection to TrueNAS!
If saved changes cause lost access to the UI, you might need command line knowledge and/or physical access to the TrueNAS system to fix misconfigured network settings.
Do not delete the primary network interface!
Click the delete icon for the interface.
A delete interface confirmation dialog opens.
Adding Static or Alias IP Addresses
TrueNAS allows assigning static IP addresses to an interface when not using a DHCP-assigned address, and adding static IP addresses as 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.
An alias is an additional IP address assigned to a network interface configured with another primary IP address.
Use the Aliases option on the Add Interface and Edit Interface screens to enter a non-DHCP-assigned IP address to an interface whether it is the primary fixed IP address or additional alias addresses for other purposes.
From the Console Setup menu, select option 1 to configure network settings or add alias IP addresses.
Multiple interfaces connected to a single TrueNAS system cannot be members of the same subnet but you can combine multiple interfaces with a link aggregation (LAGG) or network bridge.
Alternatively, you can assign multiple static IP addresses to a single interface by configuring aliases.
Multiple NICs on One Subnet
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, use a link aggregation (LAGG) configured with Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).
A single LAGG interface with multiple NICs shows 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.
LACP provides additional bandwidth or redundancy for critical networking situations, but it is limited because it does not load balance packets.
On the other hand, if you need multiple IP addresses on a single subnet, configure one or more static IP aliases for a single NIC.
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 IP addresses as aliases that provide access to internal portions of the network on an existing interface:
Go to Network, select the interface and click Edit to open the Edit Interface.
Multiple interfaces cannot be members of the same subnet!
Multiple interfaces connected to a single TrueNAS system cannot be members of the same subnet but you can combine multiple interfaces with a link aggregation (LAGG) or network bridge.
Alternatively, you can assign multiple static IP addresses to a single interface by configuring aliases.
Multiple NICs on One Subnet
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, use a link aggregation (LAGG) configured with Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).
A single LAGG interface with multiple NICs shows 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.
LACP provides additional bandwidth or redundancy for critical networking situations, but it is limited because it does not load balance packets.
On the other hand, if you need multiple IP addresses on a single subnet, configure one or more static IP aliases for a single NIC.
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.
If an error displays or the Save button remains inactive when setting the IP addresses on multiple interfaces, check the subnet and ensure the CIDR numbers are different.
Click Save.
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.
Enter 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.
Enter 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.
Click Test Changes to verify the change does not interfere with UI access
Returning to a DHCP-Assigned IP Address
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 back 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.
Delete the static IP address in the IP Address fields.
Click Save.
Click Settings on the Global Configuration widget to open the Global Configuration screen, enter the name server and default gateway addresses for the new DHCP-provided IP address, then click Save.
Home users can enter 8.8.8.8 in the Nameserver 1 field.
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.
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, container, or app configured on TrueNAS to communicate with the host system.
See Accessing NAS from Containers for more information.
Before making network interface changes:
Stop running apps.
Power off running virtual machines (VMs) and containers.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs and containers.
Sharing services such as SMB that use the IP address(s) assigned to the primary interface might cause issues with testing network changes.
To resolve issues, stop sharing services such as SMB, change the interface, and test the connection. Restart the service when complete.
To set up a bridge interface:
Go to Network > Interfaces and find the active interface you want to use as the bridge parent interface.
Note the interface IP Address and subnet mask.
Click the interface to open the Edit Interface screen.
Clear the DHCP checkbox, if enabled.
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.
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.
Before making network interface changes:
Stop running apps.
Power off running virtual machines (VMs) and containers.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs and containers.
Sharing services such as SMB that use the IP address(s) assigned to the primary interface might cause issues with testing network changes.
To resolve issues, stop sharing services such as SMB, change the interface, and test the connection. Restart the service when complete.
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.
Assign 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.
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 the desired Outbound Network option.
Select Allow All to permit external communication for all TrueNAS services.
Select Deny All to prevent external communication.
Select Allow Specific to show the Services dropdown, and then choose a limited set of services to allow external communication. Unchecked services cannot communicate externally.
Select Allow All Except and choose options on the Services dropdown list to deny those services external communication. Selected services cannot communicate externally.
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-TrueNAS 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 only for the services you select.
Allow Specific displays a Services dropdown list of selectable services.
Select Allow All Except to deny external communication for the services you select while allowing all other services.
Allow All Except displays a Services 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 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 TrueNAS system.
Use the TrueNAS UI to configure your network settings.
If setting TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS, 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
TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS.
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 TrueNAS, 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 TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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\v6smbshare.
Configuring an SSH Connection
Both replication to a remote server and rscyn tasks require configuring an SSH connection credential.
When both systems are using IPv6 addresses and the protocol to communicate, you must enclose the IPv6 address in square brackets when defining the remote system URL in the TrueNAS URL field on the New SSH Connection configuration screen.
Managing Network Settings (Enterprise HA)
TrueNAS Enterprise
The instructions in the article only apply to TrueNAS 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, TrueNAS applies settings to controller 2 at that time.
TrueNAS 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.
TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS.
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 TrueNAS syncs controller 2 with controller 1, which adds the network settings and pool to controller 2.
TrueNAS does not pre-define static routes by default, but TrueNAS administrators can manually add static routes if they want or need to enter routes to a router to send packets to a destination network.
Static routes are not aliases, they are fixed IP addresses assigned as alternative routes for network traffic sent to a specific destination (server, device) in the network.
You can use the Console Setup menu during installation or any time after the initial system configuration to add a static route through an SSH session or by connecting a monitor and keyboard to the system, but we recommend using the web UI to make changes to the network configuration.
We recommend using the TrueNAS web UI to make network changes because it includes safeguards that prevent breaking access to the UI or connections to TrueNAS that can result from incorrectly configured network settings.
If you need a static route to reach portions of the network:
Go to Network and click Add on the Static Routes widget.
Enter an IP address and CIDR for the destination in the format A.B.C.D/E where E is the CIDR mask in Destination.
Enter the default 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 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 VMs and Containers
If you want to access your TrueNAS directories from within a virtual machine or container hosted on the system, you have multiple options:
Allow TrueNAS to create an automatic bridge (default)
If you have only one physical interface, you can manually create a bridge interface.
If you have more than one physical interface, you can assign a NIC other than the primary one your TrueNAS server uses.
This method makes communication more flexible but does not offer the potential speed benefits of a bridge.
Containers allow you to configure a MACVLAN NIC, which creates a virtual interface based on an existing physical one.
The assigned unique MAC address allows the instance to appear as a separate device on the network.
A MACVLAN NIC on the same physical interface as the TrueNAS host cannot directly communicate with the host.
MACVLAN sends traffic directly to the external network without passing through the host network stack.
The host does not recognize MACVLAN packets as local, so any traffic between them must be routed through an external switch, use a separate NIC, or use a network bridge.
Using Default Network Settings
Leave Use default network settings selected while creating a new instance to allow TrueNAS to automatically assign the default network bridge.
This is the simplest way to allow communication between containers and the TrueNAS host.
If your system only has a single physical interface, and you prefer to manually configure a network bridge, complete these steps.
Before making network interface changes:
Stop running apps.
Power off running virtual machines (VMs) and containers.
Remove active NIC devices for VMs and containers.
Sharing services such as SMB that use the IP address(s) assigned to the primary interface might cause issues with testing network changes.
To resolve issues, stop sharing services such as SMB, change the interface, and test the connection. Restart the service when complete.
To set up a bridge interface:
Go to Network > Interfaces and find the active interface you want to use as the bridge parent interface.
Note the interface IP Address and subnet mask.
Click the interface to open the Edit Interface screen.
Clear the DHCP checkbox, if enabled.
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.
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.
To assign the bridge to a VM or container, go to Instances, select the instance you want to use to access TrueNAS storage, and locate the NIC widget.
Click Add and select the new bridge interface from the dropdown list.
You can now access your TrueNAS storage from the container.
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 container traffic to a secondary NIC.
Configure the secondary interface as described in Managing Interfaces before attaching it to an instance.
If you are creating a new instance, use the Network settings to disable Use default network Settings and select the secondary NIC from Macvlan NICs.
TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS.
Configuring FreeIPA: Provides information and configuration instructions for adding FreeIPA directory service in TrueNAS.
Configuring Kerberos: Provides instructions on configuring and managing Kerberos realms and keytabs in TrueNAS.
Configuring IDMap: Provides instructions on configuring and managing ID mapping in TrueNAS.
Backup Credentials: Backup credential tutorials for integrating TrueNAS 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.
Managing Certificates: Provides information on adding or managing certificates in TrueNAS.
Creating ACME Certificates: Provides information on generating ACME certificates in TrueNAS using Let's Encrypt.
Configuring KMIP: Provides information on Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) in TrueNAS. Describes how to configure KMIP on TrueNAS Enterprise.
Using Administrator Logins
Root account logins are deprecated in TrueNAS 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 plans to permanently disable root account access in a future release.
The default TrueNAS administrator account name changes from admin to truenas_admin in TrueNAS 24.10 (Electric Eel) fresh installations.
Earlier releases of TrueNAS 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 are FIPS compliant and allow more control over access to TrueNAS functions.
TrueNAS has three predefined admin user account levels:
Full Admin - Assigned to the local administrator account created by the system when clean installing TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS or migrating from FreeBSD- to Linux-based TrueNAS releases.
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.
For more information on the different administrator scenarios users can encounter, read Logging In for the First Time.
Changing Administrator Account Passwords
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 allow 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 you no longer need them.
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 you allow sudo commands with password protection, TrueNAS prompts you for a password the first time you enter a sudo command, 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 TrueNAS disables the root password 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.
TrueNAS does not save the temporary password as a new password or enable the admin or root passwords. It only provides one-time access to the UI.
Disabling a password for UI login also disables it 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, 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 it is enabled, you can SSH into the system as the root user.
Disable the root user password and only use a local administrator account for more security.
Administrator Logins and TrueCommand
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 TrueNAS 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 plans to permanently disable root account access in a future release.
The default TrueNAS administrator account name changes from admin to truenas_admin in TrueNAS 24.10 (Electric Eel) fresh installations.
Earlier releases of TrueNAS 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 disable 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 TrueNAS 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 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 sets authorization to Allow all sudo commands.
For improved security, deny sudo permissions unless required for specific, recurring administrative tasks or allow sudo permissions only when needed to perform a discrete task and then deny again when finished.
Do not allow sudo permissions for read-only administrators.
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
TrueNAS 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 24.04 (or newer) does not include the customized version of pam_mkhomedir used in TrueNAS 13.0 that 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 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 TrueNAS 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 a 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.
To view API keys that are linked to different user accounts, you can visit Credentials > Users and click the API Keys button on the right side of the screen.
The API Keys selection takes users to the Users API Keys page, which provides a table of all API keys linked to user accounts on your TrueNAS. Information in this table includes the Name, Username, Local status, Revoked status, Created Date, and Expires status.
Value
Description
Name
The name given to the API key when it was created.
Username
The username of the TrueNAS user associated with the API key.
Local
Indication of whether the API key is for a local TrueNAS user account.
Revoked
Indication of whether the API key has been revoked and is no longer valid.
Created Date
The date and time when the API key was created.
Expires
The expiration date of the API key.
You can edit or delete your API keys in the User API Keys screen. Click editEdit to open the Edit API Key screen. Click deleteDelete to delete an API key.
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 (=). The dollar sign ($) can be 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.
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 determining the user session token or internal permissions checks.
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 TrueNAS Directory Services tutorials contain options to edit directory domain and account settings, set up ID mapping, and configure authentication and authorization services in TrueNAS.
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 TrueNAS.
Configuring FreeIPA: Provides information and configuration instructions for adding FreeIPA directory service in TrueNAS.
Configuring Kerberos: Provides instructions on configuring and managing Kerberos realms and keytabs in TrueNAS.
Configuring IDMap: Provides instructions on configuring and managing ID mapping in TrueNAS.
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.
TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS but not both.
Configuring LDAP
To configure TrueNAS 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.
When using the idmap_ad backend, TrueNAS relies on the LDAP server to provide uidNumber and gidNumber attributes for users and groups.
If users are missing a uidNumber, they might appear in queries (wbinfo -u) but fail when a UID is required.
Ensure the LDAP directory assigns uidNumber values to all users.
If users do not map correctly, check the LDAP server settings and verify attribute assignments.
The Legacy Samba Schema, needed to populate the LDAP directory with Samba attributes, was deprecated in TrueNAS 22.10 and removed in 24.10.
SMB shares can no longer be set up using LDAP authentication.
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 TrueNAS
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 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 TrueNAS, 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 TrueNAS
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, TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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 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:
*TrueCloud backup tasks streamline functionality for Storj TrueNAS 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 you open another browser tab 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 TrueNAS 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 verify the entered credentials work.
Click Save.
Adding Storj Cloud Credentials
Storj TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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 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.
Adding Microsoft OneDrive Credentials
Microsoft OneDrive uses OAuth authentication to connect TrueNAS to your cloud account.
Open the Cloud Credentials screen, select Microsoft OneDrive in Provider, enter a name and then:
Click Log In To provider to open the Microsoft sign-in page in a new window. You can confirm the intended authorization in the new window.
Confirm the authorization to enter your Microsoft login information. After logging in to your account, Microsoft prompts you to give TrueNAS access to your Microsoft information.
Give TrueNAS access to your Microsoft account and close the pop-up window. Your Cloud Credentials wizard should now say Logged In To Provider and have populated OAuth Client ID, OAuth Client Secret, Access Token, and Drive Account Type fields.
(Optional) Select an entry from the Drives List drop-down menu. This will also populate the Drive ID field.
Choose a drive from your OneDrive account and enter the ID in this field. If you selected an entry for Drives List, this field should already be populated with a valid ID.
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 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 a host name or host IP address for the remote non-TrueNAS system as a valid URL.
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 a user name for logging into the remote system 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 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 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 TrueNAS.
Creating ACME Certificates: Provides information on generating ACME certificates in TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS 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.
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.
Users can check Add To Trusted Store to add the CA to the TrueNAS trusted certificate store. Services on TrueNAS automatically recognize and trust CAs when you enable this option. This feature simplifies certificate management for environments with multiple services relying on the same CA, reducing repeated manual configuration. Users with strict certificate management requirements or a preference for manually controlling trusted CAs may benefit from leaving this option disabled.
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 of 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 limits the path length for a certificate chain.
Authority Key Identifier 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 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.
Supported authenticator options are Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Amazon Route 53, OVHcloud, 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 digitalocean as the authenticator, you must enter your DigitalOcean 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 allows users to automatically generate custom domain certificates using Let’s Encrypt.
Requirements
An email address for your TrueNAS admin user.
A custom domain that uses Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Amazon Route 53, or OVHcloud.
A DNS server that does not cache for your TrueNAS 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 DigitalOcean, enter your Digitalocean Token.
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.
In the Identifier field, enter the name you wish to use for the ACME certificate.
Check the Terms of Service box accept the terms of service for the given ACME server.
Use the Renew Certificate Days field to input the number of days to renew a certifiate before expiring. TrueNAS defaults this number to 10, but users should raise this number to 30 if they wish to align with Lets Encrypt recommendations.
If you want to utilize a Custom ACME Server Directory URI, check the box next to this option.
Use the ACME Server Directory URI drop-down menu to select a default URI if you did not enter a custom URI above.
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 Enterprise licensed systems.
Contact the TrueNAS 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 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.
Containers
Virtual Machines and Containers in TrueNAS 25.04
TrueNAS 25.04 introduces support for Containers (named Instances in pre-25.04.2 releases), enabling lightweight isolation similar to jails in TrueNAS CORE.
In TrueNAS 25.04.2 (and later) virtual machines are created and appear on the Virtual Machines screen.
Legacy VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 using the Instances feature and some VMs migrated to those versions from TrueNAS 24.10 continue to function and appear on the Containers screen.
Legacy VMs on the Containers screen do not autostart in 25.10 or later.
Virtual machines in 25.04.2 (or later) are created and appear on the Virtual Machines screen.
VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 using the Instances feature continue to function and appear on the Containers screen.
VMs created in 24.10 or earlier are located depending on migration path:
Previously migrated to 25.04.0 or 25.04.1
VMs with Zvols that were imported using the Move option appear on the Containers screen.
VMs with Zvols that were imported using the Clone option appear on the Virtual Machines screen.
Direct upgrade to 25.04.2
VMs on 24.10 systems that upgrade directly to 25.04.2 (skipping 25.04.0/25.04.1) automatically migrate to the Virtual Machines screen without manual action.
Users with existing VMs on the Containers screen should consider migrating associated zvols to the Virtual Machines screen at this time to ensure compatibility with future TrueNAS releases.
For more information, see Migrating Containers VMs.
Containers (Linux system containers) are an experimental feature intended for community testing only.
Functionality could change significantly between releases, and containers might not upgrade reliably.
Use this feature for testing purposes only—do not rely on it for production workloads.
Long-term stability is planned for future TrueNAS Community Edition releases.
Make all configuration changes using the TrueNAS UI.
Operations using the command line are not supported and might not persist on upgrade.
For assistance or to discuss this feature with other TrueNAS users, visit our community forums. To report bugs, submit an issue on TrueNAS Jira.
Containers (Linux system containers) are an experimental feature intended for community testing only.
Functionality could change significantly between releases, and containers might not upgrade reliably.
Use this feature for testing purposes only—do not rely on it for production workloads.
Long-term stability is planned for future TrueNAS Community Edition releases.
Make all configuration changes using the TrueNAS UI.
Operations using the command line are not supported and might not persist on upgrade.
For assistance or to discuss this feature with other TrueNAS users, visit our community forums. To report bugs, submit an issue on TrueNAS Jira.
Containers allow users to configure linux containers in TrueNAS.
Linux containers, powered by LXC, offer a lightweight, isolated environment that shares the host system kernel while maintaining its own file system, processes, and network settings.
Containers start quickly, use fewer system resources than virtual machines (VMs), and scale efficiently, making them ideal for deploying and managing scalable applications with minimal overhead.
What system resources do containers require?
Containers are lightweight and share the host kernel, requiring fewer resources than virtual machines.
However, proper resource allocation ensures optimal performance and system stability.
You can leave CPU and memory settings blank to allow containers access to all available host resources, or configure specific limits based on your needs.
Key considerations for container deployment:
Storage Pool: Containers require a storage pool for volume creation and image storage.
SSD drives provide optimal performance.
CPU: No virtualization extensions required.
Multiple containers run efficiently on fewer resources than equivalent VMs.
Memory: More efficient than VMs with no guest OS overhead.
Memory allocated to containers reduces available memory for TrueNAS ZFS caching.
Setting Up the Containers Service
You must choose a pool before you can deploy a container.
The Containers screen header displays a Pool is not selected status before a pool for containers is selected.
See Choosing the Containers Pool below for more information about pool selection.
Click Global Settings on the Configuration menu to open the Global Settings screen, showing global options that apply to all containers.
Use these options to configure the storage pool for containers and network settings.
You must set a pool before you can add any containers.
Select Enabled to enable container storage.
Use the Pool dropdown to select one or more pools and click Save.
We recommend users keep the container use case in mind when choosing a containers pool.
Select a pool with enough storage space for all the containers you intend to host.
For stability and performance, we recommend using SSD/NVMe storage for the containers pool due to their faster speed and resilience for repeated read/writes.
Select additional pools to allow containers to access shared resources.
To select a different pool for containers to use, use the Pool dropdown to select a different pool.
Deselect Enabled to deactivate the pool and disable the containers service.
Configuring the Default Network
Use the Default Network settings on the Global Settings screen to define how containers connect to the network.
These settings apply to all new containers, unless configured otherwise.
Select Automatic from the Bridge dropdown list to use the default network bridge for communication between containers and the TrueNAS host.
To specify an existing bridge, select one from the dropdown list.
See Accessing NAS from VMs and Containers for details. When Bridge is set to Automatic, the IPv4 Network and IPv6 Network settings display.
Enter an IPv4 address and subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24) in IPv4 Network to assign a specific network for containers.
Leave this field empty to allow TrueNAS to assign the default address.
Enter an IPv6 address and subnet (e.g., fd42:96dd:aef2:483c::1/64) in IPv6 Network or leave this field empty to allow TrueNAS to assign the default address.
Adjust these settings as needed to match your network environment and ensure proper connectivity for containers.
Managing Volumes
Click Manage Volumes on the Configuration menu to open the Volumes screen, which lists all the volumes currently configured for the containers service.
Click Create Volume to open the Create New Volume dialog to configure a new volume.
Click Import Zvols to open the Import Zvol dialog to import an existing Zvol as a volume.
Click Import Zvols on the Volumes screen to open the Import Zvol dialog.
Importing a zvol as a volume allows its lifecycle to be managed, including backups, restores, and snapshots.
This allows portability between systems using standard tools.
Enter the path or browse to select an existing Zvol in Select Zvols.
Select Clone to clone and promote a temporary snapshot of the zvol into a custom storage volume.
This option retains the original zvol while creating an identical copy as a container volume.
Select Move to relocate the existing zvol to the ix-virt dataset as a volume.
Deleting Volumes
Click Configuration > Manage Volumes to access the Volumes screen.
Click delete on a volume row to delete that volume.
The Delete volume dialog displays.
Select Confirm and then click Continue to delete the volume.
TrueNAS disables the delete icon for active images to prevent accidental deletion.
Managing Container Permissions
Containers run as isolated environments from the host system. To give container processes access to host files and datasets, you must map user and group IDs (UIDs and GIDs) between the host and the container.
Click Map User/Group IDs from the Configuration dropdown to open the Map User and Group IDs screen. This screen allows you to configure how user and group IDs (UIDs and GIDs) appear inside containers.
By default, user and group accounts within a container are assigned UIDs and GIDs from a private range starting at 2147000001. This mapping ensures security isolation for containers.
You can override these mappings to meet specific access requirements.
Select Users or Groups to view mappings for individual user or group accounts.
Existing mappings appear in a table that lists the user or group name, host ID, and container ID. Click delete Delete on a row to remove a mapping.
To add a new mapping:
Type an account name to search or select it from the dropdown.
Enable Map to the same UID/GID in the container to use the same ID from the host in containers. This makes the selected user or group ID appear the same inside and outside the container.
Disable Map to the same UID/GID in the container to assign a different container ID. Enter the container UID or GID you want to use—for example, 1000.
Only local users and groups are supported for ID mapping in containers. Domain accounts from Active Directory or other directory services are not supported.
Click Set to create the mapping. Changes apply immediately, though restarting the container can be required for them to take effect.
Mapped IDs control access to mounted host datasets. For example, if you map a host user with UID 3000 to UID 1000 inside the container:
Assign permissions on the host dataset to UID 3000.
Inside the container, perform actions as UID 1000.
This setup grants user 1000 in the container the same access to the dataset as user 3000 has on the host. Assigning dataset permissions to a host user is not enough to grant container permissions to all users—you must also map that user and ensure the correct user and UID is used inside the container.
Incorrect or missing mappings can cause permission errors when containers access host paths.
Granting Root Access to Host Paths
To safely allow container root processes to access host datasets, TrueNAS provides a built-in unprivileged root user for containers truenas_container_unpriv_root.
This user has UID 2147000001 and is used automatically to represent the container root on the host.
No manual ID mapping is required.
To grant container root access to host data:
Assign permissions on the host dataset to the truenas_container_unpriv_root user.
Access the dataset from inside the container as root.
When the container root accesses the path, it uses the host permissions of truenas_container_unpriv_root.
This approach provides secure, controlled access for container root processes without exposing host root privileges.
Creating Containers
Click Create New Container to open the Create Container configuration wizard.
Enter values for CPU Configuration and Memory Size or leave blank to allow the container access to all host CPU and memory resources.
To configure resource allocation:
a. Enter the number of virtual CPU (vCPU) cores to allocate in CPU Configuration.
Set to an integer to expose that number of full vCPU cores to the instance.
Set to a range or comma-separated list to pin vCPUs to specific physical cores.
For better cache locality and performance, select cores that share the same cache hierarchy or NUMA node.
For example, to assign cores 0,1,2,5,9,10,11, enter 1-2,5,9-11.
b. Allocate RAM in Memory Size.
This field accepts human-readable input (Ex. 50 GiB, 500M, 2 TB).
If units are not specified, the value defaults to mebibytes (MiB). The minimum value is 32 MiB.
(Optional) Configure environment variables to run on boot or execute.
a. Click Add in the Disks section to display a set of fields to mount a disk.
b. To create a new dataset, enter a path or browse to select a parent dataset from the dropdown list of datasets on the system.
Then click Create Dataset, enter a name for the new dataset in the Create Dataset window, and click Create.
To use an existing volume, enter a path or browse to select an existing dataset from the Source dropdown list.
c. Enter the file system Destination path to mount the disk in the container, for example /media or /var/lib/data.
d. Click Add again to mount additional storage volumes.
(Optional) Configure proxy settings to forward network connections between the host and the container.
This routes traffic from a specific address on the host to an address inside the container, or vice versa, allowing the container to connect externally through the host.
a. Click Add in the Proxies section to display a set of proxy configuration settings.
b. Select the protocol option from the Host Protocol dropdown list to set the connection protocol for the TrueNAS host as TCP or UDP.
c. Enter a port in Host Port to define the TrueNAS port to map to the container port on the container, for example 3600.
d. Select the connection protocol for the container in Instance Protocol.
Options are TCP or UDP.
e. Enter the port number within the container in Instance Port, for example 80, to map to the host port.
Configure the Network section settings to define how the container connects to the host and external networks.
Options include the default network bridge, an existing bridge interface, or a MACVLAN.
Use default network settings: Enable to connect the instance to the host using the automatic bridge defined in Global Settings. Disable to show the Bridged NICs (if available) and Macvlan NICs settings.
To configure non-default network settings, select one or more interface options:
Bridged NICs: Use to connect an existing bridge interface to the instance.
Macvlan NICs: Use to create a virtual network interface based on an existing interface.
A MACVLAN assigns a unique MAC address to the virtual interface so the instance appears as a separate device on the network.
A MACVLAN NIC on the same physical interface as the TrueNAS host cannot directly communicate with the host.
MACVLAN sends traffic directly to the external network without passing through the host network stack.
The host does not recognize MACVLAN packets as local, so any traffic between them must be routed through an external switch, use a separate NIC, or use a network bridge.
(Optional) Configure USB devices to attach available devices to the container by selecting one or more in USB Devices.
This allows the device to function as if physically connected.
(Optional) Configure GPU devices in the GPU Devices section to attach available GPU devices, enabling the container to utilize hardware acceleration for graphics or computation tasks.
TrueNAS does not have a list of approved GPUs at this time but TrueNAS does support various GPUs from NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD.
As of 24.10, TrueNAS does not automatically install NVIDIA drivers. Instead, users must manually install drivers from the UI. For detailed instructions, see Installing NVIDIA Drivers.
Click Create to deploy the container.
Creating Virtual Machines
TrueNAS 25.04.2 introduces the Virtual Machines screen for creating and managing VMs.
You cannot create new virtual machines using the Containers screen in 25.04.2 or later.
New VM creation is only available through the Virtual Machines screen.
Virtual machines created using the previous Instances feature in earlier 25.04 versions remain fully functional and continue to appear in the Containers screen for management purposes.
You can manage these existing VMs using the same tools and procedures described in the Managing Containers section.
Virtual machines automatically migrated from TrueNAS 24.10 to 25.04.2 appear in the new Virtual Machines screen and use the updated VM management interface.
Managing Containers
Created containers appear in a table on the Containers screen.
The table lists each configured container, displaying its name, type, current status, and options to restart or stop it.
Stopped containers show the option to start the container.
Select the checkbox to the left of Name (select all) or select one or more container rows to access the Bulk Actions dropdown.
Enter the name of a container in the Search field above the Containers table to locate a configured container.
Click restart_alt to restart or stop_circle to stop a running container.
Choosing to stop a container shows a choice to stop immediately or after a small delay.
Click play_circle to start a stopped container.
Select a container row in the table to populate the Details for Container widgets with information and management options for the selected container.
Using Bulk Actions
Apply actions to one or more selected containers on your system using Bulk Actions.
Click Edit to open the Edit Container: Container screen.
The Edit Container: Container screen settings are a subset of those found on the Create Container screen.
It includes the general Container Configuration and CPU and Memory settings for all containers.
Additionally, containers include Environment settings, and VMs include VNC and Security settings.
Select Autostart to automatically start the container when the system boots.
Editing CPU & Memory Settings
For containers, CPU Configuration and Memory Size can be configured or left blank to allow the container access to all host CPU and memory resources.
For VMs, CPU and memory configurations are required.
a. Enter the number of virtual CPU (vCPU) cores to allocate in CPU Configuration.
Set to an integer to expose that number of full vCPU cores to the instance.
Set to a range or comma-separated list to pin vCPUs to specific physical cores.
For better cache locality and performance, select cores that share the same cache hierarchy or NUMA node.
For example, to assign cores 0,1,2,5,9,10,11, enter 1-2,5,9-11.
b. Allocate RAM in Memory Size.
This field accepts human-readable input (Ex. 50 GiB, 500M, 2 TB).
If units are not specified, the value defaults to mebibytes (MiB). The minimum value is 32 MiB.
Editing VNC Settings
When VNC access is enabled, remote clients can connect to VM display sessions using a VNC client.
These settings are only available for VMs and cannot be used with containers.
Secure Boot enables UEFI Secure Boot.
Secure boot ensures that only trusted, signed software is loaded during the system boot process.
This might be incompatible with some images, refer to the guest OS documentation for compatibility information.
Deleting Containers
After selecting the container row in the table to populate the Details for Container widgets, locate the General Info widget.
Click Add to open a list of available USB Devices, GPUs, TPM, and PCI Passthrough devices to attach.
Select a device to attach to a container.
To attach a PCI passthrough device, click Add Device under PCI Passthrough on the device list to open the Add PCI Passthrough Device.
PCI passthrough assigns a physical PCI device, such as a network card or controller, directly to a VM, allowing it to function as if physically attached.
The Add PCI Passthrough Device screen lists the available physical PCI devices that can be attached to a container.
Use Search Devices or the Type dropdown to filter available devices.
The selected PCI device(s) must not be in use by the host or share an IOMMU group with any device the host requires.
Click Select to attach the selected device.
Managing Disks
Use the Disks widget to view the storage devices attached to the container, along with their associated paths.
Click Add to open the Add Disk screen for adding new disks to the container.
Click the more_vert icon to the right of an existing disk to open the actions menu.
Select to either Edit or Delete the disk mount.
For VMs, use the Disks widget to manage the root disk size and I/O Bus.
The root disk stores the OS and serves as the boot disk for the VM.
Click Change to open the Change Root Disk Setup dialog.
Adding or Editing Disks
Click Add to open the Add Disk screen for adding new disks to the container.
Click the more_vert icon to the right of an existing disk to open the actions menu.
Select Edit to edit the disk mount.
For VMs, click Select Volume to open the Volumes screen to create or select a volume to attach.
Enter a Boot Priority value to set the order in which to boot disks.
By default, the root disk is set to 1, which is the highest priority.
Select the I/O Bus for the disk.
Options are NVMe, Virtio-BLK, and Virtio-SCSI.
For containers, enter or browse to select the host Source path for the disk.
For a new dataset, enter or browse to select the parent path.
Enter the Destination path to mount the disk in the container.
Click Save to apply changes.
Deleting Disk Mounts
Click the more_vert icon to the right of an existing disk to open the actions menu.
Select Delete to delete the disk mount.
The Delete Item dialog asks for confirmation to delete the selected disk mount.
Click Confirm to activate the Continue button.
Click Continue to start the delete operation.
Managing Proxies
Use the Proxies widget to view the network proxy settings configured for the container.
It allows you to manage these settings, including adding, editing, or removing proxies.
Proxies are available for containers only and cannot be used with VMs.
Click Confirm to activate the Continue button.
Click Continue to start the delete operation.
Accessing Containers
After selecting the container row in the table to populate the Details for Container widgets, locate the Tools widget.
You can open a shell, console, or VNC session directly from this widget.
Click Shell to open an Instance Shell session for command-line interaction with the container.
For VMs, click Serial Console to open an Instance Console session to access the system console for the container.
For VMs, click VNC to open a VNC connection using your preferred client.
It uses a VNC URL scheme (for example, vnc://hostname.domain.com:5930) to launch the session directly in the application.
If your environment does not support VNC URLs, you can manually connect using a VNC client by entering the host name or IP address followed by the port number without vnc:// (for example, hostname.domain.com:5930 or IP:5930).
Virtual Machines
Virtual Machines and Containers in TrueNAS 25.04
TrueNAS 25.04 introduces support for Containers (named Instances in pre-25.04.2 releases), enabling lightweight isolation similar to jails in TrueNAS CORE.
In TrueNAS 25.04.2 (and later) virtual machines are created and appear on the Virtual Machines screen.
Legacy VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 using the Instances feature and some VMs migrated to those versions from TrueNAS 24.10 continue to function and appear on the Containers screen.
Legacy VMs on the Containers screen do not autostart in 25.10 or later.
Virtual machines in 25.04.2 (or later) are created and appear on the Virtual Machines screen.
VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 using the Instances feature continue to function and appear on the Containers screen.
VMs created in 24.10 or earlier are located depending on migration path:
Previously migrated to 25.04.0 or 25.04.1
VMs with Zvols that were imported using the Move option appear on the Containers screen.
VMs with Zvols that were imported using the Clone option appear on the Virtual Machines screen.
Direct upgrade to 25.04.2
VMs on 24.10 systems that upgrade directly to 25.04.2 (skipping 25.04.0/25.04.1) automatically migrate to the Virtual Machines screen without manual action.
Users with existing VMs on the Containers screen should consider migrating associated zvols to the Virtual Machines screen at this time to ensure compatibility with future TrueNAS releases.
For more information, see Migrating Containers VMs.
Containers (Linux system containers) are an experimental feature intended for community testing only.
Functionality could change significantly between releases, and containers might not upgrade reliably.
Use this feature for testing purposes only—do not rely on it for production workloads.
Long-term stability is planned for future TrueNAS Community Edition releases.
Make all configuration changes using the TrueNAS UI.
Operations using the command line are not supported and might not persist on upgrade.
For assistance or to discuss this feature with other TrueNAS users, visit our community forums. To report bugs, submit an issue on TrueNAS Jira.
TrueNAS includes built-in virtualization capabilities that let you run multiple operating systems on a single system, maximizing hardware utilization and consolidating workloads.
A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based computer that runs inside your TrueNAS system, appearing as a separate physical machine to the operating system installed within it. VMs use virtualized hardware components, including network interfaces, storage, graphics adapters, and other devices, providing complete isolation between different operating systems and applications.
VMs offer stronger isolation than containers but require more system resources, making them ideal for running full operating systems, legacy applications, or services that need dedicated environments.
Enterprise-licensed High Availability (HA) systems do not support virtual machines.
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.
Virtualization requires:
x86 machine running a recent Linux kernel
Intel processor with VT (Virtualization Technology) extensions, OR
AMD processor with SVM extensions (AMD-V)
Users cannot create VMs unless the host system supports these features.
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 Virtual Machines 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 UEFI from the Boot Method dropdown, unless using an older OS that requires Legacy BIOS.
Select Enable Secure Boot to enable cryptographic verification of boot loaders, operating system kernels, and drivers during VM startup.
This security feature prevents unauthorized or malicious code from running during the boot process by checking digital signatures against trusted certificates.
Secure Boot is required for Windows 11 and some Linux distributions, and can be optional or unsupported for older operating systems.
Select Enable Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to provide a virtual TPM 2.0 device for the VM.
TPM provides hardware-based security functions, including secure key storage, cryptographic operations, and platform attestation.
This is required for Windows 11 and enhances security for other operating systems that support TPM.
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.
The VirtIO network interface requires a guest OS that supports VirtIO 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.
TrueNAS does not have a list of approved GPUs at this time, but TrueNAS does support various GPUs from NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD.
As of 24.10, TrueNAS does not automatically install NVIDIA drivers. Instead, users must manually install drivers from the UI. For detailed instructions, see 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 attaching an OS .iso file, 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 Virtual Machines, then ADD to use the VM wizard.
Configure settings as needed.
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 GRUB does not start automatically?
If GRUB does not run when you start the VM, enter the following commands 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:
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.
Migrating Instances VMs
The storage volumes (zvols) for virtual machines created using the Instances option in TrueNAS 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 can migrate to new VMs created in using the Virtual Machines screen options in 25.10 and later.
The process involves:
Identifying the hidden storage volumes (zvols) associated with the Instance VMs.
Determining which zvol contains the actual VM data by checking the volume size.
Renaming (and moving) the zvols to a new dataset where they can be seen and used by a new VM.
(Highly Recommended) Configuring zvol properties to match those of natively-created VM zvols.
Creating a new VM and selecting the migrated zvol as the storage volume.
Before You Begin
Before beginning the process:
Identify the zvol names associated with the Instance VM.
Take a snapshot or back up the zvol for the Instance VM.
Using ZFS commands to rename and move an existing zvol can damage data stored in the volume. Having a backup is a critical step to restoring data if something goes wrong in the process.
Verify the VM is operational and has Internet access, then stop the VM before you upgrade to the 25.10 or a later release.
Identify the dataset where you want to move the volume in 25.10 or later.
We do not recommend renaming or moving the volume more than once, as it increases the risk of possible data corruption or loss.
You do not need to log in as the root user if the logged-in admin user has permission to use sudo commands.
If not, go to Credentials > Users, edit the user to allow sudo commands, or verify the root user has an active password to switch to this user when entering commands in the Shell screen.
Migrating a Zvol for an Instance VM
This procedure applies to the zvol for an Instance VM that has data you want to preserve, and access from a new VM in 25.10 or later.
While in a 25.04.01 or a later maintenance release:
Go to Instances, click on Configuration, and then Manage Volumes to open the Volumes window.
The Volumes window lists all Instance VMs and the associated storage volumes (zvols).
Record the volume name or take a screenshot of the information to refer to later when entering commands in the Shell screen.
Zvol names are similar to the VM name but not identical.
Optionally, you can highlight all the listed information and copy/paste it into a text file, but this is not necessary.
While on the Instances screen, verify the VM is operational and the network is operating as expected.
One way to verify external network access is to check Internet access. Stop the VM before upgrading.
Repeat for each zvol that you plan to migrate into a new VM in later releases.
Go to Datasets, locate the pool associated with Instances (Containers), and take a recursive snapshot to back up all Instances VM zvols.
These zvols are in the hidden .ix-virt directory created in the pool Instances uses, selected when you configure the feature.
To verify the pool, you can go to Containers > Configure > Global Settings and look at the Pool setting.
Go to System > Update, and update to the next publicly available maintenance or major version release.
Follow the release migration paths outlined in the version release notes or the Software Releases article.
After updating from a 25.04.x release, VMs created using Instances screens show on the Containers screen, and are stopped.
Some VMs experience issues various issues like network connectivity, or are stopped and do not start.
Refer to the troubleshooting tips below for more information. 25.10 releases correct some issues encountered in 25.04.2.4 VMs that are migrated.
Troubleshooting VM Issues
If upgrading from 24.10 to 25.04, VMs are visible and running, but are expected to have issues because the 25.04 release does not fully support these older VMs.
VMs with a Windows OS installed could require converting to VirtIO-SCSI disks to get reconnected to the Internet.
To restore connectivity, try clean-mounting the system from the mounted drive from within the VM, and then on the TrueNAS system (host).
Follow this by removing driver syntax added to raw QEM files.
If a new VM is created in 25.04.2.1 and it fails to run, stop all containers.
In the VM configuration, delete the current NIC, then select the bridge before selecting the NIC again to restore functionality.
VMs created using the Instances feature initially show on the Virtual Machine screen as running when they are not running, but this state corrects on its own.
If a VM with Windows OS is created in 25.04.0 using the Virtual Machine screens (not Instances in 25.04.1) the VM should run.
If this VM cannot find the NIC, delete the NIC in the configuration from the Devices screen for that VM, and then reconfigure it to restore functionality.
Go to Containers to see which VMs are listed, then click Configuration, and then Manage Volumes to open the Volumes window.
Take a screenshot of the volumes listed, or copy/paste the volumes and VM information into a text file to use later in this procedure.
Go to System > Shell. Exit to the Linux prompt for the system.
Note: This is where the logged in admin user needs sudo permissions, or where the root user must have a password configured to enter the following commands to find, rename/move, and verify each Instance zvol is properly configured.
Enter the following commands at the Linux system prompt:
Storage conventions differ based on VM history:
Migrated VMs (from pre-Incus TrueNAS) use custom/default_* zvols for actual VM data
VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 use .block zvols for actual VM data
Small .block files (56K) are stubs and should not be migrated
Storage conventions differ based on VM history:
Migrated VMs (from pre-Incus TrueNAS) use custom/default_* zvols for actual VM data
VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 use .block zvols for actual VM data
Small .block files (56K) are stubs and should not be migrated
a. Locate the hidden zvols for the Instance VMs by entering:
sudo zfs list -t volume -r -d 10 poolname
Where:
-d 10 shows datasets up to 10 levels deep
poolname is the name of the pool associated with the Instance VMs.
If you have multiple pools associated with the Instance VMs, repeat this command with the name of that pool to show hidden zvols in that pool.
The .ix-virt directory contains the zvols used in Instance VMs. Check the USED or REFER columns to identify the actual VM storage:
For migrated VMs: Use the custom/default_* zvol (typically several GB or more)
For VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1: Use the .block zvol that shows significant storage usage (not 56K stubs)
Ignore: Stub .block files showing only 56K, and zvols not in the .ix-virt directory
The output includes other zvols in the pool if your system has non-instance VMs configured in the pool name entered in the command.
Example Command Output
Example showing migrated VMs (custom/ zvols with actual data):
re-minir-102% sudo zfs list -t volume -r tank
NAME USED AVAIL REFER MOUNTPOINT
tank/.ix-virt/custom/default_vm2410linux-8cppg 40.6G 1.66T 40.6G - ← Migrate this (actual data)
tank/.ix-virt/custom/default_vm2410win-mvqznj 40.2G 1.66T 40.2G - ← Migrate this (actual data)
tank/.ix-virt/virtual-machines/vm2410linux.block 56K 1.66T 56K - ← Stub (ignore)
tank/.ix-virt/virtual-machines/vm2410win.block 56K 1.66T 56K - ← Stub (ignore)
tank/vms/previously-migrated 35.1G 1.70T 35.1G -
Example showing VMs created in 25.04.0/25.04.1 (.block zvols with actual data):
qe-realmini% sudo zfs list -t volume -r tank
NAME USED AVAIL REFER MOUNTPOINT
tank/.ix-virt/virtual-machines/TrueNAS.block 6.98G 2.55T 6.98G - ← Migrate this (actual data)
tank/.ix-virt/virtual-machines/fdsa.block 25.9M 2.55T 248M - ← Migrate this (actual data)
tank/.ix-virt/virtual-machines/debian.block 56K 2.55T 56K - ← Stub (ignore)
tank/.ix-virt/virtual-machines/mint.block 56K 2.55T 56K - ← Stub (ignore)
In the examples above:
Zvols with custom/default_* in the path showing significant storage (40+GB) are migrated VMs to migrate
Zvols with .block extension showing significant storage (6.98G, 25.9M) are native Incus VMs to migrate
Small .block files at 56K are stubs and should be ignored
After successfully migrating and confirming functionality of all VMs, the remaining stub .block files (56K) in .ix-virt/virtual-machines/ can optionally be deleted to clean up the hidden dataset.
b. Rename (and move) each volume in the .ix-virt directory to a new location where you can select it when configuring a new VM.
Repeat for each volume you want to migrate to a new VM. Do not rename or move stub .block files (56K).
default_debian1-urec9f or TrueNAS.block is the name of a hidden zvol in the examples, and the name given to the migrated zvol.
We do not recommend renaming the migrated zvol to minimize potential issues with the migration process.
For .block zvols, you can keep or remove the .block extension in the target name.
vms is the dataset in the examples as the location to store the migrated zvols for VMs. Change this to the location on your system.
This renames and moves it to the specified location, and returns to the system Linux prompt.
To verify the zvol moved, enter the sudo zfs list -t volume -r tank command again. The output should show the zvol in the new location.
c. (Highly Recommended) Set zvol properties to match those of natively-created VM zvols.
Enter the following command for each zvol you migrated:
For migrated VMs (custom/ zvols):
sudo zfs set volmode=default primarycache=all secondarycache=all tank/vms/default_debian1-urec9f
For VMs created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 (.block zvols):
sudo zfs set volmode=default primarycache=all secondarycache=all tank/vms/TrueNAS.block
Where:
tank is the pool name.
vms is the dataset where the zvol is stored.
default_debian1-urec9f or TrueNAS.block is the name of the zvol
This command sets the volume properties to match those used by zvols created through the Virtual Machines screen, ensuring optimal performance and behavior.
Containers VMs use different property settings that are not optimal for virtual machine workloads.
After completing the commands listed above for each zvol you want to migrate. Go to Datasets and verify that all volumes you migrated show on the screen.
Create the new VM using the migrated zvol. Repeat these steps for each zvol you migrated.
Go to Virtual Machines, click on Add to open the Create Virtual Machine wizard.
a. Complete the first screen by entering a name for the new VM. Select the operating system used by the Instances VM, enter a brief description, then, if using the Bind setting, enter a password. Click Next.
b. Configure the CPU and Memory settings, and then click Next.
c. On the Disks wizard screen, select Use existing disk image, click in Select Existing Zvol and select the volume moved from the Instances VM.
If you move multiple zvols, refer to the screenshot or text file with the VM/zvol list to select the correct zvol for this new VM.
d. Click Next until you get to the confirmation screen, then click Create to add the VM.
After adding the new VM, click on it to expand it, and click Devices.
Click Edit for the Disk device, and enter 1000 in the Device Order field.
Setting the disk to 1000 makes the disk device the first in the boot order for the VM.
Setting the disk to first in boot order over a CD-ROM device with an OS on it, if added when creating the VM, prevents the volume from being overwritten by booting from that CD-ROM device.
Click Save.
Return to the Virtual Machines screen, expand the VM, then click Start to verify it opens as expected and has Internet access.
After creating a VM, the next step is to add virtual devices for that VM.
Using the Create Virtual Machine wizard, configure at least one disk, NIC, and 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 delete, then select Delete.
The Delete device 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 Device 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
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 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 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.
TrueNAS uses Netdata to gather metrics, create visualizations, and provide reporting statistics.
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 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.
Configuring Reporting Exporters
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 TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS, 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 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.
TrueNAS can now export the data records as Graphite-formatted JSON objects to the other report collection and processing application, service, or servers.
TrueNAS also populates the exporter screen with default settings.
To view these settings, click Edit on the row for the exporter.
System Settings
TrueNAS 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.
TrueNAS Enterprise
Enterprise-licensed system administrators have additional options to configure security-related settings such as FIPS and STIG compatibility and Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) configuration.
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.
Boot lists each ZFS boot environment stored on the system.
These restore the system to a previous version or a 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 TrueNAS hardware.
This is a visual representation of the system with additional details about disks and other physical hardware components.
Contents
Updating TrueNAS: Provides instructions on updating TrueNAS releases in the UI.
General Settings: Tutorials for configuring many general TrueNAS settings.
Managing the System Configuration: Provides information on downloading your TrueNAS configuration to back up system settings, uploading a new configuration file, and resetting back to default settings.
Setting Up System Email: Provides instructions on configuring email using SMTP or GMail OAuth and setting up the email alert service in TrueNAS.
Advanced Settings: Tutorials for configuring advanced system settings in TrueNAS.
Managing Cron Jobs: Provides information on adding or modifying cron jobs in TrueNAS.
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.
Configuring SED Settings: Provides information on adding or modifying self-encrypting drive (SED) user and global passwords in TrueNAS.
FTP: Provides instructions on configuring the FTP service including storage, user, and access permissions.
NFS: Provides information on configuring NFS service in TrueNAS.
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.
SNMP: Provides information on configuring SNMP service in TrueNAS.
SSH: Provides information on configuring the SSH service in TrueNAS and using an SFTP connection.
UPS: Provides information on configuring UPS service in TrueNAS.
Using Shell: Provides information on using the TrueNAS shell.
Audit Logs: Provides information on the System and SMB Share auditing screens and function in TrueNAS.
Updating TrueNAS
TrueNAS has several software branches (linear update paths) known as trains. If TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS.
The TrueNAS Update screen provides users with two different updated methods for the system, automatic or manual.
We recommend updating TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS. This ensures stale data doesn’t interfere with loading the TrueNAS 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 TrueNAS Enterprise (HA) systems.
If attempting to migrate from FreeBSD- to Linux-based TrueNAS versions, see TrueNAS Migrations.
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 TrueNAS release, log into the TrueNAS 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 General Settings provide options to configure support, the graphic user interface (GUI), UI and keyboard languages, NTP time servers, and system email.
The Support widget shows information about the TrueNAS version and system hardware.
Links to the open-source TrueNAS documentation, community forums, and official Enterprise licensing are provided.
Add License opens a screen with a field to paste a copy of your TrueNAS Enterprise license (details).
File Ticket opens the Send Feedback window with two options, one to report a system bug and the other to send TrueNAS feedback on the UI and rate a screen. Feedback goes to the TrueNAS development team.
Enterprise-licensed systems show the Proactive Support button. For information on configuring proactive support, see Adding a License and Proactive Support.
Sending Feedback
TrueNAS provides two feedback options, one to rate a UI screen and the other to report a problem encountered with the system.
To send feedback go to System > General Settings, and click File Ticket on the Support widget to open the Send Feedback window.
Alternately, on screens that show the option to rate the screen, click the Send Feedback icon to open the feedback window.
Rating a UI Screen
Click Rate this page to send feedback on a UI page, add comments, and add a screenshot or additional images, or click the link to go to the TrueNAS forum where you can vote for new features on the community forum, report a problem, or suggest improvements directly to the TrueNAS development team.
You can include a screenshot of the current page and/or upload additional images with your comments.
Click Report a bug to show the fields and option to open an engineering ticket and submit it directly to the TrueNAS development team when a TrueNAS screen or feature is not working as intended.
Submitting a bug report requires a free Atlassian account.
Click Report a bug to see the fields to create an engineering ticket.
For example, reporting a bug where a middleware error and traceback occurred while saving a configuration change.
Enter a descriptive summary in the Subject.
For example, if an application does not update after clicking the update option for the app and you get an error message or traceback after attempting the update, Enter XYZ application fails to update with a traceback in Subject.
Enter the details of actions taken that resulted in the error or failed action in Message.
With the same example, enter more details on the issue:
Clicked on the XYZ app row, stopped the app, clicked Update and the update failed and showed the following traceback message (include the traceback text).
My system is running on TrueNAS 24.10.0.
Keep the details concise and focused on how to reproduce the issue, what you expected from the actions taken, and the actual result.
This helps ensure a speedy ticket resolution.
Include system debug and screenshot files to also speed up the issue resolution.
Select Attach debug.
To attach a screenshot of the current page, select Take screenshot of the current page.
Or, before using this form, take screenshots of the screen, traceback or other error message, copy a log into a text file, or create any other file to attach.
Open this form and attach those files by selecting Attach additional images and clicking Choose File opens a File Explorer window where you can browse to select the files you want to attach to the report.
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.
Click Login To Jira To Submit to finish and submit the report.
Reporting an Issue - Enterprose Licensed Systems
TrueNAS Enterprise
When an Enterprise license is applied to the system, the Report a bug screen includes additional environment and contact information fields for sending bug reports directly to the TrueNAS team.
Filling out the entire form with precise details and accurate contact information ensures a prompt response from the TrueNAS Customer Support team.
Configuring GUI Options
The GUI widget allows users to configure the TrueNAS 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, create or import a certificate as described in Managing Certificates to add it to the dropdown list of certificates available on the system. Select the certificate from the GUI SSL Certificate dropdown list.
Setting the Web Interface IP Address
To set the WebUI IP address, when using IPv4 addresses, select a recent IP address on 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.
When 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 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.
Select Crash Reporting to send failed HTTP request data, which might include client and server IP addresses, tracebacks for failed method calls, and middleware log file contents to TrueNAS.
Sending Usage Statistics
To send anonymous usage statistics to TrueNAS, select the Usage Collection option.
To show real-time console messages at the bottom of the browser window, select Show Console Messages.
Localizing the TrueNAS System
Localizing the TrueNAS system consists of changing the UI language, and the keyboard layout to support the selected language, setting the time zone to match where the TrueNAS server is located, and setting date and time formats.
To change the Web UI on-screen language and set the keyboard to work with the selected language, click Settings on the Localization widget to open the Localization Settings configuration screen.
Clear the field and begin typing in the field to filter the long list of languages or scroll to select an option from the Language dropdown list.
Scroll to select the keyboard language layout in Console Keyboard Map.
Begin typing in the Timezone field to filter the long list or scroll down to select the geographic timezone that corresponds to the location of the TrueNAS server.
Select the local date and time formats to use.
Click Save.
Adding NTP Servers
The NTP Servers widget allows users to add 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 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.
For more information on configuring system email, see Setting Up System Email.
Contents
Managing the System Configuration: Provides information on downloading your TrueNAS configuration to back up system settings, uploading a new configuration file, and resetting back to default settings.
Setting Up System Email: Provides instructions on configuring email using SMTP or GMail OAuth and setting up the email alert service in TrueNAS.
Managing the System Configuration
TrueNAS 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 that resets system configuration settings back to factory settings.
Downloading the File
The Download File option downloads your TrueNAS current configuration to the local machine.
A system config file is a database file containing your settings, including accounts, directory services, networking, services, shares, storage configuration, system setting, data protection tasks, and more.
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.
Do I need to upload a config file?
Uploading a config file after a TrueNAS migration or fresh install makes it easy to migrate most system settings with one click. However, you can choose to manually recreate the previous configuration if desired or if some part of the previous configuration causes conflicts with a later TrueNAS version.
If you choose to manually recreate settings, carefully document your original configuration and ensure each setting is recreated exactly.
For example, re-creating a user account named bob after migration does not restore access to existing datasets for the bob user account unless the new account uses the same UID or you manually update the dataset ACLs to grant access.
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 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 TrueNAS Enterprise Support if a system configuration reset is required.
TrueNAS Enterprise Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS 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:
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 TrueNAS Enterprise Support if an issue occurs.
To find more details about the different Warranty and Service Level Agreement (SLA) options available, see TrueNAS Enterprise 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 TrueNAS Enterprise Support 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 TrueNAS Proactive Support.
This feature automatically emails TrueNas Enterprise Support 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 Proactive Support, then click Save.
Setting Up System Email
An automatic script sends a nightly email containing important information such as disk health to the administrator account.
For fast awareness and resolution of critical issues, configure TrueNAS to send these emails to the remote email account for the administrator.
You can configure the email address for the admin user as part of your initial system setup or by following the procedure below.
You can also configure email addresses for additional user accounts as needed.
Before configuring anything else, set the local administrator email address.
Go to Credentials > Users, click on the admin user row to expand it, then select Edit to open the Edit User configuration screen.
In the Email field, enter a remote email address for the system administrator that regularly monitors (like admin@example.com), and click Save.
For more information on adding or changing user settings, see Managing Users.
Setting Up System Email
After setting up the admin email address, configure the send method for the email service.
Go to System > General Settings and locate the Email widget to view the current configuration, or click the Alerts icon at the top right of the UI screen, then click the gear settings icon, and select Email to open the General Settings screen.
Click Settings on the Email Widget to open the Email Options screen.
The configuration options change based on the selected method.
After configuring the send method, click Send Test Mail to verify you can send email.
If the email test fails, verify 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 as the system email send method, you need the outgoing mail server and port number for the email address.
Enter the email address that sends the alerts in From Email and the name that appears before the address in From Name.
Enter the SMTP server host name or IP address in Outgoing Mail Server.
Enter the SMTP port number in Mail Server Port. This is typically 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, use the TrueNAS web UI to log in to your Gmail account.
Select the account to use for authentication or select Use another account.
When 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 opens, scroll down and click Allow to complete the setup or Cancel to exit setup 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.
Enter the email, phone number, or Skype username associated with your Outlook account, then click Next to enter your password.
When the TrueNAS wants to access your Outlook Account window opens, scroll down and click Allow to complete the setup or Cancel to exit the setup process.
After setting up Outlook OAuth authentication, the Email Options screen shows Outlook credentials have been applied and the button changes to Logged In To Outlook.
Click Send Test Email to verify you receive an email.
Click Save.
Setting Up the Email Alert Service
After configuring the system email send method, 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.
Go to System > Alert Settings or from any screen, click on the Alertsnotifications icon at the top right of the screen to open the Alerts panel.
Click on the settings settings icon and then on 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 setting.
Click Send Test Alert to generate a test alert and confirm the email address and alert services work.
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.
TrueNAS Enterprise
Enterprise-licensed system administrators have additional options to configure security-related settings, such as FIPS and STIG compatibility and Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) configuration.
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 TrueNAS 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.
Select the sysctl type from the Type drop-down menu. Sysctl types refer to the category of sysctl users wish to add.
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 or 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 Allowed IP Addresses configuration screen in System > Advanced Settings to restrict access to the TrueNAS 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.
Security Settings
TrueNAS Enterprise
Only Enterprise-licensed systems show the Security widget and have access to these settings.
Administrators considering enabling STIG and FIPS security settings should contact TrueNAS Support before making any changes.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS Support contract.
Review these topics and contact TrueNAS Support before enabling STIG and FIPS security settings.
When STIG (and FIPS) are enabled:
TrueNAS cannot issue API keys, and existing API keys cannot be used for authentication. Only the user credential with a two-factor authentication method is accepted.
SSH log-ins require a cryptographic algorithm.
SMB authentication for local TrueNAS accounts is disabled.
NTLM authentication passthrough to a domain controller is disabled.
Usage stats are not reported, and the Usage Collection option is disabled.
One-time passwords (OTP) configured for administrative users have a single use and expire after 24 hours.
After logging in with the OTP, the system prompts the user to immediately change the password and set up two-factor authentication.
TrueNAS is limited to a maximum of 10 concurrent sessions.
Accounts lock for 15 minutes after three consecutive failed login attempts.
Password aging rules are applied to the SMB protocol. After a failed login attempt, users with expired passwords receive a password-expired message.
TrueNAS prompts users to change their passwords when logging in, and the system flags the account as requiring this change.
Users cannot reuse a password if it is marked as used within the last five passwords in the history file. Passwords must be 15 characters in length.
TrueNAS updates can only use a signed update file provided by the TrueNAS team.
What features are not available?
When enabled, STIG disables these features:
Virtualization
Apps
TrueCommand connectivity
What events are included in auditing?
When STIG (and FIPS) are enabled, auditing includes these events:
Account creation events
Privilege commands (with full text of the commands run)
Privilege changes
Log-ins and other system access events.
Account log-ins are tracked from two distinct sources (UI and SSH)
Kernel module load/unload
Audit log modifications and attempts to modify audit logs
Security object modifications and attempts to modify security objects
Configuring STIG and FIPS
To set up 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.
Highly Available (HA) systems must restart each storage controller before STIG mode is fully enabled.
TrueNAS Administrator Password Rules
The remaining options are for setting TrueNAS administrator password rules.
Options include defining a password lifetime, types of characters that must be present in the password, how many characters must be present in a valid password, and how many previously used passwords to remember for an account and prevent reuse in a new password.
Adjust these as needed for your security requirements.
Enabling STIG compatibility mode requires specific minimum values for these settings.
Note that TrueNAS begins warning all local account types (administrator, full admin, read-only, and sharing-only) seven days before password expiration. After expiration, the account locks and requires administrative action to unlock.
## Contents
Managing Cron Jobs: Provides information on adding or modifying cron jobs in TrueNAS.
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.
Configuring SED Settings: Provides information on adding or modifying self-encrypting drive (SED) user and global passwords in TrueNAS.
Developer Mode (Unsupported): Provides information on the unsupported TrueNAS 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.
Configuring SED Settings
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.
UI management of Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) is an Enterprise-licensed feature in TrueNAS 25.04 (and later).
SED configuration options are not visible in the TrueNAS Community Edition.
Community users wishing to implement SEDs can continue to do so using the command line sedutil-cli utility.
Note: Additional changes to SED management options in the TrueNAS UI ahead of the 25.04.0 release version, with documentation updates to follow.
Configuring Global SED Settings
To configure global SED settings, go to the System > Advanced Settings screen and locate the Self-Encrypting Drive widget.
Select the user to unlock SEDs from the ATA Security User dropdown list.
Options are USER or MASTER.
Enter the global SED password in SED Password and in Confirm SED Password.
Click Save.
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 location!
Configuring Individual SED Passwords
To configure individual, per-disk SED passwords, go to Storage and click Disks in the top right of the screen to open the Disks screen.
Click the row or expand_more for a confirmed SED to expand the row.
Click Edit to open the Edit Disk screen.
Enter and confirm the password in the SED Password fields to assign an individual SED password.
If both an individual and global SED password are present, the individual SED password overrides the global password for the disk it is configured on.
Repeat this process for each SED and any SEDs added to the system in the future.
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.
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 the TrueNAS team.
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.
Troubleshooting
install-dev-tools is a developer-focused option that might not work in scenarios beyond those intended by TrueNAS developers, such as modified installations or deployments that use non-default settings.
Users with NVIDIA GPU drivers installed cannot enable developer mode while the NVIDIA kernel module is mounted.
Running install-dev-tools in this state results in the following error:
/usr is currently provided by a readonly systemd system extension.
This may occur if nvidia module support is enabled. System extensions
must be disabled prior to disabling rootfs protection.
This happens because the NVIDIA drivers are overlaid onto /usr via systemd-sysext, making it read-only by design.
To resolve the issue, unmerge systemd-sysext, run install-dev-tools, then merge system extensions again.
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
TrueNAS Enterprise customers should contact TrueNAS Enterprise Support to receive additional guidance on system configuration.
Contacting Support
Customers who purchase TrueNAS Enterprise hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use TrueNAS Enterprise Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without a TrueNAS 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.
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.
SNMP: Provides information on configuring SNMP service in TrueNAS.
SSH: Provides information on configuring the SSH service in TrueNAS and using an SFTP connection.
UPS: Provides information on configuring UPS service in TrueNAS.
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.
Go to 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 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 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.
Select specific network interfaces from Bind Interfaces for SSH to listen on, or deselect all options to have SSH listen on all interfaces (default).
Select Compress Connections to reduce latency over slow networks.
Configure SFTP logging by selecting the appropriate SFTP Log Level and SFTP Log Facility.
Select additional cipher options in Weak Ciphers if needed.
None allows unencrypted SSH connections while AES128-CBC allows the 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard cipher.
These ciphers are security vulnerabilities and should only be used in secure network environments.
Auxiliary parameters are an unsupported configuration.
Parameters entered here are not validated and can cause undefined system behavior, including data corruption or data loss.
Add sshd_config options not covered by other settings in Auxiliary Parameters.
Enter one option per line.
Parameters are case-sensitive.
SSH auxiliary parameters are unsupported.
Certain configurations can prevent the SSH service from starting.
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.
TrueNAS shows an error if users activate Global 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) and attempt to enable password-based SSH authentication without a 2FA token. See Managing Global 2FA 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.
Auxiliary parameters are an unsupported configuration.
Parameters entered here are not validated and can cause undefined system behavior, including data corruption or data loss.
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 enable and view console messages in the TrueNAS UI.
Go to System > General Settings, find the GUI widget, and click Settings.
Select Show Console Messages under Other Options.
Click Save.
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 TrueNAS 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 others 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 TrueNAS 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 auditing and logs provide a trail of all actions performed by a session, user, or service (SMB, middleware).
The audit function backends are the syslog and Samba debug libraries.
Syslog sends audit messages via an 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. 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).
Audit logs retain at least one week of data. Logs are downloadable.
Auditing event types are:
Session and user
Sudo and root user commands (includes STIG-compliant shell commands)
SMB protocol and share
NFS protocol and share
iSCSI protocol and share
FTP service
STIG-compliant security objects
HA shutdown and restart reason
Enterprise and Enterprise HA systems have security object (FIPS and STIG) event logging.
HA primary and standby controller event logs are downloadable from either the primary or the standby controller.
Session and User Auditing Events
Session and user auditing events include authentication, method call, and sudo accept/reject events.
Authentication Events
Audit messages are generated every time a client logs into the TrueNAS UI or an SSH session or makes changes to user credentials.
TrueNAS terminates inactive sessions when it reaches the specified timeout limit. If a user initiates a new session within five minutes of the last session, TrueNAS logs the user as associated with the previous session. If the log-in occurs outside the five minutes, TrueNAS initiates a new websocket session.
Method Call Events
Audit messages are generated every time a currently logged-in user creates a new user account or changes user credentials.Sudo Accept or Reject Events
Generated every time a user logs into a shell session and uses sudo to perform a command as root, or is denied sudo permission.
The event data for a sudo event includes the command.
SMB and NFS Auditing Events
SMB and NFS events are omitted by default from the System > Audit screen.
To view these audit results, go to System > Services and click receipt_longAudit Logs for the SMB or NFS 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.
The following sections also apply to NFS share audit logs.
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 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 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 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 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 exceeding 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 that might be 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 TrueNAS release. Minor version changes indicate non-breaking changes to the format, such as adding a new optional field. Major version changes that 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 the user or client generating the audit message. If no username, it can 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 the 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 succeeds or false if it fails.
Accessing Auditing Screens
Users have access to audit information from three locations in the TrueNAS 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 accepts 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 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.
icon lets users sign up with and connect to 
icon to open the feedback window.
