Logging In for the First Time

Now that you have installed TrueNAS, or migrated from an earlier version, you can log into the web user interface (UI) to complete your initial system configuration and begin managing data!

Use only the web user interface (UI) to make configuration changes to the system. By default, using the LINUX shell command-line interface (CLI) to modify the system does not modify the settings database. After a system restart, changes made in the CLI revert to the original database settings, wiping away any user-made command line changes.

TrueNAS automatically creates several ways to access the UI, but you might need to adjust the default settings for your network environment.

By default, a fresh install of TrueNAS provides a default address for logging in to the web interface. To view the web interface IP address or reconfigure web interface access, either connect a monitor and keyboard to your TrueNAS system or connect with IPMI for out-of-band system management.

When powering on a TrueNAS system, the system attempts to connect to a DHCP server from all live interfaces to access the web UI. On networks that support Multicast Domain Name Services (mDNS), the system can use a host name and domain to access the TrueNAS web interface. By default, TrueNAS uses the host name and domain truenas.local. To change the host name and domain in the web interface, go to Network and click Settings on the Global Configuration widget.

To access the web interface using an IP address, either use the DHCP-assigned IP address displayed at the top of the Console Setup menu after installing TrueNAS or use the static IP address you assigned using the Console Setup menu.

TrueNAS Enterprise

TrueNAS Enterprise (HA) systems have specific network configuration requirements. Installing TrueNAS on High Availability (HA) systems and configuring networking is complicated and should be guided by Enterprise-level support. Contact iXsystems Support for assistance whenever attempting to install TrueNAS on Enterprise HA hardware or configure network settings.

Refer to the Preparing for TrueNAS UI Configuration (Enterprise) and Installing TrueNAS Enterprise (HA) for information on installing HA system and configuring networking.

Contacting Support

Customers who purchase iXsystems hardware or that want additional support must have a support contract to use iXsystems Support Services. The TrueNAS Community forums provides free support for users without an iXsystems Support contract.

iXsystems Customer Support
Support Portal	https://support.ixsystems.com
Email	support@ixsystems.com
Telephone and Other Resources	https://www.ixsystems.com/support/

Use a computer with access to the same network as the TrueNAS system. Enter the host name and domain or IP address assigned to the primary network interface in a web browser to connect to the TrueNAS web interface.

The browser used to access the TrueNAS UI can impact the quality of your user experience. We generally recommend using Firefox, Edge, or Chrome.

With the implementation of administrator accounts, the root user is no longer the default administrator username.

Based on the method used to install TrueNAS, you can be presented with different first-time login scenarios, each described below.

After setting up the truenas_admin user from one of the scenarios documented above, enter truenas_admin and the password to log in.

To modify user credentials, go to Credentials > Users, click anywhere on the user row, then click Edit. For more information, see Managing Users.

If logging in with the root user credentials, enter root as the user and the root password.

Follow the directions in Managing Users to create an administration user with all required settings. For environments requiring specific configurations, such as non-AD environments or those using LDAP, ensure that your admin user is properly set up to manage all aspects of the system.

If you selected the installation option 2. Configure using Web UI, the sign-in screen shows two authentication methods. One allows you to log in as root or you can create the administration account.

Select either the Administrative user or Root user (not recommended) option, then enter the password to use with that user.

If you choose Root user (not recommended) as the TrueNAS authentication method, go to the Credentials > Users screen and create the admin account immediately after you enter the UI. Enter the admin user name and password, make sure the password is enabled, and click Save. After setting up the admin user, click on the root user and then click Edit. Disable the root user password and then click Save. This brings the system into compliance with FIPS system security-hardening standards.

If you cannot remember the administrator password to log in to the web interface, connect a keyboard and mouse to the TrueNAS system and open the Console Setup menu to reset the administrator account password.

After logging in for the first time, the main system Dashboard screen displays. The Dashboard shows different system information cards (widgets) with basic information about the installed version, systems component usage, network traffic, and configured pools or storage usage. The dashboard includes configurable widgets that include a text-only Custom widget and an Apps widget you can configure to monitor your installed applications.

TrueNAS Enterprise users with an iXsystems-provided server also see an image of the system in the System Information widget. Click on the system image to open the System > View Enclosure screen.

The Dashboard for non-Enterprise systems displays the TrueNAS logo on the System Information widget.

To customize the dashboard , click Configure to put the Dashboard into configuration mode. Use the drag bar to move widget groups to new positions on the screen. Click Add to create new widgets or the Edit option in the widget group to change the look or information included in a widget.

The top row (toolbar) has links to outside resources and buttons to control the system. The left-hand panel lists the main feature and functional areas and lets users navigate to the various TrueNAS configuration screens.

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.

Search UI

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.

Entering a Query

Enter a keyword to search for elements within the TrueNAS UI. For example, enter SMB to search for results relating to SMB shares and the SMB service.

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.

iXsystems

The iXsystems logo opens the iXsystems home page where users can find information about iXsystems storage and server systems.

Users can also use the iXsystems home page to access their customer portal and the community section for support.

Send Feedback

The Send Feedback icon opens a feedback window. Alternately, go to System > General, find the Support widget, and click File Ticket to see the feedback window.

The feedback window allows users to send page ratings, comments, vote for new features on the community forum, report issues, or suggest improvements directly to the TrueNAS development team. Submitting a bug report requires a free Atlassian account.

Click between the tabs at the top of the window to see options for your specific feedback.

Rate this page

Use the Rate this page tab to quickly review and provide comments on the currently active TrueNAS user interface screen. You can include a screenshot of the current page and/or upload additional images with your comments.

Report a bug

Use the Report a bug tab to notify the development team when a TrueNAS screen or feature is not working as intended. For example, report a bug when a middleware error and traceback appears while saving a configuration change.

Bug reports are created in the publicly-visible TrueNAS Jira project.

Enter a descriptive summary in the Subject. TrueNAS can show a list of existing Jira tickets with similar summaries. When there is an existing ticket about the issue, consider clicking on that ticket and leaving a comment instead of creating a new one. Duplicate tickets are closed in favor of consolidating feedback into one report.

Enter details about the issue in the Message. Keep the details concise and focused on how to reproduce the issue, what the expected result of the action is, and what the actual result of the action was. This helps ensure a speedy ticket resolution. Include system debug and screenshot files to also speed up the issue resolution.

Bug Reports from Enterprise Licensed Systems

TrueNAS Enterprise

When an Enterprise license is applied to the system, the Report a bug tab has additional environment and contact information fields for sending bug reports directly to iXsystems.

Filling out the entire form with precise details and accurate contact information ensures a prompt response from the iXsystems Customer Support team.

Status of TrueCommand

The Status of TrueCommand icon lets users sign up with and connect to TrueCommand Cloud.

Clicking Signup opens the TrueCommand sign-up page in a new tab.

After users sign up, they can click the Connect button and enter their API key to connect TrueNAS to TrueCommand Cloud.

TrueNAS displays a message telling users to check their email for verification instructions.

Directory Services Monitor

The Directory Services Monitor info icon button displays the status of Active Directory and LDAP services.

Click on either service to go to its configuration screen.

Jobs

The Jobs assignment icon button displays all running and failed jobs/processes. Users can see minimized jobs/processes here.

Users can minimize a job/process by clicking the minus (-) at the top right corner of any dialog or pop-up window.

Click on a running task to display a dialog for that running task.

A running job shows a progress bar and a white circle with a square in the middle to the right of the job. Click on this to show the Abort dialog. Click Abort to stop the job and abort the process.

Click on History to open the Tasks screen with lists of all successful, active, 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.

For more information, see Tasks Screens.

Alerts

The Alerts notifications 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 Settings account_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 Password dialpad 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 Keys laptop 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 Guide library_books to open the TrueNAS Documentation Hub in a new tab.

Click on About to display the information window with links to the TrueNAS Documentation Hub, TrueNAS Community Forums, FreeNAS Open Source Storage Appliance GitHub repository, and iXsystems home page.

Log Out

Log Out logs the current user out of the 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 Power power_settings_new button to open the dropdown list of power options. Options Restart which logs you out of the TrueNAS UI and restarts the server or Shut Down which logs you out of the TrueNAS UI and powers off the system as though you pressed the power button on the physical server.

With the implementation of administrator roles, the power options are locked based on the level of privileges for the administrator role. The full administrator has access to both power options but readonly and sharing admin roles do not. The power options that show a lock icon indicate the function is not permitted.

To monitor and manage all active sessions, go to System > Advanced Settings and locate the Access widget.

With access to the TrueNAS web interface and all the management options, you can begin configuring your system!