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?
Network Interface Screens
The Interfaces widget on the Network screen shows interface port names and IP addresses configured on your TrueNAS system and their upload/download rates.
Use Add to open the Add Interface configuration screen.
Click on an interface to open the Edit Interface configuration screen.
Click the edit icon next to an interface to open the Edit Interface configuration screen.
Click the refresh icon next to a physical interface to reset configuration settings for that interface.
Setting Up a Network Bridge
In general, a bridge refers to various methods of combining (aggregating) multiple network connections into a single aggregate network.
TrueNAS uses bridge(4) as the kernel bridge driver. Bridge(8) is a command for configuring the bridge in Linux. While the examples focus on the deprecated brctl(8) from the bridge-utilities package, we use ip(8) and bridge(8) from iproute2 instead. Refer to the FAQ section that covers bridging topics more generally.
Network bridging does not inherently aggregate bandwidth like link aggregation (LAGG). Bridging is often used for scenarios that require extending a network segment or combining different types of network traffic.
Understanding IPv6
IPv6 is the next generation Internet protocol replacing the current IPv4 protocol. IPv4 is running out of numbers due to the ever increasing number devices world wide wanting to connect. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), where smart sensors in homes, motor vehicles, and businesses all want or need to connect to the Internet to allow data collection and sharing for analytics, device maintenance and monitoring, increased safety and productivity, and overall improvement in consumer and customer experiences is a source of an ever-increasing demand for IP addresses. Because of the length and configuration of IPv6 addresses, there is little risk of this protocol running out of numbers any time soon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TrueNAS uses vlan(4) to manage 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.
Networking Recommendations
Follow these best practices for a stable and performant network.
The TrueNAS team welcomes contributions from members of the TrueNAS community!
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By default, TrueNAS configures the primary network interface for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) IP address management. Consider assigning a static IP address for increased network stability and communication between devices.