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Free NAS OS

Shadow Gamer
By Shadow Gamer
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So, I'm looking to make a low end NAS(Custom Build) for simple small backup and file sharing. I want a free operating system that takes little to no hassle to work and work with windows computers, since all the computers in my entire house currently run windows(Except one that nobody uses).  

 

No, I am not using a ubuntu/samba. I tried, and none of my computers identified it. 

Can anyone suggest anything? Sorry if I seem a bit picky. 

 

Thanks in Advance,

 

-Shadow

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Windows Server 2008 R1? But maybe that's a bit too expensive for a little NAS.

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

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The title says, "Free NAS OS"

 

I would be in heaven if $100 was free. 

<<<< oh.

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

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So, I'm looking to make a low end NAS(Custom Build) for simple small backup and file sharing. I want a free operating system that takes little to no hassle to work and work with windows computers, since all the computers in my entire house currently run windows(Except one that nobody uses).  

 

No, I am not using a ubuntu/samba. I tried, and none of my computers identified it. 

Can anyone suggest anything? Sorry if I seem a bit picky. 

 

Thanks in Advance,

 

-Shadow

If Samba didnt work then you have configured it wrong.

 

What about Free NAS?

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That looks like a great option. Is it hard to set up? (Like sticking in router settings?)

FreeNAS can be easy to set up, or it can make things complicated. The easy way is this:

  • You install it (preferably on a USB drive either 4 or 8GB big). You shouldn't install the OS on the primary storage drive because then you can't use it to store files. FreeNAS won't allow partitioning on the OS drive, so you can't use it for any kind of storage. Thus the small USB drive suggestion.
  • Set your network settings (default gateway, IP address, NetBIOS name, and that's it). Do not make your NetBIOS name the same as your Workgroup name in CIFS settings. That's a no no and it won't work if you do that.
  • Make your volumes (use UFS and name them).
  • Share your drives (CIFS > add share > select volume to share > Turn on CIFS).
  • Make your users (who will access those drives) and make them the owners of your drives (Storage > Volumes > Volume Properties > change owner to the owner).

Then you are done. 

Don't use 9.2.1.5 as it has had issues with CIFS and Samba4 (the new version). Use 9.2.1 (not 9.2.1.1) as it has Samba3 and works better for simple file sharing. You can find the old versions at the bottom of the download page. 

As an alternative, Amahi is a file server oriented OS that is free and made to be very simple. Whereas, FreeNAS is made to be as simple or as complicated to use as you want to make it (it has a lot of enterprise level features, but you don't care about that). Either is fine, I've only used FreeNAS.

Either can have plugins for other features (aside from just storing and sharing files) such as Plex Media Server sharing, Bit Torrent & NZBD downloads, backup programs such as Backula, etc etc, but actually using FreeNAS' plugins means a huge hardware requirement must be met (ECC RAM, a lot of it) for ZFS over UFS. ZFS is complicated, UFS is simple. You want simple, which is why I said use UFS.

† Christian Member †

For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder.

 

 

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  • Set your network settings (default gateway, IP address, NetBIOS name, and that's it).
  • Make your volumes (use UFS and name them).
  • Share your drives (CIFS > add share > select volume to share > Turn on CIFS).

I gave no idea what a NetBIOS name even is, and this sounds like Samba to me. 

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I gave no idea what a NetBIOS name even is, and this sounds like Samba to me. 

... Read my post. I wasn't done, sorry. I edit things a lot.  :P 

Samba is the protocol that CIFS uses for file sharing. It's how Windows shares files. If your machines are not Windows, but are Linux or Mac, then you need to use NFS or AFP respectively. FreeNAS supports both of those as well. NetBIOS is the given name of the computer on the network. i.e. Windows-PC, or UbuntuBox. Things like that.

I assumed that your systems were Windows because most people's are (sadly), and you mentioned Samba. It not seeing it could've just been an issue with Ubuntu and a bad update/install.

If they are Windows, you use Samba. You can't share them any other way AFAIK in Windows as I don't believe Windows accepts any other protocol but Samba though CIFS.

† Christian Member †

For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder.

 

 

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... Read my post. I wasn't done, sorry. :P 

Samba is the protocol that CIFS uses for file sharing. It's how Windows shares files. If your machines are not Windows, but are Linux or Mac, then you need to use NFS or AFP respectively. 

If they are Windows, you use Samba. You can't share them any other way AFAIK.

So is Samba a program or a method/engine for file sharing to windows?

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So is Samba a program or a method/engine for file sharing to windows?

It's a method/engine for file sharing in Windows. 

It's basically HTTPS for a local network (I'm making an analogy here, no one get the pitch forks). It's (Samba) what securely connects two computers to share files via authentication. So no, it's not a program.

HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (Secure). A standardized way for two things to connect to share information. CIFS is that, for Windows over a (usually) local network.

† Christian Member †

For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder.

 

 

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It's a method/engine for file sharing in Windows. 

It's basically HTTP for a local network (I'm making an analogy here, no one get the pitch forks). It's what securely connects two computers to share files via authentication. So no, it's not a program.

HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. A standardized way for two things to connect to share information. CIFS is that, for Windows over a (usually) local network.

Got it, thank you.

 

But since I've tried something similar before, will I have the same problem? I tried setting up samba on one of my old computers, and I couldn't exactly tweak it to find my shares. And I took three hours to try to crack it. Will I most likely encounter this problem again? I honestly don't have twelve hours to try to get it running. 

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Got it, thank you.

 

But since I've tried something similar before, will I have the same problem? I tried setting up samba on one of my old computers, and I couldn't exactly tweak it to find my shares. And I took three hours to try to crack it. Will I most likely encounter this problem again? I honestly don't have twelve hours to try to get it running. 

You're welcome. 

Probably not. Installing/configuring things on Ubuntu/Linux can be hit or miss if you don't know how or the guide you are using is old. FreeNAS makes it very easy to do. No installing packages. No command line. Just configure the settings, start the service, then share the drives. 

If you have issues, I'm on here almost 24/7 (aside from when I need sleep). I know how to configure FreeNAS, so feel free to ask. 

If you are really in this kind of a time crunch, I would try Amahi first. It's built with simplicity in mind. That way, complicated things in FreeNAS won't get in your way or distract you.

† Christian Member †

For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder.

 

 

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You're welcome. 

Probably not. Installing/configuring things on Ubuntu/Linux can be hit or miss if you don't know how or the guide you are using is old. FreeNAS makes it very easy to do. No installing packages. No command line. Just configure the settings, start the service, then share the drives. 

If you have issues, I'm on here almost 24/7 (aside from when I need sleep). I know how to configure FreeNAS, so feel free to ask. 

If you are really in this kind of a time crunch, I would try Amahi first. It's built with simplicity in mind. That way, complicated things in FreeNAS won't get in your way or distract you.

Thank you, again. 

 

Should I attempt FreeNAS or Amahi? Amahi seems easier, but you seem to like FreeNAS. 

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Thank you, again. 

 

Should I attempt FreeNAS or Amahi? Amahi seems easier, but you seem to like FreeNAS. 

You're welcome again. :P 

I would go with Amahi. Simplicity is preferred for your situation, so it only makes sense. 

I do like FreeNAS, but I am an IT guy who manages file servers at my workplace in varying degrees. It's something I kind of enjoy. I haven't had much free time to play with Amahi, or I would to see what it's really like. I only know what the front page and others who have actually used it have told me. 

My infatuation with FreeNAS is more so because of it's versatility. That it can literally be trusted as an OS in a small to medium sized business or used at home for the bare necessities. It's flexible basically, but it can be confusing and the learning curve is steep for anything more than the bare necessities. 

But me liking it doesn't mean it's the best thing for your situation. So I would still try Amahi first and if that doesn't work (don't spend too much time on it if it's being a bother), we can try FreeNAS and I can help you set it up (it's really not hard, my first list of steps is basically everything you need to know). 

† Christian Member †

For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder.

 

 

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You're welcome again. :P 

I would go with Amahi. Simplicity is preferred for your situation, so it only makes sense. 

I do like FreeNAS, but I am an IT guy who manages file servers at my workplace in varying degrees. It's something I kind of enjoy. I haven't had much free time to play with Amahi, or I would to see what it's really like. I only know what the front page and others who have actually used it have told me. 

My infatuation with FreeNAS is more so because of it's versatility. That it can literally be trusted as an OS in a small to medium sized business or used at home for the bare necessities. It's flexible basically, but it can be confusing and the learning curve is steep for anything more than the bare necessities. 

But me liking it doesn't mean it's the best thing for your situation. So I would still try Amahi first and if that doesn't work (don't spend too much time on it if it's being a bother), we can try FreeNAS and I can help you set it up (it's really not hard, my first list of steps is basically everything you need to know). 

I'll go with Amahi, then. But for now, I'll need to go to sleep. Thanks for all the help. 

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I'll go with Amahi, then. But for now, I'll need to go to sleep. Thanks for all the help. 

You're welcome, and I understand. Sleep is awesome when you can get it. :D

† Christian Member †

For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder.

 

 

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