NAS4Free is a Network Attached Storage (NAS) distribution designed for installation on any storage device: hard drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), USB drives or CDs. A characteristic feature of the NAS4Free configuration is support for the ZFS file system, which is considered the best in the operating system. ZFS (Zettabyte File System) is a file system designed for the Solar Microsystems operating system. In addition to FreeBSD and distributions based on it or its derivatives: FreeNAS, NAS4Free and PC-BSD. ZFS file system used by Illumos distributions.
Project Technical Parameters
NAS4Free was developed by Daisuke Aoyam, Michael Schneider and Michael Zun. It runs on the FreeBSD operating system and has been presented in many languages, including Russian. Storage type: computer system, BSD license, website.
NAS4Free is NAS server-side storage server software with a dedicated management interface written in PHP under the terms of the BSD simplified license to configure NAS4Free. This new FreeNAS source code brand was developed between 2005 and the end of 2011. In March 2012, he received a new name - NAS4Free. An open source program based on FreeBSD that supports Windows, Apple and UNIX.
Architecture:
- Version based on i386 or amd64 and ARM.
- WebGUI Management Interface
- RAID software, setting up NAS4Free.
- Drive Encryption
- Wake On LAN Network Bridge.
- Generic CARP Address Reservation Protocol.
- HAST High Availability Storage.
- Network protocols.
- Server message block.
- Domain controller
- Apple Application Protocol.
- Network File System NFS.
- Additional services.
- Network bandwidth measurement.
- Application synchronization for NAS4Free configuration files.
- Download BitTorrent Client.
- VirtualBox management with phpVirtualBox and noVNC in the GUI.
SMART monitoring
Installation, like FreeNAS, NAS4Free is performed through the ncurses interface, the process takes about 5 minutes. Administration and support is available for features that can be found on any NAS operating system. The system is designed to be controlled via a network with a graphical interface and the IP address of the computer.
Launch Feature:
- The default username is admin, the password is nas4free.
- The main interface of the network interface has support for system backup and recovery.
- Management settings for iTunes / DAAP.
- Supported types are RAID.
- Admin Settings - ZFS.
- Drive Encryption is supported.
NAS device foundation
NAS NAS includes more solutions than a regular server or workstation. This file-level storage is based on a specialized frame that is connected to other computers via a local network. For most users, network attached storage is a simple, relatively cheap version of a file server or network backup drive that does not require any special maintenance and can be easily installed at home or in the office.
Using NAS storage, you can save a large amount of data, easily access any files through a wired or Wi-Fi connection, create backups of them, organize torrents or exchange peer-to-peer files and much more. The key to the nature of network storage is the allocation of tasks related to file storage and backup. NAS is used to store data, not to process it.
A typical NAS is equipped with a simple, slower processor, a simple version of the server operating system and a large amount of disk space organized on virtual logical disks. The main NAS storage logs are standard hard drives on regular servers.
Data transfer protocols
Network-attached storage devices support popular file transfer protocols, such as SMB, NFS, and others, to initiate communication. Often, a NAS provides a user with more than one protocol to further enhance user convenience. Some NAS devices include advanced file storage and sharing features such as FTP clients, torrent programs, some specialized, reliable tools for backing up and restoring user files, and much more.
There are many features that can be implemented on a NAS device, such as setting up a RAID array for disk encryption and many other features that this free operating system provides to expand the capabilities of the device. This dedicated device is actually a NAS computer. A computer can be as modest as possible. The user does not need a smart video card or RAM. NAS4Free requires at least 512 MB of RAM.
Original FreeNAS Products
FreeNAS and NAS4Free NAS for home storage are taken from the original FreeNAS code, founded by Olivier Kochard-Labbe in 2005. In 2009, development teams began to switch from ZFS to an extensible plug-in architecture, which, in their opinion, was easier to implement on Linux. This caused considerable unrest among the existing user base, prompting the project management to look for new sites for “penguins”.
IxSystems are platforms that support a version of FreeBSD for PCs based on PCBS-BSD, called FreeNAS by Kohar-Labbe in 2011. It has been rewritten with a new architecture based on the new Internet platform (django) and the FreeBSD version. However, not all users were satisfied with the new architecture, so in 2012 it meant that the NAS4Free project abandoned ixSystems and started working directly from the source code base. FreeNAS and NAS4Free NAS for home storage are “off-the-shelf” NAS distributions with a relatively simple configuration and Internet interface for easier management. Each of them combines many basic technologies for user convenience: ZFS, FTP, CIFS / SMB (Windows network), AFP (Mac network, necessary if the NAS is a backup of Time Machine), NFS, iSCSI and others.
Required Authentication
NAS4Free are designed to be installed directly on a flash drive, provided that the NAS system is relatively simple, and the maximum number of hard drives and the amount of memory available for user data is extremely small. Most users are more likely to use the Windows network feature more actively than anything else in the OS.
Both distributions are well prepared for this project. Each of them can support autonomous authentication, create user names and passwords on the NAS server, and use mapping on a computer on the network or integration with Active Directory to join a Windows domain using centralized usernames and passwords from the domain.
They support full Windows ACL (access control list) privileges, as well as proprietary owner / group modes and NAS4Free privilege setting on a Unix system. Both distributions support the creation of ZFS snapshots in the form of shadow copies for Windows clients, which means that they can simply right-click the shared resources, one file or folder for FreeNAS, and select "Restore previous versions."
FreeNAS Based Versions
A host computer is a machine that is constantly used to perform most configuration tasks while NAS4Free is running. WinSCP - This amazing tool allows you to connect to your NAS device via FTP for configuration and maintenance.
NAS4Free requirements:
- Empty hard drives to be used with the NAS for data storage.
- Work network - for working with data on a NAS device, a connected home network is required.
- A client computer is a regular computer connected to a home network for testing using NAS4Free.
- You can easily use a personal control computer or run a virtual machine.
Storage devices that can be used to connect to the network:
- A NAS computer that uses a server or workstation with high disk space and associated software for NAS functions.
- NAS based ASIC. These systems, currently created by only one manufacturer, provide the NAS with one ASIC using hardware to implement the TCP / IP protocol and file system.
Free installation through sourceforge
NAS4Free can be installed on virtually any bootable media that supports extended formatted discs using 4K sectors, including a LiveCD with low-power USB drives. The x86-64 and x86-32 computer platforms are available in version 10.3. The software distribution is currently distributed in ISO format (.iso, ~ 370 MB) or on a USB drive (.img, ~ 320 MB) as source code. There is also a small image of the program (.img, ~ 150 MB).
The preferred method is an integrated USB installation. NAS4Free will boot from system memory, excluding system writing to disk. Flash devices are more energy efficient, and the update process can be performed using the WebGUI interface in a browser by downloading and installing a new firmware image.
For beginners, NAS4Free installation and configuration is done in detail according to the manufacturer’s instructions and usually starts by downloading a LiveCD from the sourceforge source of NAS4Free. You can connect using ASRock IPMI, which allows you to create bootable USB. Select an image after loading and launch it.
Action algorithm:
- Run nas4free install, booting from the CD. At this point, select option 9 “Install from LiveCD”.
- Go to the configuration and update options menu.
- They recommend using a USB drive to install the operating system, since it does not occupy the valuable SATA / SAS port.
- Go to the web interface and start setting up NAS4free.
- The default login details are: username admin, password nas4free.
- The web interface is quite extensive, so most tasks can be easily completed after installation using a browser.
Install and configure on a Windows network
Pre-burn the image of NAS4Free ISO to CD or DVD, connect the keyboard and monitor to the NAS. A mouse is not needed because the first installation of NAS4Free does not have a graphical interface. Next, insert the NAS4Free disk into the computer and boot from it. For beginners, installing and configuring NAS4Free is carried out in detail step by step, and begins by changing the boot order of the device, for this you will need to go to the computer’s BIOS screen.
NAS4Free automatically downloads a compatible device driver for the detected hardware. As soon as the user returns to the screen, he will see that an IP address has been assigned, after which NAS4Free will be fully loaded. If not, you need to find the problem and try again.
By installing the operating system on the hard drive, the user can save network information during future reboots without having to reconfigure it. To start the installation, press the 9 key on the keyboard, and then press Enter.
On the initial screen, select option 3, and press OK. On the next screen, they get a warning message and click OK again. In essence, this suggests that NAS4Free will install itself in the first partition and automatically create another partition to use as the data partition. This prompts many users to install the operating system on a USB drive.
Select the source to install. If NAS4Free is downloaded from the CD, it will become the source. Then select the drive to install on the first hard drive, and the size of the partition to install the operating system. The required minimum is 380 MB. Finally, you can decide whether to create an exchange partition or not. Now that the operating system is installed locally on the hard drive, the user tests it by removing the installation CD and restarting the computer.
Setting a static IP address
In order not to risk, assign a static IP. To do this, press number 2 on the keyboard. The assistant will ask the user if he wants to use DHCP. They answer: no.
The next screen assigns a static IP address for the NAS, for example, 192.168.1.240. Of course, the user must use the IP address in the range of IP addresses of the home network.
The default designation is entered on the subnet screen: "24 gateway addresses"; leave this field blank if the NAS does not require external Internet access. Typically, the gateway address is the IP address of the home router.
The user can verify that the machines cannot find the NAS server on the network until it displays the default gateway address.
A DNS server is not required for computers to find the NAS window. Here you can enter the address. Typically, this will be the IP address of the router or a specific DNS server selected by the user.
At the end, NAS4Free will configure the network card with the selected options and inform the user that the server can now be controlled by a static IP address. To make sure that it does not freeze, restart the server and check if the static IP address is configured on the NAS.
Connect to the NAS device from the host computer. Launch a web browser and enter the IP address of the NAS in the address bar. If you are prompted to log in to the NAS4Free, you can safely disconnect the keyboard and monitor connected to the NAS.
Custom Disk Setup
First of all, you need to prepare the hard drive for use. Enter the username and password for the default installation of NAS4Free in the login field, that is, admin and nas4free, respectively. If you are using only the NAS4Free version, you can leave the default password unchanged. However, it is better to change the password if the user is sure that he will use NAS4Free on his network. You can change the login password for NAS4Free by going to "System" -> "General" and clicking on the "Password" tab.
To prepare the disk, go to "Disk" -> "Management". By default, there should not be a single entry. Click on the blue plus sign on the right. If the user has only one physical hard drive, they import it there. Therefore, select only one disk, and click "Add."
On the next screen, notice that the changes have not been approved. You need to click the "Apply Changes" button to confirm them.
Disk mount point
After importing the disk and connecting to the network, it's time to mount it. Usually you need to format the drive, but if you decide to install NAS4Free directly on the hard drive, then it is not formatted. If the user has other empty hard drives, he must first format them before mounting.
You can do this by going to "Drives" -> "Format". Then select the drive and format it in the UFS file system. Proceed with the installation by going to "Drives" -> "Mount Point". Click on the blue plus sign.
Perform NAS4Free connection access settings for the drive. Select a mount point as the starting point for storing folder directories. Network users will not see this mount point, but only directories created in it.
Setup Algorithm:
- Be sure to enter number 2 in the Department Number field.
- In section 1, NAS4Free is installed, so it does not change.
- The user can set what he will use as the name of the mount point.
- In the NAS4Free Access Restrictions section, you can leave this part unchanged.
- Once the volume point is mounted on the disk, you can begin creating users and groups. Essentially, you must create an account in NAS4Free for every user on the network.
- First create a group. Go to Access -> "Users and Groups".
- Open the Groups tab and click the plus sign.
- They come up with a name and description for the group.
Creating an encrypted file
The Super NAS solution, which has many great features and delivers good performance even on older hardware, is ideal for home file / multimedia servers. Encryption is performed under Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit, but other platforms also have similar template equivalents.
NAS4Free configuration encryption will allow the user to download the encrypted configuration file, make changes to it and upload / restore the result. This operation is not recommended for inexperienced users, because it can seriously affect the configuration of NAS4Free and potentially damage the data stored in it. The user needs to be sure that he knows what he is doing before starting this process.
Start with an unencrypted XML configuration, usually that it is in:
C: \ Temp \ config-nas4free.local-20160213090000-new.xml
Use OpenSSL for base64 encryption, with the NAS4Free command:
openssl enc -es-256-cbc -a -in C: \ Temp \ config-nas4free.local-20160213090000-new.xml-out C: \ Temp \ config-nas4free.local-20160213090000-new
, 7-Zip . GZIP . , .
As you can see, NAS4Free is one of the easiest server hardware installations, because the user can use the default values for most requests. This is a project that provides an excellent network interface for the FreeBSD ZFS memory server. The FreeNAS code base has significant functionality that is easily accessible even to novice users.