FreeNAS software

[dysfunction]

Ok so I now have my HP Proliant Microserver!

Ive decided to put FreeNAS on as the OS.
I see you can run this from a USB stick without actually installing on a HDD.

Does anyone know if this works ok or is it better to use a hdd?

I would like to have all 4 drive bays for data storage instead of 3 so booting from a USB stick sounds appealing but not if it runs too slowly.

The alternative is to try and move the OS hdd into the optical drive bay....but this looks to be a fiddly job!

Any suggestions?

 

[soze]

I have not used the software so I cannot comment on that but the HD in the Drive bay is easy enough. You can buy a mounting kit from ebay for not a lot and then you just need an IDE to SATA power adapter and you are done. I am not sure I would fancy an OS on a memory stick.

 

[MYstIC G]

Ok so I now have my HP Proliant Microserver!

Ive decided to put FreeNAS on as the OS.
I see you can run this from a USB stick without actually installing on a HDD.

Does anyone know if this works ok or is it better to use a hdd?

I would like to have all 4 drive bays for data storage instead of 3 so booting from a USB stick sounds appealing but not if it runs too slowly.

The alternative is to try and move the OS hdd into the optical drive bay....but this looks to be a fiddly job!

Any suggestions?

You cannot install FreeNAS, it has to run off a USB stick or similar. It's worked perfectly on my HP N36L Microserver for over a year and won't affect your loading times.

 

[SheepCow]

You cannot install FreeNAS, it has to run off a USB stick or similar. It's worked perfectly on my HP N36L Microserver for over a year and won't affect your loading times.

Indeed, I believe it loads itself in to a RAM drive once booted anyway. I have 4 disks in my microserver all as data disks

 

[dysfunction]

Excellent. That's good to hear!

I'll just buy a decent USB stick then and a few HDD!

 

[dysfunction]

What is wrong??

I boot up the HP Proliant Microserver. I can access the BIOS fine but after that has booted up the screen looks like this:



Anyone know what the problem is? Faulty Machine?
There are no beeps or anything!

 

[MYstIC G]

Yeah looks that way mate, FreeNAS doesn't boot a GUI its totally text based. Does it go straight into that or do you get anything that says "FreeNAS" after the BIOS?

 

[soze]

I would try a different memory stick with Free NAS reinstalled. If the BIOS shows up without a graphics glitch it would suggest the driver used by Free NAS being the issue wouldn't it? If you can throw a Windows CD at it and see if the graphics glitch happens with that too.

 

[MYstIC G]

Should be standard low end though, I'd imagine probably VGA. It's worth trying with something else but that's seriously not right, it should look like a terminal.

 

[dysfunction]

Ive not had a chance to install anything yet. All I get is that screen after the initial splash screen and bios checks...even without trying to install anything.

 

[MYstIC G]

You don't have to install anything dysfunction if FreeNAS is loaded onto the USB stick properly it should just boot (kinda like a recovery CD).

 

[dysfunction]

You don't have to install anything dysfunction if FreeNAS is loaded onto the USB stick properly it should just boot (kinda like a recovery CD).

Yes that's kind of what I meant.

Simply put the server is broken then if im getting that green screen.

I wonder why I can get into the bios without this green screen thing.

 

[MYstIC G]

Yes that's kind of what I meant.

Simply put the server is broken then if im getting that green screen.

I wonder why I can get into the bios without this green screen thing.

No idea mate, have you tried booting anything else on it? Essentially it's nothing more than a regular PC. Perhaps try flashing Ubuntu onto your USB stick and see if that boots?

 

[dysfunction]

No idea mate, have you tried booting anything else on it? Essentially it's nothing more than a regular PC. Perhaps try flashing Ubuntu onto your USB stick and see if that boots?

Just tried a different monitor cable and it works now! Woohoo!

 

[Chilly]

Also, you dont need a display. It connects to your network with dhcp and exposes itself on a standard port/password so you can get into the gui and set it up via a remote browser.

 

[dysfunction]

Also, you dont need a display. It connects to your network with dhcp and exposes itself on a standard port/password so you can get into the gui and set it up via a remote browser.

You what now?

How do I do that then if I have not yet setup FreeNAS?

 

[MYstIC G]

FreeNAS sets itself up mate.

Plug in the USB, hook up the network cable, hook up the power, turn it on.

If you have a monitor connected, that's a bonus because when it's finished booting it will give you a menu (like 1-11) under which it will say something like:

Access the admin console via
http://192.168.10.10

All you then have to do is whack that address into the browser on your main PC and follow the documentation on the FreeNAS website.

 

[dysfunction]

FreeNAS sets itself up mate.

Plug in the USB, hook up the network cable, hook up the power, turn it on.

If you have a monitor connected, that's a bonus because when it's finished booting it will give you a menu (like 1-11) under which it will say something like:

Access the admin console via
http://192.168.10.10

All you then have to do is whack that address into the browser on your main PC and follow the documentation on the FreeNAS website.

Yes I saw it booting to the 1-11 options last night...but didn't go further as it was late.

But if I don't have a monitor attached how do I get the ip address?

 

[MYstIC G]

I personally just dug it out of my broadband router admin panel.

 

[SheepCow]

I personally just dug it out of my broadband router admin panel.

Same, my HH lists all the devices it can see so I just grabbed it from that (and told the HH to always give it the same IP)

 

[dysfunction]

Excellent got the IP! No more messing about with an extra monitor!

Now what do I do?

 

[Chilly]

Excellent got the IP! No more messing about with an extra monitor!

Now what do I do?

get onto the freenas forum and look at the setup thread.

 

[dysfunction]

get onto the freenas forum and look at the setup thread.

Although I thought I would try a youtube video and its got all b0rked so I'm having to rewrite the image file to the USB stick!

 

[Chilly]

Although I thought I would try a youtube video and its got all b0rked so I'm having to rewrite the image file to the USB stick!

 

[dysfunction]

Right I'm on track but I'm tying to create a ZFS Mirror volume but I don't get the ZFS Volume Manager as shown here:

http://doc.freenas.org/index.php/Volumes#ZFS_Volume_Manager

Why is that? I have FreeNAS 8.3.1 so it should have that there...

Could it be that i only have 2 HDD drives?

 

[Chilly]

Right I'm on track but I'm tying to create a ZFS Mirror volume but I don't get the ZFS Volume Manager as shown here:

http://doc.freenas.org/index.php/Volumes#ZFS_Volume_Manager

Why is that? I have FreeNAS 8.3.1 so it should have that there...

Could it be that i only have 2 HDD drives?

create one and then the manager appears, I think.

ah, but I'm on an older release so my menu might look slightly different to yours. Get onto IRC if you like? #freddyshouse on quakenet.

 

[dysfunction]

Thanks but I think I managed to do it. Not had a chance to look at it tonight though.

 

[Starman]

Shame I'm looking to sell my N36L and x4 2TB HDDs setup given my recent N40L and x5 4TB setup

But yes I was able to run it for over a year via USB and now the same setup on my new server. Works lovely and is stable.