FreeNAS software

dysfunction

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Excellent. That's good to hear!

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

dysfunction

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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:

20130630_200055.jpg

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

:cry:
 

MYstIC G

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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MYstIC G said:
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

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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

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MYstIC G said:
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

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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

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Chilly said:
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

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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

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MYstIC G said:
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

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

SheepCow

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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

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

Now what do I do?
:cautious:
 

dysfunction

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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!
:unsure:
 

Chilly

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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

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

Starman

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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.
 

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