Network-attached storage (NAS) is the name given to dedicated data storage technology which can be connected directly to a computer network to provide centralized data access and storage to heterogeneous network clients.

Now to cut through the red tape on that description, simply put a NAS is a device you access via your network to store data, either for backup purposes or retrieval.

Traditionally NAS devices have been out of reach of the regular home/small business consumer, with prices usually starting around $800 for a simple version that has limited expansion capabilities (around 300gb).

FreeNAS however is exactly as it sounds, FREE Network Attached Storage.

But the difference with FreeNAS is that you don’t need to have special hardware to have FreeNAS on your network, and you can install as much (depending on your choice of hardware) storage as needed (talking Terabytes here folks).

FreeNAS as you might have guessed from the title of this post is an OS, it is based on FreeBSD (and the Wikipedia entry on FreeBSD is here.) so it is similar to Linux but not quite. The beauty of FreeNAS being built on FreeBSD is that it will run on fairly low spec hardware so if you happen to have an old or spare PC lying around then you are already half way there.

For this first part of Install FreeNAS, I will be explaining what you need to have ready and how to prepare to install FreeNAS.

Part 1:

Installing FreeNAS is easier than most think, in fact if you can install a program onto your operating system, then you can install FreeNAS, its just that simple.

But before we can install FreeNAS we need to have something to install it on!

Most people have only 1-2 computers at home or on a small business network, so remember that if you are going to install FreeNAS on a spare PC then it will be DEDICATED as FreeNAS, you won’t be able to use the computer for anything else.

So the first thing we need is a computer to install it onto. That said, if you are looking at buying a computer for the purpose of installing FreeNAS then look through the local trading post, ebay or your favorite online purchasing service.

Now there are no real set requirements as to what FreeNAS needs to be installed on, but as a general guide the FreeNAS manual states that to run FreeNAS you should have a PC that has at least:

• A PC with a minimum of 96Mb of RAM, a bootable CD Rom Drive plus either:

• A Floppy Disk (for configuration storage) and one or more Hard Drives.
• A Bootable USB or CF drive and one or more Hard Drives.
• A Bootable Hard Drive and one or more Hard Drives.
• A Bootable Hard Drive (Partitioned FreeNAS and Data).

Now before you scream out: “BUT I DON’T HAVE A FLOPPY DRIVE!” you don’t need to have one, each of the last for options are exactly that: OPTIONS.

You can use a Floppy to configure FreeNAS for storage, but the option we will be taking is the last one:

• A Bootable Hard Drive (Partitioned for FreeNAS and Data).

As you may have guessed, FreeNAS will almost run on anything from your old 486 to your kitchen toaster (and the toaster probably has better hardware in it!).

But for this guide I’ll focus on hardware that is still fairly recent.

The following is a list of parts you will need for your new FreeNAS Box:

1. A fairly current motherboard - Something thats not TOO old!
2. A CPU - preferably greater that 1ghz.
3. Some Ram - you’ll struggle getting less than 256->512mb these days.
4. A CD-Rom Drive - almost ANY CD or DVD Rom drive will do.
5. A network card - almost any network card will do, even wireless!
6. A HARD DRIVE - get something that is a decent size 200gb -> 500gb
7. Length of Network Cable - Cat5 usually, the blue stuff.
8. A network - Because without this, well… its pretty useless!

Ok so once you have assembled your parts, you can now build your PC (people with a computer system that already is built skip this bit of course).

The best way to do this is to have someone build it for you, that way if you don’t know how to put a PC together you don’t have to worry about it! (and if you do know how, well have a cup of tea while your friend puts it together!)

Oh and make sure that you plug it in and turn it on to test if it is actually working!

Once that is done, you need to download FreeNAS itself, click here for the download page: Download FreeNAS.

The latest version of FreeNAS is Version 0.684b and you need to make sure you download the ISO version.

The file that you should have just downloaded is called: FreeNAS-0.684b.ISO

You’ll need to burn the .ISO image onto a Blank CD, you can use any burning software for this that supports burning ISO files such as Nero, UltraISO or one of a number of free disc burning utilities.

Ok, so we now have the following:

• Some knowledge as to what FreeNAS is.
• A PC that is capable of installing and running FreeNAS.
• A CD containing FreeNAS v0.684b

In GEEKfix - Install FreeNAS - Part 2 we will get into checking the hardware, setting up a few minor things that will save you hours of heartache, and finally INSTALL FreeNAS!