Freenas 11.x+ (new UI) without AD (local NAS based users/groups/permissions)

[jaypub]

Hello,

Trying out FreeNAS 11.x here and it looks great!

Our organization has about 30 Windows 7/8/10 users. Requirements are for department level folder permission schemes where only members/users of the dept level groups should have access to the underlying shares (HR, Finance, IT, Operations, etc.).

Essentially we would like to use FreeNAS as a simple NAS where the NAS is controlling users, groups & file share permissions.

Unfortunately I'm having some issues finding good documentation for the newer version / UI in terms of being able to support purely local (to FREENAS) users/groups/permissions used by windows users who are not in an environment with AD, LDAP, or Domain Controller. FreeNAS based on the older UI seems to have had some configuration options with: "Authentication Model: Local user" in Services>CIFS, but these options are no longer available in the new UI that I can see. Example reference URL below for the older versions of FreeNAS:
https://www.ixsystems.com/community...users-for-a-windows-network-without-dc.11683/

Does anyone know of a straightforward howto or instructions for how to accomplish this on FreeNAS 11?

Thanks!

 

[dlavigne]

Do you mean 12 or 11.2? The latest version of the Guide (for the new UI) is at https://www.ixsystems.com/documentation/freenas/11.2-U4.1/freenas.html.

 

[jaypub]

Yes, sorry 11.2.

The guide seems to be incomplete. Specifically here:
https://www.ixsystems.com/documenta...iguring-authenticated-access-with-local-users

In the guide above, it seems it is suggesting UNIX level ACL for the pool, and WINDOWS ACL for the dataset, is that correct?

So many dead threads in these forums close to this same topic make me think that Freenas can't easily accomplish what we're trying to do -- which is simply have FreeNAS manage all the things for windows-based users, groups, and shares (as a toaster-type off the shelf NAS can do).

Example:

We want to create a share/dataset "FINANCE"

and have members of a FREENAS group called GRP_FINANCE_RO have read-only access to that share

and have members of a FREENAS group called GRP_FINANCE_RW have read-write access to that share

repeat this for a dozen other shares. That's it.

But I guess the confusion starts with....

UNIX or Windows ACL at the pool level?
who should be the use owner/user?
who should be the owner/group?

UNIX or Windows ACL at the dataset level?
who should be the use owner/user?
who should be the owner/group?

 

[jaypub]

Never_mind. We went with another solution. Thanks.