FreeNAS in mixed lnx/mac/win environment

[whynot123456]

I plan to run FreeNAS serving files to local 3d-rendering nodes.
Nodes are dualboot win/lnx and mac.

I need to be able to read from NAS, and write back in both lnx/mac/win.
I will run HDDs in M1015 raid0, and boot from usb.
I''ve read ZFS is a filesystem to go with FreeNAS, but apparently
you can't mount it on win, and ext4 is pain for win systems.

I don't care much about the reliability of fs. Could you advise on
best lean config in terms of filesystem, etc so i could access same files
on NAS from both win/lnx/mac without much pain and
perfomance penalties(if there are any?).

 

[danb35]

The filesystem doesn't matter, as you'll be serving the files over the network. The only question is what file sharing protocol you'll use, and the only sensible answer is CIFS.

 

[DifferentStrokes]

I need to be able to read from NAS, and write back in both lnx/mac/win.

Like @danb35 said, CIFS is going to be your best cross-platform option here. Well supported in all 3 OSs.

I will run HDDs in M1015 raid0, and boot from usb.

Remember, FreeNAS does software RAID. The M1015 needs to be flashed to IT mode or you will have problems. It is easy to do. Search the forum and you can find step-by-step instructions. Also, consider using 2 USB drives in a mirror for the boot device. It is cheap and will save your bacon one day.

I''ve read ZFS is a filesystem to go with FreeNAS, but apparently you can't mount it on win, and ext4 is pain for win systems.

ZFS is the only filesystem for the newer versions of FreeNAS. You don't mount the filesystem on FreeNAS to your desktop. You access the data as a network share.

I don't care much about the reliability of fs. Could you advise on
best lean config in terms of filesystem, etc so i could access same files
on NAS from both win/lnx/mac without much pain and
perfomance penalties(if there are any?).

Check out the stickys on the forum. There is some great info in them.

 

[whynot123456]

@danb35 @DifferentStrokes many thanks! i ll dig into that

 

[danb35]

Could you advise on best lean config in terms of filesystem, etc

BTW, I should probably point out at this point that if you're looking for a "lean" hardware configuration, FreeNAS is probably not for you. It requires, for example, 8 GB of RAM at a minimum, and 16 GB is a practical minimum for most installations. ECC is strongly encouraged. I mention this because many people have gotten the idea that FreeNAS is something that can be used on any castoff old hardware and give decent performance and reliability. This is not the case, and has never been the case for the product currently called FreeNAS (it may have been true at one time for the product formerly called FreeNAS, and now called NAS4Free). If this wasn't what you meant by "lean config", the never mind--I just didn't want you heading off with unrealistic expectations of what it would do.

 

[whynot123456]

@danb35 i have 32 gb ram in this box, although non-ecc and 16gb usb i plan to boot from
i ll try it out and test it and if it works, it works, if not, then i ll look into something else.
you're right about the impression though