Initial Configuration - USB thumb drive plugged into a NAS enclosure

[bigalk]

Hi all,

total newbie to all this so if theres a sticky or links i havent seen please post them. I have a smartdisk nd250 (Smartdisk were bought by verbatim and verbatim no longer host the software) that i want to hook up to my network as NAS share.

1) am i correct in thinking that this particular configuration is supported - that i can run freenas off a thumb drive plugged into my old NAS drive?
2) If so - how to do i initially configure the drive after first boot? (as shown here - http://doc.freenas.org/index.php/Initial_Setup)
- can i access the drive from 192.168.1.128, as ive seen some posts relating to

thanks,
alan

 

[pirateghost]

1) unless it is x86 hardware, dont expect it to work at all

2) if you can run FreeNAS on it, you browse to the IP that you configure at the console....if it doesnt run x86, or have serial or video output, you are out of luck.

 

[bigalk]

Hi Pirate,

and thanks for the reply!

1) how can i assess this
2) that is exactly the problem i am foreseeing - how do i get to the console if this has not already been network configured. should i boot it on a desktop and configure it there?

thanks again,
Alan

 

[pirateghost]

is the device an actual computer? with ram and a processor? what are the specs? Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing but the only device I see listed as that looks like a simple single drive enclosure with no real brain...in which case its highly unlikely its a usable PC for this.

if you have no monitor or serial connection coming from the device, you simply cant use it. how do you propose it boots from USB?

 

[bigalk]

Hi Pirate,

OK now i understand your x86 question. this device is simply a pre built NAS Drive (with network connection) that had its inbuilt OS wiped (by a newbie who didnt understand it) a few years back. sorry i want clearer in the OP. I have plenty of old x86 machines lying around but i want a small, energy efficient, setup that will fit beside my smaller (raspberry pi) htpc setup.

the way i understood it this software is essentially an OS in itself. I have seen (and successfully booted) other Linux based distros on my windows PC from a USB drive, so as i see it the concept works.

I am 'certain' i read that my theoretical setup works (on one of the freenas.org help / forum pages), and that is what led to (why i posted) my question. I would not have made this assumption otherwise and started asking for solutions to imaginary setup problems.

Al

 

[pirateghost]

FreeNAS is an OS. You install it to a USB thumbdrive, and you boot a pc up that has hard drives installed in it.

The smartdisk nd250 appears to be nothing more than a glorified USB drive, am I wrong?
I don't see any specs that would indicate it is an x86 device, which I am willing to bet is not, which would mean its not running a true user configurable OS, more like a router firmware. Does that sound about right?

If that is the case, then there is no way to make the smartdisk boot from a FreeNAS USB device.

 

[bigalk]

yup - seems you are correct

Seems possible alright but not worth the effort!

Forums.freenas.org/archive/index.php/t-8578.html

 

[pirateghost]

Seems possible alright but not worth the effort!

Forums.freenas.org/archive/index.php/t-8578.html

what does that thread have to do with your question??

 

[cyberjock]

I have seen (and successfully booted) other Linux based distros on my windows PC...

FreeNAS is not "another" Linux based distro. In fact, it's not Linux at all. FreeNAS is based on FreeBSD. Your noobness is showing ;)

It's okay though, we all gotta start somewhere.

 

[bigalk]

Pirate - well if it can't be done on a full on commercial NAS, my piece of crap certainly wont cut the cake!

Thanks for the heads up superjock. its all 1s and 0s to me