Initial FreeNAS setup

[Guinea]

I am a bit confused on this terminology. I am following the User Guide and trying to understand what to build and how to configure it. Here is my goal and maybe someone could point me to a more specific instructional blog or something that follows what I am trying to accomplish:

I have a 24 bay NAS. I have 8 drives populated with 4TB WD Red drives. I have FreeNAS 11 running now on a 120GB SSD. The main purpose is for me to use ZFS (Raid2?) to make my setup expandable. I want to use all 8 drives for a single vdev and when it fills up, I want to be able to add 2 more vdevs with the same drive types and sizes in 8 drive additions (8 drives per vdev and 24 bays, so I can do 2 more expansions). I am confused on how to set this up. I made a single volume (sco_data_vault). I can see it in storage, but I don't see how to create the vdev. I also see a jails location.

The main goal of the NAS is to run a Plex Media Server. So I would need to do a jail and/or install the Plex plugin. I am not sure how that stuff works. Do I put the jail on the storage volume? Do I have it on a separate USB stick somewhere else? I assumed I couldn't put it on the boot drive. And then how do I connect to the volume as a mapped network drive/directory structure from my Windows PC. I don't see the syntax to access it and it is a bit confusing.

These may be simple questions, but I am just trying to read through the documentation and understand and it is a bit confusing the first time.

 

[danb35]

I can see it in storage, but I don't see how to create the vdev.

The vdev is automatically created. When you're ready to add the next 8 disks, go to the Volume Manager, select your existing pool under "volume to extend", and Bob's your uncle.

 

[danb35]

Do I put the jail on the storage volume?

Yes, ordinarily.

And then how do I connect to the volume as a mapped network drive/directory structure from my Windows PC.

You create a share. http://doc.freenas.org/11/sharing.html#windows-smb-shares

 

[Guinea]

Yes, ordinarily.

You create a share. http://doc.freenas.org/11/sharing.html#windows-smb-shares

I created a share to path /mnt/sco_data_vault with Browsable to Network Clients set to true. I just don't know the syntax to find it on my network.

 

[danb35]

You don't normally want to share your entire pool, but rather individual datasets within it. But to access your share:

Start -> Run -> \\servername\sharename

 

[Guinea]

You don't normally want to share your entire pool, but rather individual datasets within it. But to access your share:

Start -> Run -> \\servername\sharename[/

That is the problem. I set the hostname/domain to datavault.sco. I tried connecting to \\datavault.sco\sco_data_vault and nothing happens. Am I using the wrong syntax? I am also having issues with sending e-mails. I am wondering if networking is not set up properly.

 

[danb35]

Try \\serverIP\sharename then.

 

[Guinea]

Try \\serverIP\sharename then.

When you say server IP, would that be the same IP I am accessing the FreeNAS web GUI through? I tried that and tried different versions of the share name. I named the share in the Windows SMB - SCO Data Vault.

 

[danb35]

would that be the same IP I am accessing the FreeNAS web GUI through?

Yes.

 

[Chris Moore]

and Bob's your uncle.

What about Uncle Fester?

 

[danb35]

If Fester's your uncle, you've got bigger problems.