Install FreeNAS on TS-251 (x86)?

[lei3E]

Howto install FreeNAS on TS-251 or other x86 based QNAP devices?

 

[IceBoosteR]

Hi,

the QNAP TS-251 has not even enough power or memory to run FreeNAS...

 

[Dice]

Howto install FreeNAS on TS-251 or other x86 based QNAP devices?

It won't FreeNAS.

 

[danb35]

the QNAP TS-251 has not even enough power or memory to run FreeNAS...

To be fair, it has a 64-bit CPU, and can have up to 8 GB of RAM. It's possible that it could FreeNAS, but only just barely.

 

[Dice]

@danb35 thnx for maintaining the thin line between rant and actual circumstances.

 

[danb35]

Well, I try. Now, whether it's possible to install an arbitrary OS on the thing, much less how you'd go about it, I have no idea, and a quick Google is no help.

 

[IceBoosteR]

To be fair, it has a 64-bit CPU, and can have up to 8 GB of RAM. It's possible that it could FreeNAS, but only just barely.

Ok my bad.
In my memory was, that this has 1GB and a dual core ARM-cpu.

Soo it might be possbible, but the TS-251 has only 512MB DOM internally. So you might need to boot external which might be a problem....

On the other side - what benefit would you have of using FreeNAS instead of QTS? Also its a newer model.

 

[danb35]

what benefit would you have of using FreeNAS instead of QTS?

ZFS would be the obvious one, but you'd lose any of the media features the thing seems to have. And it's kind of expensive to just give you two bays. I have no idea how prices are in .de, but here you can get a base-model HPE server for US$200. More bays, more CPU, more RAM capacity, though certainly more size and probably more noise.

 

[lei3E]

Well, I try. Now, whether it's possible to install an arbitrary OS on the thing, much less how you'd go about it, I have no idea, and a quick Google is no help.

my QNAP has 1 GB RAM, Intel Celeron 2.41GHz dual-core processor and Flash Memory 512MB see https://archive.fo/goV85

FreeNAS hardware requirements much higher http://www.freenas.org/hardware-requirements/

• Multicore 64-bit* processor (Intel strongly recommended)
• 8GB* Boot Drive (USB Flash Drive suffices)
• 8GB* RAM

Because I see no tutorial with Google I ask on this forum Nobody installed on a QNAP device?

I wish to install FreeNAS because it's Open Source and has most likely no government backdoor. Because I trust Open Source more and like to try out ZFS.

 

[Stux]

Try connecting an installer USB to it and see if it boots.

 

[danb35]

FreeNAS hardware requirements much higher http://www.freenas.org/hardware-requirements/

Correct. Your QNAP device falls far short of FreeNAS's minimum hardware requirements. That means you can't run FreeNAS on it. If you want to run FreeNAS, find, buy, or build suitable hardware.

 

[anodos]

I wish to install FreeNAS because it's Open Source and has most likely no government backdoor. Because I trust Open Source more and like to try out ZFS.

Who needs back doors when you have front doors? :D That said, I vaguely recall some people installing FreeNAS on more enterprise-y versions of QNAP with x86 processors and gobs of memory. Too lazy to actually look it up.

 

[lei3E]

Who needs back doors when you have front doors? :D That said, I vaguely recall some people installing FreeNAS on more enterprise-y versions of QNAP with x86 processors and gobs of memory. Too lazy to actually look it up.

please look it up and post here a detailed tutorial. Thanks.

 

[lei3E]

Correct. Your QNAP device falls far short of FreeNAS's minimum hardware requirements. That means you can't run FreeNAS on it. If you want to run FreeNAS, find, buy, or build suitable hardware.

it means I bought a trash product? It was very pricy :-(

 

[IceBoosteR]

it means I bought a trash product? It was very pricy :-(

No you defenetly did not. The model is worth its price I think, but should run QTS as other operating systems do not work on a closed system.
What you can do, is to use the QNAP box for backup maybe, and buy something like a Dell T20, HP Microserver Gen8 or an HP Proliant ML10 Gen9. Preconfigured systems, not much needed to upgrade and its enterprise hardware.
But in conclusion, FreeNAS will not run well even if you bring it to work I think.
Maybe you should try it wirth a Virtual Machine with an similar config.

 

[anodos]

please look it up and post here a detailed tutorial. Thanks.

Well, it was several years back. I believe it was a 2U rackmount unit with a xeon processor (assuming I'm not senile), and so your first step would be to buy a new NAS. :)

Or you could just use the QNAP provided software. I'm sure it works fine. :)

 

[danb35]

it means I bought a trash product? It was very pricy :-(

No, I'm sure it's a fine product for its intended purpose. Running FreeNAS is not its intended purpose, and it isn't at all suitable for that. At least three of us have told you that already, and have told you why, and you yourself can see that the hardware in your device is far below what's required to run FreeNAS.

 

[anodos]

No, I'm sure it's a fine product for its intended purpose. Running FreeNAS is not its intended purpose, and it isn't at all suitable for that. At least three of us have told you that already, and have told you why, and you yourself can see that the hardware in your device is far below what's required to run FreeNAS.

It's important to stress that this does not make your device a "bad device". I routinely use things like these 2-bay QNAS (though I like synology more). They're handy, portable, reliable, and easy to configure.

 

[danb35]

It's important to stress that this does not make your device a "bad device".

Of course not. A hammer makes a terrible screwdriver. That doesn't make it a bad tool, it just means it wasn't designed to be a screwdriver.

 

[lei3E]

thank you guys and boys for answer.

****** happend. I love Open Source.