Installing ZeroTier (virtual network interface) on FreeNAS

[Jon Rosebaugh]

I'm looking at using ZeroTier for a VPN. As I understand it, basically it creates a virtualized network adapter that behaves like Ethernet (but can be reached securely across the public Internet). It seems that the recommended setup method is to install ZeroTier directly on the devices you want to put on the network, which in this case is the FreeNAS box itself. I want to have access to the file shares and FreeNAS web interface via this virtual network. (I will also be installing it inside some jails so I have access to nzbget and such services over the network, but that is much more straighforward than this problem.)

ZeroTier's software is available via port and package, but I can't see any supported way of installing it on FreeNAS itself, only in a jail.

So these are the two approaches I'm considering:

1. Find a way to install the ZeroTier software on the NAS and configure it as a network interface so the shares are available that way.
   
2. Install ZeroTier in a jail and find a way to have the fileshares available inside that jail so they can be accessed across the ZeroTier network.

What approach seems best to you?

 

[dlavigne]

Don't install software on the NAS itself, use a jail.

 

[Jon Rosebaugh]

Yes, I have been repeatedly told this. However, in order for installing it to be useful at all, I need the shared services (SMB, etc) to be listening on the network interface I install. Normally such things listen on "0.0.0.0" so installing a new network interface means they automatically are on that interface. How can I cause the SMB shares to be listening on a network interface that exists only inside a jail?

 

[jgreco]

Yes, I have been repeatedly told this. However, in order for installing it to be useful at all, I need the shared services (SMB, etc) to be listening on the network interface I install. Normally such things listen on "0.0.0.0" so installing a new network interface means they automatically are on that interface. How can I cause the SMB shares to be listening on a network interface that exists only inside a jail?

You can't, but seeing as how FreeNAS is an appliance and isn't designed for users to be modifying the system firmware to add functionality like this, the advice is still the best we have. Showing someone (who doesn't understand how to do this on their own) how to do this would simply be leaving you with a mess you'd need to decipher later, and if you can't figure out how to do it yourself now, you absolutely lack the skills to un-screw-up your system later.