3. Booting

The Console Setup menu, shown in Figure 3.1, appears at the end of the boot process. If the FreeNAS® system has a keyboard and monitor, this Console Setup menu can be used to administer the system.

Note

When connecting to the FreeNAS® system with SSH or the web Shell, the Console Setup menu is not shown by default. It can be started by the root user or another user with root permissions by typing /etc/netcli.

_images/console-menu.png

Fig. 3.1 Console Setup Menu

The menu provides these options:

1) Configure Network Interfaces provides a configuration wizard to set up the system’s network interfaces.

2) Configure Link Aggregation is for creating or deleting link aggregations.

3) Configure VLAN Interface is used to create or delete VLAN interfaces.

4) Configure Default Route is used to set the IPv4 or IPv6 default gateway. When prompted, enter the IP address of the default gateway.

5) Configure Static Routes prompts for the destination network and gateway IP address. Re-enter this option for each static route needed.

6) Configure DNS prompts for the name of the DNS domain and the IP address of the first DNS server. When adding multiple DNS servers, press Enter to enter the next one. Press Enter twice to leave this option.

7) Reset Root Password is used to reset a lost or forgotten root password. Select this option and follow the prompts to set the password.

8) Reset Configuration to Defaults Caution! This option deletes all of the configuration settings made in the administrative GUI and is used to reset a FreeNAS® system back to defaults. Before selecting this option, make a full backup of all data and make sure all encryption keys and passphrases are known! After this option is selected, the configuration is reset to defaults and the system reboots. Storage ➞ Volumes ➞ Import Volume can be used to re-import volumes.

9) Shell starts a shell for running FreeBSD commands. To leave the shell, type exit.

10) Reboot reboots the system.

11) Shut Down shuts down the system.

Note

The numbering and quantity of options on this menu can change due to software updates, service agreements, or other factors. Please carefully check the menu before selecting an option, and keep this in mind when writing local procedures.

3.1. Obtaining an IP Address

During boot, FreeNAS® automatically attempts to connect to a DHCP server from all live network interfaces. If it successfully receives an IP address, the address is displayed so it can be used to access the graphical user interface. The example in Figure 3.1 shows a FreeNAS® system that is accessible at http://192.168.1.119.

Some FreeNAS® systems are set up without a monitor, making it challenging to determine which IP address has been assigned. On networks that support Multicast DNS (mDNS), the hostname and domain can be entered into the address bar of a browser. By default, this value is freenas.local.

If the FreeNAS® server is not connected to a network with a DHCP server, use the console network configuration menu to manually configure the interface as shown here. In this example, the FreeNAS® system has one network interface, em0.

Enter an option from 1-12: 1
1) em0
Select an interface (q to quit): 1
Remove the current settings of this interface? (This causes a momentary disconnec
tion of the network.) (y/n) n
Configure interface for DHCP? (y/n) n
Configure IPv4? (y/n) y
Interface name:     (press enter, the name can be blank)
Several input formats are supported
Example 1 CIDR Notation:
    192.168.1.1/24
Example 2 IP and Netmask separate:
    IP: 192.168.1.1
    Netmask: 255.255.255.0, or /24 or 24
IPv4 Address: 192.168.1.108/24
Saving interface configuration: Ok
Configure IPv6? (y/n) n
Restarting network: ok

...

The web user interface is at
http://192.168.1.108

After the system has an IP address, enter that address into a graphical web browser from a computer connected to the same network as the FreeNAS® system.

3.2. Logging In

By default, the login screen shown in Figure 3.2.1 prompts to log into the new UI.

_images/quick-login.png

Fig. 3.2.1 Enter the Root Password

To instead log into the legacy web interface, click LEGACY WEB INTERFACE. A prompt appears to confirm the choice.

Enter the password for the root user that was chosen during the installation. There is a prompt to set a root password if this was not set during the installation. The administrative GUI is displayed as shown in Figure 3.2.2.

_images/initial1c.png

Fig. 3.2.2 FreeNAS® Graphical Configuration Menu

Note

The rest of this Guide describes the legacy UI. To access the Guide for the new UI, log into the new UI and click Guide or access it online at doc.freenas.org/11.2/freenas.html.

If the FreeNAS® system does not respond to the IP address or mDNS name entered in a browser:

  • If proxy settings are enabled in the browser configuration, disable them and try connecting again.
  • If the page does not load, check whether the FreeNAS® system’s IP address responds to a ping from another computer on the same network. If the FreeNAS® IP address is in a private IP address range, it can only be accessed from within that private network.
  • If the user interface loads but is unresponsive or seems to be missing menu items, try a different web browser. IE9 has known issues and does not display the graphical administrative interface correctly if compatibility mode is turned on. Firefox is recommended.
  • If An error occurred! messages are shown when attempting to configure an item in the GUI, make sure that the browser is set to allow cookies from the FreeNAS® system.

This blog post describes some applications which can be used to access the FreeNAS® system from an iPad or iPhone.

3.3. Initial Configuration

The first time the FreeNAS® GUI is accessed, the Wizard starts automatically to help configure the FreeNAS® device quickly and easily.