FreeNAS and RM

[Jamo]

Hello!

 

I am doing some research on the use of FreeNAS in my establishment. We currently are storage short! The servers we currently have are small in terms of storage space and a NAS would be extremely useful.

 

I need a solution which is reliable and usable on an RM CC3 system.

 

How do you use FreeNAS? Do you just map the drive to a share with anon permissions or use local or AD authentication? Have you come across any problems using the system?

 

I have tried to use OpenFiler but have found the interface less than appealing and couldn't for the life of me get it to connect to my test server at home whereas I managed to join FreeNAS to the domain no problem!

 

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

[Hightower]

I haven't tried what I'm going to suggest myself (as we don't have the money). Could you install FreeNAS to use iSCSI and use the iSCSI connector for windows to connect to the device? I'm not sure NAS would be up to the job you are wanting it to do?

 

I would stick some gig cards in and set up iSCSI. As for FreeNAS - we use it here (as a NAS) for backups and I've NEVER had a problem with it. It does its job and NEVER complains.

[webman]

OpenFiler has greater AD control and integration for share permissions than FreeNAS, and we currently have an OpenFiler box integrated into our CC3 network for backups.

 

The settings we have on ours:

 

Use LDAP (unticked)

 

Use Windows domain controller and authentication (ticked)

 

Security: Active Directory

Domain/Workgroup: bbarrington

Domain controllers: (your first DC)

ADS realm: (your domain, myschool.internal)

Join domain: tick on first time

Administrator username/password: fill in with an AD account with permission to add to domain (Setup or Administrator).

 

Hope that helps.

 

Hightower's solution is also fine if your servers are capable of taking the load.

[Jamo]

I have seen the iSCSI option but I was hoping to set up something that won't need much configuration. Basically the machine is an old server (WAY overkill for a NAS) 2GB RAM 2x2GHz Xeons and RAID5 array for storage, but its gonna be chucked or be a storage server basically!!

 

It doesn't need to be that fast, just reliable and easy to use.

 

I will have to try Openfiler again tonight I think, I must have done something dumb! In what way does Openfiler behave better with AD than freeNAS? So far FreeNAS seems pretty well behaved apart from permission had to be set in the advanced security settings for the folders in Windows.

 

Doesn't anyone use any of these for anything but backup? Just thinking here about concurrent connections...

 

Thanks

[Hightower]

I have seen the iSCSI option but I was hoping to set up something that won't need much configuration. Basically the machine is an old server (WAY overkill for a NAS) 2GB RAM 2x2GHz Xeons and RAID5 array for storage, but its gonna be chucked or be a storage server basically!!

 

It doesn't need to be that fast, just reliable and easy to use.

 

I will have to try Openfiler again tonight I think, I must have done something dumb! In what way does Openfiler behave better with AD than freeNAS? So far FreeNAS seems pretty well behaved apart from permission had to be set in the advanced security settings for the folders in Windows.

 

Doesn't anyone use any of these for anything but backup? Just thinking here about concurrent connections...

 

Thanks

 

iSCSI isn't to hard to configure - simple setup on the FreeNAS box, and then download the iSCSI connector for windows (free and easy download). Load it and set it to the iSCSI you created in FreeNAS and then it shows on your server as if it were a physical HDD in the server itself. Voila - shared storage that looks like local storage to the server that uses it.

[mattx]

I have a few Freenas boxes around the site - my fav is this one in which I have taken a screens shot of in regards to uptime. Sad thing is it will have to be powered down next week as the school site is having a new mains line out in

Anyhoo - I have one using the AD Authenticationn and it works fine - I do however find myself having to set permissions on the folders afterwards using the in-built QuiXplorer.

Also got one running our video play out database - the only problem I did find was duplex - the output I found dramatically changes in regards to the type of nic you use in it. I ended up forcing the duplex on both the card and the switch port to get max performance on one of the boxes.

 

Also check out:

 

http://www.learnfreenas.com/blog/

 

For info.

Edited April 1, 2010 by mattx

[Jamo]

Mmm iSCSI sounds interesting, we use Symantec Backup Exec would it be licenced for backing up the iSCSI drive also? (assuming we have a basic licence). Sorry if that is a dumb question!

[sted]

Mmm iSCSI sounds interesting, we use Symantec Backup Exec would it be licenced for backing up the iSCSI drive also? (assuming we have a basic licence). Sorry if that is a dumb question!

 

it will just see it as drive whatever letter you assign it so it shouldnt realise its not a n other internal hdd

 

my only issue with iscsi is security as while ever its plugged into the normal network any win7/vista/ owt else with an initiator can see and in theory access it and while a second network just for iscsi to server would be great unless its just a straight cable no switch its an another expense.

 

p.s. freenas dosent support iscsi out of the box needs an update manually applying for it to work

[Hightower]

my only issue with iscsi is security as while ever its plugged into the normal network any win7/vista/ owt else with an initiator can see and in theory access it and while a second network just for iscsi to server would be great unless its just a straight cable no switch its an another expense.

 

VPN?

[sted]

VPN?

 

possible but i usually only have 2 gb sockets in my switches one for server one for uplink. And if server nic is used as main network you cant have that socket on a separate vpn as well can you?. Sorry vpns are something ive not used i have some idea about them but very little practical experience

[Hightower]

possible but i usually only have 2 gb sockets in my switches one for server one for uplink. And if server nic is used as main network you cant have that socket on a separate vpn as well can you?. Sorry vpns are something ive not used i have some idea about them but very little practical experience

 

So is your storage connected 10/100 or gig?

[sted]

So is your storage connected 10/100 or gig?

 

at the monment i dont have any non local im looking forward all ive done with free nas is install on a spare pc at home and connect it to my win7 box to see if i could. Only external storage on any of my sites is the ans box for backup and it just depends where it is as to if its gb or 100mb

[box_l]

freenas does support iSCSI out of the box, I have never needed to update to get it to work.

 

Its pretty easy to set up too.

 

How to Setup iSCSI Drive Using FreeNAS | Train Signal Training - Free Computer Training Videos

 

I have 2x 6.5Tb servers connected to a server 2008r2 box at one of the schools I support, with Backup exec 2010 running to the iSCSI connected drives.

 

Freenas also supports CHAP authentication for security.

 

BoX

[sted]

freenas does support iSCSI out of the box, I have never needed to update to get it to work.

 

Its pretty easy to set up too.

 

How to Setup iSCSI Drive Using FreeNAS | Train Signal Training - Free Computer Training Videos

 

I have 2x 6.5Tb servers connected to a server 2008r2 box at one of the schools I support, with Backup exec 2010 running to the iSCSI connected drives.

 

Freenas also supports CHAP authentication for security.

 

BoX

 

i had to download something and patch it as it just refused to apply changes and turn on until i had just came up with error code 1

 

edit refound site though it appears to be in japanese but google translates well enough http://shell.peach.ne.jp/aoyama/archives/808

Edited April 2, 2010 by sted

[ChrisS]

my only issue with iscsi is security as while ever its plugged into the normal network any win7/vista/ owt else with an initiator can see and in theory access it

 

I understand Freenas has the facility (not sure if default or not) to configure the firewall. Could the ports (typically TCP ports 860 and 3260 I read) not be restricted to the IP(s) or MAC(s) you want to connect?

[sted]

I understand Freenas has the facility (not sure if default or not) to configure the firewall. Could the ports (typically TCP ports 860 and 3260 I read) not be restricted to the IP(s) or MAC(s) you want to connect?

 

probably ive not really looked into it yet properly im just thinking of ways to reuse old kit that will gain me something so i did a very quick trial at home shoved a small hdd in a spare pc and whacked freenas on then connected it to my win7 box