Build a NAS system with OpenMediaVault and a Raspberry Pi
Disk Carousel
You must configure the existing mass storage for OpenMediaVault to function as a NAS system. Select Storage | Physical disks menu for a list of the devices connected to the system storage and their key technical parameters. It does not matter whether you are using hard disks or SSDs. However, the system does initially sideline mass storage devices that are connected via external USB interfaces. You must manually click on Search at the top of the list area to enable these devices.
The routine displays the disk drives in an overview table, along with technical specifications such as filesystem and memory usage. Drive-specific options such as the write cache or the power management settings can also be changed with a left-click on one of the drive letters, followed by Edit at the top of the list view.
You will find the S.M.A.R.T. menu item on the left under the Physical Disks entry (Figure 2). This item allows you to adjust the hardware monitoring for hard drives so you can anticipate and detect defects and secure the data saved on the drive in good time. However, please note that some external hard drives have their own controller electronics and will not fully implement the SATA interface commands. This phenomenon occurs especially frequently in external hard drives that offer further connectivity options in addition to the USB interface. Because these devices do not usually transfer any S.M.A.R.T. values to the host, checking routines do not run.
Activate the slider in the Settings tab of the S.M.A.R.T. menu, sliding it to the right and then clicking Save. Then select the drives to be monitored by means of the S.M.A.R.T. daemon in the Drives tab. The aim of this process is to manually activate monitoring for any mass storage devices connected; click on Edit and then confirm the activation rule. Your next move is to specify automated checking routines after clicking on Add in the Scheduled tests tab.
It is worth creating a fault-tolerant disk array via the RAID Management menu item on a system with two or more hard disks. Click on Create in the display pane and define the RAID level, drives, and designation for the array in the resulting window. OpenMediaVault can allow the drives from a selection list by checking a box (with the exception of system drives). If there are too few physical mass storage devices for a particular RAID array, the software displays a note to this effect.
Click on Save after completing the RAID configuration. At this point, the system creates the disk array (as shown in Figure 2), which can consume quite some time, depending on the size of the mass storage device. You then generate a filesystem for the data carriers in the next menu item: File Systems. Select the array or the desired drive in the corresponding dialog and mark a suitable filesystem from the selection list. OpenMediaVault supports the Linux default filesystems Ext3/4, JFS, and XFS. You can close the dialog with OK; writing the filesystems takes some time.
Users and Groups
The next task is creating more users in OpenMediaVault by means of the Access Rights Management | Users dialog, which is accomplished by clicking on Add and defining your settings in the dialog box. After you have saved and applied the configuration, you can go on to create your own home directories for the newly-created users in the Settings tab. If you later wish to change the settings you defined, click Edit at the top above the application window's list view.
Users on OpenMediaVault belong to different groups. There are numerous out-of-the-box groups available on the system; you must select one or more of these groups when defining new users. If the existing group structure does not meet your needs and you want to add new groups to the system, use the Access Rights Management | Group dialog box.
Sharing
The final step is to define sharing and enable some services so that users working from desktop computers can access existing drives and directories in OpenMediaVault. Open the Shared Folders entry from the Access Rights Management menu and create a new shared folder by clicking on Add in the Shared Folders tab.
The configuration dialog allows you to specify a name and path. You can also assign permissions (for which the system clearly explains the various options). The button panel offers several other options for customizing the shared folder.
The most important of these options is the ACL button. A detailed dialog accessed lets you define specific access control lists (ACLs) for every single share, allowing fine-tuned allocation of rights (Figure 3).
After completing all the settings for sharing drives and folders, you can finish by setting up the desired background services (daemons) on Services. OpenMediaVault will only unlock access via SSH by default, so if you use the OpenMediaVault Rasp Pi in a heterogeneous network, you must enable Windows workstations access to the Rasp Pi through SMB/CIFS. A more complex dialog allows extremely detailed settings for SMB access.
You have the option of enabling other services, such as the ClamAV virus scanner. However, you must first install ClamAV via System | Plugins. The Anti-Virus entry will then appear in the left sidebar, which also branches out into a detailed settings dialog. OpenMediaVault allows actions from this box, including detailed scanning of various content and file types for malware.
« Previous 1 2 3 Next »
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.
-
ZorinOS 17.1 Released, Includes Improved Windows App Support
If you need or desire to run Windows applications on Linux, there's one distribution intent on making that easier for you and its new release further improves that feature.
-
Linux Market Share Surpasses 4% for the First Time
Look out Windows and macOS, Linux is on the rise and has even topped ChromeOS to become the fourth most widely used OS around the globe.
-
KDE’s Plasma 6 Officially Available
KDE’s Plasma 6.0 "Megarelease" has happened, and it's brimming with new features, polish, and performance.
-
Latest Version of Tails Unleashed
Tails 6.0 is based on Debian 12 and includes GNOME 43.
-
KDE Announces New Slimbook V with Plenty of Power and KDE’s Plasma 6
If you're a fan of KDE Plasma, you'll be thrilled to hear they've announced a new Slimbook with an AMD CPU and the latest version of KDE Plasma desktop.
-
Monthly Sponsorship Includes Early Access to elementary OS 8
If you want to get a glimpse of what's in the pipeline for elementary OS 8, just set up a monthly sponsorship to help fund its continued existence.