Very fashionable, NAS (Network Attached Storage) are self storage units connected to the local network and Internet. FreeNAS is the main NAS operating system open source, strongly supported by the community of developers. In addition to managing the Raid 0, 1 or 5 for HDDs, the system also provides FTP access for remote management of hosted files, a DHCP server and Torrent Transmission and a graphical user interface settings accessible via a Web browser client. The program requires 64 MB of RAM, so this is an opportunity to give a second life to your old PC.
NOTE : Earlier versions of FreeNAS 8 need to log in using the default credentials "admin" for the username and password "freenas".

1. Installation
2. Administrator Password
3. Hard drive configuration

1. Installation

Download FreeNAS, then insert the CD into your CD drive and boot on it. You should get something like this :

Note : FreeNAS is available in 32 and 64 bits.

Select "Install / Upgrade to hard drive / flash device, etc.." and press "ENTER".

Select the hard drive on which to install "FreeNAS". Then the computer will restart. You will do the same thing until this screen. Select the same disk.

Select "Yes" and press "ENTER".
The wizard recommends that you install FreeNAS on a USB drive because the drive used to install FreeNAS can not be used for sharing, storage, ... You can very well use an old hard drive of 20-30 GB eg to avoid losing too much disk space.

FreeNAS installing. The progress is displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Once installed, you must remove the installation CD before restarting.

Wait a few seconds, start will happen automatically.

Press "ENTER" or wait until the timer expires.

By default, FreeNAS obtain an IP address from the DHCP that is on your network. The DHCP server can be found in your router (Box) or on a computer running Windows Server or on a computer with a DHCP server software.

2. Administrator Password

By default, the password of the administrator is empty or is set to "admin / freenas". By accessing FreeNAS by your favorite browser, you will notice that the "Alert" icon flashes red.

If you click on it, FreeNAS will alert you that the administrator password must be changed.

Click on "Account" at the top right and then click "Change Password". Enter the old password if there was one and enter the new password.

3. Hard drive configuration

To create an NFS share, click on "Storage" then "Create Volume".

Enter a name for the selected hard drive (As noted before installation, the hard drive where you installed FreeNAS is unusable and therefore invisible), select "Filesystem Type : ZFS" and click "Add Volume". Beware the selected disk drive will be erased.

The volume is created.

Once the volume is added, it appears in the list.