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Do you have an old desktop PC sitting in a closet somewhere?
Put it to use by installingFreeNAS.
FreeNAS is a free, open-source operating system that will convert old PCs into online grid-attached storage devices.
Use your NAS as a central file storage or backup location for every PC on your data pipe.
FreeNAS also supports plug-ins, so you could even run a BitTorrent client or media server on it.
You won’t be using an ancient PC for this.
FreeNAS is based onFreeBSD, so it should support anyhardware FreeBSD supports.
FreeNAS runs on both 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs, but a 64-bit CPU is ideal.
You’ll still want at least 2 GB of RAM, even when using UFS.
FreeNAS will then run from that external media, leaving your machine’s physical disks available for storage.
Download FreeNAS from here.
Burn it to a disc and boot the disc on your box.
The page also has a USB image you might use, if you prefer.
Select Install/Upgrade when the installation wizard appears and pick the drive you want to install FreeNAS on.
Any attached USB drives will appear in this list.
The installer will write the FreeNAS operating system files to the drive you choose.
Set Up FreeNAS
You’ll see the Console setup screen after your system boots.
you’re able to tweak configs from here, but you don’t have to.
(you could now unplug your monitor from your FreeNAS box, if you prefer.
It should no longer be necessary.)
Set a password you’ll remember.
you’re free to now use the web interface to set things up.
This is the same sort of interface you’d see if you purchased a dedicated NAS gear.
Basic NAS Setup
You’ll probably want to set up some storage first.
poke the Storage icon on the toolbar to pop fire up storage pane.
Whatever protocol you use, your shared folder will be accessible just like any other shared folder.
More Features
FreeNAS is packed with options, and we can’t cover them all.
You could set up FTP, Rsync, SSH, ordynamic DNSservices.
The Plugins screen is particularly interesting, holding a variety of third-party packages.
Check outFreeNAS’s official documentationfor more in-depth details on everything you’re free to do.
FreeNAS is an excellent way to put an old PC to use.
Image Credit:Rob DiCaterino on Flickr
