How to Convert an Old PC into a Modern Server - stringersieneat91

Your old desktop PC gave you years of reliable religious service, merely finally IT couldn't keep up with modern tasks and applications; so you went out and bought something newer and quicker. Straightaway you need to decide what to do with the hand-me-down clunker.

You could e-reprocess it–reach it off to a responsible company that will dismantle it and recycle the parts–but what do you gain from that aside from impression good about being environmentally responsible? Allow us to suggest some other solution: Repurpose the old hulk every bit a local server. You tush use it A a repository for automatic PC backups, or set it up as a file server that you and your employees tail end access while you're on the road. Those are just deuce of the roles that an older PC can perform that are of far more do good to your business than having the automobile collect dust or head for the garbage dump.

Best of all, the software–FreeNAS–that bequeath power this political machine is exactly what its name describes: a free OS for network-attached storage. And side from beingness free, FreeNAS is easy to establis, configure, and run. You'll witness everything you need to know in this guide.

Installing FreeNAS

In front you Menachem Begin your FreeNAS installation, obtain a USB thumb drive with a capacity of at to the lowest degree 2GB. You'll set up FreeNAS to this drive and boot from IT, because you can't run the OS on the Saame drive that you're using to share files from. Alternatively, you can buy in a precise itsy-bitsy congealed-state drive, establis FreeNAS on that, and boot the server from it; but investment in such an SSD is an superfluous expense (unless you'atomic number 75 worried that individual might remove the USB drive without realizing the consequences).

You'll motivation a USB cay with at any rate 2GB of storage for this project.

One time you give the necessary thumb drive, download the latest version of FreeNAS from the operating system's established site, taking care to select the right disc image (that is, .iso filing cabinet): x86 if your machine is equipped with a 32-bit CPU, operating theater x64 if information technology has a 64-bit processor. After downloading the .iso file, glow it to a white Standard candle and set down IT into your host-to-be's sense organ drive.

Now, power dormy the computing machine, spigot the key that calls up its BIOS boot carte du jour, and choose the option to wealthy person the car bring up from its optical drive instead of from its hard drive. If No such carte exists, you'll have to enter the BIOS itself and change the boot order in that location.

Take the option to install FreeNAS to a flash thrust.

Once all of FreeNAS's FreeBSD-founded Linux commands have finished their work, you'll see a simple installation screen that gives you foursome options to prefer from. Select the first–the option to install or upgrade FreeNAS 8 to a hard drive OR flash drive–and compress Enter. Any computer storage media engaged to your system will come out happening the future screen. In that next block out, you'll in time want to take your flash drive As a target for the installation (the OS will create deuce partitions on the drive: one for the OS itself and incomparable for future FreeNAS upgrades)–but put on't urge on anything yet.

Make sure that you don't need whatsoever of the present data happening your flash drive.

Before choosing the installation destination, you need to be aware that FreeNAS will root out the data and partitions on the flash driving that you install it connected. So this is your death chance to file away some files that your flash drive already contains, in front they vanish forever. When you'Re set, choose the quarter round drive, select Yes, and crush Move into. A prompt will appear when the FreeNAS installation process is complete. Press Enter and and then choose the selection to reboot your system in the of import menu.

Spell your system is rebooting, repeat the tread where you chose which driving force FreeNAS will kicking from away default–but this time specify that you want it to bring up from the thumb drive plugged into one of the system's USB ports.

Setting Dormy Your Storage

Once FreeNAS has finished loading, you'll interpret a console screen that lists all of the networking options you buttocks localize for FreeNAS. At this point, your server is up and running.

Assuming that your system full treatmen fine at the nonremittal settings–and it should, as bimestrial A it's connected to your network via ethernet cable–you'll receive an IP address that you can use to access FreeNAS's primary settings. Type this IP address into the Web browser's address bar on any organisation connected to your network and press Enter.

Institute admin credentials then that you throne manage the server.

The first thing you'll require to do within this Web-based configuration screen is to modify your user credentials. Look to the left side and fall into place the My Account menu item to expand information technology. Now choose an admin user name and a password. Click the button to save your changes. Then click Change Watchword and do the same. Security department for the first time!

To nonmoving up your repositing volumes, click the Computer memory release in the pep pill-left corner of the FreeNAS WWW-based configuration screen. From at that place, click the Make Intensity push that appears in the main window. Give your book a name, select the number of drives you'll want to use to create the volume, and select ZFS as the file system type. You'll find that ZFS delivers a number of benefits that the Unix File Arrangement does not. If you'ray combining multiple drives, you'll have an opportunity at this level to select which RAID type you want to use.

ZFS is a superior file system, offering benefits not available in UFS.

Mouse click the Add Mass button when you'ray ready. If you deprivation your storage to be a divided resourcefulness in your office, so that you won't possess any individual user account permissions to manage, click the Change Permissions icon and grant write access to both Group and Other users (be in for to select the Arrange Permissions Recursively option, too). Press the big Change button to cement your configuration.

Succeeding page: Set up shares, and configure your backups.

Setting Up Shares

You've created a basic reposition volume on your FreeNAS-powered machine. Now you need to set up your unselfish arrangement sol that other users can find and accession your tug's table of contents.

CIFS shares are the way to go if your function uses a blend of Mac, Linux, and Windows systems. If you have a Mac-only setup, you might be better served (no pun intended) past configuring the drive for AFP shares. In the spirit of inclusivity, we'll walk finished a CIFS setup.

Choose CIFS unselfish if your network is PC-only or a mix of Macs and PCs.

Clack the Sharing button in the Web configuration screen's left sidebar, and select Add CIFS Share. Consecrate your share drive a name and select your volume by clicking the Browse button on the 'Path' describe. Jot: The name you previously assigned to your volume should appear within the /mnt/ folder. Click it and click the Close clit. Fix surely that the box side by side to Allow Guest Access is checked, and then click OK.

Lastly, click the Services clitoris on the left sidebar and prime the Restraint Services option. Flip the switch on the main panel's CIFS setting to on. Voilà! Type two bakslashes and then the FreeNAS IP address (for example, 192.168.0.1), into a Windows Explorer windowpane and public press Enter; your divided drive should come along. Use Windows to represent this network drive, and you'll never need to hunt information technology down with an IP address again.

Role Windows to map the plowshare, so you put on't need to remember its IP address.

In covering this series of steps, we've glossed over any configuration options that could play a big function in allowing you to determine your shared network drive–much atomic number 3 making sure that the CIFS settings (Services, CIFS) are using the correct workgroup for your network configuration. If you find that this basic setup channelize International Relations and Security Network't working for you, a network configuration issue is in all probability holding you rearward. To resolve the proceeds, wee-wee dependable that your FreeNAS meshwork settings basically match those of the other computers on your network.

Our simple share drive is but the tip of the FreeNAS iceberg lettuce with reckon to features. Options include lockup drive access to users and groups, creating recurring snapshots for restoring older copies of files Oregon deleted files entirely, and exploitation the power compounding of Projectile DNS and FTP access to give your offsite workers pleasing access to the files they need. At once that you've mastered the basics, a world of advanced configurations and scenarios is yours to search!

Backing Up

Windows 7 Pro and Crowning allow you to back up and mend your Microcomputer over a network.

If you'd like to use your FreeNAS waiter as a innkeeper for automatic rifle client PC backups, you sack choose from any number of commercial and freeware applications to run happening those clients. If you'Re running Windows 7 Professional or higher, you can use the built-in Windows Patronage and Restore tool (lower berth versions won't admit you to support up over a electronic network).

Pull up the app within Windows 7 and cluck the Set Astir Fill-in link. Select Save connected a Network, and function the Browse release to pull up the shared FreeNAS folder you created. If you've already allotted yourself a user account connected the FreeNAS server, type in your exploiter name and password; if you haven't, use the default admin drug user name and password you set up earlier.

Prefer which files you lack to back up, or let Windows 7 make up one's mind for you.

You can let Windows choose the files it thinks are the most important and should be coated upward, or you can identify unique files and folders yourself. After that, you should be cooked with picking options. Your backup wish start its eldest run. When information technology has finished, click the Vary Settings tie-in, and create an machine-controlled backup schedule.

PCWorld Causative Editor Jacques Louis David Potato loves determination new ways to utilise old systems, but his electric bill International Relations and Security Network't quite an as thrilled virtually the practise.