![]() Within 60 seconds, a text menu was showing on the monitor that allowed for refinements to the network interface settings (if needed) and the ability to reboot, reset and shutdown the FreeNAS box. I plugged the 4GB stick into the internal USB port inside the HP xw4600, put the side cover back in place and pressed the power button. With a copy of FreeNAS downloaded, I initiated the terminal commands necessary to prepare a 4GB USB thumb drive with a bootable copy of FreeNAS. I downloaded a FreeNAS guide and read some of the initial setup instructions. The software released this past Friday was FreeNAS 8.3 RC1. The hardware available was an HP xw4600 workstation with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, (2) 1 TB Hitachi SATA hard drives, and internal USB port connector and gigabit Ethernet. FreeNAS promised this functionality via its plugin architecture. Secondly, I wanted to put CDs / DVDs I owned on a digital storage device that could play back through my PS/3. FreeNAS would give me the opportunity to backup wirelessly inside my home. CrashPlan works over the Internet wirelessly. ![]() The backup solutions I have in place are CrashPlan (off site backup) and Time Machine (local backup). The Macbook Air I use was being backed up via a USB hard drive which meant a cable (ball and chain) attachment. Looking at how I currently use technology at home, there were immediately two processes that I knew I could move to a FreeNAS box. The first decision to make for my experimental SAN box is to determine the purpose for which it shall be used in my home environment. ![]() But for this first experiment, I am in learning mode, so using existing hardware is fine. Going forward, I think putting some money into the second project box will be helpful. ![]() After hearing about some positive experiences from friends like Retr0Rob (Twitter) and Bob Martens with FreeNAS over the past year, I found myself with the means to build a nice looking FrankenSAN box without any cash expenditures. One of the potential projects that I have wanted to experiment with is building a SAN (storage area network) box. ![]()
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