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FreeNAS is server software that allows you to turn any computer with a hard drive into a dedicated network-attached storage (NAS) box. It is based off of FreeBSD and is open-source. FreeNAS takes up less than 64 megabytes when installed is is configured via the FreeNAS WebGui, which is accessed by typing in the IP address of the FreeNAS server in any web browser. FreeNAS also can be used as a software RAID. All hardware RAID cards that support FreeBSD are supported by FreeNAS.

FreeNAS
MSRP $0.00
Release date --
Brand --
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Pros & Cons17
Reviews18
Details
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Competitors4
Comments4
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
18 reviews
78
negative
mixed
positive
15 positive
1 mixed
1 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Free and open-source.
+15agreedisagree

•
Turns a computer into a NAS device
+14agreedisagree

•
Minimal system requirements
+14agreedisagree

•
Supports many network protocols.
+13agreedisagree

•
No monitor required
+12agreedisagree

•
Can be used as a software RAID
+11agreedisagree

•
Supports external USB/Firewire drives, as well as Compact Flash.
+11agreedisagree

•
Can act as a media server (UPnP) and an iTunes server
+11agreedisagree

•
Hosts simple local websites
+4agreedisagree

•
Acts as torrent box
+4agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
RAID requires full drives - can't use the drive you install FreeNAS on
+7agreedisagree

•
Even basic configuration can be confusing for beginners.
+5agreedisagree

•
Non-standard configuration can be difficult to setup.
+5agreedisagree

•
Not all hardware RAID's are supported.
+4agreedisagree

•
Doesn't support Writing in NTFS (Only read)
+2agreedisagree

•
Does not act, as a LAMP/WAMP Server.
+2agreedisagree

•
energy inefficient compared to dedicated NAS commercial offerings
+1agreedisagree


17 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
See individual votes »

Details

Additional Information    

FreeNAS can be installed on a partitioned hard drive (done for you during installation), or on a compact flash (CF) or USB drive. Installation on a seperate drive is recommended, as then additional power and encryption options are avaliable. External USB hard drives, such as MyBooks, can be plugged into a FreeNAS server and shared. FreeNAS requires a monitor and keyboard for inital installation and configuration, however once that is completed no monitor or keyboard is required. Additional and advanced configuration is done via the WebGUI. FreeNAS requires 64 megabytes of RAM for a basic installation, however more (up to 512 mb) is required for RAID configurations. FreeNAS supports SMB/SAMBA/CIFS Windows File Sharing, FTP, NFS, SSH, RSYNC, AFT, and UPnP. It also can be used to encrypt drives on the server.

Feature List    

  • No monitor/keyboard is required after inital installation.
  • Web-browser based configuration
  • Software and some hardware RAID support.
  • USB , Firewire, and CF support.
  • CIFS/SMB/SAMBA, NFS, FTP, SSH, RSYNC, AFT, UPnP networking.
  • Schedueled shutdown and other power saving settings.
  • File encryption.

Submit a link

This report was started March 10, 2008 at 9:07 am by dialupinternetuser
with the last edit occurring November 11, 2009 at 8:36 pm by shadowtech
This page has been viewed 6127 times, with 195 edits by 18 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Competitors

FreeNAS is ranked 1st among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Other Software »
HP MediaSmart Server EX470/EX475

HP MediaSmart Server EX470/EX475

MSRP  $650.00    Released  November, 2007
Pros
  • Easy to setup
  • Good backup functionality (incremental backups)
  • much more expandable than a network drive
Cons
  • No connectivity to a AV system
  • no native RAID
  • price availability
ProSCORE
7 reviews
81
Vote! (4 votes)
vote FreeNAS 75% vs. vote HP MediaSmart Server EX470/EX475 25%
CryptoNAS

CryptoNAS

MSRP  --    Released  --
ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (0 votes)
vote FreeNAS   vs. vote CryptoNAS  
Openfiler

Openfiler

MSRP  --    Released  --
ProSCORE
0 reviews
N/A
Vote! (0 votes)
vote FreeNAS   vs. vote Openfiler  
Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008

MSRP  --    Released  February, 2008
Pros
  • Includes Windows Server Virtualization
  • Simple, easy setup - uses Vista setup
  • Improved Server Manager - better UI
Cons
  • No SSH support
  • Doesn't include secure FTP feature
  • Relatively slow interface
ProSCORE
2 reviews
58
Vote! (3 votes)
vote FreeNAS 100% vs. vote Windows Server 2008 0%

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Comments

8 taps
1.  avatar GT-D said:

hmm - sounds good, were I not using my server comp for more then just storage I'd be all over this.
Mar 11, 2008 10:52am
2.  avatar Erik said:

I think the appeal for this technology is that it allows you to "recycle" some old hardware you have lying around. Instead of having that old comp gather dust, turn it into a NAS device for tasks like backups and media storage/streaming. For example, you can couple this with your XBMC setup using uPnP.

It has a very small footprint once installed - 32 MB in its own partition, or even on a USB drive. I don't think this is for the feint of heart, however. Things can get complicated pretty quick.

Mar 11, 2008 11:02am
3.  avatar dialupinternetuser said:

Yeah, I tried setting a password on my SMB share and had to delete the share, disable SMB, renable, and use no password to get it to work. But right now it's great. The only thing you can't use it as is a LAMP/WAMP server.
Mar 11, 2008 5:27pm
4.  avatar Hari Raju said:

Great and easy default installation. A few clicks gets you a network backup solution, a torrent box, Windows file sharing, and a media server. You just need to understand the terminology used in the interface; once you understand what all the acronyms mean, it's dead easy!
May 13, 2009 4:10pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

thatpcguy

avatar
January 29, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
7 pros
0 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • Free and open-source.
  • Turns a computer into a NAS device
  • Minimal system requirements
  • Supports many network protocols.
  • No monitor required
  • Supports external USB/Firewire drives, as well as Compact Flash.
  • Can act as a media server (UPnP) and an iTunes server

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

mtelesha

avatar
November 15, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
86
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
1 con
have ithave it
love itlove it

Pros

  • Free and open-source.
  • Turns a computer into a NAS device
  • Minimal system requirements
  • No monitor required
  • Supports external USB/Firewire drives, as well as Compact Flash.
  • Can act as a media server (UPnP) and an iTunes server

Cons

  • RAID requires full drives - can't use the drive you install FreeNAS on

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

GT-D

avatar
March 11, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • Free and open-source.
  • Turns a computer into a NAS device
  • Minimal system requirements
  • Supports many network protocols.
  • No monitor required
  • Can be used as a software RAID

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Comments

"hmm - sounds good, were I not using my server comp for more then just storage I'd be all over this."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
March 10, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
60
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Free and open-source.
  • Supports many network protocols.
  • Can be used as a software RAID

Cons

  • Even basic configuration can be confusing for beginners.
  • Non-standard configuration can be difficult to setup.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Erik

avatar
March 10, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
1 con
want itwant it

Pros

  • Free and open-source.
  • Turns a computer into a NAS device
  • Minimal system requirements

Cons

  • RAID requires full drives - can't use the drive you install FreeNAS on

Comments

"

I think the appeal for this technology is that it allows you to "recycle" some old hardware you have lying around. Instead of having that old comp gather dust, turn it into a NAS device for tasks like backups and media storage/streaming. For example, you can couple this with your XBMC setup using uPnP.

It has a very small footprint once installed - 32 MB in its own partition, or even on a USB drive. I don't think this is for the feint of heart, however. Things can get complicated pretty quick.

"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

m

avatar
December 26, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
50
negative
mixed
positive
1 pro
1 con

Pros

  • Can act as a media server (UPnP) and an iTunes server

Cons

  • Even basic configuration can be confusing for beginners.

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Jan Kristian Fagerstad

avatar
September 18, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • Doesn't support Writing in NTFS (Only read)

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

cciserv

avatar
September 21, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
0 cons
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No
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