I am looking to set up Ubuntu Server as a headless NAS for my home. I would like to have file storage there, as well as a central hub for my MP3s and pictures.
What are the best packages out there to handle this? Can someone post a link to a good tutorial or post some tips?
One constraint I have is that it has to be Windows 7 friendly. By that I mean the shares and streaming should work for a Windows machine.
I just finished doing this myself and I did it using Samba. I'm able to mount the samba shares from my windows & ubuntu computers
Here are some links that helped me get started:
Simples:
Install Ubuntu Server. Really helps if you can have the server with a keyboard and monitor for this bit... Although you can script a CD to auto-install if you want. More trouble than it's worth if you ask me.
Create a user, set up ssh (sudo apt-get install openssh-server), etc. Put your server in its final resting place and ssh in from your desktop.
Install & configure samba (see the manual configuration section)
Optionally install NFS for linux clients (faster, less taxing on the server CPU in my experience)
Relax. You're done.
For the filesystem, I have software RAID 5 across my drives, and encrypt the resulting filesystem. This way, I can use this system as a backup server as well.
Once the system is up, I use plain ol' NFS and Samba for the file level access. (apt-get install nfs-kernel-server samba). I also have a PS3 that I like to stream media to, so I use mediatomb for that (apt-get install mediatomb), and my wife uses iTunes on her Mac and netbook, so I also install mt-daapd (apt-get install mt-daapd) to share my music over the daap protocol, which rhythmbox can also use.
You might want to take a look at the Ubuntu based TurnKey File Server appliance. If you don't need a full-fledged appliance, you could use it as a reference for configuration on your own server.
Posting this so I can find it in the future. Install Ubuntu Cloud VM (add an extra disk 1TB or larger.)
Note: you should replace username with your user.
Mount and Format the disk:
lsblk
sudo fdisk /dev/sdc
n
p
Enter defaults for rest of options
Make the filesystem
sudo mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdc1
Make a mount path:
mkdir /home/username/data
Update Fstab
sudo echo "/dev/sdc1 /home/username/data ext4 defaults 0 2" >> /etc/fstab
Install the tools you need:
sudo apt install vim screen htop sysstat curl wget
sudo apt install nfs-server samba
Update Exports for NFS (I'm setting this based on subnet, you can change as needed)
sudo echo "/home/username/data 192.168.1.0/24(rw,no_root_squash)" >> /etc/exports
sudo exportfs -a
Make Cifs share:
sudo vi /etc/samba/smb.conf
shift+g
o
Paste the following
[data]
comment = Data
browseable = yes
path = /home/username/data
guest ok = no
read only = no
create mask = 0700
Generate smbpasswd (this will allow windows hosts to connect over smb, granted we are passing them in with the username account (smile))
sudo smbpasswd -a username
Update permissions if needed:
sudo chown -R username:root /home/username/data
Download some data (this is a good dump of isos)
cd /home/username/data
wget -H -r --level=5 --restrict-file-names=windows --convert-links -e robots=off --no-check-certificate https://ftp.nluug.nl/os/Linux/distr/
I made a Ubuntu based NAS with file sharing based on Samba and Nextcloud and works across Windows, Linux or Mac. I haven't yet setup a "real" streaming server (e.g. Plex), but I use Nextcloud which is something like a Google Drive clone, which allows easy viewing of photos, music and videos through web browser.
My Ubuntu NAS:
Samba Setup:
First I mostly followed this guide to set up Samba users.
I edit the samba config (sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf) and make 2 changes:
[global] section I added inherit permissions = yes to make sure permissions for added files are correct.[mynas]
comment = The Big USB drive
path = /media/usb0/
read only = no
browsable = yes
writable = yes
create mask = 0640
directory mask = 0750
valid users = vijay
hide files = /$RECYCLE.BIN/System Volume Information/thumbs.db/
Remember to restart Samba after changes:
sudo service smbd restart
And if your server has a firewall, remember to allow it:
sudo ufw allow samba
Access on Linux: smb://192.168.1.2/mynas/
Access on Windows File Explorer: \\192.168.1.2\mynas\
In my case I need to log in as "vijay" to access the shares, but the password can be saved on the client so it is only entered on first access.
Nextcloud Setup:
I used the Snap package which is probably easiest. I usually avoid Snap but in this case it worked well. You can also try Docker or manually set everything up if you are an advanced user.
For Snap version, I just ran the following after installation to allow access to USB drive and ports:
sudo snap set nextcloud ports.http=81 ports.https=444
sudo snap connect nextcloud:removable-media
I then set up a reverse proxy (Haproxy) and SSL for secure external access over the web, but that is beyond the scope of this short guide.
if you wnat DLNA support, then see: MiniDLNA - Community Help Wiki
