How do I tell it where to store the settings file?

Andy Civil · Post by **Andy Civil** » 16 Apr 2014 02:42

So I've given up trying to make it boot from USB, and now I'm going to boot from CD and have it store the settings on the USB stick only. But I've spent an hour and a half looking through all the menus (remote and local) the manuals, the FAQs and the forums, and I can't for the life of me work out how to tell it to store the settings on the USB.

I notice that the hardware 'sees' the USB stick when I plug it in, so it's definitely there, but I can't find the setting/preference/option to tell it to store the settings on that stick.

The closest workaround that I can forsee is, I found the option to "backup/restore" in the web interface, and I can download an XML file using 'backup' (to a remote computer). I'm guessing that if I download that, and then put it on the USB stick manually, then the next time I boot from the CD, it'll find it (I saw the messages looking over available drives when it booted first). However, this is so 'clunky' that I can't believe it's the proper way to do it.

P.S. at the moment, I haven't even added any disks yet, so the USB stick is the only medium that it could save my configuration to. (Since neither RAM nor CD-ROM is going to work, LOL.)

I don't plan to put any effort into setting the server up, until I know that my settings (effort) won't be lost on reboot.

Even if the option to choose a path for a settings file has been strangely omitted from the menus, if the Live CD finds a valid XML file when it boots, will it then save my changes automatically to that file whenever the web interface comes back with "settings have been saved/applied"?

Everything else about NAS4FREE is so easy, I feel I must have missed a menu option, or an operating principle, somewhere. Choosing a settings file path shouldn't be this obscure.

Andy Civil · Post by **Andy Civil** » 16 Apr 2014 07:34

I can't believe this is so hard: nothing I do will make it read the configuration file from the USB stick. I know that the hardware sees the stick because I get a message at the console when I plug it in, and remove it. The system recognises it as da0.

While I was waiting for a response to my original question, I tried to get around it by making the config file manually. I downloaded it to a remote computer using the GUI "backup" feature. This works, I rename the file config.xml. I have tried the FAT filesystem, and I put the file in /conf/config.xml. However, despite that the server sees da0, it ignores the file. It declares that it will use /dev/fd0 instead. There is a floppy drive in the machine, but I don't want to use it. I thought I could fix the problem by disabling the floppy drive in the BIOS, which I did, but it STILL insists on declaring that it's going to use /dev/fd0. I tried formatting the USB stick with ext4; I'm not sure I did it right because initially it was owned by 'root' and I couldn't download and put the config file on the stick using a Ubuntu computer I have. I tried reformatting it again with ext4 and taking ownership, and I set all the permissions to read/write/create for everyone but even after writing the file /conf/config.xml the server still wouldn't read it and again insisted that it was going to use /dev/fd0.

I don't mind the delay of booting from CD (I must have done it a dozen times already trying to get this to work anyway!) but I don't want the awkwardness of setting it up every single time from scratch. How can I get the server to read the config file that I've stored on the USB stick, when it boots from the CD?

P.P.S. another possibility would be, could I open the original ISO with 7-zip and put the /conf/config.xml file in there before writing it to a CD? It seems ridiculous to have to write a CD every time I want to change it, but quite honestly it might be less frustrating than this evening has been... at least while I'm experimenting, I could use the remote GUI "backup/restore" feature and store the config on a remote computer.

Andy Civil · Post by **Andy Civil** » 16 Apr 2014 07:44

Update: I can hardly believe this... I thought I had a workaround for the server not reading the config file from the USB stick, by just using the remote "restore" function from a config file stored elsewhere; but no, it doesn't work, because when you use the "restore" function... it REBOOTS! This is so frustrating!

Post by **crowi** » 16 Apr 2014 09:17

The proper way to use NAS4free ist to install it.
If your PC can't boot - for whatever reason - from USB, you can install a HDD to your PC to boot from and install the system there.
So install the HDD, boot from Live CD, choose install NAS4free, remove the Live CD and boot the server from the HDD, then you can store the config

Cheers,
Crowi

Andy Civil · Post by **Andy Civil** » 16 Apr 2014 15:15

Thank you for the suggestion Crowi - I realise that I could waste a whole HDD and install the software on it, but I'm going to be short on available 'slots' for disks, so that solution would suck whether or not it's labelled "proper"

In fact, while I'm trying to set this up, I have two physical disks of 250GB installed, and the bios seems to present them as a single 500GB "device" so if I installed the software on that, I would have wasted 499.9 GB of space, and I'd have no disk left to actually store data on... that doesn't work for me.

Post by **b0ssman** » 16 Apr 2014 15:23

you could use a cf to ide/sata adapter with a small cf card.

kenZ71 · Post by **kenZ71** » 16 Apr 2014 18:32

Your settings can be backed up by going to system, backup/ restore. Select Backup and save the config file someplace safe that is not your NAS.

Personally I use Google Drive as it is relatively secure.

Post by **raulfg3** » 16 Apr 2014 18:39

Andy Civil wrote:Thank you for the suggestion Crowi - I realise that I could waste a whole HDD and install the software on it, but I'm going to be short on available 'slots' for disks, so that solution would suck whether or not it's labelled "proper"

In fact, while I'm trying to set this up, I have two physical disks of 250GB installed, and the bios seems to present them as a single 500GB "device" so if I installed the software on that, I would have wasted 499.9 GB of space, and I'd have no disk left to actually store data on... that doesn't work for me.

If 2disk are show as 1 big disk, probably You use some kind of raid or fake raid on Bios, this is not a good start point to use a NAS .

If still You do not have valuable data on disk, and still can do experiments, try to configure disk in Bios as AHCI not as RAId .

And test to install embeded nas4free on a USBkey to continue testing n4f.

Post by **crowi** » 16 Apr 2014 19:07

HI Andy,
to summarize, your system does not boot from USB and you have only two 'slots' for HDDs, are you sure that this the right starting point for a NAS?
can you give some system specs (mainboard type, number of HDD ports (SATA, PATA) etc)?

Btw, you can have system and Data on one drive, this has some limitations and is not the first choice to do so, but it works...

Andy Civil · Post by **Andy Civil** » 17 Apr 2014 07:16

Thank you for ALL the suggestions!

B0ssman: the adapter with a CF card is a great solution, I was trying not to spend any significant money; you see, this was more a case of "I have this computer, what can I do with it" rather than "I need a NAS, how should I build one". (Optional detail: Adobe Flash as used on YouTube has got so programming-sloppy that it no longer runs properly on a single-core computer. That means that any single-core computer has to be replaced, to be usable by family. Hence, I have more than one quite decent computer 'spare' i.e. without a real purpose. NAS4Free seemed the ideal purpose for the spare hardware.)

kenZ71: Using the backup feature is easy, but it's also pointless because the 'restore' function does not work. Since it seems incapable of finding the config.xml file, when it reboots, it forgets everything. If the restore function worked without a reboot, everything would be sunshine and lollipops.

Raulfg3: I don't know why the BIOS decided to create a RAID array without my permission - indeed I should find out how to turn it off. It might be my fault, I did have a RAID set up on there once before so it's probably me. I have tried many times to install on a USBkey and it doesn't boot (goes into a reset loop) even though Ubuntu/GParted etc. boot fine.

crowi: Indeed, having few SATA/PATA ports and failing to boot from a USB is certainly not a good starting point, but my primary purpose was to find a good use for the computer, not to build a NAS.

I realised that I could add a small HDD to the same cable the CD ROM is on, so I have put a 6GB disk (from 1998!) on there, and installed the software. So far, it seems to be working great; I can reboot it from the webGUI and it remembers what it's doing! I may have questions as I try to use it more earnestly.

I really appreciate the community support.

armandh · Post by **armandh** » 17 Apr 2014 10:45

I like these under $20
http://www.logicsupply.com/components/s ... h-modules/
plugs right into the primary IDE in the MOBO
512 Mb holds the embedded OS and config easily with half to spare

on some hardware you may need to put the CD on the primary and the flash on the secondary to boot and load
but once that is done remove the CD and place the flash in the primary. the secondary can do a pair of [mirror] drives

I have set up several old Dell boxes this way
small [old] Hdd salvaged from win98 era hardware works too
once the embedded loaded and booting install and set the drive to spin down in 5 minutes, but do not mount the drive.
it will spin up for config changes and spin down 5 minutes later.
I have done several this way too.

racmar · Post by **racmar** » 12 May 2014 04:41

I was thinking about doing this option to store the config file to a small usb stick and have my nas boot from CD and I had the same problem as you Andy Civil.

I can't believe NO ONE here explained how to do this, as if NOBODY knows how.
And curiously, you seem to be the first to bring his up.

NAS4Free has this page:
http://wiki.nas4free.org/doku.php?id=do ... ivecd_mode
This just tells people that they can do it, basically what to do, but nothing about how to correctly do it. (This is alsohow most documentation pages about NAS4Free are: incomplete)
And by the way, the last paragraph of this page is quite annoying. Why is it even there ? Perfect example of an incomplete documentation.
Yet nobody will find any example about this somewhere on the internet.

Come on people. I think you have a good nas system here and nobody can't explain how to do this so it will work properly. Everyone just give workarounds.

As will probably do Andy Civil, I did a workaround and had an old 10GB HDD that was doing nothing. So I installed the system on this one. Yes a workaround. Now what if this small HDD fails....Cannot go to the live CD mode since nobody seems to know how to do it with a USB stick.

Good luck Andy Civil.
Maybe someone will wake up...

armandh · Post by **armandh** » 12 May 2014 14:12

no one knows how because it is automatic.[if the USB memory stick is compatible]
lots are not

to boot from a USB stick or use a USB sticks for config storage with live CD
the USB stick must not have drivers to access the storage.
this type of plain FAT file storage is usually found in sticks under 2 Gb
but 2Gb sticks with such drivers can be wiped and formatted.

large USB sticks which derive their compatibility from self loading drivers don't work
they need an OS to open them.
booting is a real mode, limited choice process governed by hardware compatibility

still I like the plug in flash or small Hdd
old hardware boots best the way it did as it was first intended to be used
usually the primary IDE line

I once used one of these from the win-95 era
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUJITSU-M1623TA ... 483b49d943
but it was from my junk pile I would not waste more than a few $ on one of these
the 512 Mb flash is a better deal

the N4F OS is a bit over 200 Mb and the config is about 20 Kb

Post by **crowi** » 12 May 2014 14:31

Yes a workaround. Now what if this small HDD fails....

Once you installed and configured the system, you should save the config file somewhere offsite your nas. When your system fails, you can then easily import the config file and get n4f up and running again in less than 5 minutes.

armandh · Post by **armandh** » 12 May 2014 14:48

crowi wrote:
Yes a workaround. Now what if this small HDD fails....
Once you installed and configured the system, you should save the config file somewhere offsite your nas. When your system fails, you can then easily import the config file and get n4f up and running again in less than 5 minutes.

YES BUT
only if there is some where to store the config which live CD [without any flash] does not have
I once used an old 8Mb camera flash with a usb adapter to store the config with live CD
it may nave been back in the FN7 days

it should work fine with a small Hdd or flash module holding the embedded OS and config

live CD needs some FAT file storage for the config

anyone ever try the LG optical drive after the "blue bird" removal?

Post by **b0ssman** » 12 May 2014 14:51

if i read this code right
http://sourceforge.net/p/nas4free/code/ ... g.inc#l139

for the live version
its looks for a fat16/32 usb stick for the config

else
it looks for a ufs file system with the config.xml file in the correct directory

armandh · Post by **armandh** » 12 May 2014 14:54

b0ssman wrote:if i read this code right
http://sourceforge.net/p/nas4free/code/ ... g.inc#l139

for the live version
its looks for a fat16/32 usb stick for the config

else
it looks for a ufs file system with the config.xml file in the correct directory

does it still look at the floppy drive?

Post by **b0ssman** » 12 May 2014 14:57

from what i can tell that is the default if a usb stick is not found.

armandh · Post by **armandh** » 12 May 2014 15:27

then a fat formatted floppy still works for the config storage on old hardware.
I've not done that in a long time.

andredb · Post by **andredb** » 15 Nov 2014 05:47

I read through all of this and eventually go my answer, simpler answer however is right here:

http://wiki.nas4free.org/doku.php?id=do ... ivecd_mode

Yuajfgs · Post by **Yuajfgs** » 07 Dec 2014 09:00

very nice as well,....very generous, good forums as well

__________________________________________________________
stylet tactile Sony Xperia Z2 coque Xperia Z2

adilux · Post by **adilux** » 20 Aug 2016 13:13

i got my usb to boot into nas4free, but the settings are gone every time i reboot the server. is this normal?
so, do i have to manually load the backup config everytime i reboot the server?

Post by **ChriZathens** » 20 Aug 2016 19:00

You are using the live usb version.
Plug a second usb in and from the console menu select to install the embedded version on that usb.
Afterwards, boot the embedded installation from that second usb, and restore the saved config.

adilux · Post by **adilux** » 21 Aug 2016 11:56

ChriZathens wrote:You are using the live usb version.
Plug a second usb in and from the console menu select to install the embedded version on that usb.
Afterwards, boot the embedded installation from that second usb, and restore the saved config.

so what's the purpose of that?
will it save my config onto the second usb?

Post by **ernie** » 21 Aug 2016 12:30

When you use the live cd or live usb files, you have a non permanent nas4free. It is used in order to test and then to install (via item 9 I think).
You had to install on another support (as a second USB key for example) in order to have a permanent system (it saves the configuration).
Here it is explained:
http://www.nas4free.org/index.php?id=17

adilux · Post by **adilux** » 21 Aug 2016 12:48

I originally booted from a live cd and then used option 9 to embed/install onto the flash drive

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adilux · Post by **adilux** » 21 Aug 2016 12:49

I'll look at the config again. Thanks
Come to think of it, after installing the embedded to my USB drive, I've never rebooted.
I've configured the server, so I'll backup the config before rebooting In case I lose it

racmar · Post by **racmar** » 20 Sep 2016 20:56

Hello !
Back after two years !
BTW, my 10GB HDD failed after some time.
First tried to install on a data drive (an option when installing) but had boot problems after some time.

I tought I should write what I found since then about this problem with USB drive problems.

I now have 4 NAS4Free servers running at work with:

- LiveCD
- SD card (any size !) in a usb card reader (any cheap model !) for the settings file !
- HDDs as you wish for data

Yes. SD card in a usb card reader. This gives you no limit in size. You don't need to stick with less than 2GB drives.
I have two servers with 8GB SDHC and two servers with 16GB SDHC cards.

First time you boot, just configure the network card and ip on the console, so you can go into the webgui.
In the gui, configure everything you need, backup your config file to your personnal computer and shutdown your NAS.

Connect your SD card to your personnal computer.
On your SD card, just create a "conf" folder and put your config.xml file in it.
That's it.
Put the SD card into the card reader connected to any USB port on your NAS.
Boot with the LiveCD and it will find the config.xml file on the SD card.
Everything you have configured so far is still there and every change you make will be automatically saved to the SD card config.xml file.

EASIEST NAS4free UPGRADE :
Just burn the latest ISO on a CD or DVD, put it in your NAS DVD drive and boot it.

I have, for example, curl that can run inside NAS4Free even if it is Live.
Just create the folder for curl on one of your data drive and put it there.
Create a Postinit startup script (bash script located on your data drive) so it will "install" it each time your system boots.
I can explain how if someone wants to know. It needs a few "ln -s" commands.

Enjoy !

adilux · Post by **adilux** » 23 Sep 2016 20:16

that's good information
thank you

F8BOE · Post by **F8BOE** » 27 Sep 2016 10:23

Hello,

The "boot on CD and save the conf. on floppy" was an option for FreeNAS back then in 2007!
Since the beginning of the FreeNAS adventure the preferred method was the EMBEDDED installation from a boot CD onto a CF/USB stick/little HDD.

With the new versions of FreeNAS / NAS4Free the basic principle remains the same: install embedded from boot-media to an internal media.

My first NAS (PII 400) boots from CD ROM and has the embedded system on a 4GB CF card; I added a PCI extension card to get 4 more PATA drives in the box and one ATA-to-CF adapter. This configuration runs 24/7 since 2008 and I'm using now N4F 10.3.0.3.2465 with no problems (768 MB RAM is enough for my FTP, HTTP, NFS, SMB, UPnP, DAAP, UPS and DDNS sevices).
Another NAS runs N4F installed embedded from a boot CD on an internal USB stick... so if you boot from an USB stick you'll need a second one to install the embedded system on.

But first of all: burn/write the ISO/img file as an image and not as a file... many tutorials which explain how to do this exist over the net.

Ciao @+

XigmaNAS