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Along these lines, I’ve somewhere read that you should delete the truenas_admin account and create another administrator account with your own chosen username and password. For safety. That’s on my list of things to consider going forward.

So, the Windows PC I built in 2016 is on the mend, in that it had to get a reinstall from inside Windows itself. A grey screen (of death, they say) meant it wouldn’t start properly. This was such a load on my mind, it had to be done not to block the road for the other small problems. Even if it has nothing to do with HexOS, this PC is not worthy of Windows 11, so Linux would have to come to the rescue in the coming months. Now I only need to find time to work through the rest of my list 😉

Just a comment on the question itself, ”What new gear are you interested in?” I believe this topic by @Dylan will have eternal life. I compare this to a Swedish hifi forum I take part in, where a user in September 2005 posted the topic ”What are you listening to right now?” Two simple and innocent questions started it all. ”What’s rotating on your record player right now? What’s playing in Windows Media player at this moment? ” This topic is still active now in 2025 with new posts regularly. Hifi people always listen to music 😉 And in the area we’re in, there will always be new computer gear to catch your eye. Or new software, for that matter. I believe this was like hitting the nail on the head. A reflection on a Monday.

You know, for now it sits there really doing nothing, temperature is very moderate and no noise. I explained in an earlier post about the questions I still have, that makes me a bit paralyzed, for lack of a better word, when it comes to testing the PocketNAS for real. ”It’s apparent I’ve taken a little break from the HexOS implementation. It’s just that many questions are up in the air, a situation which don’t help me going forward. By writing them down here I try to make the road ahead a little smoother. It makes me being able to focus on one problem at a time. I hope. So here we go: Smb shares possible without installing anything? Separate pool for smb shares? (correct zfs terminology?) Getting my main Windows PC going, for smb shares Delete TrueNAS_admin account, and create another administrator user? Static IP (realized by DHCP reservations?) Https instead of http?” When I’m there, all question marks straightened and NAS is working moving my model files, I’ll let you know more.

Creativity is like food for the "happiness center" of our brain. My natural creativity area is language, I like writing. But this computer related stuff is not far behind.

Wish I could but no, I don't have those capabilities machine wise, or knowledge😉 Just happy it's out there to buy...

I would like to show some pictures of the older case also, since they are both very stylish. This case has a bottom part where you put the Pi, then you put the top part above 😉 That’s why it looks a bit so-so in the pictures - the top part is not properly set. If I hadn’t found a wood case for the Pi I would(!) have chosen this Akasa aluminium case: https://akasa.co.uk/update.php?tpl=product/product.detail.tpl&type=CHASSIS%20POWER&type_sub=FANLESS%20CASES&model=A-RA13-M2B Thiis isn’t about HexOS, I know, but either of my use cases could work like partners to my HexOS PocketNAS.

In the topic ”What new gear are you interested in” by @Dylan I mentioned I had a little project on the side. So I got me a Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB RAM, with two possible use cases. First alternative is to place it in my sister’s apartment for an off site backup, together with a 5TB Lacie Rugged USB drive for storage. Second alternative and maybe more exciting is to use it for a Nextcloud setup. There is a specific Pi OS for this - Nextcloud Pi. I even found a video describing a setup like this: https://www.xda-developers.com/i-built-a-personal-cloud-using-my-raspberry-pi-and-heres-how-you-can-too/ Many years ago I bought a wooden case for an earlier version of the Pi I had also got. That never came to any use, but at least I got to know there are nicer cases out there. So with this new Raspberry Pi 5 I ordered, from Germany, a case specific for the Pi 5: https://barebaric.com/en/shop/barebaric-raspberry-pi-5-case-made-from-real-oak-or-walnut-wood-1#attr=14,2,3

So, here’s the link to my Raspberry Pi 5 walnut case. I’ll write more about the Pi in my own topic. https://barebaric.com/en/shop/barebaric-raspberry-pi-5-case-made-from-real-oak-or-walnut-wood-1#attr=14,2,3

It’s apparent I’ve taken a little break from the HexOS implementation. It’s just that many questions are up in the air, a situation which don’t help me going forward. By writing them down here I try to make the road ahead a little smoother. It makes me being able to focus on one problem at a time. I hope. So here we go: Smb shares possible without installing anything? Separate pool for smb shares? (correct TrueNAS terminology?) Getting my main Windows PC going, for smb shares Delete truesnas_admin account, and create another administrator user? Static IP (realized by DHCP reservations?) Https instead of http? Useful comments are welcome!

New gear? Yes! I’ve just got a Raspberry Pi 5 to play with for a second unit placed elsewhere, with a USB drive for storage, OR as a separate device for implementing Nextcloud. There is a Nextcloud PI OS for this. I even found a wooden case for the Pi, to make it not look like computer gear.

Thanks for the video! GMKtec was actually the brand I considered before getting my PocketNAS. Interesting with a small main unit combined with the external drive case. I might by the way have good use for this video to help me setting up my own NAS properly 😀

So, installed and ready, would it work? TrueNAS dashboard has the answer. Success 😀 Next step would be playing with storage files. After I got the hang of smb shares…

Just one thing I forgot to mention earlier. My SSD chip should be connected to SATA 2 or SATA 3 on the motherboard, according to ipc.net support (Jessica Fang). The one I used, the more easily available is SATA 3 to the middle right in this photo, with the black connector and cable visible. You can also see half of another SATA port just below in the photo, with the other half hidden under the board above it.

By now I feel comfortable opening up this computer case, and here is the pre-installed RAM, top of the picture. The two shiny metal ”handles” left and right of the stick you push outwards to release the stick. New RAM installed, ready to be pushed down, to sit properly. Second picture.

About two weeks ago I mentioned I got a 48GB RAM stick, for a spare or for upgrade at some point. Could I resist installing it now? No. 48GB is the max RAM possible here, and I believe it doesn’t hurt with a little more of it 😉

So, @Dylan , I plan to use it for my files mostly, not a lot of apps on my mind, yet. Files being the regular ones: Digital photos Libreoffice files CD collection ripped to computer as files and played through a streamer. If buddy backup is offered it would seem like a good idea in general, but I wouldn’t be a very good buddy 😉 My storage drives so far only has space for my own growing collection of files. I may put a second NAS in my sister’s apartment for backup and security, and/or(?) some form of cloud arrangement, like ownclud or Nextcloud. Any suggestions are welcome! And my NAS may not end up staying on the shelf in my hallway. I put it there to show it’s not something you absolutely would want to hide somewhere. The white ”box” on the wall to the left is for fiber internet, not yet implemented by me. I use some form of mobile broadband for now. I’ve got 5-6 linux ISOs to play with for storage, as long as HexOS is under development. If catastrophe happens they are only a download away. As I described in an earlier post I tried to establish some RAID10 inspired setup in the TrueNAS environment. @Sonic suggested I try to take away one or two drives to see what happens. That’s what I’m going to do, when I got smb shares ABC in order, and the ISOs are in place.

So @Dylan you said a while ago ”Looking forward to see and hearing about it when you've got it all up and running.”. Well since last weekend I’m running HexOS on my Pocket NAS. I’ve just now realized I would have to catch up on smb shares though, to make it really work. So far no files on my NAS, just running ”empty”. If those cables were tidied up a bit it could well be sitting there in my hallway for good.

I ordered this memory module today. To have as a spare, or upgrade if I feel like it. The Pocket NAS can use up to 48GB RAM. Currently it’s 32GB.

I’ve also read in this forum that there’s an idea that maybe RAID-Z1 is better for Svensson/Mr Jones. He who lives will see 😉

Here’s the TrueNAS dashboard with respectable CPU temperatures, though my NVMe drives aren’t working much yet. When they are fully engaged temperature might rise.

So, when I did it the correct way it looked this in TrueNAS interface. Now, remember I’m not the expert here. I rely on other knowledgeable persons. If what I’m doing is completely wrong, I hope someone will tell me 😉 Anyway, I’m not doing all this with critical data. For now I’m only playing a little. I would only work with disposable files at this stage. I still need to catch up on static IP address for the server, and other things, like backup of OS disk and storage. Life is fun 😉

Now, RAID-Z2 is the talk of the town, in this community, I feel. I’m however not the person that does what ”Svensson” does, as we say in my country. In English it would probably be ”I don’t do what Mr Jones does”. It wouldn’t hurt with another use case, where I’m trying to implement the equivalent of of RAID10 in a ZFS setting. Like a ”striped mirror” or so. I found a TrueNAS forum post explaining about this. After spotting some post online I did exactly as the person asking the question in my linked post did, which was corrected by another member: https://www.truenas.com/community/threads/how-to-set-up-4-disks-with-2-striped-and-then-mirrored.7956/ Member Stephan Hochhaus: ”First I created a volume with two drives and selected mirrored, then I extended the volume with two disks and selected striped. Is that the proper way to do it?” This was answered by member paleoN: ”No, select mirror the second time as well. This will create your striped mirrors.”

As I said yesterday I always planned on using RAID10 for my old NAS build from 2015. My assumption about RAID-Z2 being the ZFS equivalent of RAID10 was corrected by @Sonic ”RAID-Z2 is more or less the equivalent of RAID6”. Now, with my limited knowledge of RAID and/or ZFS I was always fond of the idea of using RAID10. Especially after I sent a question to a Swedish computer magazine years ago, about hard drives for a NAS and talked about my idea of RAID10. ”That’s what I’m using” was the answer I got from the person at the magazine.

When I sent a question to ipc.net support (Jessica Fang) earlier, I at the same time talked about the M2.5x4 screw useful for attaching this SSD chip, at the lower right side. I asked if they could possibly include it in the package when shipping this Pocket NAS. I had to order 10 of them for myself, and only really need the one. Kind of unnecessary... Anyway, they asked me to verify it was this screw I talked about. I don't know if this means it really will be included in the future, but as I told Jessica it would be beneficial for future customers. I'm just happy they are considering it.