Hardware & Storage Requirements/Compatibility FAQ

[Mawson]

 

Hi Folks,

This post will go over the basic requirements for running HexOS, then cover a few frequently asked questions.

If you come across frequently asked questions that are not included in the main post please comment below!

NOTE: Please keep comments here directly related to the post/FAQ itself. and create separate topics to discuss specific use cases and issues.

Thanks!

Updated 12/2/24

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• Minimum Hardware Requirements:
   
  • x86 compatible hardware (Intel or AMD)
    • (HexOS is NOT ARM or RISC-V compatible)
  • 64 bit Processor with 2+ cores
  • 8GB or more of system memory
  • 16GB or larger boot SSD
  • 3 or more storage drives recommended
    • Minimum of two drives. (Pool will not be expandable if using only 2 drives)
  • Please visit https://hexos.com/early-access-faq for more info
     
• Also, please check out the roadmap web page for info on upcoming features;
• https://hexos.com/blog/the-road-to-10

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• FAQ:
   
• Q: Can I install HexOS on a virtual machine?
  • A: Yes. While HexOS is meant to be installed on physical hardware, it can be ran as a VM.
    • Please see TrueNAS SCALE documentation for details on running TrueNAS as a VM.
       
• Q: can I install HexOS on a UGREEN or ASUSTOR NAS?
  • A: Yes.  To the best of my knowledge, UGREEN and ASUSTOR NAS devices all support installing 3rd party operating systems.
    • Google "Installing TrueNAS on [insert brand name here] NAS" to find guides and forum posts with other users experiences.
       

• Q: Can I install HexOS on my old Synology NAS or Netgear Ready NAS?
  • A: No. Unfortunately many consumer NAS solutions do not support installation of 3rd party operating systems.
     
• Q: Can I run HexOS on a Raspberry Pi or equivalent?
  • A: No. Raspberry Pi devices are built using ARM processors. HexOS requires x86 hardware.
     
• Q: Can I start with only a few drives and expand later?
  • A: Yes.You can add more drives of the same capacity to a pool to increase its available space.
     
• Q: Can storage pools use drives with different capacities without loosing space?
  • A: No. While mismatched drives can be used,  in any one pool the maximum usable capacity per drive is limited by the size of the smallest drive in that pool.
    • Example: A storage pool with 5x 256GB SSDs and 1x 250GB SSD  will have the same usable capacity as a pool with 6x 250GB drives.
       
• Q: Can I change small drives our for larger ones to increase my storage pool's capacity?
  • A: Yes.  Drives can be exchanged one at a time to gradually copy all the data onto larger drives, Once all drives have been exchanged the pool's capacity will grow all at once.
    • Example: Lets say we have a pool with 6x10TB drives in RAIDz1, and we swap those out one by one for six 20TB units. When the last 20 TB drive has been installed, and the pool has finished re-silvering (copying data to a drive to re-construct the pool) then the pool's total capacity will jump from ~50TB usable to ~100TB usable!

 

[GameFunny]

What about UGREEN NAS?

[Mawson]

On 12/2/2024 at 5:39 PM, GameFunny said:

What about UGREEN NAS?

@GameFunny, Good catch. Added Ugreen and Asustor info.

[Sventek]

Just a minor fix - your link to the early-access FAQ has a trailing comma leading to a 404 page

[Mawson]

Good catch @Sventek!