how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Discussions about using non Windows and Linux guests such as FreeBSD, DOS, OS/2, OpenBSD, etc.
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AssetBurned
Posts: 1
Joined: 28. Oct 2009, 17:36
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: BSD

how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by AssetBurned »

Hi

I'm slowly giving up with this and turning back to VMWare. I have the latest version of FreeNAS and Virtual Box but I'm totally unable to install FreeNAS in a VM. Either the whole VM hangs itself while booting up (somewhere before the first menu) or if it is able to boot, the second menu is not usable.

For example if i want to install FreeNAS on a hard disc all i get is a "can't find the CD-ROM". the whole thing booted up from the ISO file which should be the CD-ROM inside the VM.
Or if I want to set the IP i get an "Killed" message.

So someone here with an Idea how I can run FreeNAS inside VBox? I would really like to use it, instead of VMWare. But as I wrote it doesn't work.

If I use the same ISO file everything works fine with the latest VMWare. Boot it up, install the stuff on the virtual hard disk, getting an IP.... everything. So it can't be a damaged ISO file and it can't be my own stupidity to setup a FreeNAS serve.

cu AssetBurned
oksofar
Posts: 10
Joined: 1. Dec 2009, 19:27
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Centos 6.3, Windows 7, Vista

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by oksofar »

Hello AB,

I successfully installed FreeNAS 0.7.4919 on VBox 3.0.12, so maybe I can help.

It's not clear exactly what you did when you tried to install, so I'll tell you what I did.

I downloaded a FreeNAS ISO image. Be sure you get the right one for your computer - i386 or AMD 64 bit. As I learned the hard way, if you get the wrong one the install will hang. (I'm using a Dell 531 with AMD-64.)

1. First, create a new guest: in the VBox GUI, click on the "New" button. In the dialog that pops up:
a. give the guest a name of your choosing.
b. For the OS, choose "BSD".
c. For the OS version choose either "FreeBSD" or "FreeBSD 64-bit", depending on whether or not you're installing the 64-bit version.

2. Click Next for Memory: I entered 256MB for the base memory size. The default for this OS is 128MB. Most commentaries on FreeNAS that I've seen recommend 256MB.

3. click Next for Vitrtual Hard Disk: Check "Boot hard disk" and select "create new hard disk".

4. click Next for a popup called "Welcome..etc.", and then click Next again for Hard Disk Storage Type: for storage type, I choose "dynamically expanding storage", but you could choose "fixed". Here are my thoughts on this:
a. I suppose that fixed storage will be faster at run time. That's good if I have a lot of activity on my share files.
b. All the data in the disk will be kept in one file by the VM. So if I want to back up the disk by just copying that file, it'll take a lot more time and space if it's a fixed size.
c. I can assign another disk later. So I could allocate expanding-space for the OS, and fixed space (on another physical drive) for the data.
d. I ended up allocating 350MB of expanding space on a separate physical drive for everything.

5. Click Next for Virtual Disk Location and Size:
a. The "location" is actually a file name. It's the name of the file that holds all the virtual disk data. You can name it anything, but the default is the name of the guest machine. Note: you cannot change this name later. If you change it on the file system, the guest won't boot. (unless there's a trick I don't know).
b. Set the size of the disk: The maximum size for expanding storage, and the actual size for fixed storage. I had to think about this. I want as much storage as possible, but the other guests are going to be grabbing storage over time - and I don't want to run out.

6. Click Next for Hard Disk Summary, and if it's OK, click Finish.

7. You'll then get a summary the guest machine. Click Finish.

Now, before you install FreeNAS, you've got to do a couple of things.

In the VBox GUI, with your new guest selected:

8. Click on Network: You'll see the parameters for a network adapter (Adapter #1). It should be enabled.
a. The adapter type must be PCnet-PCI II (that's a roman "2" at the end). Other ones won't work with a FreeBSD system (I haven't tried them all, but the default definitely does not work).
b. For "Attached to" select "Bridged Adapter". Otherwise, you won't see your DHCP router.
c. Click OK.

9. Click on "CD/DVD ROM":
a. check "Mount"
b. select "ISO image file".
c Then click on the little folder-browse icon on the right of the image file name. Locate your FreeNAS ISO.
d. Click on OK.

10. Here's something I had to do to get a decent IP address:
a. In the VBox GUI, select your FreeNAS machine, and click on "Network".
b. Click on the little yellow gear icon next to the "Attached to" option.
c. This will pop up the MAC address for the virtual adapter.
d. Now go into your router (or whatever you're using for DHCP) and bind an IP address to that MAC.

11. Click on OK, and you're ready to install.

12. To install,
start up your guest machine.


At the end of the install, you'll get an important message on console. It starts with "To use the DATA partition". Write down this message verbatim.

From the menu at the end of the install, select "Set LAN IP Address". Be sure that "DHCP" is selected (unless, of course, you need a static IP).

After my first install (I did it 3 times), I found that the second adapter (eth0) had to use DHCP. But I'm not sure if that's still true.

Use a browser to manage the web browser. The URL is the IP address of the first adapter. The ID/password is admin/freenas. You can change that via the menu on the console.
Last edited by oksofar on 1. Dec 2009, 22:38, edited 1 time in total.
oksofar
Posts: 10
Joined: 1. Dec 2009, 19:27
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Centos 6.3, Windows 7, Vista

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by oksofar »

There are a couple of more things about installing FreeNAS.

The install gives you instructions on how to set up the data and swap partitions. But it leaves some things out.

Here's the complete procedure, as I've figured it out.

Go into the web browser gui (URL = Adapter IP address):

A. Define the disk:

1. From the menu bar, go to "Disks" > "Management". This might take a while as it looks for disks to list. It won't find any.

2. Toward the right, you'll see a "+" icon. Click on that to add a disk.

3. In the drop-down menu, you'll see disk ad0. select that, and add a description. Leave everything else as it is.

4. Click on "Add".

5. Then click on the button that says "Apply changes". The status will now say "ONLINE".

B. Define the data partition:

1. from the menu bar, go to "Disks" > "Mount Point" > "Management".

2. Use the following parameters:
___ Type: Disk
___ Partition: 2
___ Partition Type: MBR
___ Filesystem: UFS

3. Click "Add" and then (I think) "Apply Changes".

C. Define the swap partition:

1. From the menu bar, go to "System" > "Advanced" > "Swap"

2. On the right side of the page check "enable".

3. Use the following parameters:
___ Type: Device
___ Device: /dev/ad0s3

4. Click Save.

Do not format ad0.
AMBGMA
Posts: 1
Joined: 19. Sep 2010, 17:19
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: FREEBSD

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by AMBGMA »

:D @ oksofar: Great information for a novice like me. I am up and running, thank you for your expertise!!
henfri
Posts: 2
Joined: 27. May 2011, 17:36
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: FreeNas

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by henfri »

Hello,

thanks for this Tutorial!

I have two questions:
1) You suggest a bridged Network connection. If I understand the FreeNas FAQ correctly, this does not work with Wireless adapters. Is that right? Is there an alternative for me?
2) Can you quantify the loss of performance (in MB/s) due to the virtualization?

Greetings,
Hendrik
Cyberian
Posts: 49
Joined: 17. Dec 2008, 10:21
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Fedora

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by Cyberian »

I at least can answer to 1)
FreeNAS itself is not capable of using wireless adapters natively.
In VBox you can select your wireless adapter on Host as the bridged adapter for the guest, the guest will see this always as wired network adapter.
henfri
Posts: 2
Joined: 27. May 2011, 17:36
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: FreeNas

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by henfri »

Hello,

that's clear. I read in one of the official virtualbox FAQ, that VB cannot use Wireless Adapters in Bridge mode. But maybe I misunderstood. It works.

Greetings,
Hendrik
brendonwp
Posts: 1
Joined: 9. Oct 2011, 10:48
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows

Re: how: FreeNAS 0.7.4919 under VBox 3.0.12 ?

Post by brendonwp »

Hi there

Thanks all for the info, now I can see the webgui at last! I'm using Host-only networking, as I don't have a router to do the DHCP work, and it seems to be running fine now after getting 0.0.0.0 for the IP address for a day. I also changed the adapter from the default as recommended.

I'm running VirtualBox 4.1.2 with a Win XP host.

Regards
Brendon
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