Use Raspberry Pi to Build Home Network Storage System (NAS)

In the digital age, our data storage needs continue to grow.

Whether it's precious family photos, videos, or important work documents, you need a reliable and easily accessible storage solution.

Using Raspberry Pi to build a home network storage system (NAS) is an economical and practical method.

Through the Samba service and external hard disk, we can turn the Raspberry Pi into a powerful NAS storage server.

This article will detail how to implement this process, allowing you to easily build your own home NAS.

I. Preparation.

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1. Hardware preparation.

- # Raspberry Pi #: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is recommended because of its stronger performance and suitable as a NAS server.

- # MicroSD Card #: at least 16 GB for installing the operating system.

- # Power Adapter #: 5V 3A or higher.

- # External hard disk #: Choose a hard disk with a suitable capacity according to storage requirements. It is recommended to use a USB 3.0 interface for better transfer speed.

- # Network Device #: Make sure your home network can connect to the Raspberry Pi.

- # Other accessories #: such as HDMI cable, keyboard, mouse (for initial setup), and USB hub that may be required.

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2. Software preparation.

- # Operating System #: Raspberry Pi OS (formerly known as Raspbian), which can be downloaded from the official Raspberry Pi website.

- # Samba service #: used to implement file sharing functions.

II. Install the operating system.

1. # Download Raspberry Pi OS #: Download the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS from [Raspberry Pi Official Website] (https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/).

2. # Burn to MicroSD card #: Use tools such as Balena Etcher to burn downloaded image files to MicroSD card.

3. # Initial startup settings #: - Insert MicroSD card into Raspberry Pi.

-Connect power supply, keyboard, mouse and monitor.

-After startup, follow the instructions on the screen to complete basic settings, including changing passwords, updating the system, etc.

Three, configure the network connection.

1. # Wired Connection #: Connect to a router or switch via an Ethernet port to ensure a stable network connection.

2. # Wireless Connection #: If you use a wireless network, you can use a graphical interface or a command line tool wifi-menuTo configure.

IV. Install Samba service.

1. # Update System #:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   

2. # Install Samba #:

   sudo apt install samba -y
   

3. # Configure Samba #: Edit configuration file /etc/samba/smb.conf, add the following:

ini
   [public]
   path = /mnt/usbdrive
   browseable = yes
   writable = yes
   guest ok = yes
   read only = no
   

Here it is assumed that the external hard disk is mounted to /mnt/usbdriveTable of contents.

You can modify the path according to the actual situation.

4. # Create shared directory #:

   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usbdrive
   sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbdrive  # 根据实际硬盘设备名调整
   

5. # Set up automatic mounting at startup #: Edit /etc/fstabFile, add the following lines:

ini
   /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbdrive auto defaults 0 0
   

V. Testing and Access.

1. # Restart Samba Service #:

   sudo systemctl restart smbd
   sudo systemctl restart nmbd
   

2. # Visit NAS #: -Enter in Windows Explorer \\, E.g \\192.168.1.5, Then press Enter.

You should be able to see the just created publicShared folders.

- On macOS or Linux, open the terminal and enter smb:///public, E.g smb://192.168.1.5/public。

VI. Optimization and expansion.

1. # Security #: In order to improve security, you can set username and password authentication for Samba.

Edit /etc/samba/smbusersFile, add user information.

Then in /etc/samba/smb.confModified in guest ok = no, and specify a valid user.

2. # Performance Optimization #: Consider using a faster hard disk (such as SSD) or RAID configuration to improve read and write speeds.

In addition, you can adjust the parameters in Samba's configuration file to optimize performance.

3. # Remote Access #: If you need to access NAS on the external network, you can consider setting up port forwarding or using dynamic DNS service.

At the same time, ensure that appropriate security measures are taken, such as firewall rules and strong password policies.

4. # Backup and Recovery #: It is very important to back up important data regularly.

Tools such as Rsync can be used to back up data to another device or cloud storage.

VII. Summary.

Through the above steps, you have successfully built a home network storage system (NAS) using Raspberry Pi.

This NAS not only stores and manages your data conveniently, but also provides cross-platform file sharing capabilities.

You can also easily expand and optimize as demand increases.

Hope this article is helpful to you and have a good time using Raspberry Pi NAS!