I recently bought a new computer that I intend to use as a file server. But, since it's a new computer, it has a processor that's way overpowered to simply function as a file server. So I need to figure out how to dual-purpose it.

My initial thought about the file server in general was to use OpenFiler or FreeNAS (or something similar). However, I've come to discover that they're all based on stripped-down operating systems, and if I want to do something else with them, I'll need a full OS. So I see a few potential solutions.

• Install OpenFiler and backfill the OS. It's rPath based, so it shouldn't be too difficult, I don't think.
• Install a "real" Linux OS and run OpenFiler underneath VMware Server.
• Install Xen or VMware ESXi and run OpenFiler and a real Linux OS in parallel.
• Screw OpenFiler and just manage fileserver services as one normally would underneath Linux.
• Find a fileserver complex that works as a component of a "real" OS rather than its own OS.

Does anyone have any experience with any of those options? Or have any other suggestions?

Don't they always? What is it you're looking for that isn't "apt-get install nfsd samba"?

Peter

Well, OpenFiler ties it all together nicely. Part of it is just the web GUI, but there are other elements, too, like a builtin authentication, etc.

Check out OpenFIler's list of features.

With the extra CPU power, you can always look at realtime media transcoding apps to allow a PS3/360/AppleTV/iPhone etc to stream whatever videos you have, no matter their format.

Exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of doing. I also just discovered that ffmpeg can run multithreaded, which will help a lot.

Not for everything though. I found that transcoding to DV would thread. But transcoding to FLV didn't.

OpenFiler doesn't let you manage users via the GUI. If you want to do any user management like adding/deleting then you must do it via the command line.

It does this because it is designed to connect to an external LDAP or AD server.

In the end I used CentOS for my fileserver as I didn't like the rPath base.

Ugh. RedHat--

Well, Dell decided to ship my new computer to the other side of the country instead of where I requested, so I may have more time to ... ponder my choices.

Use <insert favourite mainstream distribution here> instead then. Whilst having the GUI is nice, how often are you really going to be messing around with the configuration of your file server?

I like Gentoo.

Probably not frequently, but thinking about diddling around with Samba config and user admin makes me go all twitchy.

I've never found Samba config that complicated even when it is attached to a domain. I've never tried making it a PDC/BDC though.

OpenFiler won't help for the actual user management but the share admin part was okay tho. It would see the local users and they would appear in the GUI. The lack of any local user management in the GUI was a little strange.

Finally got working on my file server, and it turns out that this isn't true, at least any more. While it doesn't look like it, there is an LDAP server built into OpenFiler. In order to enable it, you have to click on the "Use Local LDAP Server" checkbox, and then the bindDN and bindPassword fields set those options for the server in addition to the client. And then you can use the web interface to create groups and users.

I was having some problems early on, but it seems to be going pretty smoothly now. I'll be testing speed tonight and then testing it again running under VMware and under Xen.

Ah. Nice to see that they've finally integrated a local user management system. The old versions I used didn't have that option and you'd have to go in to the shell to do user management.


It was easy to setup and worked fine. Upgrading to the next version is/was a little hairy due to Conary and the developers not supporting an upgrade path.