Three Open Source Network Storage Software Whether you’re looking to create a scalable storage solution for your organization or a simple and easy to setup storage box for your home or small office, here are three packages that will meet all your network storage requirements. You can either download their latest editions or take them from this month’s PCQ DVD.

- Sandeep Koul

NAS4Free This software is actually related to FreeNAS (the one we’ve done a detailed implementation guide on in this issue), which is probably why it has a similar sounding name. In fact, NAS4Free is a direct continuation of efforts that went into developing the original FreeNAS code, which started in 2005 and continued till 2011 by the name FreeNAS. Post 2011, these two packages were developed separately by two different communities. Like FreeNAS, NAS4Free also comes loaded with features like sharing across Windows, Apple, and UNIX-like systems, includes ZFS, software RAID (0,1,5), disk encryption, S.M.A.R.T / email reports etc. It supports all common network storage protocols including CIFS (), FTP, NFS, TFTP, AFP, , Unison, iSCSI, UPnP, Bittorent (initiator and target). All these features can be configured through the software’s Web interface. The package is an embedded Open Source Network-Attached Storage distribution and is based on FreeBSD. Download from: www.nas4free.org/

OpenMediaVault The great feature about this storage package is the modular design of its framework, due to which its functionality can be enhanced via plug-ins. OpenMediaVault is based pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] DECEMBER 2012 PCQuest 51 COVER STORY on Linux and contains services like SSH, (S)FTP, with the pricing determined on a per-terabyte and per- SMB/CIFS, DAAP , RSync, BitTorrent client server licensing basis. and many more. This package is primarily designed to A “community edition” is available free of charge for be used in home environments or small home offices, users with less than 18 Terabyte of used disk space. It is but could find its usage in any setup specifically in test the same as the enterprise version, except for the lack of environments. Another aspect of OpenMediaVault is paid plugins and commercial support. It can install many user friendliness. It’s a very simple and easy to use out- of the free and open source plugins that are developed of-the-box solution that can be installed by anyone with and hosted on the community edition website. basic storage related knowledge. NexentaStor is optimized for use in virtualized server Download from: www.openmediavault.org/ environments including NAS, iSCSI, and Fibre Channel applications, and is built around the ZFS . NexentaStor It features iSCSI support, unlimited incremental Download from: www.nexentastor.org/ or ‘snapshots’, snapshot mirroring The difference between the other three storage (replication), block level mirroring (CDP), integrated packages we discussed and this one is that it is a search within ZFS snapshots and a custom API. proprietary built by Through its focus on ZFS, it carries with it potential on top of the Nexenta Core Platform. The OS is benefits for virtualized server farms in terms of currently distributed as an ISO and VMware disk images performance and thin provisioning.

How they Compare Tool FreeNAS NAS4Free OpenMediaVault NexentaStor

Download from www.freenas.org www.nas4free.org www.openmediavault.org www.nexentastor.org

Based on FreeBSD FreeBSD Debian Linux Proprietary

iSCSI 4 4 4 4

ZFS 4 4 4 4

Snapshots 4 4 4 4

NFS 4 4 4 4

52 PCQuest DECEMBER 2012 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected]