Introduction to XigmaNAS: Your Friendly Neighborhood NAS OS

Welcome, intrepid sysadmin or aspiring home-lab enthusiast! If you’ve ever dreamed of having a slick, rock-solid Network Attached Storage (NAS) box humming in the corner of your server rack (or under your desk), XigmaNAS is here to fulfill that vision. Formerly known as NAS4Free, this FreeBSD-based solution delivers enterprise-grade features without the enterprise price tag. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step installation, configuration, and triumphant first file-share—with just enough humor to keep you awake when your coffee supply runs low.

What You’ll Need

Hardware Requirements

Software Tools

• Working Linux, Windows, or macOS machine to create your USB installer
• Rufus, Etcher, or dd (because you love living on the edge)
• An internet connection—because downloading is caring

Step 1: Download the XigmaNAS ISO

Head over to the official XigmaNAS website and grab the latest stable ISO. You’ll find multiple architectures (i386, amd64) pick amd64 unless you’re stuck in a mid-2000s time warp.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Stick

1. On Linux/Mac: Open a terminal and identify your USB with lsblk or diskutil list. Then:

   sudo dd if=xigmanas.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress  sync

2. On Windows: Fire up Rufus, select the ISO, the correct USB drive, and click Start. Try not to accidentally select your system drive—trust us.
3. After flashing, safely eject the USB drive. If it rattles loudly, you might have a bad stick—or a ghost.

Step 3: Boot from the USB and Install

BIOS/UEFI Configuration

• Enter your firmware settings (F2, F12, Del depending on brand).
• Enable AHCI for SATA disable legacy IDE if possible.
• Select the USB stick as the first boot device.

Installation Process

1. Boot into the XigmaNAS installer you’ll see a BSD-based menu.
2. Choose Install/Upgrade and press Enter. Don’t worry, no magic eight-ball needed.
3. Select the target disk (your chosen USB or SSD). Confirm you understand all data on it will vanish.
4. Pick the default filesystem (UFS with soft updates or ZFS if you’re feeling adventurous).
5. Set a root password—you know, something you won’t forget at 3 a.m.
6. Wait for the installer to copy files. Go make a cup of coffee or do a quick dance.
7. Remove the USB installer and reboot into your brand-new XigmaNAS system.

Step 4: First Boot Console Configuration

On first boot, you’ll be presented with a console menu:

• 1) Set LAN IP address: Assign a static IP or let DHCP bless you with an address.
• 2) Configure VLANs: Only if your home network feels extra corporate.
• 9) Reset root password: For those moments of temporary amnesia.

After you save and exit, you’ll see “Maintenance” and “Shell.” But we’ll do our real work in the web interface—where all the pretty lights are.

Step 5: Access the Web GUI

On any computer connected to the same network, launch a browser and navigate to:
http://Your.XigmaNAS.IP
or for HTTPS:
https://Your.XigmaNAS.IP (accept the self-signed cert—you know you trust yourself).

Login with root and the password you set.

Step 6: Create and Manage Your Storage Pool

Now it gets juicy: setting up your data pool. XigmaNAS supports UFS, GPT slices, and the ever-popular ZFS.

Using ZFS

1. Navigate to Storage gt ZFS Volume Manager.
2. Click Add Volume. Give it a name like tank (a classic).
3. Select multiple disks for a RAIDZ or mirror—depending on your desire for speed vs. redundancy.
4. Adjust advanced options like compression (enable LZ4—you’ll thank yourself later).
5. Click Add Volume. XigmaNAS will build your pool—cue triumphant orchestra music.

Step 7: Create File Shares

Pick your protocol, or pick them all—XigmaNAS is polyglot-friendly.

SMB (Windows Shares)

1. Services gt SMB gt Settings: Enable SMB1/2/3 as you see fit.
2. Shares gt Add: Point to your ZFS dataset or UFS mountpoint.
3. Permissions: Set read/write for specific users or give “guest” a shot (not recommended for sensitive data).

NFS (Unix/Linux Shares)

1. Services gt NFS gt Settings: Enable NFSv3/v4.
2. Shares gt Add: Define the path, network clients allowed (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24), and maproot.

AFP (macOS)

1. Services gt AFP: Enable it.
2. Shares gt Add: Mac users rejoice—Time Machine support included!

FTP/FTPS

1. Services gt FTP: Toggle on.
2. Configure passive port range, SSL certs, and youre ready to rock old-school transfers.

Step 8: User Permission Management

Don’t let your friends wander into directories reserved for your secret anime collection. Define users and groups:

• Accounts gt Users: Create a user, assign a password, home dir, and group membership.
• Accounts gt Groups: Organize users (admins, media, guests).
• Access gt ACL: Fine-tune dataset-level permissions if you’re feeling particularly detail-oriented.

Step 9: Plugins Jails: Unleash the Beast

Want a torrent box, Plex media server, or Nextcloud in a neat jail? It’s a few clicks away:

1. Plugins gt Available: Browse the catalog.
2. Click Install on your desired plugin.
3. Configure its jail (networking, volumes) under Plugins gt Installed.
4. Manage each plugin’s settings via the new menu entries.

This is where your lab begins to look like a miniature Netflix/BitTorrent hybrid.

Troubleshooting Handy Tips

• If SMB share doesn’t show up: Check firewall (System gt Advanced gt Firewall), restart SMB service.
• ZFS pool won’t import after reboot? Confirm disk IDs didn’t change use GUIDs or labels instead of ada0.
• Web GUI unreachable: Verify console IP, firewall rules, and ensure the browser didn’t accidentally get lost.
• Logs are your friend: Diagnostics gt System Logs provides insight into sneaky errors.

Conclusion: Bask in Your NAS Glory

Congratulations! You’ve just built a reliable, feature-packed NAS from scratch. Feel free to brag, take screenshots, or write a blog post. Your data is now safely curated, ready for media streaming, backup orchestration, or that “one file” you keep losing track of. And remember, if in doubt, reboot—configuration in real life is rarely as straightforward as in tutorials!

For more advanced topics—high availability, replication, custom scripting—check out the XigmaNAS Community Forums. Happy storing!