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This is the continuation of  “Turning an old pc into NAS server” I would recommend reading this first if you have not done that yet.

Installation and Network Configuration

After you’ve configured the system’s boot order, insert a blank formatted floppy disk (or connect a Flash drive), insert the FreeNAS CD and then reboot your system. FreeNAS will start loading and eventually display a boot menu on a 5-second timer. Leave the default option selected, and within a few seconds a splash page will appear. After a few more moments there will be high-pitched beep, which means FreeNAS is loaded and ready to configure.

After you hear that beep, press ESC to gain access to the Console setup menu. Select option 2, Set LAN IP address, and you’ll be prompted about using DHCP for IPv4 and then AutoConfiguration for IPv6. Choose Y in both cases, and after a moment FreeNAS will display the addresses that have been assigned for each. The IPv6 address isn’t really important, unless you’re running IPv6, but take note of the address listed for IPv4 — this is the address you’ll use to access and configure your FreeNAS system.

You can test FreeNAS’s network connectivity by returning to the setup menu and then selecting option 5, Ping host. Enter the address of your router, and if you get responses, you’ll know your NAS system’s link is up. If so, point your browser to the FreeNAS system’s IP address, enter admin as the username and freenas as the password, and you’ll be granted access to the configuration screen.

Preparing Disks and Creating Shares

There are three basic steps to preparing a disk for use with FreeNAS: identifying it, formatting it and mounting it. Start by going to the Disks menu, selecting Management, and clicking the plus sign button. From the Disk pull-down menu — which will list all disks connected to the system) select one that you want to use, click the Add button and then click Apply changes.

Now go to Disks|Format, select the disk you just added, and click the Format Disk button. (As you’ll be warned, this will erase the contents of the disk.) Then go to Disks|Mount Point, click the plus button, specify the drive, type a volume name into the Name field, then click Add. Again, Finally, click the Add Changes when it appears.

Now we need to activate file services and set up a share. Head over to the Services menu and choose CIFS/SMB (this is the protocol used by Windows Networking, a.k.a. Network Neighborhood/Places). Put a check in the Enable box in the upper right and give your server a name in the NetBIOSName field. (You can also change the Workgroup name from the default of WORKGROUP if you use something else.)

Click the Save and Restart button, and then return to the top of the page and click the Shares tab. To create a share, click the plus button, enter a share name and description into the Name and Comment fields, respectively, then point to your newly created volume in the Path field (you can use the ellipse button to browse for it). Click Add and then Apply changes, and you’re done. You can make sure your FreeNAS share is visible from an Windows system by or browsing for it within Network Places. (If your system has a software firewall and you can’t reach the FreeNAS system, you may need to configure it to allow Windows File and Printer Sharing.)