Install in parallel with Windows

[Gorbush]

Hi,

i know that it might surprise somebody - but i want to install FreeNAS on the same drive with Windows.
So most of the time it will be a FreeNAS server.
But when my kid needs to do something on windows - i could reboot and provide hime with a PC.
The problem i that i did not mange to find a way how to install FreeNAS without erasing everything on HDD, or a way how to resize the root partition of FREENAS to a reasonable size - it always use the all available space on ssh.
P.S. i do not want to use ESB drive for freenas - my kid may just pull it out or break.
And i do not have a spare HDD for windows - neither drive or space for it in computer block.

Thanks!

 

[Gorbush]

I tried to resize root partition using gpart -
something like
gpart -i 2 -a 4k -s 30G ada1

but after reload it was not able to mount the root partition.. Looks it just changed the partition table - not the actual ZFS content information.
I would appreciate any help on this.

 

[Jailer]

You don't quite understand what freenas is. It's appliance software, not just another OS. What you are trying to do is going to end badly for you.

 

[danb35]

No. Just--no. This is a bad idea, and you shouldn't attempt it. But if you think you have to, use a USB key for the FreeNAS installation, the way it's designed. Then you can use your computer's boot menu to boot either the Windows disk or the USB stick. You realize, don't you, that you'll need at least one disk dedicated to data storage, and you won't be able to access it when you're running Windows on that machine?

Also, check the hardware forum for the requirements--at least 8 GB RAM, etc.

 

[Gorbush]

i understand that.
I am going to use one harddrive as ZFS data storage. And SSD - as boot device for FreeNAS and Windows.
For sure - i am not going to use the data HDD while i am running windows - i just do not want to spend money for another hardware.

Just two separate systems, which will do not share any storage except the SSD for boot.
And other hardware to ru the system - cpu, and so on. But the data HDD - ZFS - will be used and accessible only by FreeNAS.

 

[Gorbush]

i tried to install FreeNAS - from one USB stick to another USB stick - and it failed to do this with some wierd error.
Will try one more time...
The problem is that by usb stick is big enough - and might get interested the smaller kid I already have one broken...

 

[HoneyBadger]

But if you think you have to, use a USB key for the FreeNAS installation, the way it's designed. Then you can use your computer's boot menu to boot either the Windows disk or the USB stick.

This is about the only way I can see it being a viable option; using the computer's BIOS to selectively fire up FreeNAS when needed.

1. Attach the SSD, detach the HDD, install Windows on the SSD, run automount disable from a command prompt.

2. Detach the SSD, attach the HDD and the FreeNAS USB, install FreeNAS to USB, configure HDD as single stripe.

You will still get no benefits from ZFS data protection, and it's virtually guaranteed your hardware isn't going to make minimum standards.

 

[danb35]

The problem is that by usb stick is big enough - and might get interested the smaller kid :) I already have one broken...

A few possible ways to avoid that:

• Keep an eye on the kid while he's using the computer, so he can't just destroy random parts of it
• Use a (physically) smaller USB drive like the Sandisk Cruzer Fit so there won't be much for him to grab
• Put the USB inside the computer case (using a USB header adapter if your motherboard doesn't have an onboard internal port)

it failed to do this with some wierd error.

When you registered (yesterday), you said you'd read and agreed to the forum rules. Perhaps you missed the part where they explained the information we need to help troubleshoot issues. There's a link in red at the top of the page for you to review them.

 

[pirateghost]

No.

Just use Windows.

Create a share and be done with it. Using freenas as a second OS and with only one data drive yields you zero benefit.

 

[danb35]

^^^

This is probably the best answer yet. @Gorbush, what do you hope to accomplish by running FreeNAS instead?

 

[SweetAndLow]

It sounds like you don't really need any of the features of freenas. You are only using a single disk so you don't care about data protection or even increasing speeds. Just run windows all the time and use ntfs.

 

[Gorbush]

I do not have money for the second drive. Therefore i have just put all the data on to the first one - and will buy a second to create a mirrored raid a bit later.

 

[pirateghost]

I do not have money for the second drive. Therefore i have just put all the data on to the first one - and will buy a second to create a mirrored raid a bit later.

But what benefit do you think you are getting?

Making a dual boot NAS is really a waste of time with no benefit. Freenas is intended to be an appliance, not a desktop system.

 

[Gorbush]

Ok.
Just say that there is no way to set it up that way.
Will find myself.

 

[pirateghost]

Ok.
Just say that there is no way to set it up that way.
Will find myself.

And yet you still haven't told us what you expect to gain....

 

[danb35]

Just say that there is no way to set it up that way.
Will find myself.

It's probably possible to do exactly what you're asking for--prepare a single hard disk to dual-boot FreeNAS and Windows. It's definitely more trouble than it's worth, and there would be absolutely no support for that configuration. Further, since FreeNAS is designed to be installed on a USB stick, there's no reason to mess with this one-off, hack-ish, unsupported configuration--just install it on a USB key (a small one and/or one inside the computer case, if you don't think you'll be able to keep your kid from destroying it otherwise) and use your system boot menu. Same result, no hacking, supported configuration.

But the question I and @pirateghost are asking is why you even want to run FreeNAS. Yes, it can do a lot of neat things, but most of them depend on having more than one data disk set up in some sort of redundant configuration. This isn't what you're going to be doing. So what do you want out of FreeNAS? Share files on the network? You can do that directly from Windows--no other OS, dual-boot, etc. needed. Run a Plex server? You can do that in Windows too. Almost all of the plugins, in fact, can be run under Windows. So what do you think/hope you'll get out of running FreeNAS that you don't think you'll get out of just sharing the files/drive under Windows?

 

[Gorbush]

Sorry, guys, have you ever read my answers?

1)

And yet you still haven't told us what you expect to gain....

So most of the time it will be a FreeNAS server.
But when my kid needs to do something on windows - i could reboot and provide hime with a PC.

2)

Yes, it can do a lot of neat things, but most of them depend on having more than one data disk set up in some sort of redundant configuration. This isn't what you're going to be doing.

I do not have money for the second drive. Therefore i have just put all the data on to the first one - and will buy a second to create a mirrored raid a bit later.

3)

--just install it on a USB key

The problem is that by usb stick is big enough (i mean physically)- and might get interested the smaller kid :) I already have one broken...

So - the only problem - is why all other OS's ask for the partition to be installed, and FreeNAS just uses the whole place of one drive, even do not providing any option to be installed on a part of drive.

 

[pirateghost]

Sorry, guys, have you ever read my answers?

1)


2)


3)


So - the only problem - is why all other OS's ask for the partition to be installed, and FreeNAS just uses the whole place of one drive, even do not providing any option to be installed on a part of drive.

Because.
It.
Is.
An.
Appliance.

We stated this already. It is an appliance, not another OS.

 

[danb35]

So what do you want to do, right now, that you believe FreeNAS will let you do, but Windows won't? Because I'm not seeing anything. You (presumably, though you haven't even said this) want to share files on the network, otherwise you wouldn't be looking at a NAS at all. Well and good--Windows can do that all by itself. What else?

Hey, it's your computer, and you can use it however you want. But it looks to me (and, apparently, to @pirateghost, and @SweetAndLow, and @HoneyBadger, and @Jailer) like you'd be adding a layer of complexity to your system, and getting absolutely no benefit from that added complexity. Unless there's something significant you aren't telling us (and there's clearly quite a bit you aren't telling us), this is not the droid you're looking for.

On the USB key thing, as you accuse me of not reading your messages, you clearly haven't read or paid attention to mine, as I've given two easy, inexpensive solutions. First, the Sandisk Cruzer Fit drive. It nearly disappears into the USB port, protruding by less than 1/4" (closer to 5mm if you prefer metric). This does not protrude enough to be a problem. The second option is to put the USB key inside your computer using the adapter cable I linked to above, or something similar. If your child is able to be opening your computer to get at the USB key, s/he's old enough to know better. Neither of these options will cost more than $10. If you don't want to wait for Amazon to ship them, I'm sure you could get the Cruzer Fit at dozens of local places, and the cable at least at Fry's.

The bottom line, as you've already been told repeatedly, is that FreeNAS is designed to (1) boot from a small flash device, and (2) take the entire boot device for itself. It's an appliance, not a general-purpose OS. I don't doubt that a suitably-skilled person could come up with a way to install it on a partition on a hard drive and dual-boot with some other OS, but if you have to ask how, you aren't a suitably-skilled person, and you will not find any help here for doing so.

 

[Jailer]

And if your crumb munchers need windows to do something on then run a FreeNAS server as @danb35 has described and install Windows in a Virtualbox VM. Fire up the VM for them when they need it and let em go.

Having said that I still think what you intend to do is a bad idea. You can't find an old throw away computer that someone is getting rid of to install windows on for the kids?