Network attached storage (NAS) with Raspberry Pi

raspberry_pi_nas_upload_speed_LAN

There is a Raspberry Pi 3 out there, which is much faster than versions 1 and 2. While latest two are faster than first model, I thought it would be great to give some purpose to first Raspberry Pi model B. We share several computers around the house and sometimes need simple file storage solution to make backups, share and store. Raspberry Pi model B is sufficient for simple Network Attached Storage (NAS) solution. Such network automation setup doesn’t need much processing power to manage the drive. And there is also an option to have a torrent client running 24/7. Another benefit of using Raspberry Pi is low power. Let’s go through all steps on how to set up Network Attached Storage on this Raspberry Pi. You can go with several different solutions for setting up NAS. You could go with cloud solution like Owncloud, which is similar to Dropbox. This might be convenient in many ways, but I would like to have the ability to use the drive as portable media when needed. In that case, I am going to stick with SAMBA server.

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Raspberry Pi – mounting USB drive

Raspberry PI, by default, has only one memory available – an SD card that also holds the kernel itself. Unless you are using a large SD, eventually, you will run out of space -especially if you are dealing with media files or playing with the camera module. The easiest and cheapest way of expanding memory is to use a USB Flash drive. If you are accessing PI from the terminal screen, then probably one of the built-in USB ports is free, and you can attach a drive directly to it; otherwise, use USB HUB – better with an external power option.

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