TrueNAS CORE
Developer(s)iXsystems
Stable release
13.0-U6.1 / December 7, 2023 (2023-12-07)
Repository
Operating systemFreeBSD, Linux
Platformx86-64 (v9.2.1.9 was the last release that supported 32-bit.[1])
TypeComputer storage
LicenseBSD license
Websitetruenas.com
TrueNAS SCALE
Developer(s)iXsystems
Stable release
23.10.1 / December 19, 2023 (2023-12-19)
Repository
Operating systemDebian Linux
Platformx86-64
TypeComputer storage
LicenseBSD license
Websitetruenas.com/truenas-scale

TrueNAS is the branding for a family of network-attached storage (NAS) products produced by iXsystems. They include both free and open-source and commercial offerings, based on the OpenZFS file system and either FreeBSD or Linux. It is licensed under the terms of the BSD License and runs on both commodity x86-64 hardware and turnkey appliances offered by iXsystems.

TrueNAS supports network clients including Windows, macOS and Unix, and a variety of virtualization hosts such as XCP-NG, XenServer and VMware. Supported networking protocols include: SMB, AFP, NFS, iSCSI, SSH, rsync and FTP/TFTP. Advanced TrueNAS features include full-disk encryption and a plug-in architecture for third-party software.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Products

The TrueNAS family includes:

  • TrueNAS Core (previously FreeNAS) – a highly mature, free file server appliance based on FreeBSD .
  • TrueNAS Scale – a free TrueNAS implementation based on the Debian Linux distribution. In addition to the features of TrueNAS Core, it includes a significant number of additional features, including hyper-converged scale-out capabilities, expanded device driver support, KVM virtual machines, Kubernetes and Docker clients.
  • TrueNAS Enterprise, a line of enterprise turnkey systems for use in traditional file server and SAN deployments, also based on TrueNAS Core. The systems include modest 5-bay units scaling up to very large arrays and storage clusters. Storage media include traditional hard-drives and flash media. The very extensive set of product features can be found on the product page.

User experience

TrueNAS is managed through a comprehensive web interface that is supplemented by a minimal shell console that handles essential administrative functions. The web interface supports storage pool configuration, user management, sharing configuration and system maintenance. As an embedded system appliance, TrueNAS boots from a USB Flash device or SATA DOM. This image is configured using a USB Flash bootable installer. The TrueNAS operating system is fully independent of its storage disks, allowing its configuration database and encryption keys to be backed up and restored to a fresh installation of the Operating System. This separation also allows for TrueNAS system updates to be performed through the web interface.

History

The FreeNAS project was started in October 2005 by Olivier Cochard-Labbé who based it on the m0n0wall embedded firewall and FreeBSD 6.0. Volker Theile joined the project in July 2006 and became the project lead in April 2008. In September 2009, the development team concluded that the project, then at release .7, was due for a complete rewrite in order to accommodate modern features such as a plug-in architecture. Volker Theile decided that the project best be reimplemented using Debian Linux and shifted his development efforts to the interim CoreNAS project and eventually OpenMediaVault where he continues as the project lead. Cochard-Labbé responded to community objections to "The Debian version of FreeNAS" and resumed activity in the project and oversaw its transfer to FreeNAS user iXsystems.[8][9] Developers Daisuke Aoyama and Michael Zoon continued developing FreeNAS 7 as the NAS4Free project. Meanwhile, iXsystems rewrote FreeNAS with a new architecture based on FreeBSD 8.1, releasing FreeNAS 8 Beta in November 2010.[10] The plug-in architecture arrived with FreeNAS 8.2 and FreeNAS versioning was synchronized with FreeBSD for clarity. FreeNAS 8.3 introduced full-disk encryption and FreeBSD 9.1-based FreeNAS 9.1 brought an updated plug-in architecture that is compatible with the TrueOS Warden jail management framework. FreeNAS 9.1 was also the first version of FreeNAS to use the community-supported OpenZFS v5000 with Feature Flags.[11][12] FreeNAS 9.2, based on FreeBSD 9.2 included performance improvements and introduced a REST API for remote system administration.[13] FreeNAS 9.3, based on FreeBSD 9.3 introduced a ZFS-based boot device, an initial Setup Wizard and a high-performance in-kernel iSCSI server.[14] FreeNAS 9.10, based on FreeBSD 10.3-RC3 brought an end to the FreeNAS/FreeBSD synchronized naming and introduced Graphite monitoring support and experimental support for the bhyve hypervisor.[15]

In October 2015, ten years after the original FreeNAS release, FreeNAS 10 ALPHA was released, providing a preview of what would become FreeNAS Corral GA on March 15, 2017.[16] FreeNAS Corral introduced a new graphical user interface, command-line interface, underlying middleware, container management system and virtual machine management system.[17] FreeNAS Corral departs from FreeNAS by providing not only NAS functionality but also hyper-converged functionality thanks to its integrated virtual machine support. However, on April 12, 2017 iXsystems announced that FreeNAS Corral would instead be relegated to being a 'Technology Preview', citing issues such as "general instability, lack of feature parity with 9.10 (Jails, iSCSI, etc), and some users experiencing lower performance than expected"[18] and the departure of the project lead. Instead, the decision was made to revert to the existing 9.10 code and bring Corral features to 9.10.3 and further.

In May 2017, iXsystems announced that FreeNAS 11 would be imminently released, which was based on 9.10 but included features such as an update of the FreeBSD operating system, virtual machine management, updates to jails, and a new beta user interface along the lines of Corral but based on Angular.

In March 2020, iXsystems announced that the 12.0 release will merge the FreeNAS code base with that of their commercial TrueNAS offering. FreeNAS will become TrueNAS CORE while TrueNAS will be renamed TrueNAS Enterprise.[19] This change was made official with the release of TrueNAS 12.0 on October 20, 2020.[20]

In October 2020, iXsystems announced a new product, TrueNAS SCALE would be developed. TrueNAS SCALE would still utilize ZFS, but be based on Debian Linux.[21]

In February 2022, iX announced that TrueNAS SCALE has reached General Availability quality for their 22.02 release.[22]

In May 2022, iX announced that TrueNAS CORE, their FreeBSD-based version of TrueNAS, has reached General Availability and is suitable for large deployments.[23]

TrueNAS CORE (previously FreeNAS) version history

BranchInitial releaseLatest BuildReleasedFreeBSD versionStatusNotes / Changes
9.102016-03-239.10.2-U42017-05-2510.3 STABLEPrevious Release[24]
10.0 ("Corral")2017-03-15N/A  Withdrawn: relegated to preview onlyThe "Corral" branch was cancelled on or around 23 April 2017, the developers citing as reasons that although it had been a major "ground up" rewrite of FreeNAS, too many issues had emerged within 2 weeks of release. Development reverted to the proven 9.10 branch of FreeNAS and the Corral branch was relegated to a "technology preview".[25][26]
11.0[27]2017-06-14RELEASE2017-06-1411 STABLEPrevious release(Compared to 9.10 branch):[28][29]
  • Beta version of new user interface based on Angular (optional)
  • Built-in Virtual Machine management (default hypervisor: bhyve)
  • Updated alerts system and support for multiple alert services
  • Jails management via iocage
  • 20% speed improvement of FreeBSD kernel compared to 9.10.[29]
  • Amazon S3 compatible object storage services, allowing S3 based cloud services to run on a FreeNAS platform
  • Enhancements to Active Directory services to maintain services and consistent mappings if networking is disrupted.
  • Updates to Samba (4.6.3) and Netatalk (3.1.10)
11.12017-12-13RELEASE2017-12-1311 STABLEPrevious ReleaseChanges include the addition of cloud synchronization and preliminary Docker container support, as well as updates to the Angular-based administrative GUI and noticeable OpenZFS improvements for handling large files and multiple snapshots.[30][31]
11.22018-07-09[32]RELEASE2018-12-0511.2 STABLE[33]Previous ReleaseHighlights from release announcement:[34]
  • New, Angular-based UI
  • Boot loader has changed from GRUB to the native FreeBSD boot loader
  • Jails backend has switched from warden to iocage
  • Support has been added for Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs)
  • OpenZFS is up-to-date with Illumos
11.3 2019-11-15[35] RELEASE 2020-01-28 11.3 STABLE[36] Previous release Highlights from release announcement:[36]
  • Re-implemented Replication Engine, allows up to 10Gb replication speeds (a 10x improvement), resume support on failed transfers, as well as ability to replicate locally.
  • ACL Manager – Allows setup and management of SMB ACL’s directly via the FreeNAS web interface.
  • SMB Shadow Copies are now enabled by default for new shares – Note: Snapshots will only show up in Windows “Previous Versions Tab” if the snapshot USED size shows changes to the file.
  • A repository of Community plugins has been created, users can now create and distribute 3rd party plugins which are not officially iXsystems supported.
  • Updated translations for Czech, French, Japanese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. Additionally, the process to add additional translations has been greatly improved.
  • iSCSI Wizard – Streamlines the process of creating new iSCSI targets down to a few clicks.
  • Alert System Overhaul – More granular alerts, as well as controls to set alert thresholds.
  • Dashboard Updates – The initial dashboard now shows a live view of system status, including network traffic, CPU / memory utilization and more.
  • NAT Support for Plugins – Eliminates the need for each plugin to have a dedicated IP address on your network.
  • Full featured 2.0 API – Includes both REST and Websocket connections, allowing FreeNAS to be fully scripted and driven via the same API used by the web-interface.
  • Large Pool Creation Assistance – When creating ZFS pools with large number of disks, the UI provides an automated way to repeat a VDEV layout across all remaining disks.
  • ZFS Performance optimizations across the board for many different workloads.
12.0 2020-10-20 12.0-U8.1 2022-4-22 12.0-STABLE Previous release Highlights from release announcement.
  • Native ZFS encryption, allowing per-dataset encryption and
  • 2-factor authentication support, allowing an extra layer of security when accessing TrueNAS
  • KMIP support - allowing interfacing with KMIP servers for storage and retrieval of passwords and encryption keys
  • TrueNAS API 2.0 now supports API keys for remote access. API v1.0 has been deprecated.
  • Fusion pool support, allowing flash-based VDEVS that store metadata and small-block IO
  • OpenVPN support (both server and client)
  • TrueCommand cloud client integration[20]
13.0 2022-5-10[37] 13.0-U2 2022-8-30 13.0-U2 Current release Highlights from release announcement.
  • TrueNAS 13.0-U1.1 SMB fixes
  • ZFS 2.1.5 updates
  • SAMBA 4.15.9 updates
  • SMB1 Security vulnerability resolution
  • NextCloud Jail installation fixes
  • Intel E810 NIC performance improvement
  • Collected memory leak fix
  • AWS S3 Secret Keys for Cloud Sync fix

Architecture

The 8.0 reimplementation of FreeNAS moved the project from a m0n0BSD/m0n0wall/PHP-based architecture to one based on FreeBSD's NanoBSD embedded build system, the Python programming language, the Django web application framework and the dōjō toolkit (JavaScript library).[38] It also used the lighttpd web server, but this was replaced with nginx in FreeNAS 8.2. The terminated successor to 9.10.2, known as FreeNAS Corral, retained the nginx web server and ZFS-based boot device of FreeNAS but replaces the Django/dōjō web application framework with an original one alongside the team at Montage Studios. FreeNAS 11 implemented a new interface using Angular.

Uses

  • SoHo, SMB and Enterprise file serving
  • Virtualization server storage backing (Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, PCIe pass-through)
  • Media center audio/video serving and streaming to DLNA devices
  • Application Services Apps (Helm Charts), Docker Containers, Kubernetes, App Catalogs, GPU Sharing (TrueNAS SCALE)

Awards

  • VMware — "Ultimate Virtual Appliance Challenge, Consumer"[39]
  • sourceforge.net — Project of the Month, January 2007[40]
  • InfoWorld — Best of open source in storage[41]
  • MES Matters 2022 — Key Vendors Serving the Mid-Market[42]
  • Best In Biz Award — Most Innovative Product Line of the Year[43]
  • Tech Target Storage Magazine Gold Award — Asigra TrueNAS Backup Appliance[44]
  • Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice 2023 for TrueNAS Enterprise[45]
  • TrueNAS recognized as a Digital Public Good in 2023[46]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hardware Requirements".
  2. ↑ iXSystems FreeNAS Mini NAS Review - Tom's Hardware
  3. ↑ The Arc NAS distribution shootout: FreeNAS vs NAS4Free | Ars Technica
  4. ↑ FreeNAS: Flexible, fast storage, and price is right | Network World
  5. ↑ FreeNAS — network-attached storage with ZFS [LWN.net]
  6. ↑ FreeNAS releases version 11, so let us put the unpleasantness of failed V.10 behind us · The Register
  7. ↑ There's inexpensive NAS and then there's FreeNAS | Computerworld
  8. ↑ "Project of the Month, January 2007". SourceForge. January 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  9. ↑ "Interview with Olivier Cochard-Labbé, Founder of FreeNAS". BSD Magazine. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  10. ↑ "FreeNAS 8 Beta released". Warner Losh. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  11. ↑ "What's New with FreeNAS". FreeNAS Team. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  12. ↑ "FreeNAS 9.1 Release Notes". FreeNAS Team. Archived from the original on 2014-06-29. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  13. ↑ "FreeNAS 9.2 Release Notes". FreeNAS Team. Archived from the original on 2014-08-29. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  14. ↑ "FreeNAS 9.3 Release Notes". FreeNAS Team. Archived from the original on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  15. ↑ "FreeNAS 9.10 Release Notes". FreeNAS Team. Archived from the original on 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  16. ↑ "FreeNAS 10-ALPHA is now released!". FreeNAS Team. Archived from the original on 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  17. ↑ "FreeNAS Corral Release Notes". FreeNAS Team. Archived from the original on 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  18. ↑ "Important announcement regarding FreeNAS Corral". FreeNAS Community. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  19. ↑ "FreeNAS and TrueNAS are Unifying". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  20. 1 2 "TrueNAS 12.0-RELEASE".
  21. ↑ "TrueNAS 12 & TrueNAS SCALE are officially here!". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  22. ↑ "TrueNAS SCALE Release Schedule Explained". TrueNAS - Welcome to the Open Storage Era. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  23. ↑ "TrueNAS 13.0 Succeeds TrueNAS 12.0". TrueNAS - Welcome to the Open Storage Era. 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  24. ↑ FreeNAS 9.10 Released
  25. ↑ FreeNAS Corral Status: From “RELEASE” to “TECHNOLOGY PREVIEW” Status
  26. ↑ Embarrassing! FreeNAS downgrades latest release to 'tech preview' • The Register
  27. ↑ FreeNAS 11.0 Released - Phoronix
  28. ↑ FreeNAS 11.0 is Now Here
  29. 1 2 FreeNAS 11.0 release notes: Initial testing indicates that the FreeNAS 11 kernel is 20% faster than FreeNAS 9.10
  30. ↑ FreeNAS 11.1 is Now Available for Download!
  31. ↑ FreeNAS 11.1-RELEASE - iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers
  32. ↑ "FreeNAS 11.2-BETA1". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  33. ↑ "FreeNAS 11.2-RELEASE User Guide". www.ixsystems.com. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  34. ↑ FreeNAS 11.2 has Arrived
  35. ↑ "FreeNAS 11.3-BETA1". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  36. 1 2 "FreeNAS 11.3-RELEASE". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  37. ↑ "13.0 Release Notes". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
  38. ↑ iXsystems' FreeNAS snapshot - FreeNAS - Open Source Storage Operating System
  39. ↑ "FreeNAS is a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) server". VMware, Inc. Archived from the original on 2008-05-05. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  40. ↑ "Project of the Month January 2007". SourceForge, Inc. January 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  41. ↑ "Best of open source in storage - 2007". InfoWorld. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  42. ↑ "MES Matters 2022 Details". CRN. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  43. ↑ "iXsystems Recognized in 11th Annual Best in Biz Awards for Most Innovative Product Line of the Year". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  44. ↑ "Asigra TrueNAS® Backup Appliance Named Backup/DR Hardware Product of the Year". iXsystems, Inc. - Enterprise Storage & Servers. 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  45. ↑ Inc, Gartner. "iXsystems TrueNAS Enterprise Reviews, Ratings & Features 2023 | Gartner Peer Insights". Gartner. Retrieved 2023-08-09. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  46. ↑ "TrueNAS - DPGA Details". app.digitalpublicgoods.net. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
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