ZeroTier and the ReadyNAS

NASTools mentions in the Apps sub-forum that he is looking into an app for ZeroTier.  I started a small tangent discussion and thought it better to move it to its own thread.

I. too, have been looking into ZeroTier, and I think it has great potential on the ReadyNAS.  For those open to SSHing in, it's an easy install in OS6.6.0.  But everything has to be done via SSH and the ZeroTier CLI, so it's not for everyone (yet).  If NASTools does get an app with a GUI, then all aboard.  I suppose ShellInABox could also be used, since it gives SSH access -- I have never tried it.

I have installed ZeroTier One (the official name of the application) on OS6.6.0 running on legacy x86 devices.  With OS6.6 now being based on Debian 8 (aka jessie), it should also install on ARM devices using the standard method, according to their documentation.  But I do not have an ARM device on which to try it.  Anyone wishing to risk the possibility of needing to factory default if it does not work right is invited to give it a try (see instructions below) and let us know in a reply if it works.

So, "What is ZeroTier?", you ask.  The best desctiption I have seen is that is it a "mesh VPN".  That is, it is a VPN that runs in conjunction with your normal NAT, not instead or in the middle of it.  Instead of routing everything over the VPN, as is the typical VPN implementation (though it can be made to do so), it sets up one or more parallel networks that you can access through ZeroTier.  You can find more information at https://www.zerotier.com/.

 I have installed it on two ReadyNASes, a PC, and my Android phone.  I can now directly access the NASes (including the admin page) from my PC or phone when away from home as if I were on the same LAN (though my phone's resolution and the OS6 user interface don't work well together).  I can map drives on my PC.  I can create a backup job between NASes, even if they are in physically different locations.  No need for Rsync over SSH, ReadyCloud or ReadyNAS Replicate.  Just a standard backup process using the other NAS's ZeroTier IP address instead of it's normal one.  For me, this is huge.   It's a lot like ReadyNAS Remote and then some.  Like the ReadyNAS apps, it does use an external server to establish the route between devices, but it does not route all traffic though that server.  As a result, it's only bottleneck is the connection speeds of the devices  There is an option to run your own server, though documentation is sparce (likely intentionally, as doing so is only for highly skilled users).

Because traffic takes the most direct route, including staying on your LAN if appropriate, this also means you can use the same Windows drive mappings no matter where you are.  When both devices are on your LAN, speed does not suffer by being routed "around the world".  But your internet traffic also doesn't suffer when you are on the road by being routed through your VPN gateway.  Note that this could open a remote PC up as an attrack point on the LAN, so caution should be used by business users.  Having the ZeroTier connection made automatically with stored credentials is probably not wise for many cases.

I was initially reluctant to install ZeroTier because it just used a script and I could not see what it was doing.  But I downloaded and looked over the script and became convinced it would work.  And work, it did.  Just go here: https://www.zerotier.com/product-one.shtml and run the CURL command listed for the Linux install from an SSH session.  I point to the page instead of duplicating the command in case it changes in the future.  I did run an apt-get update first, because I think the system should be up to date before installing any "foreign" apps, but Netgear does not recommend doing the update, as it may create conflicts within the OS.

The script checks what version of Linux and what processor you are using, then installs the appropriate files.  It installed fine on my x86 OS6.6.0 system.  It should install on ARM 6.6.0 and may install on older X86 6.x, but I have not tried it. Instructions for installing on earlier ARM OS6 can be found here: https://www.andrewmunsell.com/blog/remote-access-to-readynas-zerotier-one/.  If it were to run on OS4.x or 5.x, it would probably also need to be compiled and scripts manually installed as described on that page.  If it works on OS4 and OS5, it would be the answer to the lack of ReadyNAS Remote and ReadyCloud compatibility on the same client machine.  But even if it doesn't, ZeroTier, unlike ReadyCloud, is compatible with running ReadyNAS Remote on a PC, so you could have concurrent ways to access both old and new systems, though not between each other.

Once installed, it's just a mater of using the zerotier-cli command or Windows/Mac/Android/iOS GUI to join all devices to the same network and get an IP address on that network.  ip addr show now now shows a new zto: interface and (if connected to a network), the IP address associated wih it.  The interface and network connections survive a reboot, courtesy of startup scripts installed by the ZeroTier installer.  It was not necessary for me to change any configuration on my router.

Note that uninstalling may be more difficult than installing, as there is no uninstall script.  But you can leave it installed but disconnected form any networks and it should cause no problem.

Please share your installation experience, good or bad, especially if not on an OS6.6.0 or above X86 system.