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Links to instructions for installing TrueNAS with front panel display capability on some ReadyNAS
For those looking to install an alternate OS on their RN42x, 52x, or 62x unit, here is a link to some very good instructions on installing TrueNAS Scale: https://www.reddit.com/r/truenas/comments/1ozklya/truenas_installation_on_readynas_426_a_stepbystep/ Though it's included in that post, here is the link to a project that makes the front display useful in TrueNAS Scale: https://github.com/riplatt/truenas-rn426-panel Given it requires no special Kernel and TrueNAS Scale is Debian based, I suspect that the display project can be used as the basis for doing the same under other Linux OS's (at least Debian-based ones). I take no credit other than finding this and have not done the install myself, so cannot help you if you need it. Personally, I'm looking at OMV.How to boot a Debian Live environment with active SSH on a ReadyNAS with no display or console
During my research for my project on installing OMV on an Intel-based ReadyNAS without the need for a console connection, I discovered GRML, which can serve as a Debian Live boot with SSH access on amd64 machines, including many ReadyNAS (legacy and newer) -- so no console connection needed. This may be helpful for anyone with a really messed up OS or boot flash but no easy way to mount the drives outside the NAS to do a recovery or for those looking to install a different OS. It only takes a couple very simple mods to make it work. I'm going to assume here that you are using a Windows machine to prep the USB. If you have Linux, how to create the USB is covered on the GRML web site and you can figure out how to make the mods. If you are using a Mac -- sorry, I don't speak Mac. You start by downloading the GRML ISO from grml.org Next, use RUFUS to create a bootable USB from that ISO. Use ISO mode to do so when prompted, not dd mode. The USB has to meet the same requirements as a ReadyNAS recovery USB: USB2 and <=32MB. As with a recovery USB, the legacy machines can be picky. Smaller and older is usually best. There are two simple changes you have to make: At top level on the USB drive, create a zero-length file named NTGR_USBBOOT_INFO.txt. Right-click in the USB top-level window and select "New> Text Document", then re-name it. In the \boot\grub folder, edit grml-full-amd64_default.cfg adding the ssh option at the end of the fourth line as shown below. Note that this must be all on one line. You should use an editor that can save a Linux-compatible file (LF instead of CRLF as EoL) such as Notepad++. linux /boot/grmlfullamd64/vmlinuz apm=power-off boot=live live-media-path=/live/grml-full-amd64/ bootid=grmlfullamd64202604 "${loopback}" ${kernelopts} nomce ssh=password This turns on SSH and sets the root and grml users' SSH passwords to password (or you can choose your own). Now you just insert it in the front USB port and boot. Depending on your unit and BIOS version, you may need to hold the backup button while it boots. It's loading via USB2, so give it a couple minutes and then SSH in. It should have the same IP address as it did running the native software unless it hasn't been booted in a very long time. If that's the case or the address you thought it had doesn't work, use device name grml or search the network. I did this on an OS6 sandbox system where I scanned and mounted the MDADM RAIDs (mdadm --assemble --scan) and then mounted the BTRFS file system for /data (which was actually data-0, as reported by the MDADM scan). If you have an expanded system, so also have a data-1, data-2, etc., you should only mount data-0. BTRFS will see and link the others in. Of course, if your main partition isn't /data, use the name you set. I believe it also supports LVM, so can work with OS 4.2.x systems, but I haven't done so. It may even work with OS4.1.x (SPARC) drives in an Intel unit -- I think it should. I also did a dd backup of the boot flash in case USB recovery doesn't work for some reason while I mess with alternate OSes. If you plan to put it on the same USB drive as the GRML boot, you have to re-mount the USB drive as read/write. I leave that for the student to research. Sorry, non-Intel-based ReadyNAS users. GRML only supports amd64 and arm6, not arm5 that the ReadyNAS use and definitely no SPARC. If you really want to try this on a 32-bit Intel unit like an NVX, there are old releases that support that, but I've not tried them.OMV on Pro/Ultra series -- a project
For the Pro and Ultra series units with their limited RAM and processors, I think Open Media Vault (OMV) is the best option for an alternate OS. I'm looking at how to install it without needing the serial console, if possible. Most importantly, I want it to boot without having to hold the reset button to boot from USB. It won't be an "OMV on ReadyNAS for Dummies" exactly, but I hope will be for those with a minimum amount of Linux experience -- as close to a "cookbook" as possible. And I think the need for the console may scare away a lot of users, which is why I'd like to avoid it. I'm posting here to see if anyone has explored any aspects of my plan to make it easier for me to find an answer or realize what I want to do just won't work and stop wasting my time. So, if you're more of a Linux guru than I and would like to help, please reply. Though I know a lot WRT the Linux command line, I've never done an install other than the normal interactive one on a unit or VM with a display. My research says that the only way to have this drive/partition configuration in OMV is to install from an existing Debian instance. Otherwise, OMV expects a dedicated OS drive (which the flash is too small for). And it's also how to install OMV via SSH. So here is my thought: Using GRUB as the boot loader, install Debian with GRUB itself on the internal flash but /boot, / (root), swap, and /data on the drives in RAID. Specifically, I know GRUB can support MDADM RAID and I would make /boot and / EXT4 on MDADM RAID and /data as BTRFS on MDADM RAID, partly duplicating the ReadyNASOS partitioning scheme. / would obviously need to be bigger. /boot, /, and swap would be RAID0 with all drives included and /data would be a RAID type appropriate to the number of drives and desired redundancy. I believe that FAI (Fully Automated Installation) (see https://fai-project.org/FAIme/#) can be used to install Debian with that configuration without any interaction from the user and then OMV can be installed from that Debian instance via SSH. So, no console needed. FAI can definitely be configured to install Debian on MDADM RAID and EXT4 or BTRFS via a disk_config file. It's unclear to me right now if I need to add any GRUB commands to do so. FAI also allows you to install additional packages, so I believe openssh-server can be installed that way to allow SSH access without interaction. My plan is to try this first on a VM, maybe in steps (do an interactive install to the desired configuration before trying to do it with FAI). That won't be definitive because there is no real flash memory, but it will let me debug any major Oopses without bricking a real NAS. Then, I have several NAS on which I can try it, so long as I verify a USB recovery can go back to ReadyNASOS. This should also be able to serve as at least a starting point for other Intel based models -- maybe it can be made to work on all. While there is a lot more to do for it, it could even act as a starting point for some ARMHF based units (probably just 200 series, not 100). But I'm not the guy for ARM-based units. While I don't believe the current OMV works on ARMHF, some older ones do.
