OpenMediaVault on KTDEVX

Build a File Server with OpenMediaVault

ktdevx@gmail.com (Kaito Takemura) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 22:27:03 +0900

OpenMediaVault (OMV) is open-source NAS software based on Debian and designed to make it easy to build a NAS.

In this article, we use OpenMediaVault to build a file server that can be accessed from Windows.

# Introduction

For the server hardware, GMKtec’s NucBox M5 Plus was selected.

リンク

Since the Proxmox VE virtualization platform is installed on the mini PC, a virtual machine is created there and OpenMediaVault is installed on it.

# Install OpenMediaVault

Download the OpenMediaVault ISO image and install it on the server. Follow the article below to install OpenMediaVault.

Install OpenMediaVault

Remember to change the management interface language and the administrator user (admin) password.

When installing it in a virtual machine on Proxmox VE, also see Create a Virtual Machine (VM) on Proxmox VE.

# Assign a Static IP Address

DHCP is enabled by default. Assign a static IP address so that the NAS address does not change.

Select Network > Interfaces from the menu to open the network settings screen.

Select the device whose settings you want to change, then click the pencil icon to open the edit screen.

Under IPv4, change the settings so that a static IP address is assigned. Enter the DNS server address in the advanced settings and save the configuration.

Changing the IP address disconnects you from the server, so connect to the management interface again using the new IP address.

# Initialize the Disk

Initialize the disk connected to OpenMediaVault. Skip this step if you are mounting a disk on which a file system has already been created.

Select Storage > Disks from the menu to open the disk settings screen.

Select the device whose settings you want to change, then click the eraser icon to open the disk wipe screen.

You can choose Quick or Secure as the wipe method. Unless you have a specific requirement, Quick is sufficient.

Quick erases the file system, while Secure erases everything.

# Create a File System

Create a file system on the disk connected to OpenMediaVault. Skip this step if you are mounting a disk on which a file system has already been created.

Select Storage > File Systems from the menu to open the file system settings screen.

Click the plus icon, select the file system you want to create, and open the file system creation screen. In this example, Ext4 was selected.

Select the disk on which to create the file system and create it.

# Create a Shared Folder

Create a shared folder. Select Storage > Shared Folders from the menu to open the shared folder settings screen.

Click the plus icon to open the shared folder creation screen.

Enter a name for the shared folder. Client PCs access the folder using the name configured here.

Select the file system created earlier and save the shared folder settings.

# Configure SMB/CIFS

Configure SMB/CIFS. Select SMB/CIFS > Settings from the menu to open the SMB/CIFS settings screen.

Select the enable checkbox and save the settings.

Next, select SMB/CIFS > Shares from the menu to open the SMB/CIFS share settings screen.

Click the plus icon to open the creation screen.

Under Shared folder, select the shared folder created earlier and save the settings.

# Create a User

Create a user who can access the shared folder. Select Users > Users from the menu to open the user settings screen.

Click the plus icon to open the user creation screen.

Enter a name and password and save them. You need this information to access the shared folder.

The required OpenMediaVault configuration is now complete. Finally, access the shared folder from a client PC.

# Access the Shared Folder

Access the shared folder created in OpenMediaVault from Windows File Explorer.

Enter the path to the shared folder in the field at the top of the window.

\\<server-IP-address>\<shared-folder>

You are prompted to enter network credentials.

Enter the username and password of the user created in OpenMediaVault, then select OK.

If the username and password of the user logged in on the client PC match those of the user created in OpenMediaVault, entering credentials is skipped.

The shared folder can now be accessed. You can also confirm that files can be created and written from the client PC.

The NAS setup with OpenMediaVault is complete.

OpenMediaVault Installation Stuck During DHCPv6 Configuration

ktdevx@gmail.com (Kaito Takemura) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 23:28:22 +0900

During an OpenMediaVault installation, I encountered a problem where the installer became stuck while configuring DHCPv6.

This article explains the symptoms and the solution.

# Symptoms

While installing OpenMediaVault, the installation became stuck when DHCPv6 autoconfiguration ran and stopped on a blue screen.

As you can see near the bottom of the image, it was not completely frozen; it still accepted input.

# Analysis

In my environment, the ISP assigned IPv6 addresses using SLAAC, and the router was configured to relay RA, DHCPv6, and the NDP proxy.

With SLAAC, the IPv6 address prefix is announced through RA. The DNS server address is obtained either through a DHCPv6 Information-request or RDNSS.

After analyzing the router packets, I found that my environment obtained the DNS server address through an Information-request.

When a router relays DHCPv6, it forwards the Information-request received from the client to the DHCPv6 server using Relay-forward.

After analyzing the packets during DHCPv6 relay, it appeared that the DHCPv6 server did not support Relay-forward. As a result, the response to the Information-request was not returned to the client.

This appears to have caused the OpenMediaVault installation to become stuck.

# Solutions

## Temporarily Disable IPv6

Reviewing the network configuration is recommended first, but since it was clear that something was going wrong in the IPv6 environment, temporarily disabling IPv6 in the router configuration is another option.

I tried disabling all IPv6 settings on the router and confirmed that the OpenMediaVault installation proceeded without getting stuck.

Because the issue only occurs in an IPv6 environment, unplugging the LAN cable while the installer is configuring IPv6 can also be effective.

If you simply want to complete the installation, or do not need IPv6, this method should be sufficient.

## Review the Network’s IPv6 Configuration

In my environment, I changed the configuration so that the router no longer forwarded DHCPv6 Information-requests to the DHCPv6 server and instead returned the responses from the router itself.

This prevented the OpenMediaVault installation from getting stuck.

Monitor IPv6 packets from the client to the router and review where and what is happening.

Install OpenMediaVault

ktdevx@gmail.com (Kaito Takemura) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 21:59:14 +0900

OpenMediaVault (OMV) is open-source NAS software based on Debian and designed to make it easy to build a NAS.

This article explains how to install OpenMediaVault.

# Introduction

For the server hardware, GMKtec’s NucBox M5 Plus was selected.

リンク

Since the Proxmox VE virtualization platform is installed on the mini PC, a virtual machine is created there and Debian is installed on it.

When installing it in a virtual machine on Proxmox VE, also see Create a Virtual Machine (VM) on Proxmox VE.

# Download OpenMediaVault

Download the ISO image from the OpenMediaVault download page. In this example, OpenMediaVault 7.4.14 was downloaded.

# Create an Installation USB Drive

Write the downloaded ISO image to a USB drive. Use an image-writing tool such as Win32 Disk Imager.

For details on using Win32 Disk Imager, see How to Install and Use Win32 Disk Imager.

# Install OpenMediaVault

Connect the USB drive to the PC on which you want to install OpenMediaVault, start the PC, and boot from the USB drive. The OpenMediaVault installation screen is displayed.

## Select the Installation Method

The installation methods are displayed. Select Install and press Enter, or wait for the installation to start automatically.

## Configure the Language

Configure the language displayed during installation. Select Japanese and press Enter.

## Configure the Locale

Configure the locale. This setting is used to help configure the time zone and select the system locale.

Select Japan and press Enter.

## Configure the Keyboard

Configure the keyboard. Select the layout that matches your keyboard and press Enter.

## Load Additional Components and Configure the Network Automatically

Additional components are loaded and the network is configured automatically.

At this point, the installer may get stuck after configuring DHCPv6 in an IPv6 environment. See the following article for the cause and solution:

OpenMediaVault Installation Stuck During DHCPv6 Configuration

## Configure the Hostname

Configure the server hostname.

The default is openmediavault. If you have no specific requirement, you can leave it unchanged.

Enter a hostname, move the cursor to , and press Enter.

## Configure the Domain Name

Configure the server domain name.

The default is local. If you have no specific requirement, you can leave it unchanged.

Enter a domain name, move the cursor to , and press Enter.

## Configure the Administrator Password

Configure the password for the administrator user (root).

Enter a password, move the cursor to , and press Enter.

Enter the same password again for confirmation, move the cursor to , and press Enter.

## Configure the Debian Package Repository

Configure the Debian package repository. Select Japan and press Enter.

A list of package repositories and mirrors is displayed. If you have no specific requirement, deb.debian.org is suitable.

Select a repository and press Enter.

## Configure the HTTP Proxy

Configure the HTTP proxy.

If you need to access the internet through a proxy, enter the proxy information. Otherwise, leave it blank.

Move the cursor to and press Enter.

## Install the Boot Loader

Select the destination for the GRUB boot loader.

Select the device on which to install GRUB and press Enter.

## Restart the System

Remove the USB drive used for installation, move the cursor to , and press Enter.

The system restarts and OpenMediaVault boots.

The shell login screen is displayed. The OpenMediaVault installation is complete.

# Access the OpenMediaVault Management Interface

Access the OpenMediaVault management interface.

From a web browser, access it over HTTP using the combination of the hostname and domain name (by default, openmediavault.local) or the IP address.

The IP address can also be checked on the shell login screen displayed earlier.

The login screen is displayed. Log in with admin as the username and openmediavault as the password.

# Change the Management Interface Language

The management interface is in English by default, so change it to Japanese.

Click the person icon in the upper-right corner of the management interface and select Language. Select Japanese from the available languages.

The OpenMediaVault management interface is now displayed in Japanese.

# Change the Administrator Password

The administrator user (admin) password is openmediavault by default. Change it because leaving the default password is unsafe.

Click the person icon in the upper-right corner of the management interface and select Change Password.

The password change screen is displayed. Enter the password you want to use and select Save.

The password used to log in as the administrator on the OpenMediaVault management interface has now been changed.