Learn NAS - Pre-Requisite Skills & Environment Setup

#Introduction

Welcome to the Learn NAS series! This series will take you from the foundational concepts all the way to production readiness for NAS (Network Attached Storage) — a centralized storage system accessed over the network. In total there are 23 episodes organized into six phases.

But before we touch truenas or openmediavault, there are some basic skills and software you must have in place. Why are these pre-requisites important? Because a NAS is not just a hard disk plugged into your router. It is a dedicated Linux server that manages disks, filesystems, sharing protocols, and even security. If you don't yet understand how to partition a disk or configure an IP, every operation will feel like a black box.

Episode 0 is your roadmap: we will make sure your basic skills are solid, set up a lab VM with two disks, install your NAS platform of choice, and run the first verification. Once this episode is complete, you'll be able to follow the rest of the series comfortably.

#Basic Skills You Must Master

#Linux CLI and Disk Management

Modern NAS platforms are Linux-based, because both TrueNAS SCALE and OpenMediaVault are built on Debian. So you must be comfortable with the terminal. Master directory navigation, file management, and reading command output. Most importantly, understand how to inspect disks and partitions.

lsblk
fdisk -l
df -h

The lsblk output shows each disk with names like sda and sdb along with their partitions. You'll use this habit in almost every episode that follows.

#Filesystem and Mount Concepts

A filesystem manages how data is stored on raw disks. You need to understand the concept of mounting, that is, attaching a filesystem to a directory so it can be accessed — for example, mounting a partition to /mnt/data. Without this understanding, the concepts of pools, datasets, and shares in episode 6 will be confusing.

#Networking and User Permissions

A NAS lives on the network, so master the concepts of IP, subnet, DNS, and firewall. You also need to understand users, groups, and POSIX permissions. Use the following commands to inspect your Linux environment:

ip addr show
whoami
id

Make sure you know the IP of your main interface and which user is currently active. These concepts form the foundation for episodes 7 and 8.

#Software and Tools to Prepare

#Lab VM with Two Disks

To follow this series, prepare a virtual machine (or physical hardware) with at least two separate disks. One disk for the operating system, and one or more for the storage pool. In Proxmox or VirtualBox, add two virtual disks to the VM.

lsblk

Ideally the output shows at least sda and sdb. Later, sdb will be used to create a ZFS pool in episodes 5 and 6.

#NAS Platform: TrueNAS SCALE or OpenMediaVault

You are free to choose either platform, because this series covers both:

• TrueNAS SCALE: Debian-based, uses ZFS as its primary filesystem, and comes with apps, VMs, and a full-featured API.
• OpenMediaVault: lighter, plugin-based, and well suited for hardware with limited specifications.

Download the official ISO from each site and install it on the VM. If you are using TrueNAS SCALE, verify the current stable release version:

truenas version

The output shows a version like 25.10.2, which is the latest stable release as of this series' writing.

#Client for Testing

Prepare one client machine — Linux, macOS, or Windows — on the same network as the NAS. This client will be used to test SMB and NFS mounts starting in episode 8.

ping 192.168.1.100

Replace the IP with your NAS IP. If you get a reply, the network between client and NAS is ready. Use the ping command routinely whenever you troubleshoot connectivity in this series.

#Environment Verification

Before moving on, make sure your lab environment is truly ready. Create a working directory and check the tools you'll use throughout the series:

mkdir -p ~/lab-nas && cd ~/lab-nas
which ssh rsync curl

If some tools are missing on the client, don't worry: important utilities like zfs and samba actually live inside the NAS platform. What matters most is that the client can reach the network and handle files. You can follow this entire series without any complex additional tools on the client side.

#Completeness Checklist

Before moving on to episode 1, make sure the following are in place:

• Comfortable with the Linux CLI: lsblk, df, ip, id.
• Lab VM with at least two separate disks.
• NAS platform installed: TrueNAS SCALE or OpenMediaVault, and the Web UI login succeeds.
• Testing client with one device on the same network.
• Basic concepts: mount, IP, users, and permissions.

If anything is missing, stop here and complete it before continuing. A strong foundation will make the next 22 episodes much easier.

#Closing

In this episode 0 you have laid the groundwork for the entire series: understanding basic Linux skills, setting up a lab VM with two disks, installing your NAS platform of choice, and verifying connectivity from the client.

Key takeaways:

• A NAS is a dedicated Linux server: master the Linux CLI, filesystem, and networking first.
• Set up a lab VM with at least two separate disks for the system and the storage pool.
• TrueNAS SCALE and OpenMediaVault are both valid choices; pick based on your needs.
• Verify client-to-NAS connectivity before moving on to the core material.
• The whole series builds on the foundation you set up now.

In the next episode, episode 1, we'll discuss the history, background, and why you need a NAS — from the evolution of DAS toward NAS in the 1990s, the birth of FreeNAS up to TrueNAS SCALE, as well as OpenMediaVault and Unraid. Make sure your lab is running, because the Learn NAS journey is just beginning!