Installing Truenas Scale on QNAP TVS671

TrueNAS General
1

Hi
I would like to install Truenas Core on QNAP TV 671. I think this model has a DROM
I saw some links on the Truenas forum pointing towards a thread on QNAP forum but the links dont work anymore
Any help will be much appreciated
Thanks

2

Welcome

If you have a dual core model, it meets the minimum requirements, but may be slow.

TVS-671-i3-4G: Dual-core Intel Core i3-4150 3.5 GHz Processor
TVS-671-i5-8G: Quad-core Intel Core i5-4590S 3.0 GHz Processor (Turbo boost to 3.7 GHz)

You will definitely need to max out the RAM

TVS-671-i3-4G
System memory: 4 GB DDR3 RAM
Memory module pre-installed: 2 GB x2
Total memory slots: 2
Memory expandable up to: 16 GB (8GB x2)

TVS-671-i5-8G
System memory: 8 GB DDR3 RAM
Memory module pre-installed: 4 GB x2
Total memory slots: 2
Memory expandable up to: 16 GB (8GB x2)

It comes with an Apacer 512MB eUSB DOM and has no other internal storage.

512MB DOM

Your options are:

  1. Sacrifice one of the drive bays to install TrueNAS, but I seem to recall reading posts that QNAP appliances will not let you boot off one of the drive bays.
  2. Replace the 512MB Apacer eUSB DOM with at least a 16GB eUSB DOM. You may have to completely remove the motherboard to access the eUSB DOM, and you have to use a heat gun or possibly a hair dryer to soften the white staking compound to remove the eUSB DOM. This is what I replaced mine with.
    https://www.jameco.com/z/AP-UM016GR13CS-2MST-Apacer-Technology-16GB-USB-Flash-NAND-Disk-Module-eUSB-SLC_2322327.html
  3. Buy an external SSD in a USB enclosure to install TrueNAS. Do not use USB flash thumb drives as those do not have the same Program/Erase (P/E) cycles as a SSD.
    Amazon.com
  4. CORE is no longer receiving feature updates and support will end at some point. SCALE is recommended for all new deployments.
  5. Basic scripts to control the ICP Electronics LCD display
    GitHub - elvisimprsntr/QnapFreeLCD: Scripts to display TrueNAS information on QNAP LCD.
1 Like
3

Hi

Many thanks.

  1. I have the i5 version having 4 cores and 16Gb memory. The hardware i feel should suffice for some time.
  2. I am from India and the eUSB DOM used by you is not available. What is available is AP-UM016GR13CS-MSCM. Please let me know if in your view this would work.
  3. Please guide what I need to put on the eUSB DOM and steps for installation of True NAS.

Please also suggest few NAS which can readily run TrueNAS

Many thanks once again

4
  1. I have the i5 version having 4 cores and 16Gb memory. The hardware i feel should suffice for some time.

Good

  1. I am from India and the eUSB DOM used by you is not available. What is available is AP-UM016GR13CS-MSCM. Please let me know if in your view this would work.

The only difference I can see from the data sheet is it is MLC flash, so in theory it should work, but it will not have the same P/E cycles as SLC. I provide no guarantees.

  1. Please guide what I need to put on the eUSB DOM and steps for installation of True NAS.

If you don’t have the knowledge to disassemble the NAS, your better option is an external SSD in a USB enclosure.

You install TrueNAS just like installing any other OS on a computer.

  1. Download TrueNAS SCALE installer ISO image.
    Download TrueNAS SCALE - Data Storage Software
  2. Use balenaEtcher to create a bootable USB thumb drive from the TrueNAS installer ISO image.
  3. Plug in monitor and keyboard
  4. Plug in external USB SSD and bootable USB thumb drive installer image into USB ports
  5. Power up NAS and press DEL key repeatedly until you see BIOS screen
  6. Use BIOS to boot off thumb drive with TrueNAS installer image.
  7. Follow prompts to install TrueNAS on external USB SSD.
  8. Change BIOS boot order to boot off the external USB SSD.
5

Thanks. I will be happier not changing and DROM.

Just need a few clarifications:

  1. From you post I understand that changing of DROM is not necessary if I use external USB Thumb drive & USB SSD.
  2. In the past I had tried booting QNAP from USB Thumb Drive having Unraid but it was always booting using the DROM even though I was selecting USB Thumb drive having Unraid. How can this be overcome? This model of QNAP has Legacy Bios

Thanks

6
  1. From you post I understand that changing of DROM is not necessary if I use external USB Thumb drive & USB SSD.

Correct

  1. In the past I had tried booting QNAP from USB Thumb Drive having Unraid but it was always booting using the DROM even though I was selecting USB Thumb drive having Unraid. How can this be overcome? This model of QNAP has Legacy Bios

Try removing all drives.

You may have to use the serial console.
QNAP Console

On some models, I have read you need to at least remove the QNAP Apacer eUSB DOM.

You might have better luck asking on the QNAP forums.
https://forum.qnap.com

7

My opinion is that if there exist hardware and software from the same manufacturer, they should best work together.

As some companies provide both HW and SW, I would pair TrueNAS with iX appliances, Q(u)TS with QNAP, MacOS with Apple computers,…and so on. In this way, hardware and software are mostly compatible to each other, customer support is more likely to help, so you get most from both hardware and software.

8

Except when QNAP Q(u)TS is routinely compromised via hard coded credentials and vulnerabilities, and consumers are left holding the bag when victimized by ransomware.

While I never directly exposed my QNAP appliance to the internet and never used their QNAP cloud remote access service, thus was never victimized, their proven track record speaks for itself. The #1 subject on their forum is ransomware.

TrueNAS gives owners of QNAP appliance an option to recoup some of their investment and perhaps pick up some useful skills in the process until the next HW upgrade cycle.