A NAS (Network Attached Storage) server is a set of hardware (dedicated storage device) that allows you to store, share, and access data over a network. NAS allows other users to access the stored data through the secured network.

Best Free NAS Software In 2024

List Of Best Free NAS Software For Linux

1. TrueNAS

Previously known as a FreeNAS, TrueNAS is one of the most popular free and open-source NAS Software and it is based on the FreeBSD operating system.  It supports Windows sharing SMB/CIFS, NFS, FTP, iSCSI, and Apple file shares (AFP).

2. Rockstor

Rockstor is a Linux Btrfs NAS Server that allows you to access the centralized storage over the NAS. Rockstor 4 is “Built on openSUSE” but Rockstor is built on CentOS. You can easily access data from desktops, laptops, or mobile from anywhere.

3. openmediavault

openmediavault is based on Debian Linux. openmediavault has features like like SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS, RSync, and many more. It is one of the popular NAS tools.

4. Openfiler

Openfiler is a  file-based Network Attached Storage with block-based Storage Area Networking functionality. It is one of the best-developed NAS software for Linux users with features like  CIFS and NFS. 

5. NAS4Free / XigmaNAS

NAS4Free or XigmaNAS is an Open Source Storage NAS and it is based on FreeBSD. Previously known as a NAS4Free, XigmaNAS supports sharing across Windows, Apple, and UNIX-like systems.

6. Amahi

Amahi is a headless Linux media server and can be used as a file storage server for a lightweight work job.  Amahi supports disk pooling, and file-sharing and also supports file system protocols like ext4 and XFS.

7. PetaSAN

PetaSAN is an open-source Scale-Out SAN solution that uses modern cloud-based technologies to provide elasticity and agility. It is based on the Ceph storage engine, an open-source SDS cloud storage solution.

8. Universal Media Server

The Java-based GPL-licensed Universal Media Server is cross-platform compatible and runs on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. You can use a universal media server to stream video, audio, or images to any DLNA-compatible device.

9. OwnTone

OwnTone is a Linux/FreeBSD-based media server that supports DAAP (iTunes), MPD (Music Player Daemon), and RSP (Roku) media servers. OwnTone supports AirPlay devices/speakers, Apple Remote (and compatibles), MPD clients, Chromecast, network streaming, internet radio, Spotify, and LastFM.

OwnTone was previously called forked-daapd. Forked-daapd was a rewrite of mt-daapd.

List Of Best Free NAS Software For Windows In 2024

1 . AllMediaServer

ALLMediaServer is a very easy-to-use Media Server. You can use AllMediaServer to watch movies, listen to music, or view photos from your computer on your TV, smartphone, Xbox, etc.

2. Firefly formerly mt-daapd

Firefly Media Server formerly known as an mt-daapd is an open-source audio media server (or daemon) that serves media files using Roku Server Protocol (RSP) and Digital Audio Access Protocol (DAAP).

Note: Firefly Media Server is not under active development

3. LXiMedia

LXiMedia is a DLNA-compatible media server. It is designed for serving media. It has amazing media features like

• Supports DVD and High Definition resolutions (720p and 1080p).
• Transcoding.
• Stereo and multi-channel (5.1 surround) audio.
• DVD title playback.
• High-quality subtitle overlay, support for embedded subtitles, and SRT subtitle files.
• Support for IMDb movie titles and descriptions.

4. ReadyMedia

ReadyMedia or formerly known as MiniDLNA is a simple media server software that is fully compliant with DLNA/UPnP-AV clients. ReadyMedia was originally developed by a NETGEAR employee.

The post Best Free NAS Software For Linux & Windows In 2024 first appeared on AtoZ Linux.

What is Plex Media Server?

Plex is a streaming media server. You can use Plex Media Server to organise your music, videos, music and so on. You can also stream your media to your computer, laptop, mobile phone, TV or tablet without any issue.

How To Install Plex Media Server on Ubuntu 20.04

We’ll enable the Plex official repository so that we can install the package with apt on Ubuntu based operating systems. Plex is proprietary software, and it is not included in the Ubuntu repositories.

At first, you need to add the Plex APT repository to your Ubuntu system. After adding Plex repository in your Ubuntu, you need to import the repository’s GPG key too:

echo deb https://downloads.plex.tv/repo/deb public main |sudo apt-key add

sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list

Once the repository is enabled, You need to update the apt package list.

sudo apt update

After updating and you can install the latest version of Plex Media Server with the following command:

sudo apt install plexmediaserver

You need to wait for a while for the completion of the installation process. After everything is done, you can  check the status by running following command:

sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver

You will see the output similar like below:

plexmediaserver.service - Plex Media Server
    Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/plexmediaserver.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
    Active: active (running) since Thu 2021-10-31 13:05:55 UTC; 54min ago

Now, you can create the directories that will store all of the Plex media files:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/plexmedia/{movies,series}

After creating the directory, you need to enable the permission for the default user in Plex.  Default user in the Plex Media Server is plex. Users must have read and execute permissions to the media files and directories.

sudo chown -R plex: /opt/plexmedia

Now, you can start logging into the Plex media server from your browser by typing http://yourserverip:32400/web, and you will be redirected to the plex website.

The post How To Install Plex Media Server On Ubuntu 20.04 first appeared on AtoZ Linux.