TrueNAS Mini X Mini Storage Appliance User Guide

: June 1, 2024
: TrueNAS

TrueNAS Mini X Mini Storage Appliance User Guide

Introduction

The TrueNAS Mini Storage Appliance supports all the features of TrueNAS in various convenient form factors. The Mini E+ has four hot-swappable 3.5″ drive bays. The Mini X and X+ have five hot-swappable 3.5″ drive bays and two 2.5″ drive bays. The Mini XL+ has eight hot-swappable 3.5″ drive bays and a single 2.5″ drive bay.
TrueNAS Mini products share similar chassis and front panels but have different system components that can change available connection types and locations. Each Mini product has images that show where indicators and connectors are on that product.
From left to right are the TrueNAS Mini E+, the TrueNAS Mini X/X+ and the TrueNAS Mini XL+ :

TrueNAS units are carefully packed and shipped with trusted carriers to arrive in perfect condition. If there is any shipping damage or missing parts, please take photos and contact iXsystems support immediately at support@ixsystems.com, 1-855-GREP4-iX (1-855-473-7449), or 1-408-943-4100.
Please locate and record the hardware serial numbers on the back of each chassis for quick reference.
Carefully unpack the shipping boxes and locate these components:

The TrueNAS Mini E+

Back Panel Power Connector
Serial Port
VGA connector
Four GbE network ports
IPMI remote management network port
Port cover
One USB 3.0 port

Removing the Tamper Resistant sticker does not affect the warranty.

Four 3.5″ drive trays
Two Ethernet cables
One bag of HDD screws
One power cord
One set of keys

1.2 The TrueNAS Mini X

Power Connector
Serial Port
VGA connector
Four GbE network ports
IPMI out of band management port
Port cover
USB 3.0 port
Five 3.5″ drive trays
Two 2.5″ drive trays and screws
Two Ethernet cables
1. 1. 1. 1. One bag of 3.5″ HDD screws
One power cord
One set of keys

1.3 The TrueNAS Mini X+

Power Connector
IPMI out of band management port
Two USB 2.0 ports
Two 10 GbE network ports
VGA connector
Five 3.5″ drive trays
Two 2.5″ drive trays and screws
Two Ethernet cables
One bag of 3.5″ HDD screws
One power cord
One set of keys

1.4 The TrueNAS Mini XL+

Power Connector
IPMI out of band management port
Two USB 2.0 ports
1. Two 10 GbE network ports
VGA connector

2 Hard Drives

TrueNAS Minis support iXsystems-qualified HDDs and SSDs. Minis require drives designed for Network Attached Storage (NAS). These drives run cooler and quieter than desktop drives.
Please see the Drive Compatability List available on https://www.truenas.com /truenas-mini1.
When ordered without hard drives, drive trays ship with protective filler inserts. If you don’t fill all bays with hard drives, keep the fillers in the empty trays to protect them.

2.1 Removing Drive Trays

If you must remove a drive tray, release the latch by pushing the large circular button to the right. Swing the latch to the left to eject the tray, then pull outwards on the latch to begin sliding the tray out. Grip the top and bottom of the tray and gently remove it.

2.2 Removing Drive Fillers

To mount a hard drive in a tray, remove the two rear screws holding the filler (1). Gently spread both sides of the tray away from the filler (2) until the pins release (3), then remove the filler.

2.3 Installing Drives and Trays

2.4 3.5″ to 2.5″ SSD Adapters

Users can convert Mini R 3.5″ hard drive trays into 2.5″ SSD trays using adapters.
Attach an SSD to the adapter using two of the M3 screws that came with the adapter. Ensure the SSD connecter faces outside the adapter. Place the adapter in a drive tray and use the last M3 screw to secure the SSD to the tray.

3 SSD Drives

3.1 Mini XL+ SSD Drives

The Mini XL+ has a single additional 2.5″ SSD bay.
To remove the tray, release the latch by sliding the button to the left. Gently swing the latch to the right, then slide the tray out.

3.2 Mini X/X+ SSD Drives

The Mini X and X+ have two 2.5″ drive bays.
To remove the tray, release the latch by sliding the button to the left. Gently swing the latch to the right, then slide the tray out. Remove the filler tray from the drive tray by removing the screws. Place the drive in the tray and secure the drive to the tray with the provided screws.
Follow the same process for both drive trays. To reinsert a tray, gently insert the tray into the bay until it stops and the latch is nearly shut. Swing the latch closed until it locks.

4 Network and Power Cables

Connect the network cable to the router or switch and to a gigabit networking port. Plug the power cable into the TrueNAS Mini and a power outlet.

4.1 Powering on the TrueNAS Mini

The Power and Reset buttons control the power state of the TrueNAS Mini. These buttons behave in the same manner as standard PC power and reset buttons. When the system is off, pressing the power button will turn the system on. Pressing and holding the power button while the system runs will perform a hard power off. The reset button will reboot the system. By default, the Mini will power on as soon as you plug the cable into a live power source and, in the event of power loss, power on whenever power restores.

4.2 Notice: High Draw USB Devices

Important – Power Draw
The current draw on the Mini power supply’s +5Vsb line can exceed specifications if high-draw USB devices are left attached to the rear USB ports when the Mini is powered off. Unplug high-draw devices (such as bus- powered USB hard drives) before powering off your Mini.

5 Console Setup

You can connect a VGA monitor and USB keyboard for console access, but they are not required. If a monitor and keyboard are attached, you can see the Console Setup Menu. For more details about the Console options, see https://www.truenas.com/docs/core/gettingstarted/consolesetupmenu2.

If you want remote out-of-band management (OOBM) via IPMI, connect a network cable to the IPMI port. See section “1 Introduction” to find your Mini IPMI port.

Warning – BIOS and IPMI Firmware
Your system is equipped with the optimal BIOS and IPMI firmware out of the box. DO NOT UPGRADE your system’s BIOS and IPMI firmware.
We recommend that IPMI be on a separate and secure network without Internet access. Please contact support if you need to upgrade your system’s BIOS or IPMI firmware.

6 TrueNAS Web Interface

TrueNAS uses the Multicast DNS service, also known as Bonjour or mDNS, to make the system accessible on most networks without additional setup.
Open a web browser on another computer on the same network. Open the TrueNAS web interface by navigating to truenas. local (or your Mini IP address).

6.1 Connect to the TrueNAS CORE Interface

The TrueNAS CORE web interface uses default credentials for first-time logins:
Username: root
Password: abcd1234

After logging in, change the root account password in Account > Users to increase system security.
If you have more than one TrueNAS device connected to the network, mDNS can experience name conflicts.
To change the hostname in the web UI, go to Network > Global Configuration > Hostname.

6.2 Connect to the TrueNAS SCALE Interface

The TrueNAS SCALE web interface uses default credentials for first-time logins:
Username: admin
Password: abcd1234
After logging in, change the admin account password in Credentials > Local Users to increase system security.
If you have more than one TrueNAS device connected to the network, mDNS can experience name conflicts.

To change the hostname in the web UI, go to Network and click Settings in the Global Configuration widget.

6.3 Out-of-Band-Mangament

Out-of-band logins have separate credentials from the TrueNAS web interface. The credentials are randomized and attached to the back of the TrueNAS Mini chassis. For more details, see https://www.truenas.com/docs/sb-3273.
For additional details about OOBM, see the Mini X or Mini X+/XL+ Out-of-Band Management guides:
Mini X : https://www.truenas.com/docs/hardware/mini/minie+xoobm4MiniX+/XL+ : https://www.truenas.com/docs/hardware/mini/minix+xl+oobm5

6.4 Change TrueNAS Versions

If you want to run a different version of TrueNAS, you can find new and legacy versions at truenas.com/download6.
After downloading your desired version, you must use image utility like belenaEtcher or rufus to flash the ISO file to a USB drive. Plug the flashed USB drive into a USB port on your Mini and select it from from the boot menu during system startup.
Follow the install instructions for CORE or SCALE on our Documentation Hub.

7 Additional Resources

The TrueNAS Documentation Hub has complete software configuration and usage instructions. Click Guide in the TrueNAS web interface or go directly to: https://www.truenas.com/docs7
Additional hardware guides and articles are in the Documentation Hub’s Hardware section: https://www.truenas.com/docs/hardware8
The TrueNAS Community forums provide opportunities to interact with other TrueNAS users and discuss their configurations: https://www.truenas.com/community9