TrueNAS Setup Guide (FAST) - Initialize, Pools, Datasets, 2FA, Backups, SMB, Folders, Plex & Shares

Why It Matters

A well‑configured TrueNAS deployment delivers enterprise‑grade data protection and media services at a fraction of the cost, empowering small businesses and power users to secure their digital assets and streamline content delivery.

Key Takeaways

• Use a separate SSD for TrueNAS OS installation.
• Configure RAID‑Z1 pool for single‑disk failure protection data.
• Enable two‑factor authentication to harden root and user accounts.
• Set up SMB shares, snapshots, and scheduled backups to USB/cloud.
• Deploy Plex via TrueNAS apps with proper folder permissions.

Summary

The video walks viewers through installing TrueNAS Scale on either a pre‑built or DIY NAS, using a UG Green NAS as the reference platform. It covers downloading the TrueNAS Community Edition ISO, creating a bootable USB with Rufus, configuring UEFI boot, and installing the OS onto a dedicated 128 GB SSD while keeping data drives separate.

Key steps include building a RAID‑Z1 pool across four hard drives for single‑disk failure tolerance, adding M.2 SSDs for cache, creating organized datasets for media, backups, and documents, and enabling two‑factor authentication for the root account. The presenter then configures SMB shares, schedules hourly/daily snapshots, and sets up both local USB and cloud replication tasks to ensure off‑site protection.

Throughout the tutorial, practical tools such as Advanced IP Scanner are highlighted for locating the NAS on the network, and a detailed Plex Media Server deployment is demonstrated. The Plex setup emphasizes a structured folder hierarchy—app data, Plex config, media storage, logs, and transcoding directories—and the need to assign correct permissions before installing the Plex app via TrueNAS’s application catalog.

By following this streamlined workflow, users can quickly launch a secure, resilient storage solution that supports media streaming, automated backups, and granular access controls, making TrueNAS a viable alternative to commercial NAS appliances for small businesses and tech‑savvy households.

Original Description

Why People Use TrueNAS, UnRAID and Proxmox to Turnkey NAS (Synology, QNAP, etc) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbYTuqcRBo0

Why People Prefer Turnkey NAS vs TrueNAS, UnRAID and NAS DIY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Be3EWO03c

100 Reasons DIY NAS (TrueNAS, UnRAID, Proxmox) are BETTER than Turnkey (Synology/QNAP/etc) https://nascompares.com/guide/100-reasons-diy-nas-truenas-unraid-proxmox-are-better-than-turnkey-synology-qnap-etc/TRUENAS COMMUNITY

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Top 5 PLEX and Jellyfin NAS Systems 2025:

Synology BeeStation Plus 8TB ($409) - https://amzn.to/44jOOoS

Minisforum N5 NAS ($594) - https://amzn.to/4romPyo

Terramaster F4 SSD ($319) - https://amzn.to/480i9Hp

ZimaBoard 2 1664 ($349) - https://amzn.to/3KiHBP0

UGREEN DH4300 PLUS ($339.99) - https://amzn.to/4ppPKQD

Download TrueNAS Community Edition - https://www.truenas.com/truenas-community-edition/

Download Rufus - https://rufus.ie/en/

Download Advanced IP Scanner - https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/

Video Chapters

00:00 What This TrueNAS Guide Covers

00:47 What You Need Before Installing

01:15 Download TrueNAS Scale

01:34 Create the Installer USB

02:51 Booting the NAS Installer

03:33 BIOS and Boot Settings

03:57 Installing TrueNAS

04:56 First Login and Web Access

05:46 Creating Your Storage Pool

06:50 Datasets and Folder Structure

07:17 Users and Two Factor Authentication

07:56 SMB Shares and Permissions

08:44 Snapshots and Versioning

09:10 Backups USB NAS and Cloud

10:19 Plex Folder Structure

11:45 Installing Plex Media Server

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