Configure OpenMediaVault

This guide takes you through the basics of setting up OpenMediaVault for the first time.

System

Updates

It's recommended that you regularly check your installation for updates as OMV is an actively developed project.

1. Go to System > Update Manager
2. Press the Check button
3. Check and install any packages that you want to update

Enable Power Off Using Power Button

1. Go to System > Power Management
2. Check Shutdown the system when pressing the power button.
3. Press OK

File Shares

NOTE: Prior to setting up your shares, please ensure that you have your disks partitioned, formatted and if you're using RAID, then make sure that's setup too. OpenMediaVault has plugins for Greyhole and LVM which you can use if you need. You can also setup RAID configurations from the Storage > RAID Management section.

Creating A User

A user is a single person who can use their credentials to access the file shares you setup. A user can belong in multiple groups.

To create a user:

1. Go to Access Right Management > User
2. Press the Add button, then choose Add from the dropdown
3. Enter a name and password
4. Enter additional details if you want
5. You can also assign groups if you've set them up already

Creating A Group

A group has a set level of permissions of what users within it can or can't do. You might find that everyone with access to your server is in the same group and can access all the same things, or you decide that you want different groups with different permission levels.

To create a group:

1. Go to Access Right Management > Group
2. Click Add at the top and press Add on the dropdown that appears
3. Give your group a name, and a description to help you remember what people in that group should be able to do
4. You can select members if you've already created them, or edit the group or user later to assign them to a group.

Shared Folders

Shared Folder, as the name suggests, are folders that you'd like to be shared over your network. When you create a Shared Folder you can decide what permissions different users and groups can have.

To get started, I usually make a share called Home:

1. Go to Access Right Management > Shared Folders
2. Press Add
3. Enter a Name e.g. Home
4. Choose a Permission scheme. You can setup more complex permissions later on
5. Press OK

SAMBA Share

Samba is a filesharing protocol which you can easily connect to from Windows, Mac and Linux machines.

To create a share which is accessible across the network follow these steps:

1. Go to Services > SMB / CIFS
2. Check the Enable box
3. Press OK to save
4. Go to the Shares tab in the SMB / CIFs section...
5. Click the Add button
6. Give the Share a name e.g. Home
7. Select a Shared Folder to use as the share. This should have been created in the shared folders section of this guide. I chose Home
8. To make the share discoverable across the network check the Browseable box. If not then only people you tell about the share will be able to connect to it.
9. Check Inherit ACLs to make the permissions that you set apply
10. Check Enable Permission Inheritance
11. Check Extended Attributes
12. Check Store DOS Attributes
13. Press OK to create your share

You should now be able to connect to your share using the connection method that your operating system provides.

Plugins

OpenMediaVault is a system powered by plugins, which means that users can create and submit plugins to the repository which you can then install onto your installation. In this section you'll find a guide to installing and configuring some OMV plugins.

MiniDLNA

MiniDLNA is a lightweight app which enables you to use your microserver as a DLNA server capable of streaming audio, video and images to DLNA compatible devices including certain TVs, game consoles, smartphones and media players.

To install MiniDLNA:

1. Go to System > Plugins
2. Select openmediavault-minidlna ... from the list of plugins
3. Press the Install button at the top
4. Press 'Yes' when asked if you want to install selected plugins
5. Press 'Close' once installation finishes
6. Wait for the Loading popup to finish
7. Refresh your browser windows once everything finishes

To configure MiniDLNA:

1. Go to Services > DLNA
2. Check the Enable box
3. Under Media Folders press the Add button
4. Select a shared folder that you want to be used e.g. a media share, or a films or any other share containing media files that you've setup in the shared folders section of this guide.
5. Select Scan media types if you only want certain media types from your share to be available
6. Press OK
7. Press OK again if prompted If you have made changes to your Media Folders, miniDNLA will begin to (re)scan them for media. This may take several minutes. You can view its progress in the System Logs section of OpenMediaVault by selecting DLNA.
8. You should now be able to connect to your server using a DLNA enabled device and browse and play your media