Build a NAS with Raspberry Pi and OpenMediaVault

What You’ll Need

• Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB+ recommended) or Pi 5
• microSD card (16GB minimum — just for the OS)
• One or more USB hard drives (for storage)
• Powered USB hub (recommended if using multiple drives — Pi USB ports have limited power)
• Ethernet cable (strongly recommended)
• A computer on the same network

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Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS Lite

Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) — the headless, no-desktop version. Use Raspberry Pi Imager and pre-configure:

• Enable SSH
• Set username and password
• Set hostname (e.g. nas)
• Configure Wi-Fi (though Ethernet is strongly preferred for a NAS)

Boot the Pi and SSH in:

ssh [email protected]

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Step 2: Update the System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Reboot after upgrading:

sudo reboot

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Step 3: Install OpenMediaVault

OMV provides a one-line installer script:

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OpenMediaVault-Plugin-Developers/installScript/master/install | sudo bash

This takes 10–15 minutes. The Pi will reboot automatically when done.

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Step 4: Access the OMV Dashboard

From your computer’s browser, navigate to:

http://nas.local

Or use the Pi’s IP address. Default login:

• Username: admin
• Password: openmediavault

Change the password immediately: System → General Settings → Web Administrator Password

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Step 5: Set Up Your Storage Drive

Plug your USB hard drive into the Pi.

Wipe and Format the Drive

⚠️ This erases all data on the drive.

1. Go to Storage → Disks — your drive should appear
2. Go to Storage → File Systems → Create
3. Select your drive and choose ext4 as the filesystem
4. Click Save then apply pending changes (yellow banner)
5. Mount the filesystem: Storage → File Systems → Mount

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Step 6: Create a Shared Folder

1. Go to Storage → Shared Folders → Add
2. Name it (e.g. Media, Backups, Photos)
3. Select the filesystem you just mounted
4. Set the relative path (e.g. media/ )
5. Set permissions to your preference
6. Save and apply

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Step 7: Enable SMB/CIFS Sharing (Windows / Mac / Linux)

SMB lets any device on your network access the NAS like a normal network drive.

1. Go to Services → SMB/CIFS → Settings → Enable
2. Go to Services → SMB/CIFS → Shares → Add
3. Select your shared folder
4. Enable the share and save

Create a User Account

1. Go to Users → Users → Add
2. Create a username and password
3. The user needs access to your shared folder: Storage → Shared Folders → Privileges

Connect from Windows

Open File Explorer → address bar → type:

\\nas.local\Media

Enter your OMV username and password when prompted. Optionally map it as a network drive.

Connect from Mac

Finder → Go → Connect to Server → smb://nas.local/Media

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Step 8: Enable SSH Access to OMV (Optional)

By default OMV manages its own SSH config. Enable it via:

Services → SSH → Enable → Save

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Useful Plugins

Install the OMV Extras plugin for additional functionality:

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OpenMediaVault-Plugin-Developers/packages/master/install | sudo bash

Then in the OMV dashboard under System → Plugins, install:

Plugin	Purpose
openmediavault-sharerootfs	Use the SD card partition as a share
openmediavault-downloader	Schedule downloads to the NAS
openmediavault-docker-gui	Run Docker containers via OMV

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Drive Health Monitoring

Go to Storage → S.M.A.R.T. → Enable → configure scheduled tests. OMV will alert you if a drive shows signs of failure.

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Troubleshooting

Drive not appearing: Check USB connection. Powered hub may be needed for large drives drawing more than 900mA.

Can’t connect via SMB: Check that the SMB service is enabled and running. Check Windows firewall if connecting from Windows.

Slow transfer speeds: Ethernet is essential. Over Wi-Fi, Pi NAS speeds top out at 20–30 MB/s. Wired gigabit gets 50–80 MB/s (USB 3.0 drive limit).

OMV dashboard unreachable: SSH into the Pi and run sudo systemctl restart openmediavault-engined.