Why Pay for the Cloud? Build Your Own with Raspberry Pi and Open Media Vault

Worried about cloud privacy or unsure what to do with that Raspberry Pi you bought years ago? Here’s an idea you’ll love: turn it into a personal cloud server with Open Media Vault (OMV) for full control over storage, features, privacy, and customization.

First of all, what is NAS?

Network-attached storage (NAS) is a file storage system connected to a network, enabling multiple users and devices to access, store, and share data from one central location. It’s suitable for personal, corporate, or mixed-use.

To Set Up NAS, You Need the Following:

• Raspberry Pi
• SD card
• PC / Mac Router
• A Storage device(SSD, SD, Hard Disk,or Flash Drive)
• Ethernet Cable

I'm using Windows, so the setup for Open Media Vault, Raspberry Pi Imager installation, and NAS access in File Explorer may differ for macOS and Linux.

How to Bake the Pi

1. Download the Raspberry Pi Imager

1. Open your web browser and go to the official Raspberry Pi website
2. https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
3. Click on "Download for Windows”

2. Install the Raspberry Pi Imager

1. Once the installer is downloaded, locate it in your Downloads folder (it will probably be named imager-setup.exe).
2. Double-click the file icon to run the installer.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Typically, this involves: a)Agreeing to the terms and conditions. b) Select the installation location (or use the default location).c)Click Install to start the process.

Launch The Imager

Search in the search menu for the imager by typing its name and launching it.

Burn the Image

Insert a microSD card or USB drive into your computer.

Select the correct version of your Raspberry Pi.

• Select the Raspberry Pi Lite OS

• Select the storage media (e.g., an SD card or Flash Drive) where you want to create the image.

  ⚠️ Important:

  • Double-check to ensure you don't accidentally select an SSD or hard drive from your computer.
  • If the storage device contains important data, back it up first, as this process will erase all data on the device.

  Once confirmed, click Write and configure the settings:

  • Set the local username and password.
  • Connect to your wireless network.
  • Enable SSH (necessary for headless operation, i.e., without a monitor or keyboard).
  • 

• Wait patiently until it is done.

Setting up NAS(Raspberry Pi)

• Take your Raspberry Pi and insert the storage media (with the OS installed) into the appropriate slot.
• Next, connect the Ethernet cable to the Raspberry Pi.
• Finally, power it on.

Note the IP address of your Raspberry Pi and ensure that both your computer and the Raspberry Pi are connected to the same network.

• Now, power on your computer, search for PowerShell, and open it.

• Type the following code in the PowerShell

ssh <username>@<ip>

• Change the username to the username you set on the settings menu while writing the image and write the IP address which you noted earlier

If you get something like this:-

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
@ WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED! @  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@  
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOMEONE IS DOING SOMETHING NASTY!  
Someone could be eavesdropping on you right now (man-in-the-middle attack)!  
It is also possible that a host key has just been changed.  

The fingerprint for the ED25519 key sent by the remote host is  
SHA256:yC9xSHKdd8qc98ekXQge/LTY4giXVQDui2RnytkpqBQ.  

Please contact your system administrator.  
Add correct host key in `C:\Users\user/.ssh/known_hosts` to get rid of this message.  

Offending ED25519 key in `C:\Users\user/.ssh/known_hosts:4`  
Host key for `192.168.xx.xx` has changed and you have requested strict checking.  
Host key verification failed.  

• Open Notepadand navigate to:
  C:\Users\user\.ssh\known_hosts
• Delete the first line in the file.
• Save the changes and try the command again.

You should see this on your screen right after:

• Next, type yes and hit continue.
• Then, enter the password

• Once this is set up, enter sudo apt update && sudo aptto update and upgrade the system to the latest version. upgrade.

This process will take time… so please be patient.

• Finally, we will use the wget command to pull the GitHub repositories of Open Media Vault and run the repos using Bash.

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

This might take up 30 minutes to complete.

Setting up Open Media Vault(OMV)

The Raspberry Pi's IP address might change after a reboot. Follow these steps to proceed:

1. Reboot the Raspberry Pi.
2. Take note of the updated IP address.
3. Open a web browser on your computer and enter the Raspberry Pi's new IP address into the search bar.

• Type “admin” in the username box and ”openmediavault” in the password box.

• Now go to the user settings button and select Change password

Here’s a simplified version:

1. Set your desired password and click Save.
2. Open Command Prompt, SSH into the Raspberry Pi as before, and enter the command:

bashCopyEditip route show  

3. You’ll see an output like this:

scssCopyEditdefault via 192.168.xx.xxx dev end0 proto dhcp src 192.168.xx.xx metric 100  
192.168.xx.xx/24 dev end0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.xx.xx metric 100  
192.168.xx.x dev end0 proto dhcp scope link src 192.168.xx.xx metric 100  

4. Note the IP address after default via, e.g., 192.168.xx.xxx.

• Next, we need to set static IP because it’s an important component of the headless operation.

• To set a static IP, we can use the GUI web interface… but it bricked my Raspberry Pi, so I took the reliable option of setting it using the terminal.

• Go to the Command Prompt again, ssh the pi, and type the following command:-

sudo omv-firstaid

Next, configure network interface:

• Next, choose the method by which you want your Raspberry Pi to communicate with the router. (I recommend using Ethernet, as it offers fast and reliable connectivity.)

• Once selected, press Enter.

Navigate using the arrow keys and press enter to agree

press yes or no as per this table:-

Prompt

Value

Do you want to configure IPv4 for this interface?

Yes

Do you want to use DHCPv4 for this interface?

No

• You’ll be prompted to enter the Pi's IP address. This time, we’ll set a static IP to prevent it from changing.

Set the IP to the one you're currently using to connect to the Pi to avoid disconnection.

• You will be prompted to set the gateway. To do so, enter 255.255.255.0

Next, navigate using the arrow keys and press enter to agree

Use the following guide:

Do you want to configure IPv6 for this interface?

No

Please enter the DNS name server. If you don’t want to use any name server, just leave this field blank.

Okay

Do you want to enable WOL for this interface?

No

Next, you’ll see the prompt:

Configuring the network interface. Note, the IP address may change and you may lose connection. Please wait.

If you see this message, it means you've done a good job!

This may take a little time, so please be patient.

Afterward, insert the disk (where all the files will be saved) into your computer.

• Right-click on the drive and select the Format option.
• Enter the name you want for the drive and set the file system to NTFS.

• Next, select NTFS as the file system and click Start.
• Once the process is complete, you will receive a notification confirming that the format is finished

• Now, go back to the OMV interface (the page you opened in Chrome) and insert the formatted drive into the Raspberry Pi.

• Navigate to the Storage → File System.

• Click on the mount button, select the Drive, and hit save
• In the ‘pending configuration changes’ hit the check mark to save changes.
• Now go on Shared Folders→ Create

• Enter the desired name, select the drive from the drop-down menu in the File System section, and click Save.

• Go to services → SMB/CISF → Settings

• Click on Enable → Save

• Go to Shares and click on create.

• Click on enable→Select the drive → and click on save
• In the Pending Configuration Changes box, click the checkmark button to save the changes

Well Done! 😀 You’re done with the difficult part!

Setting up the Drive in Windows

• Open File Explorer, go to "This PC," right-click, and select "Add a network location."
• A dialog box will appear. Click "Next" to proceed.

• Click on Choose a custom network location → Next.

• Enter \<ip addr><shared_Folder_name>into the field that pops up.

• Click "Next."

You will be prompted to enter your credentials.

• Enter the password you set for the OS during the Raspberry Pi Imager setup.
• You’re all set!

Well done! You’ve completed the project.

Thanks, for reading!
Shivank Dan.