Learn how to set up a remotely accessible NAS using OpenMediaVault and Meshnet.
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Having a robust (NAS) solution is vital in today’s digital landscape. Whether for personal or professional use, such a system is essential for storing and managing important files, including legal documents, invoices, or family photos and videos.
A frequent choice for a NAS solution is the free and open-source software (OMV). It’s an easy-to-use and highly customizable file-managing system that does not require extensive technical knowledge to set up. In addition, OMV offers web-based management, user and group access control, and plugin support for extending its functionality.
However, accessing shared folders on your NAS is typically limited to the same (LAN) when ports are not opened on your router. Thankfully, with , you can connect to your NAS remotely without compromising . Meshnet allows using encrypted network tunnels to share data between your NAS and your end devices.
This guide describes how you can use OpenMediaVault to set up a remote NAS and access it using Meshnet.
There are several ways in which you can install OpenMediaVault. This article demonstrates installing the OpenMediaVault 7.4.0-2 (Sandworm) operating system in a virtual environment. However, the setup procedure is the same on bare-metal machines.
Download the ISO installation image from the .
Follow the instructions in the article in the OpenMediaVault documentation to complete the installation.
For alternative installation methods, see the .
After installing the OMV, you should update it by accessing the NAS using an . SSH access for the user root is enabled by default. To install the updates, follow these steps:
Open Command Prompt (on Windows) or Terminal (on macOS and Linux).
Connect to your NAS via SSH by running this command, where <server> is the local IP address of the NAS:
Example
Enter the root password you created during the installation process.
Run this command to gather and install all available updates:
During the update process, you may be asked for keyboard inputs. Choose your input according to the on-screen information.
Once the updates finish, reboot your NAS.
OpenMediaVault has an intuitive web interface that allows you to configure various folder-sharing options. To access the web interface:
Open your internet browser.
Enter the local IP address of your NAS to the internet browser and press Enter.
Example
192.168.1.56
Log in to the administrator account using the default OpenMediaVault web interface credentials.
User name: admin
Password: openmediavault
Now you have full control of the NAS from within your internet browser.
First, make sure to change the default password of the OpenMediaVault web interface to minimize the risk of unauthorized access.
Click User settings > Change password in the upper-right corner.
Enter your new password in both fields and click Save.
Once the password has been changed, you can customize your OMV dashboard. The dashboard allows you to monitor the status of various essential services.
Head back to your dashboard by clicking the Dashboard tile.
Click the settings page link.
Select the widgets you want to see on your dashboard and click Save.
All of the selected widgets are now visible on the OpenMediaVault dashboard.
Before changing any further settings, it is essential to check if OpenMediaVault can see your storage mediums. You can do so by going to Storage > Disks.
If any of your storage devices are not displayed, click the Scan for new devices button and select Yes to confirm.
A file system is a method that an operating system uses to manage data on a storage disk. Without setting up a file system for your storage medium, you cannot share any folders as they will not be recognized as directories by the operating system.
To set up a file system:
Go to Storage > File systems.
Select your storage from the Device dropdown and click Save.
Wait for the process to finish and select Close.
Choose your created file system from the File system dropdown, add any relevant tags, and click Save to mount the file system.
In the Pending configuration changes panel, click the Apply button.
Select Yes to confirm.
The file system is now mounted on the operating system, and you can view it in the File systems section.
With the file system ready, you can start creating shared folders.
Go to Storage > Shared folders.
Click the Create button.
Fill in the required information.
Name: Enter any name for your shared folder.
File system: Select the file system you have set up.
Relative path: Enter a custom path to the folder you want to share. This section is filled in automatically after entering the name.
Permissions: Choose what permissions people accessing the shared folder have.
Tags: Add any relevant tags.
Click Save.
In the Pending configuration changes panel, click the Apply button.
Select Yes to confirm.
Your shared folder should now appear in the Shared folders table.
Though the shared folders have been created, they are currently inaccessible since no folder-sharing services are active. To enable sharing for your created folder:
Go to Services > SMB/CIFS > Shares.
Click the Create button.
Make the following adjustments:
Shared folder: Select the folder you created earlier.
Public: Select No to allow only authenticated user access.
Click Save.
Navigate to Services > SMB/CIFS > Settings.
Select the Enabled checkbox at the top to enable SMB/CIFS sharing and click Save.
In the Pending configuration changes panel, click the Apply button and select Yes to confirm.
Your shared folders are now fully set up and functional.
Currently, shared folders can only be accessed using the administrator account credentials, which is not recommended. A better and safer approach is to create individual user accounts for each person accessing the NAS. This ensures that your administrator credentials remain private and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access to the NAS.
Go to Users > Users.
Click the Create | Import button and choose Create.
Fill in the following fields:
In the Name field, enter a username for the new account.
In the Password and Confirm password fields, type in a secure password for the new user. Example
Click Save.
In the Pending configuration changes panel, click the Apply button and select Yes to confirm.
The newly created account should now be displayed in the Users table.
Follow these steps to set up NordVPN on your NAS:
Access the NAS using SSH.
Download and install the NordVPN app for Linux by running the command below.
Log in to your NordVPN account.
You can log in to your NordVPN account without the use of a graphical user interface (GUI) in two ways:
By running the nordvpn login command with the --token flag
By running the nordvpn login command with the --callback flag
Instructions for both methods are outlined below.
Tip
To preserve your token when logging out of the NordVPN app, use the nordvpn logout --persist-token command. Otherwise, your token will be revoked.
On your NAS, enable Meshnet on Linux by typing in this command:
To view the Nord name and Meshnet IP address of your NAS, enter the following command:
Example
You will also see the list of your linked devices that can access this NAS over Meshnet.
Your Meshnet devices should now be able to access the shared folders you have created on your NAS. To access the shared folders from your NAS, use this format <server>/<shareName>, where <server> is the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the NAS and <shareName> is the name of the shared folder.
Example
secret.meerkat-alps.nord/MeshnetStorage
For detailed, OS-specific instructions on accessing shared folders, see the following articles:
Additionally, you can access the OpenMediaVault web interface over Meshnet by entering the Nord name or the Meshnet IP address of the NAS in your internet browser’s address bar.
Example
If you use more than one disk for storage, you should configure a (RAID).
Click the Create and mount a file system button and select , for example, EXT4.
If you wish to use your shared folder for , select the Time machine support option when enabling SMB/CIFS for the folder.
To allow remote connections to the NAS, you need to install NordVPN and enable Meshnet. Since the OpenMediaVault operating system is based on Debian, you can hassle-free.
On any device, log in to your dashboard and select the Meshnet (by NordVPN) card.
