3 hidden NAS features you're probably ignoring
When you get a NAS (Network-Attached Storage), there are usually a ton of features at your disposal. In fact, I personally found it intimidating when I first opened the dashboard and started opening dialogs. Now, these are the ones that I make the most use of.
Of course, not all NAS devices support every feature. You'll need to click around in your NAS' interface to find out, but most of what I'm talking about you can find on many modern NAS devices.
Link aggregation
Because who doesn't want to maximize throughput?
Like anyone else, I want my NAS to run with maximum network speed and reliability. That's why I take advantage of the two Ethernet ports on my NAS to form a link aggregation.
The benefits of link aggregation are generally two-fold: load balancing and fault tolerance. On a NAS, load balancing refers to the process of distributing traffic across multiple connections rather than relying on just one. Fault tolerance, as you might guess, means one or more connections can fail without complete loss of existing connections.
When you're working on your NAS, you may see link aggregation labeled as "trunking" or "bonding" but it's all effectively the same thing. You'll also probably be presented with multiple modes to choose from. What you should use depends on your configuration and goals, but I went with "round robin" mode since it offers both load balancing and failover capabilities.
NFS file sharing
Remote file access in a Linux-first homelab
A basic functionality of any NAS is the ability to share files across a local network, or at least to one device where you want to access those files. It's one of the best uses for NAS because it allows you to keep files within easy reach without relying on your PC or phone's internal storage or on third-party cloud services.
Of course, there are multiple protocols you can use to share files on a NAS. One of the most popular is Samba, which I'd recommend if you're using Windows. In fact, Samba can be very useful for multi-platform ecosystems of devices. I make very little use of Windows or Mac these days, though, and NFS works better between the Linux devices I primarily work on.
My primary use case is actually for supplying my Jellyfin server with the media files I want to access with it. The Jellyfin instance operates on a separate mini PC while drawing the media from my NAS through the NFS share. It was surprisingly simple to set up. If you follow in my steps, though, make sure you set your remote PC to automatically mount the NFS share on boot using the fstab file .
UPS control
Make your NAS act exactly as you want in power outages
One of the most valuable accessories you can get for your NAS is a UPS, or an Uninterruptible Power Supply . As the name suggests, it supplies power without interruption even when your electricity connection experiences a brownout or blackout.
My home has electricity issues fairly often, and I don't want to put my NAS device at risk by leaving it subject to the electricity company's failings. If my NAS were to lose power at the wrong time, precious stored data could get corrupted or my NAS could become totally inoperable.
The UPS protects my NAS from those risks, but what's neat is that it can also work in harmony with the NAS. I connected the UPS' USB cable to the NAS, opened the external device menu in my NAS portal, and started adjusting settings. It let me tell my NAS what I wanted it to do when it gets the signal from my UPS that it's lost external power and is supplying battery juice, and at what point in time to take that action.
These settings gave me greater control of how my NAS behaves and made it fit the profile of my homelab setup. If you want to do more with your network storage, check out some NAS app recommendations , or try a different NAS operating system .
