unRAID Server is designed to be installed on, and boot from a128MB or larger USB Flash storage device.
Preparation
First, obtain a good quality USB Flash device such as:
Since the Flash device will most likely be plugged directly into a USB port directly on the motherboard back panel, also try to use the smallest physical USB Flash device you can find.
Next, visit the Download page and download the latest unRAID Server release.
Blacklisted Flash devices
There are a number of USB Flash devices that do not have a valid serial number and can not be registered:
- Lacie MosKeyto
- Delock USB2.0 Nano Memory stick
- Maxell ONYX
- There may be others.
Instructions
Step 1 Plug the Flash into your PC and re-format it using Windows:
- Open My Computer (XP) or Computer (Vista/Win7), right-click your Flash device and select Format...
- For File system, leave what Windows sets as default.
- For Volume label, enter "UNRAID" (all-caps and without the quotes).
- Select Quick Format and click Start.
Step 3 For Windows XP, click the file make_bootable. A DOS window will open and run the syslinux utility on the Flash. For Windows Vista or Windows 7, right-click the file make_bootable and select Run as administrator.
Step 4 Once again, right-click your Flash device in My Computer or Computer and select Eject. Your Flash device is now ready to boot into unRAID Server OS.
Booting unRAID Server
Remove the Flash from your PC and plug it into your server. Power up your server and see if it immediately boots (with some motherboards it will). If it doesn’t boot, reset your server and enter the BIOS setup. Navigate to the appropriate screen(s) and select you USB Flash device as the boot device. Save your BIOS settings and try to boot the Flash. If the Flash will not boot, read over the following tips.
BIOS Setup Tips
The system BIOS can be complicated and the exact BIOS settings will vary from motherboard to motherboard. Here are a few tips to increase your chances of success. First, ensure that the Flash is the only USB device plugged in. Second, plug the Flash directly into a motherboard I/O panel USB port if possible, instead of any front panel USB ports. Next, go back into the system BIOS and try changing some of the following settings (taking note to the changes made):
- Try in sequence:
o Forced-FDD
o USB-HDD
o USB-ZIP - Try disabling USB 2.0 support (this will default to USB 1.1).
- Try switching on or off any "Fast Boot" feature.
- Try Switching on or off "USB keyboard" support.
Many motherboards support only up 12 hard drives for purposes of boot selection. This is normally not an issue for an unRAID server; however, if your Flash device is recognized by the bios as a "hard drive", you may not be able to boot from the Flash after installing your 12th "real" hard drive. To avoid this, if possible set up your bios so that the Flash is treated as a removable device.
Other BIOS Setup Suggestions
- Many BIOS which support SATA include an option to either disable it (sometimes called Legacy mode) or enable it (sometimes called Enhanced mode). If you are going to use SATA drives, ensure the BIOS SATA support is enabled.
- In addition, many BIOS optionally support SATA AHCI mode. unRAID Server fully supports AHCI.
- unRAID Server does not need any serial ports, you should disable them.
- unRAID Server does not need the parallel port, you should disable it.
- unRAID Server does not need audio, you should disable it.
- If you want to use WOL (Wake On Lan), ensure this feature is enabled in the BIOS Power settings.
Sample BIOS Settings
Here are some sample BIOS settings:
