Amahi Home Server: Adding a Drive - Linux Setup
Expanding Your Amahi Home Server Capabilities
Last week, an introduction to the Amahi home server was provided, alongside a discussion of the benefits of establishing a home server network. The potential applications and advantages for your network were highlighted.
Regrettably, a comprehensive exploration of advanced configurations and supplementary features wasn't feasible at that time. This article will now address those aspects.
Adding Storage Drives to Your Amahi Server
We will focus specifically on integrating additional storage drives into the server. Furthermore, the default theme, which is often considered less appealing, will be customized.
Please Note: A limited amount of command-line interaction is required for certain procedures. However, efforts have been made to streamline the process and offer graphical user interface (GUI) alternatives whenever available.
The process of adding drives is crucial for expanding the server’s capacity. This allows for increased storage of media, backups, and other important files.
Step-by-Step Drive Integration
Here’s a breakdown of how to add drives:
- First, physically install the drive(s) into your server hardware. Ensure proper connections.
- Next, access the Amahi web interface.
- Navigate to the "Storage" section.
- The newly installed drive(s) should appear as unformatted.
- Select the drive and initiate the formatting process. Choose an appropriate file system.
- Once formatted, the drive will be available for use within the Amahi ecosystem.
Customizing the Amahi Theme
The default theme can be altered to improve the visual experience. A more personalized interface can enhance usability.
To change the theme:
- Access the Amahi web interface.
- Locate the "Appearance" or "Themes" section.
- Browse the available themes and select one that suits your preferences.
- Apply the chosen theme to update the server’s interface.
These adjustments, while seemingly minor, can significantly improve the overall functionality and aesthetic appeal of your Amahi home server. Continued exploration of the available features is encouraged.
Customizing Your Home Server Appearance Through the App Gallery
The default theme included with your Amahi installation can be considered aesthetically unappealing. Fortunately, mirroring the functionality found in popular platforms like the iPhone, a solution is readily available through apps. Access the app gallery by navigating to your HDA via the web interface (http://hda) or by selecting the Amahi dashboard icon on your server’s desktop.
From there, click the Apps link located in the upper right corner. This will direct you to the app section of the setup page. If you haven't previously explored the app directory, you’ll likely encounter the following message:
To browse available applications, you can select either the Available link or the blue + icon. Let's proceed by choosing the Agedashi Theme. Click to expand its details, then click the prominent install button:
Upon completion of the installation, a link labeled Manage Themes will become visible. Clicking this link will take you directly to the relevant configuration tab. You will now see two thumbnail previews. Select the second thumbnail representing Agedashi, and your dashboard’s appearance will be updated immediately, resulting in a more visually pleasing interface.
Further exploration of the more compelling apps will be covered in a subsequent article. For now, we will shift our focus to more critical aspects of server management.
Integrating an Additional Hard Drive
My initial goal was to incorporate several spare drives into the server to maximize their utility. However, the process proved to be more complex than a simple plug-and-play setup. It’s worth noting, Amahi developers, that streamlining this aspect would be beneficial. While a user may reach this stage, the fundamental task of drive management within a server environment should ideally be more straightforward.
- Begin by powering down the system and physically installing the new drive. Detailed instructions on proper installation are outside the scope of this guide, assuming you possess the necessary knowledge.
- Reboot the system and verify drive recognition. Then, access your Amahi server directly – utilizing the keyboard and monitor connected to the server, not a remote connection. Navigate to Applications -> System Tools -> Disk Utility on the desktop.
- Within the Disk Utility, locate your drives on the left-hand side. Select the drive you are adding and click the erase icon located on the right end of the toolbar, as illustrated in the screenshot. You will be prompted for your root password.
- Following this, select the smaller, xxGB Unrecognized drive icon situated beneath the main drive, which should now display Unknown or Unused. This will present the following screen:
- At the bottom of the screen, under Create Partition Table, choose Master Boot Record as the type and click the Create button.
- The main drive icon should now indicate "MBR Partition Table", with xxGB Free displayed beneath it. Click the smaller icon again to access the Create Partition screen, shown below. Assign a label of your choosing, select Linux Ext4 as the Type, ensure Take ownership of filesystem is checked, and then click Create.
- The system may appear unresponsive at this stage, but it is actively working. Re-selecting the small partition icon will reveal that the drive is being formatted as requested. Allow the process to complete.
- Now, we will utilize the terminal. Launch it from the Applications -> System Tools -> Terminal menu.
- Type su - (s u space dash), press Enter, and enter your password. Subsequently, type hda-diskmount (hda dash diskmount, without spaces) and press Enter again. The output will resemble the following:
- Keep the window open, as we need to modify a file. Copy the highlighted line beginning with UUID. (Right-click -> copy). Ensure you copy the entire line, as it continues onto the next line and concludes with "defaults 1 2".
- In the terminal, type gedit and press Enter. This will open a text editor. Use the Open button, select Filesystem from the left, then open the "etc" folder and the file named "fstab".
- Paste the copied line onto the last line of the file. The screenshot below shows an example of a previously added line.
- Save the file, close gedit, and restart the system via System -> Shutdown -> Restart.
The process is now complete. Upon accessing the storage tab of the Amahi Setup page, you should observe an increase in your total storage capacity.
