OpenMediaVault
Summary
OpenMediaVault (OMV) is a Debian-based network-attached storage (NAS) solution that provides a comprehensive web-based management interface. The Banana Pi is an ideal platform for OMV thanks to its onboard SATA connector, which delivers significantly better storage throughput than USB-attached drives. This guide walks you through setting up a fully functional NAS appliance using OMV on the Banana Pi, including SATA drive configuration, shared folder creation, and network file sharing via SMB/CIFS and NFS protocols.
Who This Is For
This guide is intended for home users, small office administrators, and hobbyists who want to build an affordable, low-power NAS using the Banana Pi. Prior experience with Linux is helpful but not required, as OMV's web interface handles most configuration tasks.
What You'll Do
You will download the OpenMediaVault image for Banana Pi, flash it to a microSD card, complete the first boot, access the web management interface, configure a SATA hard drive for storage, create shared folders, set up user accounts, and enable SMB/CIFS and NFS file sharing services.
Requirements
- Banana Pi board (M1 or compatible model with SATA port)
- A microSD card (8 GB or larger, Class 10 recommended) for the operating system
- A SATA hard drive or SSD for data storage
- SATA data cable and SATA power adapter compatible with the Banana Pi
- A reliable 5V/2A micro-USB power supply (or higher if powering a SATA drive)
- Ethernet cable connected to your local network
- A computer on the same network with a web browser for accessing the OMV interface
Download and Verification
Download the OpenMediaVault image for Banana Pi from mirror.lemaker.org or the OMV community download page. Verify the downloaded file using the SHA-256 checksum provided alongside the image: run sha256sum omv-bananapi.img.gz and compare the output. Extract the image with gunzip omv-bananapi.img.gz if it is compressed.
Flash Procedure
Write the image to your microSD card using dd if=omv-bananapi.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress on Linux, or use Etcher on Windows and macOS. Verify you have selected the correct target device. Safely eject the card once writing is complete. Do not use the SATA drive for the OS — OMV boots from the microSD card and uses the SATA drive exclusively for data storage.
First Boot Steps
Insert the microSD card, connect the SATA drive, plug in the Ethernet cable, and power on the Banana Pi. Wait approximately two minutes for the system to boot and obtain a network address. Find the board's IP address from your router's DHCP table or by scanning your network. Open a web browser and navigate to http://<board-ip>. Log in to the OMV web interface using the default credentials: username admin, password openmediavault. Change the admin password immediately.
Post-Boot Configuration
In the OMV web interface, navigate to Storage > Disks to confirm your SATA drive is detected. Go to Storage > File Systems to create an ext4 filesystem on the SATA drive and mount it. Create shared folders under Storage > Shared Folders. Enable SMB/CIFS under Services > SMB/CIFS and add your shared folders as SMB shares. For Linux clients, enable NFS under Services > NFS. Create user accounts under Access Rights Management > User and assign permissions to each shared folder. Configure automatic updates and enable email notifications for drive health monitoring using the S.M.A.R.T. plugin.
Troubleshooting
- SATA drive not detected: Check cable connections. Ensure the drive receives adequate power. Try a different SATA cable.
- Cannot access web interface: Verify the board has an IP address by connecting via SSH (
root/openmediavault). Check that your computer is on the same subnet. - Slow transfer speeds: Use a wired Ethernet connection. Ensure the SATA drive is not connected via USB. Tune Samba settings in the OMV advanced configuration.
- Web interface unresponsive: Restart the OMV web service via SSH:
sudo systemctl restart openmediavault-engined.
Related Guides
Author: LeMaker Documentation Team
Last updated: 2026-02-10