Skill Level: Moderate
Please Note: A lot of the steps in this guide have been covered by Unraid themselves so we will simply reference those sources.
Before we begin, you should have your server assembled, connected via power and Ethernet, and you should have a monitor and keyboard attached for the initial configuration (to be ready to alter configuration settings in your BIOS). Once the initial setup is complete, you can disconnect your monitor and keyboard to run Unraid in a “headless” state if you so desire. You will also need a quality USB flash device that is 1GB or larger. For full hardware requirements, visit our product page. Step One - Preparing Your USB Flash Device
Unraid is an embedded operating system so you will need to install the OS onto a flash drive. It is recommended you use a high quality flash drive and preferably one from the Unraid compatibility list here.
The process to create the USB flash drive is outlined in detail on the Unraid wiki here.
Step Two - BIOS and Booting Up
By default, a lot of manufacturers of PCs or motherboards set the USB as the primary boot device. In some cases you will need to go into the BIOS and set the USB flash drive as the primary boot device. The guide here shows how to access the BIOS settings for most systems.
If you have set this correctly you will be presented with the Unraid boot menu below.
To boot Unraid there are a few options, which are outlined below. a. Unraid OS (Headless)
The standard boot mode for Unraid Server OS, headless mode utilises less memory than desktop mode, but relies on the use of another device capable of running a web browser to access the webGui for management. If a monitor is attached then a console login will be displayed that can be used to access the Linux command line on the server. b. Unraid OS GUI Mode Loads a lightweight desktop interface on a directly attached monitor with a quick-launch menu for accessing the webGui, product documentation, and useful Linux utilities including a bash shell, midnight commander, and htop. This mode may be helpful for users trying to diagnose network connectivity problems or for users that don't have a separate device to use for connecting to the webGui. The management interface presented in this mode is the same one that is displayed when running the system in headless mode and accessing the server remotely using a web browser. c. Unraid OS Safe Mode (no plugins, no GUI)
In this mode Unraid suppresses loading any plugins that the user may have installed. Use this boot mode to diagnose if plugins are causing stability issues on your system. d. Unraid OS GUI Safe Mode (no plugins)
In this mode Unraid suppresses loading any plugins that the user may have installed. Use this boot mode to diagnose if plugins are causing stability issues on your system.
e. Memtest86+
If you suspect faulty RAM on your system, you can use Memtest86+ to test it.
Step Three - Connecting to the Unraid webGui
By default all you will need to do is power up your sever and let it boot to Unraid. For the first boot it's a good idea to have a monitor connected so you can see the IP address assigned to the server, in case DNS name resolution doesn't work.
On another device open your preferred web browser and enter the address: http://tower (or http://tower.local if using a Mac) If for any reason your PC/Mac cannot resolve the name of the server, then you can try using the IP address instead (you will see this displayed on the screen connected to your server).
Step Four - Registering and Installing Your Key
Unraid is not free; it does however have a trial mode so you can try before you buy.
Upon connecting to the Unraid webGui for the first time, you should be taken to the Registration page. From here, you can register and install either a trial or paid license key.
The key file is installed into the config folder on the flash drive.
Once you have registered and installed the key you have successfully set up Unraid.
If you would prefer to watch a video covering the installation steps, please see below: