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Creating a single-node file server using the management console

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Updated at November 14, 2024

To create an infrastructure for a single-node file server using the Yandex Cloud management console:

  1. Prepare your cloud.
  2. Create a security group.
  3. Create a virtual machine for your file server.
  4. Set up Samba and NFS.
  5. Test your file server.

If you no longer need the resources you created, delete them.

Getting started

Sign up for Yandex Cloud and create a billing account:

  1. Go to the management console and log in to Yandex Cloud or create an account if you do not have one yet.
  2. On the Yandex Cloud Billing page, make sure you have a billing account linked and it has the ACTIVE or TRIAL_ACTIVE status. If you do not have a billing account, create one.

If you have an active billing account, you can go to the cloud page to create or select a folder for your infrastructure to operate in.

Learn more about clouds and folders.

The cost for hosting a single node file server includes:

Prepare the network infrastructure

  1. Go to the Yandex Cloud management console and select the folder where you will perform the operations.
  2. Make sure the selected folder has a network with a subnet that the VM can be connected to. To do this, select Virtual Private Cloud on the folder page. If the list contains a network, click its name to see the available subnets. If there is neither network nor subnet, create them.

Create a security group

To create a security group for your file server:

  1. In the management console, select Virtual Private Cloud.

  2. Open the Security groups tab.

  3. Create a security group:

    1. Click Create security group.

    2. In the Name field, specify the name: fileserver-sg.

    3. In the Network field, select the network where the fileserver-tutorial VM is located.

    4. Under Rules, create the following rules using the instructions below the table:

      Traffic
      direction      		 Description Port range Protocol Destination name /
      Source      		 CIDR blocks
      Outgoing any All Any CIDR 0.0.0.0/0
      Incoming ssh 22 TCP CIDR 0.0.0.0/0
      Incoming ext-http 80 TCP CIDR 0.0.0.0/0
      Incoming ext-https 443 TCP CIDR 0.0.0.0/0
      Incoming nfs 2049 TCP CIDR 0.0.0.0/0
      1. Select the Egress or Ingress tab.
      2. Click Add rule.
      3. In the Port range field of the window that opens, specify a single port or a range of ports that traffic will come to or from. To open all ports, click Select the full range.
      4. In the Protocol field, specify the appropriate protocol or leave Any to allow traffic transmission over any protocol.
      5. In the Destination name or Source field, select the CIDR, and the rule will apply to a range of IP addresses. In the CIDR blocks field, specify 0.0.0.0/0.
      6. Click Save. Repeat the steps to create all the rules from the table.

    5. Click Save.

Create a virtual machine for your file server

To create a VM:

  1. In the management console, select the folder to create your VM in.

  2. In the list of services, select Compute Cloud.

  3. In the left-hand panel, select Virtual machines.

  4. Click Create virtual machine.

  5. Under Boot disk image, select the Ubuntu public image.

  6. Under Location, select an availability zone to place your VM in.

  7. Add a secondary disk for data storage:

    • Under Disks and file storages, click Add.

    • In the window that opens, select Disk.

    • Select Create new disk and specify the parameters:

      • Contents: Empty.
      • Name: fileserver-tutorial-disk.
      • Type: SSD.
      • Size: 100 GB.

    • Click Add disk.

  8. Under Computing resources, navigate to the Custom tab, select the platform and specify the recommended settings for the file server:

    • vCPU: 8 or more
    • Guaranteed vCPU performance: 100%.
    • RAM: 56 GB or more

  9. Under Network settings:

    • In the Subnet field, specify the subnet ID in the availability zone of the VM you are creating or select a cloud network from the list.

      • Each network must have at least one subnet. If there is no subnet, create one by selecting Create subnet.

      • If you do not have a network, click Create network to create one:

        • In the window that opens, specify the network name and select the folder to create it in.
        • (Optional) Select the Create subnets option to automatically create subnets in all availability zones.
        • Click Create network.

    • In the Public IP field, select Auto to assign the VM a random external IP address from the Yandex Cloud pool or select a static address from the list if you reserved one in advance.

    • In the Security groups field, select the fileserver-sg security group you created earlier.

  10. Under Access, specify the information required to access the VM:

    • In the Login field, enter the name of the user to create on the VM, e.g., ubuntu.

      Alert

      Do not use root or other usernames reserved by the operating system. To perform operations requiring superuser permissions, use the sudo command.

    • In the SSH key field, paste the contents of the public key file.

      You need to create a key pair for the SSH connection yourself. To learn how, see Connecting to a VM via SSH.

  11. Under General information, specify the VM name: fileserver-tutorial.

  12. Click Create VM.

It may take a few minutes to create the VM. When the VM status switches to RUNNING, copy the public IP address: it will be listed on the VM page in the Network section. You will need the IP address later to configure NFS and Samba.

Set up Samba and NFS

After the fileserver-tutorial VM's status changes to RUNNING, do the following:

  1. On the VM page of the management console, under Network, find the VM's public IP address.

  2. Connect to the VM over SSH.

    The recommended authentication method when connecting over SSH is using a key pair. Make sure to set up the created key pair so that the private key matches the public key sent to the VM.

  3. Configure Samba and NFS:

    1. Download and install Samba:

      sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nfs-kernel-server samba

    2. Prepare and mount the file system on the disk:

      sudo mkfs -t ext4 -L data /dev/vdb

    3. Prepare and mount the folder for data storage on the disk:

      sudo mkdir /<folder_name>
echo "LABEL=data /<folder_name> ext4 defaults 0 0" | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab
sudo mount /<folder_name>

    4. Set the NFS configuration in the /etc/exports file. You can edit the file using the nano utility:

      sudo nano /etc/exports

      Add the following lines to the file:

      /<folder_name> <IP_address>(rw,no_subtree_check,fsid=100)
/<folder_name> 127.0.0.1(rw,no_subtree_check,fsid=100)

      Where <IP_address> is the IP address of the computer you are going to connect the network data disk to via NFS.

    5. Set the Samba configuration in the /etc/samba/smb.conf file. You can edit the file using the nano utility:

      sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

      Edit the file as follows:

      [global]
   workgroup = WORKGROUP
   server string = %h server (Samba)
   dns proxy = no
   log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
   max log size = 1000
   syslog = 0
   panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
   server role = standalone server
   passdb backend = tdbsam
   obey pam restrictions = yes
   unix password sync = yes
   passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
   passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
   pam password change = yes
   map to guest = bad user
   usershare allow guests = yes
[printers]
   comment = All Printers
   browseable = no
   path = /var/spool/samba
   printable = yes
   guest ok = no
   read only = yes
   create mask = 0700
[print$]
   comment = Printer Drivers
   path = /var/lib/samba/printers
   browseable = yes
   read only = yes
   guest ok = no
[data]
   comment = /<folder_name>
   path = /<folder_name>
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   writable = yes
   guest ok = yes
   hosts allow = <IP_address> 127.0.0.1
   hosts deny = 0.0.0.0/0

      Where <IP_address> in the [data] section is the IP address of the computer you are going to connect the network data disk to via NFS.

    6. Restart Samba and NFS:

      sudo service nfs-kernel-server restart
sudo service smbd restart

Test your file server

  1. Install ACL on the fileserver-tutorial VM:

    sudo apt install acl

  2. On the fileserver-tutorial VM instance, create a directory named remote and the test.txt file:

    sudo mkdir /<folder_name>/remote
sudo setfacl -m u:<name_of_your_user>:rwx /<folder_name>/remote
echo "Hello world!" > /<folder_name>/remote/test.txt

  3. Connect the network disk to your computer via NFS and check if the test file is available:

    If needed, install the network disk utility:

    sudo apt-get install nfs-common

    Create a mount point:

    sudo mkdir /remote-test-dir

    Attach a network disk:

    sudo mount -t nfs <VM_public_IP_address>:/<folder_name> /remote-test-dir

    As as result, the test directory and the file should become available at the mount point.

    1. Run the cmd.exe utility. To do this, use the Windows + R keyboard shortcut and run the cmd command.

    2. From the command line, run:

      net use x: \\<VM_public_IP_address>\folder_name

    This will create a disk X with the test directory and file.

How to delete the resources you created

To stop paying for the resources you created:

  1. Delete the VM.
  2. Delete the static public IP address if you reserved one.

See also

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