Build a Raspberry Pi Storage Server (NAS)

Securely attach the Pi board using screws and copper standoffs.

1. Take the M2.5×5 screws and M2.5×18+6 copper standoffs from the SATA HAT screw kit.
2. Insert screws through the four mounting holes on the Raspberry Pi board.
3. Thread copper standoffs onto the screws from the underside, tightening until the board is secure but not over-tightened.

Attach the SATA HAT to the Pi and connect the FPC data cable.

1. Locate the FPC connector on the back of the SATA HAT.
2. Carefully insert the IPEX (FPC) cable into the connector. This cable carries data between the Pi and the HAT.
3. Align the SATA HAT's GPIO pins with the Pi's 40-pin header, then press down gently until fully seated.
4. Secure the HAT to the standoffs you installed earlier.

Mount one or more drives onto the acrylic holder board.

1. Place the first SATA drive onto the acrylic holder board.
2. Use screws to fix the drive into the first two mounting holes. Don't fully tighten yet.
3. If using multiple drives, repeat for each drive, spacing them on the holder board.
4. Once all drives are positioned, tighten all screws securely.

Attach the drive cluster to the SATA HAT via SATA connectors.

1. Bring the assembled drive holder close to the SATA HAT.
2. Check the orientation of the SATA connectors—they only fit one way.
3. Align each drive's SATA connector with the corresponding port on the HAT, then press firmly but gently until fully seated.
4. SATA connectors should click or seat fully. Don't force them at the wrong angle.

Build long standoffs and mount the top board.

1. Take M2.5×40+6 copper pillars and connect three together to form four long standoffs.
2. Install these long standoffs into the four mounting holes on the SATA HAT.
3. Locate the data cable connector on the underside of the top board (usually labeled for fan and display).
4. Align the top board over the standoffs and lower it into place.
5. Secure the board with screws.

Link the top board to the SATA HAT for fan control and display communication.

1. Take the data cable from the top board (usually a ribbon cable or multi-wire connector).
2. Carefully plug it into the corresponding connector on the SATA HAT.
3. This cable controls the cooling fan speed and top display data (if your HAT has a display).

Set up network connectivity for NAS access.

1. Connect an Ethernet cable from your router/switch to the Pi's built-in Ethernet port for basic 1Gbps speed.
2. For faster transfers, consider a 2.5Gbps USB Ethernet adapter plugged into one of the Pi's USB 3.0 ports.
3. The built-in port is convenient, but a 2.5Gbps adapter significantly improves performance for large file transfers.

Flash the operating system and boot the Pi.

1. On another computer, download Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software.
2. Insert the microSD card into your computer.
3. Use Imager to write Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit recommended) to the SD card.
4. In Imager's settings (gear icon), enable SSH, set hostname, username, password, and Wi-Fi if needed.
5. Write the image, then eject the SD card and insert it into your Raspberry Pi.
6. Connect power to the Pi (and ensure the SATA HAT is also powered—some HATs need separate power input).

Configure the Pi to communicate with the SATA HAT via PCIe.

1. SSH into your Raspberry Pi or open Terminal on the desktop.
2. Edit the boot config file to enable PCIe.
3. Add the line 'dtparam=pciex1' at the end of the file, save, and exit.
4. Reboot the Pi.

$ sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

Verify drive performance and PCIe link speed.

1. Run a write speed test to confirm the drive is working and see transfer rates.
2. Mechanical HDDs typically show 100–150 MB/s. SSDs should reach 300–500+ MB/s.
3. For even better speeds, enable PCIe Gen 3 by adding 'dtparam=pciex1_gen=3' to config.txt and rebooting.

$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=32M status=progress count=100 oflag=direct

Set up a web-based NAS management system.

1. OpenMediaVault (OMV) is a free NAS solution that runs on Raspberry Pi and provides an easy web interface for managing shares, users, and storage.
2. Run the official OMV install script. This takes 10–20 minutes.
3. After installation completes, reboot the Pi.
4. Access the OMV web interface by navigating to http://<your-pi-ip>/ in a browser.
5. Default login is admin / admin. Change this immediately after first login.

$ wget -O - https://github.com/OpenMediaVault-Plugin-Developers/installScript/raw/master/install | sudo bash

Set up network shares accessible from other computers.

1. In the OMV web interface, go to Storage → Disks to see your SATA drives.
2. Go to Storage → File Systems, select a drive, click Create and format it (ext4 recommended).
3. Mount the filesystem.
4. Go to Services → SMB/CIFS → Shares, click Add to create a new share.
5. Choose the mounted filesystem, set a share name (e.g., 'SharedDrive'), and configure permissions.
6. Enable the SMB/CIFS service.
7. On a Windows PC, open File Explorer and type \\<pi-ip>\SharedDrive to access the share.
8. On Mac, use Finder → Go → Connect to Server → smb://<pi-ip>/SharedDrive.

Set up file sharing manually without OMV (optional advanced method).

1. If you prefer not to use OMV, you can install and configure Samba directly.
2. The detailed Samba setup code (updating, installing Samba, editing smb.conf, creating Samba users, setting permissions, and restarting services) is documented in the Home Server Code reference.
3. Visit /resources/downloads/home-server-code for complete command-line instructions.

Verify performance and reliability by moving large files.

1. Copy a large file (e.g., a movie or disk image) to the network share.
2. Monitor transfer speed—should match or exceed your network link speed (1Gbps or 2.5Gbps).
3. Try accessing the share from multiple devices simultaneously.
4. Ensure drives stay cool and the fan spins appropriately.

Give your NAS a polished, finished look with a custom enclosure.

1. Measure your assembled NAS (Pi + HAT + drives + top board).
2. Use CAD software like Fusion 360 or TinkerCAD to design a case with ventilation holes for airflow.
3. Export the design as .STL and send to a 3D printing service or print it yourself.
4. Once printed, assemble the NAS inside the case.