Is it possible to share a partition only in a NAS setup

[Sachh]

Is it possible to share a single partition on NAS. I am trying to do that, but cannot find any option. I have a old desktop which has Windows XP on it. There are two hard drive in it. Among which the second one has a 80GB space and it is empty. While the second one has Windows init. To install OS like FreeNAS I will have to format my system and use the firt hard drive. But I want to share a single partition only. Is that possible.

[Eeshwari3]

No it is not. You have to provide the full drive as a mount point in NAS storage. Also the first hard drive will be formatted before installing FreeNAS on it. It is a full fledge OS which does not work with any other.

[TABLITA]

Why don't you stick with simple sharing if you are not willing to share the full drive. That is more easier and better. Here you do not have to do anything. There is not need to install any third party software. You can simply right click on partition which you want to share and modify the sharing permission. That's all. Everything will be available in the Network. This is one of the most easiest way to have a shared space on the network without messing with any other stuff. The benefit of doing this is that you can keep your existing file with you. While NAS setup is different. Here your file transfer stuff works on the basis of NAS OS. Which does not operate under windows environment. I am having a NAS setup on my network. There are two hard drive.Among which one has Windows and other important data, while the other one is empty. To use it as a nas storage I use a 4GB pen drive. I install FreeNAS on that and used it as the default boot drive. The second hard drive is completely empty and act as a shared space. This is not only easy but also very helpful as you can keep copy of multiple data at different places.

[AmaF]

I had also tried that long before. I think NAS operates on drive level. It does not work on partition level. You have to dedicate the entire disk for that or else it is not going to work fine.

[shetty]

For file sharing there are ample of different storage solution available. You can go with certain software that can help you to have a decent shared space. Now ample of time it happens when you stick with file sharing you have to rely on a third party software. This also effect the file transfer speed. As mentioned above the best way is to use Windows File sharing. Because that is less complicated. You have a more easy step to share file and access them whenever needed. While if you stick with different software then you have to rely on that. Somehow if that software fails to work file sharing is affected. NAS is used for performance. It is a reliable solution. It has its own environment which is powerful to keep you data secure and give you long lasting file sharing support. Instead of using your old pc as a nas tool, it is more worth to buy a nas device with different hard drive bays. You can insert one hard drive and then keep on adding more if you need additional space. It is a cost effective solution.