First-run setup

The first time you open Bitsmith, it walks you through five short steps. When you’re done you’ll have an account, a network that apps and VMs can use, and a place to put your files.

1. License

Enter your license key and give this server a name (for example, “Family server”). The name is how you’ll recognize it on your bitsmith.app dashboard.

2. Admin account

Create the account you’ll sign in with:

• Display name, the name shown in the interface.
• Username, what you type to sign in.
• Password, confirmed as you type it.

This first account is an administrator. You can add more people later under Household users.

3. Network

Apps and virtual machines share your home network through a bridge. Pick the network device this server uses, and Bitsmith creates a bridge, br0, on top of it and wires your future VMs and containers to that bridge. Bitsmith gives priority to the device that already has this server’s home-network address. If no device is available, or you’d rather do it later, choose Set up later and finish it from Network settings.

4. Storage

Create new storage from the blank drives Bitsmith found, or Adopt existing storage to start managing a ZFS pool from another system without touching your files. See Storage spaces & layouts for what each layout option means. You don’t have to finish it here: you can continue and come back from the Storage page, with the setup running in the background meanwhile.

5. Done

From the step’s What’s next cards you can:

• Create folders and shares so other devices can reach your files.
• Install your first app.
• Set up backups.

Then continue to Bitsmith. After setup you land on the Home page, a quick view of your server, storage, shares, and apps.