To set up a Debian-based NAS that works well with macOS clients. I’ll break it down into steps:

1. Base Setup on Debian

  1. Install Debian (stable recommended).

  2. Update the system:

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

  3. Install useful tools:

    sudo apt install vim htop curl wget net-tools avahi-daemon -y

2. Storage Preparation

  1. Identify your disks:

    lsblk

  2. Partition & format (e.g., Btrfs or ext4):

    sudo mkfs.btrfs /dev/sdX

  3. Mount permanently by editing /etc/fstab.

3. File Sharing Options for macOS

macOS supports SMB and AFP. AFP is deprecated, so SMB (via Samba) is the best option.

Install Samba

sudo apt install samba -y

Configure

Edit /etc/samba/smb.conf and add a share:

[macshare]
   path = /srv/nas/macshare
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   guest ok = no
   create mask = 0664
   directory mask = 0775

Create directory & set permissions:

sudo mkdir -p /srv/nas/macshare
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /srv/nas/macshare

Add Samba user:

sudo smbpasswd -a yourusername

Restart Samba:

sudo systemctl restart smbd

4. Bonjour (Avahi) for Easy macOS Discovery

Install Avahi:

sudo apt install avahi-daemon avahi-discover -y

This allows your NAS to appear automatically in Finder under “Network”.

5. (Optional) Time Machine Support

macOS can back up to SMB shares if flagged as a Time Machine volume.

Add this inside your Samba config:

[TimeMachine]
   path = /srv/nas/timemachine
   valid users = yourusername
   read only = no
   vfs objects = fruit streams_xattr
   fruit:time machine = yes
   fruit:metadata = stream

Then:

sudo mkdir -p /srv/nas/timemachine
sudo chown -R yourusername:yourusername /srv/nas/timemachine
sudo systemctl restart smbd

6. Access from macOS

  • In Finder: ⌘ + K → smb://<your-nas-ip>/macshare
  • Or find it under Network if Avahi works.