This is a practical note on installing fnOS on a TerraMaster F2-220. The goal is to replace the original TOS and keep using the NAS after official support for the F2-220 has ended. The process also verifies that the F3 backplane can work on the F2-220, and solves the issue where the BIOS cannot boot from NVMe.
The original F3 backplane project was verified on the F2-221 with a J3355 platform. The F2-220 uses the J1800 platform, so compatibility was not guaranteed. A V1.1 version existed in a project fork with fewer components, lower cost, and less assembly difficulty, so that version was used for testing.
PCB Fabrication and Soldering
Backplane project: arnarg/f3_backplane. The board used here is the V1.1 version from a fork. Its core goal is to keep the original SATA drive bays while exposing an NVMe SSD position from the backplane connector.
Multiple PCBs were received after fabrication. One detail appeared during soldering: after soldering the M.2 connector, it became clear that the SATA connector was different from common SATA connectors.
A fully matching native SATA connector was not found on Taobao, so an existing connector was modified instead: the pins were pulled out, positions were swapped, and then the connector was soldered back to the board.
The key takeaway is that the F3 backplane approach can be tried on the F2-220, but SATA connector selection needs special attention. Do not order only by looking for a generic SATA connector.
VGA Output
The F2-220 has no exposed video output, but it has an internal 12-pin VGA header. You need an internal motherboard 12Pin VGA adapter cable. One end connects to the 12-pin header inside the machine, and the other end is usually a standard DB15 VGA female connector for an external monitor.
Useful search keywords include “12Pin VGA adapter cable”, “motherboard 12-pin VGA adapter cable”, and “2.0mm 12Pin to VGA”. Before buying, compare the connector direction, pitch, and pinout against a photo of the internal header. Do not order based only on the “12Pin” label.
This step is important for installation. Without video output, BIOS and installer troubleshooting becomes much harder.
Installing fnOS
Boot the fnOS installer through Ventoy. The installer can see the NVMe SSD, which means the backplane and NVMe hardware path are working.
However, after installation, removing the boot drive causes the machine to reboot into the BIOS screen instead of entering fnOS. The BIOS boot list does not contain the NVMe SSD. If fnOS is installed to a USB drive and booted from there, the system can still see the NVMe drive normally.
This indicates:
- NVMe hardware detection is fine.
- Linux can access the NVMe drive.
- The failure point is the BIOS boot stage.
- The F2-220 platform is old, and the stock BIOS likely lacks an NVMe boot module.
Backing Up the BIOS
At this point, fnOS can already boot from a USB drive. Since fnOS is Debian-based, flashrom can be used inside the system to back up and flash the BIOS.
Flashing BIOS is risky. Prepare a programmer if possible, so recovery is still possible after a failed flash.
Install flashrom:
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Check whether the BIOS chip can be detected:
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Detected chip information may look like this:
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Back up the original BIOS. Replace the chip model in the command with the actual result from your machine:
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Injecting the NVMe Module
The backed-up BIOS is a .bin file. You can transfer it to a PC with WinSCP, then refer to the Bilibili tutorial 让老主板用上 Nvme 协议的固态 to inject the NVMe module into the BIOS file.
After processing, transfer the modified BIOS file back to fnOS.
Do not blindly reuse someone else’s BIOS file. Different machines, BIOS versions, and flash chips may differ. The safer approach is to back up your own original BIOS and modify that backup.
Flashing the New BIOS
The flash command is shown below. Replace the chip model, firmware path, and file name according to your actual setup:
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When the output shows this line, verification has passed:
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After flashing, the BIOS boot list may show a PATA entry. On older BIOS setups with an injected NVMe module, the NVMe boot entry often appears as PATA. Seeing it means the BIOS can now recognize the NVMe boot path.
Result
Final result:
- F3 Backplane V1.1 can detect NVMe on the TerraMaster F2-220.
- The fnOS installer can see the NVMe SSD.
- The stock BIOS cannot boot directly from NVMe.
- After injecting the NVMe module into the BIOS, a
PATAboot entry appears. - The machine can boot fnOS from NVMe after the BIOS modification.
Testing feedback also notes that this NVMe channel is only a little over 300MB/s. That is enough for a system drive. There is no need to use a high-end SSD; even a small Optane drive can be sufficient.
Notes
This is not a risk-free general tutorial. It is closer to a hardware and BIOS modification record. Before trying it, note the following:
- F2-220 and F2-221 use different platforms, so F2-221 results should not be treated as identical to F2-220 results.
- The F3 backplane requires PCB fabrication and soldering. The SATA connector may also require pin modification.
- A suitable internal VGA adapter cable is needed for installation and troubleshooting.
- BIOS flashing can brick the machine. Prepare a programmer and keep the original backup.
- The chip model in the
flashromcommand must match the chip detected on your own machine. - Do not directly flash someone else’s modified BIOS. Inject the NVMe module into your own backup first.
The value of this note is that it adds real F2-220 test results: the F3 backplane idea is not limited to the F2-221, and the F2-220 can also use an NVMe system drive. The real blocker is not Linux detecting NVMe, but whether the BIOS supports NVMe booting.
Related Links
- fnNAS forum test thread: 铁威马F2-220折腾飞牛OS过程