general maintenance "step by step guide" (inside unraid UI)

[NewDisplayName]

Hi,

i really think the next step would be an system where the user could simply click what he wants to do... so that in the end all common tasks can be done by someone who doenst has any knowledge.

Benefit would be that much more would be done RIGHT and you dont get every day the same questions over and over again.

 

 

E.g.:

Remove Disk

Add Disk

Add Cache drive

Remove Cache Drive

Update unraid os (with backup process)

...many many more which i cant think off

 

By clicking the topic the user comes to a step by step process like if you install something or (installshield or something) e.g.

Remove Disk

1.) select the correct drive (be sure its the correct one blabla)

2.) click here

3.) blabla

4.) shut the server down, unplug the drive

5.) when restartet "you successfull removed drive X".

6.) click here to blabla

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by nuhll

[itimpi]

Most of those topics are already covered in the online documentation and if there are ones where that information is deficient it tends to get improved when people point out they did not understand what was written or have suggestions for changes!    I do not see much advantage to adding that detail directly into the GUI as that makes maintaining/updating the information difficult.   

 

Perhaps a page in the GUI that simply contained a set of links to the documentation would be useful but even that is problematical because the links might change as the documentation is updated.  It is surprising how many people ignore the fact that the online documentation exists   

[NewDisplayName]

I suggest something better then a documentation. You say its better to make more documentation... and then say they dont use it.

 

Welcome in 2023.

 

Ofc the user is not using documentation, what a surprise.

 

There should be a installshield wizard for all the important things.

 

No need for documentation.

[itimpi]

20 minutes ago, nuhll said:

I suggest something better then a documentation. You say its better to make more documentation... and then say they dont use it.

I never said do not use it - I just said many people do not.

 

The documentation could be made more prominent by promoting the icon that opens it to be at the top of the GUI rather than at the bottom where it tends to get missed.   Another option to make it even more prominent would be to have a top level tab that opens up into the manual - it would then be very hard to miss.

 

Creating 'wizards' for tasks is quite resource intensive and although they would be nice to have but I do not see Limetech having the resources to develop these in addition to core Unraid functionality that they are already stretched to deliver in the sort of timescales that many users would like.

 

[NewDisplayName]

Its resource intensive, ofc, BUT it frees time for supporting and it improves user expierince.

[trurl]

When most users don't understand how parity works, giving them an easier way to do something that is ill-advised doesn't seem like a good idea.

[NewDisplayName]

You dont understand.

 

Instead of users need to search or seek for help, there should be an guided way in the unraid ui to do certain things like remove disk, add disks, change raid levels, upgrade unraid.

 

What happens when a disk goes bad? You need to replace it, i dont know out of my head how to do it right, so i would have to search for it (where you could find outdated stuff), it would be better for all if there would just be a procedure inside the unraid ui. Like click drive, replace ->  step by step guide (like next, ok, balbla,)

Edited May 3, 2023 by nuhll

[NewDisplayName]

and when i read this 

thats just horror (the new share stuff and it was even confusing for ppl before all those changes) for ppl who have no idea i really wonder how that is done in the ui but i guess it will be a MESS.

Its great that there are so many technical things done, but there are probably more noobs then pros. 

 

 

YOU guys know what questions gets asked most, do a top 10 list and add these functionalities self-explanatory into unraid...

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by nuhll

[Kilrah]

7 hours ago, nuhll said:

What happens when a disk goes bad? You need to replace it, i dont know out of my head how to do it right, so i would have to search for it

The Unraid GUI footer has a link to the manual with the instructions. 

 

Wizards are pretty complicated to make, work only for the one very specific scenario they're meant for and require that everything work "right". One thing that's unusual and it's worse than having none...

[itimpi]

1 hour ago, Kilrah said:

The Unraid GUI footer has a link to the manual with the instructions

I think that there is a lot to be said for making this far more prominent as down in the footer it is easy to miss.   Even knowing it is there I find I have to look carefully to see it.  It could either be added to the icons at the top right of the GUI or (even more extreme) given a tab of its own.

[NewDisplayName]

Ill never said its no work. But if it want to be successfull, you have to invest in usability.

 

I dont know the sales, but my guess is this is more hobby software?

Edited May 4, 2023 by nuhll

[NewDisplayName]

To give you an example, the new update process, is exactly what i mean, this sort of step by step guide i meant. Now just carry it over for everything... 

Edited January 20 by NewDisplayName