How/what would install for a new 5.0rc12 server coming from 4.7?

[topcat989]

OK, I'm retiring my 4.7 pro unRAID server, and moving to an HP Microserver that I want to install unRAID 5.0 rc 12 pro. I've got how to do the USB key. It will be populated with new drives so I'm not "migrating" the drives with data on them. What I want to know from members here, is how would you do a new install- what I mean is I've just run unRAID 4.7, no unmenu, nothing but the unRAID OS for years. I've decided I don't want sickbeard or szb, (I prefer to add media manually) but it seems unMENU is a must.

 

What else?

 

How would you build your dream unRAID system? (not hardware part, the unRAID and addons part)

 

Thank you for your suggestions, I'm a long time unRAID user but I just basically went with the OS and just updated it through to 4.7, so in reality I'm a noob with current unRAID because I haven't played with it.

 

[garycase]

I tend to agree with your philosophy about not adding a lot of plugins => if you peruse these forums, you'll see that the VAST majority of issues are NOT with UnRAID's basic functionality, but with the add-ons and plug-ins.

 

As a pure storage server, it's VERY reliable ... so that's basically how I've got mine set up.  I use UnMenu with the Clean PowerDown and APC UPS packages, and nothing else.    I DO consider a UPS essentially a mandatory accessory for a storage server [This is a good one for the small server you're going to use:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101381 ]

 

As for configuration -- add UnMenu (very simple);  then from the UnMenu Package Manager add the apcupsd-3.14.3 package (NOT the newer one); and the powerdown-1.02 package.    That's all you really need ... but feel free to look through the rest of the utilities.

 

UnMenu automatically installs hdparm, which allows it to run SMART tests, etc. -- something you'll likely want to do periodically (I check my SMART parameters perhaps once/quarter).

 

That's it for me -- my "dream" UnRAID system is one I NEVER have to mess with -- just use it, and it's rock solid.  Limiting the add-ons seems to make that pretty much true.    My main media server is a 4.7 system that's current got 173 days of uptime ... and that last reboot was due to an extended power outage (so the APC package shut it down).    Before that, it had about 320 days of uptime ... and that was also due to a power outage.    Basically, it's been booted three times since I installed 4.7      My v5 system, used for all my "non-media" stuff (backups, images, downloads, etc.) has been booted more frequently, due to the updates in the RC's.  Once v5 final comes out, I suspect it will run for many months between boots as well.

 

[garycase]

After reading what I just wrote, I thought perhaps I'd expand on UnMenu ... I know I said it's "very simple", but thinking back a bit I'm not sure I thought that when I first installed it 

 

The process is as follows:

 

(1) Copy the "unmenu_install" file to an "Unmenu" folder on the UnRAID flash drive

 

(2) Log into the server (either via console or telnet), and run these commands:

 

cd /boot/unmenu

unmenu_install -i -d /boot/unmenu

 

(3) To run it, just do this:

 

cd /boot/unmenu

./uu

 

To set UnMenu to auto-run on every boot, just copy the file "unmenu.auto_install"  to the "packages" folder.

 

[garycase]

One more afterthought ... here's the UnMenu download:  http://code.google.com/p/unraid-unmenu/downloads/list

 

[Joe L.]

UnMenu automatically installs hdparm, which allows it to run SMART tests, etc. -- something you'll likely want to do periodically (I check my SMART parameters perhaps once/quarter).

No, unMENU does not install hdparm.      Other than loading its own files in /boot/unmenu, nothing is installed automatically.  unMENU does not install anything on its own.    unMENU only installs packages you choose to install in its package manager.

 

hdparm  version 9.37 is NOW part of the standard unRAID distribution.

The only reason "hdparm" is available as a package in unMENU is because at one time you could elect to install the newer version  9.37 to replace an older version. 

( version 9.37 was newer than the older version 9.27 included on older versions of unRAID).

See here:

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=22458.msg199131#msg199131

 

Joe L.

[garycase]

No, unMENU does not install hdparm.      Other than loading its own files in /boot/unmenu, nothing is installed automatically.  unMENU does not install anything on its own.    unMENU only installs packages you choose to install in its package manager.

 

hdparm  version 9.37 is NOW part of the standard unRAID distribution.

 

Thanks for the clarification Joe.    I had simply noted that the Package Manger shows both 9.27 and 9.37 as "Installed, Not Downloaded" ... and assumed that was something UnMenu had done, as I did not install either of these.    As I noted above (and have noted a few other times in other posts), the only thing I install in UnMenu is the Clean PowerDown and APC UPS packages.

 

[i've also tried to install e-mail notifications; but never did get that to work, so finally just decided to not bother]

 

[topcat989]

Gary a UPS is just not in the cards for me anytime in the near or semi-distant future. After being setup my unRAID server will spend most of it's time powered down, turned on only every few days to watch something. My life at the moment won't allow anything else.

 

So, unMENU it is.....

[garycase]

Gary a UPS is just not in the cards for me anytime in the near or semi-distant future. After being setup my unRAID server will spend most of it's time powered down, turned on only every few days to watch something. My life at the moment won't allow anything else.

 

So, unMENU it is.....

 

Yes, if it's powered down most of the time a UPS is much less important.  As I suspect you know, you can also set it to WOL, so a simple magic packet will turn on the system without the need to do anything on the PC itself.

 

[topcat989]

Gary a UPS is just not in the cards for me anytime in the near or semi-distant future. After being setup my unRAID server will spend most of it's time powered down, turned on only every few days to watch something. My life at the moment won't allow anything else.

 

So, unMENU it is.....

 

Yes, if it's powered down most of the time a UPS is much less important.  As I suspect you know, you can also set it to WOL, so a simple magic packet will turn on the system without the need to do anything on the PC itself.

 

I was never able to get the WOL to work with my 4.7 system, based on the original base hardware Tom used in his servers (intel mobo)

 

Welp, time to study up on unMENU install...

[garycase]

I was never able to get the WOL to work with my 4.7 system, based on the original base hardware Tom used in his servers (intel mobo)

 

Which motherboard?  My older system uses the SuperMicro CS2EA that Tom used in his servers, and WOL works just fine on that.  You DO have to enable it in the BIOS ... but then you can simply send it a magic packet and it turns on just fine.    As it happens, I never turn it off ... but the couple times it's turned off due to power failures, I just double-click an icon on my desktop (several rooms away from the server) and the server comes right back on 

[BobPhoenix]

Gary a UPS is just not in the cards for me anytime in the near or semi-distant future. After being setup my unRAID server will spend most of it's time powered down, turned on only every few days to watch something. My life at the moment won't allow anything else.

 

So, unMENU it is.....

 

Yes, if it's powered down most of the time a UPS is much less important.  As I suspect you know, you can also set it to WOL, so a simple magic packet will turn on the system without the need to do anything on the PC itself.

Beware of Murphy .  If I have a power outage it is only when I would have the unRAID server operating.

[garycase]

Gary a UPS is just not in the cards for me anytime in the near or semi-distant future. After being setup my unRAID server will spend most of it's time powered down, turned on only every few days to watch something. My life at the moment won't allow anything else.

 

So, unMENU it is.....

 

Yes, if it's powered down most of the time a UPS is much less important.  As I suspect you know, you can also set it to WOL, so a simple magic packet will turn on the system without the need to do anything on the PC itself.

Beware of Murphy .  If I have a power outage it is only when I would have the unRAID server operating.

 

I definitely agree ==> as I noted earlier in this thread, I consider a UPS a MANDATORY accessory.    But I do understand that not everyone agrees ... and if the server is off most of the time, the only real problem in MOST cases is simply that you'll have an extra parity check when you turn it on after an unplanned outage.