Licensing Changes

[sparklyballs]

We will honor all past "credits" (the unredeemed 2nd key of a 2-pack and unredeemed '2nd key special' we were running earlier).  The upgrades work like this: it can upgrade one or two keys or key credits that you already own at time of upgrade purchase.

 

I can absolutely attest to this.

 

i bought the old 2 pack pro upgrade a couple of years ago,  and then very recently took advantage of the beta offer to give myself a spare key for a possible future server.

 

tom did the licensing for me with the only hassle being my old eyes messing up the ID for the flash, and me having to send another email with the right ID (missing letters), lol.

[tdallen]

With all this discussion about the new licensing scheme I am surprised that little has been said about the price points?  Just to put things in perspective I already have multiple Pro licenses so this is not me trying to be 'cheap'.

 

The original price for the Basic license at $29 seemed an easy 'no-brainer' decision for anyone who was even serious about trying out unRAID.  However the new one at $59 seems just a bit above the price for an 'impulse' buy although at 8 attached devices it is good value for money.

 

I wonder if at some point it will be worth doing something like:

- Rename the Basic license to be called 'Standard'.  This is to reflect that the fact that it is probably the level that a lot of new users will opt for.  Keep this as an 8 attached devices limit.

- Introduce a new Basic level at around the $30 mark that has something like a 4 attached devices limit.  This might be attractive to those who are otherwise going to be continually renewing the free license for the Trial version.  I would think that if users use unRAID seriously they would outgrow the 4 attached devices limit and want to upgrade.  It would also be an ideal license to use with test systems (I see that extra attached device over the free license being quite important when testing).

 

Since the new free Trial license requires users to register for a key file I guess it means that Limetech will start getting some stats for how many users stay on the free Trial version and thus whether a lower priced entry point for a non-trial key is likely to be effective.  Still I thought it was worth airing my thoughts anyway.  Since it looks like this might be something that is post the 6.0 release anyway there is time to think about it.

 

I really like the idea of a $29 entry point, great idea.  I'd grab one of these myself for a test license (didn't grab the additional key, doh) while the $59 license is enough to make me think twice.

[jbrodriguez]

OK, got it to work.

passed a real USB to the VM and it loaded from the IDE drive and unRAID is recognizing the USB GUID.

I wonder what will happen when the OS is updated? because unraid sees the USB but virtualbox boots from the IDE.

 

question from abs0lut.zer0 still remains:

so does that mean after 30 days we will have to use a different usb stick and also how will it look if we keep asking for keys every 30 days ?

 

theone, how did you do it ?

 

I attached a real USB (containing the rc3 bzimage and bzroot), but I'm still getting the flash guid: error contact support message.

 

Attached is my VirtualBox config

[opentoe]

Starting with release of unRAID Server OS 6.0-rc1 we have introduced the following key registration changes:

 

Device Limits

We’ve moved from assignable-device limits to attached-device limits:

- The array will not start if too many devices are attached. 

- At least one device must be assigned to an array Data disk slot.

- To use non-array devices beyond your license limit, you can attempt to hot-plug the device after the array has started.  Warning: If

    you stop the array, you will need to detach the device before you start the array again.

 

Pricing

- We’ve increased the price of Basic to $59 but also increased the device limit from 4 to 6.

- We've increased the price of Plus to $89 but also increased the device limit from 8 to 12.

- We've increased the price of Pro to $129.

 

Existing users of any previous unRAID Server OS release can take advantage of these increased device limits simply by upgrading to 6.0-rc1 or later.

 

For a limited time, you can use the coupon code KEY10 at checkout to receive $10 off your key purchase.

 

Automated Key Transfer Process

If you need to transfer your key to another USB Flash device, this can now be done online:

- Via the WebGUI on v6.

- Coming soon: Via the website on earlier versions. 

 

End-of-Sale Announcement

We will no longer be offering "Two-Packs".  This was offered as an instantaneous back up for Flash failure before, but now users can instantly get a replacement key via our new online system.

 

Free Trial

- Time-limited to 30 days with no per-device size limits.

- Supports up to 3 attached devices.

- Will require registration (just your e-mail and a valid GUID).

- Extensions can be requested within the WebGUI.

 

Can I purchase a pro license without entering the USB GUID? Since I want to take advantage of the limited time discount. Thanks.

 

[abs0lut.zer0]

With all this discussion about the new licensing scheme I am surprised that little has been said about the price points?  Just to put things in perspective I already have multiple Pro licenses so this is not me trying to be 'cheap'.

 

The original price for the Basic license at $29 seemed an easy 'no-brainer' decision for anyone who was even serious about trying out unRAID.  However the new one at $59 seems just a bit above the price for an 'impulse' buy although at 8 attached devices it is good value for money.

 

I wonder if at some point it will be worth doing something like:

- Rename the Basic license to be called 'Standard'.  This is to reflect that the fact that it is probably the level that a lot of new users will opt for.  Keep this as an 8 attached devices limit.

- Introduce a new Basic level at around the $30 mark that has something like a 4 attached devices limit.  This might be attractive to those who are otherwise going to be continually renewing the free license for the Trial version.  I would think that if users use unRAID seriously they would outgrow the 4 attached devices limit and want to upgrade.  It would also be an ideal license to use with test systems (I see that extra attached device over the free license being quite important when testing).

 

Since the new free Trial license requires users to register for a key file I guess it means that Limetech will start getting some stats for how many users stay on the free Trial version and thus whether a lower priced entry point for a non-trial key is likely to be effective.  Still I thought it was worth airing my thoughts anyway.  Since it looks like this might be something that is post the 6.0 release anyway there is time to think about it.

 

I really like the idea of a $29 entry point, great idea.  I'd grab one of these myself for a test license (didn't grab the additional key, doh) while the $59 license is enough to make me think twice.

 

+1

[bnevets27]

So unless I missed it we never got a response to what happens after 30 days.  Does unraid cease to work? I think it would be good if after 30 days unraid defaults to storage size limitation. 

Building and testing a new system can be done in 30 days if you have the free time in those 30days to do so.  And that rarely happens in the real world. 

 

Getting all the different parts to work together (dockers taking to each other,  running scripts etc,  setting up VM's) takes longer then a month and then there is testing after that. 

 

I bought a second license so I could work on my test server before replacing my production server.  But at the new pricing levels I would be less happy having to buy a second key just for testing.

 

The other point is, at least the way the licensing worked before,  I would suggest the free version to friends,  and they could at their leisure figure out how to get everything working the way they wish,  and then once they out grow the free size limitation they would upgrade.  Even a free option for 1 parity,  1 data and 1 out out of array disk or cache to run dockers/VM/puglins on, with no other option would be  good to get people into unraid.  I understand the concern now that drive density is rising and therefore with the old model you could have a relatively large storage size with the free license and therefore no reason to buy a license at all.  So I do agree the license model needed to change but I personally hate time trails.  I  never get to test out the product fully in 30 days and I suspect most others also have that problem.

 

[jonp]

So unless I missed it we never got a response to what happens after 30 days.  Does unraid cease to work? I think it would be good if after 30 days unraid defaults to storage size limitation. 

Building and testing a new system can be done in 30 days if you have the free time in those 30days to do so.  And that rarely happens in the real world. 

 

Getting all the different parts to work together (dockers taking to each other,  running scripts etc,  setting up VM's) takes longer then a month and then there is testing after that. 

 

I bought a second license so I could work on my test server before replacing my production server.  But at the new pricing levels I would be less happy having to buy a second key just for testing.

 

The other point is, at least the way the licensing worked before,  I would suggest the free version to friends,  and they could at their leisure figure out how to get everything working the way they wish,  and then once they out grow the free size limitation they would upgrade.  Even a free option for 1 parity,  1 data and 1 out out of array disk or cache to run dockers/VM/puglins on, with no other option would be  good to get people into unraid.  I understand the concern now that drive density is rising and therefore with the old model you could have a relatively large storage size with the free license and therefore no reason to buy a license at all.  So I do agree the license model needed to change but I personally hate time trails.  I  never get to test out the product fully in 30 days and I suspect most others also have that problem.

We did reply to someone else's question on this. You can request an extension right within the web interface. Keep in mind that the array doesn't forcibly stop after 30 days, it just won't restart after 30 days without an extension.

[limetech]

So unless I missed it we never got a response to what happens after 30 days.  Does unraid cease to work? I think it would be good if after 30 days unraid defaults to storage size limitation. 

Building and testing a new system can be done in 30 days if you have the free time in those 30days to do so.  And that rarely happens in the real world. 

 

Getting all the different parts to work together (dockers taking to each other,  running scripts etc,  setting up VM's) takes longer then a month and then there is testing after that. 

 

I bought a second license so I could work on my test server before replacing my production server.  But at the new pricing levels I would be less happy having to buy a second key just for testing.

 

The other point is, at least the way the licensing worked before,  I would suggest the free version to friends,  and they could at their leisure figure out how to get everything working the way they wish,  and then once they out grow the free size limitation they would upgrade.  Even a free option for 1 parity,  1 data and 1 out out of array disk or cache to run dockers/VM/puglins on, with no other option would be  good to get people into unraid.  I understand the concern now that drive density is rising and therefore with the old model you could have a relatively large storage size with the free license and therefore no reason to buy a license at all.  So I do agree the license model needed to change but I personally hate time trails.  I  never get to test out the product fully in 30 days and I suspect most others also have that problem.

We did reply to someone else's question on this. You can request an extension right within the web interface. Keep in mind that the array doesn't forcibly stop after 30 days, it just won't restart after 30 days without an extension.

 

I just want to add to what JonP said.

 

Believe me when I say that this entire hairball called licensing has consumed by far the most amount of time than any other technical/business/marketing decision we've ever made.  We've gone round and round on all kinds of schemes, ideas, etc. etc. etc. - just ask any of the Mods what this discussion has been like with them.  The reality is there is nothing that is going to make everyone happy, but we are committed to being as generous as possible and we are not afraid to change things if necessary.  Could turn out we make the Trial last 60 days (or 15 - not likely).  At present we intend to issue free extensions, but we haven't hit the 30-day mark yet.  Well I don't know if this was helpful or not, we're also learning as we go along here.

[enetec]

OK, got it to work.

passed a real USB to the VM and it loaded from the IDE drive and unRAID is recognizing the USB GUID.

I wonder what will happen when the OS is updated? because unraid sees the USB but virtualbox boots from the IDE.

...

 

theone, how did you do it ?

 

I attached a real USB (containing the rc3 bzimage and bzroot), but I'm still getting the flash guid: error contact support message.

 

Attached is my VirtualBox config

The IDE boot disk should NOT be labeled UNRAID. Only the USB key. This way it works.

 

BUT with only 3 drives allowed with Free Trial, one "gone" for booting, you have only TWO disk left to test data & parity (one data and one parity...) and this isn't a "good testing" environment in my opinion...

 

Moreover, it seems to have some issues with user shares in this config... see my post on http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=37687.0

(and I hope only in this config... since I need to go production in some days...!)

[opentoe]

So unless I missed it we never got a response to what happens after 30 days.  Does unraid cease to work? I think it would be good if after 30 days unraid defaults to storage size limitation. 

Building and testing a new system can be done in 30 days if you have the free time in those 30days to do so.  And that rarely happens in the real world. 

 

Getting all the different parts to work together (dockers taking to each other,  running scripts etc,  setting up VM's) takes longer then a month and then there is testing after that. 

 

I bought a second license so I could work on my test server before replacing my production server.  But at the new pricing levels I would be less happy having to buy a second key just for testing.

 

The other point is, at least the way the licensing worked before,  I would suggest the free version to friends,  and they could at their leisure figure out how to get everything working the way they wish,  and then once they out grow the free size limitation they would upgrade.  Even a free option for 1 parity,  1 data and 1 out out of array disk or cache to run dockers/VM/puglins on, with no other option would be  good to get people into unraid.  I understand the concern now that drive density is rising and therefore with the old model you could have a relatively large storage size with the free license and therefore no reason to buy a license at all.  So I do agree the license model needed to change but I personally hate time trails.  I  never get to test out the product fully in 30 days and I suspect most others also have that problem.

We did reply to someone else's question on this. You can request an extension right within the web interface. Keep in mind that the array doesn't forcibly stop after 30 days, it just won't restart after 30 days without an extension.

 

I just want to add to what JonP said.

 

Believe me when I say that this entire hairball called licensing has consumed by far the most amount of time than any other technical/business/marketing decision we've ever made.  We've gone round and round on all kinds of schemes, ideas, etc. etc. etc. - just ask any of the Mods what this discussion has been like with them.  The reality is there is nothing that is going to make everyone happy, but we are committed to being as generous as possible and we are not afraid to change things if necessary.  Could turn out we make the Trial last 60 days (or 15 - not likely).  At present we intend to issue free extensions, but we haven't hit the 30-day mark yet.  Well I don't know if this was helpful or not, we're also learning as we go along here.

 

Just for curiosity why has the business model been changed? People some how hacking a key or something? Only being curious, since you said yourself it is a hairball decision.

 

[johnieutah]

Can I purchase a pro license without entering the USB GUID? Since I want to take advantage of the limited time discount. Thanks.

 

I'd like to know this as well.  I have to say that I am bit miffed that the introductory rate doubled over night.  Yes there were warnings that the key price would increase, I think a 100% increase is frankly speaking pushing it... For me that is, I only have 4 drive bays so the increase in functionality is neither here nor there for me.  I also think, that with so many free alternatives out there, each offering similar levels of functionality to Unraid, that a $59 entry price point will simply put many newcomers to Unraid off.  I presume you've done all the sums and statistics on this, I thought $29 seemed like a solid deal for a 4 drive license as I think many people, such as me with HP Microserver Gen 8, simply can't accommodate 6 drives.  Just my 2 cents.

[HellDiverUK]

such as me with HP Microserver Gen 8, simply can't accommodate 6 drives.  Just my 2 cents.

 

It can easily support 8 drives, actually, assuming 4 of them are 2.5" drives and you use an additional SATA controller.

[limetech]

Can I purchase a pro license without entering the USB GUID? Since I want to take advantage of the limited time discount. Thanks.

 

I'd like to know this as well.  I have to say that I am bit miffed that the introductory rate doubled over night.  Yes there were warnings that the key price would increase, I think a 100% increase is frankly speaking pushing it... For me that is, I only have 4 drive bays so the increase in functionality is neither here nor there for me.  I also think, that with so many free alternatives out there, each offering similar levels of functionality to Unraid, that a $59 entry price point will simply put many newcomers to Unraid off.  I presume you've done all the sums and statistics on this, I thought $29 seemed like a solid deal for a 4 drive license as I think many people, such as me with HP Microserver Gen 8, simply can't accommodate 6 drives.  Just my 2 cents.

 

I think there are two questions here:

1) Can I purchase a key bound to a GUID without having a GUID?  We plan to add that in the future.  The reason it's not there now is that we have 'automated' key purchase/download.  That is, we have implement a "key server" that responds to orders and sends links in email to key files, that user can then paste into the webGui and download.  In the past this has all been "manual", meaning a limetech person has to open email, generate key, send reply, which results in delays and errors.  We have not yet automated the process of redeeming "key credits" - that part would still be manual.

 

2) Why did you change pricing?  First let me address something else you state: "many free alternatives out there, each offering similar levels of functionality to Unraid".  Maybe as a simple NAS this is true, but with docker/VM support this is far less true.  There is a lot of value in the virtualization features (and ease of use) we have been adding that are not present in other solutions, paid or not.

 

So let's face it: in the era 8TB HDD (and growing), most people who need a modest home NAS are just going to get something that mirrors their data (if they care about protection) on a couple HDD's and be done with it.  unRAID brings far more capability than a simple NAS, and we have a lot more the stuff in the works.

 

As for entry price, well 29 was always stated as an "introductory" price that would increase (to 39).  Looked at in terms of price per device, it's the same as current Basic which supports up to 6 devices at 59 (and don't forget we are still offering $10 off coupon).  No doubt we will still be tinkering with pricing as things proceed.  Maybe we will bring back the 4-device key and/or move to a per-device model, but really is twenty bucks going to make a huge difference in your buying decision?

 

Edit: and let me add, the curent keys are "perpetual" - how many s/w products are like that these days?

[EGOvoruhk]

If you need to transfer your key to another USB Flash device, this can now be done online

 

Does this mean unRAID will start needing to phone home to verify keys? Or are you putting blind faith in your customers to not abuse the system?

 

Edit: and let me add, the curent keys are "perpetual" - how many s/w products are like that these days?

 

While I appreciate the "perpetualness", unRAID, in it's current form, is not worth being anything but. Though I would gladly pay for a non-perpetual license if you started implementing some of the more advanced features some of us have been clamoring for (multiple parity, better drive replacement/management system, etc), or provided better customer support for technical issues/bugs (I personally have 3 unresolved issue threads)

[limetech]

If you need to transfer your key to another USB Flash device, this can now be done online

 

Does this mean unRAID will start needing to phone home to verify keys? Or are you putting blind faith in your customers to not abuse the system?

No phone home.  You can trade in an original key for a replacement key at anytime.  You can trade in a replacement key for another replacement key after one year has passed from date the replacement key was issued.  This means you can get an original key for a junky usb flash shaped like a race car that you picked up at a trade show, and then trade it in for a quality device when the race car inevitably fails.  But it won't let you replace over and over continuously.

 

Edit: and let me add, the curent keys are "perpetual" - how many s/w products are like that these days?

 

... Though I would gladly pay for a non-perpetual license if you started implementing some of the more advanced features some of us have been clamoring

Good to know!

 

or provided better customer support for technical issues/bugs (I personally have 3 unresolved issue threads)

We're 3 guys and have to pick the issues that affect the most people in the limited time we have to devote to specific support issues.  Really serious issues are best handled via email btw.  Sometimes we don't get that right.  But if it wasn't for the great group of long-time senior forum members and moderators we have here, we'd be toast and I realize that.  Can't thank everyone enough that!  I truly wish we could provide compensation for that.

[jumperalex]

You know I find the dynamic that unRaid, and many other modern consumer products, now have with their customers in the digital age quite interesting. There was a time when customer support was almost purely a top down affair supplied only by the company or via their authorized service network. It cost them and thus their customers, one way or another, be it in the price or fee-for-service. Sure you had your occasional smart local guy who could help you operate or fix this or that from your car to your VCR to the original IBM XT. But for the most part, if a customer needed help they only had one real recourse, go back to the salesman or the manufacturer. And service manuals, if you could even get them, cost $$$. That is why non-OEM car manuals came into existence.

 

But today there is a whole new paradigm. Now a three man shop is able to hold together a product like unRaid. To put it bluntly, they couldn't do it without this community. They just couldn't handle the support volume, beta testing needs, or possess the creative capital (e.g. unmenu, VM's, dynamix ...) to make it the product it is today. At the very least it would be self limiting; they wouldn't have as many customers needing help because they couldn't possibly help this many customers on their own. But most important they couldn't afford it without raising prices, a LOT!

 

Image what it would take for Limetech to provide the level of support we get from this forum. Imagine the cost to the customer to have a support team able to handle the capacity that these forums do. I can tell you it would cost WAY more than what we pay now. They still bear some costs to host the forums and their time to oversee it all and establish the tone (very important!), but that cost is a fraction of the value they get back; their return on investment is HUGE.

 

Sometimes their dependance on this forum is brought up with an air of entitlement (not here and now, but in general) and sometimes I fall for the trap myself in my own head. But the question to keep in mind is that as members of this community, supporting each other, and in turn supporting unRaid what are we getting in return? A whole heck of a lot of think. For the average member (not the mods and the super supporters) we get back way more than we put in.

 

So what about those mods and super supporters? First, thank you! Regardless of your reasons, we and Limtech benefit immensely from your efforts. But lets talk about their payback. Make no mistake they DO get something back or they wouldn't be doing it. It isn't money, but they get satisfaction, experience, resume fodder, belonging, and even a bit of an ego boost. So they aren't doing it completely altruistically.

 

What's my point? I don't know, it was just a thought that has been rattling around in my head as I have contemplated the world. It certainly isn't meant as a Limetech love fest. Far from it. They are a business, just like many others operating on the internet, benefiting from the free support provided by forum members and the "community" they inhabit. But I guess my point is that the average contributing user gets at least as much benefit back as they put in and the community helps keep the actual product+support costs lower than if Limetech did it all on their own. This holds true for just about any community supported product out there now and I find that level of symbiosis fascinating as a business model of the modern connected age.

[johnieutah]

How long will the discount be available?  I am awaiting a new USB key...

Thanks.

[ysss]

How long will the discount be available?  I am awaiting a new USB key...

Thanks.

 

Is the discount still available? I think you can buy the license now to lock in any available discounts and provide the usb id later when you've received it.

[JonathanM]

I have a hypothetical question, which may be a real situation soon for someone. Since the spiffy new keyserver is online, what happens if a currently licensed GUID requests a trial key? Will it return the full licensed key automatically? If so, that's one less hassle to deal with if you accidentally erase your registered flash drive, since you can just install the trial version and get your key back automatically.

[CHBMB]

I have a hypothetical question, which may be a real situation soon for someone. Since the spiffy new keyserver is online, what happens if a currently licensed GUID requests a trial key? Will it return the full licensed key automatically? If so, that's one less hassle to deal with if you accidentally erase your registered flash drive, since you can just install the trial version and get your key back automatically.

 

I was wondering that, have managed to delete a .key file before now, but luckily managed to get it back with a file recovery program.

 

I agree that it would be a pretty useful function to have.

 

[limetech]

Don't lose your key file.  You can re-download from the link in the original email or email Lime Technology support and we'll send you a new link.

[CHBMB]

Don't lose your key file.  You can re-download from the link in the original email or email Lime Technology support and we'll send you a new link.

 

i've got multiple backups now in various places, I trust LimeTech completely with supplying replacements, but a bit of careful planning can avoid the hassle..

[WeeboTech]

FWIW, I name my .key files to the guid such as nnnn-nnnn-nnnn-nnnn.key then copy every key file to every unRAID USB key.

This makes it easy to keep backups and/or synchronize them.

[JonathanM]

what happens if a currently licensed GUID requests a trial key?

Don't lose your key file.  You can re-download from the link in the original email or email Lime Technology support and we'll send you a new link.

I understand, don't do that. However, it's inevitable that someone will at some point do exactly what I outlined, and was wondering what would happen. I guess from your answer that a trial key will be issued, and putting the correct key back in place will change the status from trial to full.

 

That indirectly answers my question on what to tell people when they make the mistake of backing up their key file to an array drive. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=40655.0

 

If getting a temporary trial key for a licensed GUID messes up something else, let us know so we can tell people to use another USB stick instead.

[opentoe]

If you erase your flash and have no backup you need to download the version of unraid you were using, extract it to your flash drive, boot up only into like a maintenance mode. Go to tools and select registration. The URL that LimeTech emailed you can be entered here and it will install your key in the proper place. Then you have access to your array.

 

Or you can just take that same URL and paste it in a browser and download your key and copy it into your config folder.