Hi guys,

 

I'm currently in Trial mode.

 

I like the simplicity of this. I no longer need to tinker with Linux, I know enough about it that it isn't a challenge to do it anymore.

 

So, the question I have is for the license. If I buy the Basic license which allows 6 drives in total (1 Parity + 5 data), will this allow me to upgrade to newer versions of unRaid? In fact, do I need to purchase a new license when a major release of unRaid is released regardless of whether I buy the Basic or Plus? (I'm leaning towards Plus, because of future expansion purposes).

 

Also, if I were to pull a data disk out of the unRAID server and plug it into a regular machine, will it be able to read the disk? I'm concerned about vendor lock in... Though I do understand the file systems are generic Linux, e.g. xfs, reiserfs, btrfs... But since I had to format all the drives, that leaves me wondering if unRAID is tinkering with those file systems.

 

Other than that, love the simplicity of the system. One thing I wish it had was authentication based on OpenLDAP but not a big deal in a home setup...

 

Thanks all!

There's no difference in functionality or in the upgrade process between Basic, Plus, or Pro.    The only difference is in the number of devices you can have attached to your server.

 

If 6 drives is enough for the near term, then a Basic license is fine.    You can always upgrade at a later time to one of the higher licenses ... although the cost difference is higher than just buying the license now.  [e.g. a Plus license costs $30 more than Basic; but the Basic -> Plus upgrade is $39]

 

Also, if I were to pull a data disk out of the unRAID server and plug it into a regular machine, will it be able to read the disk? I'm concerned about vendor lock in... Though I do understand the file systems are generic Linux, e.g. xfs, reiserfs, btrfs... But since I had to format all the drives, that leaves me wondering if unRAID is tinkering with those file systems.

There is no problem reading unRAID disks on another system.  It is easy on another Linux system which will have built-in support for the file systems used.  On other systems (e.g. Windows/Mac) then you need a tool/driver that can handle the file system used.

 

The reason that you need to normally format the drives when adding them to unRAID is that it adjusts the partition layout to one that conforms to what unRAID wants.  The actual file system within the partition itself is completely standard.  Once a drive has been partitioned to conform to the unRAID standard then you will find that you can easily move them to/from another Linux system.

If you want to support unraid & really use it, then I suggest go for the pro licence.

 

but somewhere down the track you may want a second usb & another licence.

 

 

In fact, do I need to purchase a new license when a major release of unRaid is released regardless of whether I buy the Basic or Plus? (I'm leaning towards Plus, because of future expansion purposes).

Thus far all upgrades including major upgrades have been free.  LimeTech doesn't guarantee that will always be the case, but I think it sends the message that LimeTech doesn't nickle and dime their customers  .

That's pretty cool of LimeTech. I understand policies can change, but good to know of the past history.

 

FWIW, I ended up getting the 12 drive license.