Where do I start?

 

I have the free version of UnRaid V3.1 beta2. I got 'stuck' on that particular version because of some issues I was having with my motherboard (ASUS A8N-VM) and UnRaid.

 

It's been several years and I would like to upgrade to a paid version of UnRaid, but I am uncertain regarding the upgrade path/procedure given the old nature of the version I am running.

 

I looked at the upgrade info, but it was unclear to me that I would be able to make such a jump (free version of 3.1b2 to paid 4.xx).

 

I would be very grateful for information/instruction regarding my dilemma.

 

Many thanks,

James

 

Where do I start?

 

I have the free version of UnRaid V3.1 beta2. I got 'stuck' on that particular version because of some issues I was having with my motherboard (ASUS A8N-VM) and UnRaid.

 

It's been several years and I would like to upgrade to a paid version of UnRaid, but I am uncertain regarding the upgrade path/procedure given the old nature of the version I am running.

 

I looked at the upgrade info, but it was unclear to me that I would be able to make such a jump (free version of 3.1b2 to paid 4.xx).

 

I would be very grateful for information/instruction regarding my dilemma.

 

Many thanks,

James

 

Copied from the release notes in the announcement thread:

 

Upgrade Instructions (Please Read Carefully)

============================================

 

If you are currently running unRAID Server 4.2-beta1 or higher (including 4.2.x 'final'), please copy the following files from the new release to the root of your Flash device:

   bzimage

   bzroot

 

If you are currently running unRAID server 4.0 or 4.1, please copy the following files from the new release to the root of your Flash device:

   bzimage

   bzroot

   syslinux.cfg

   menu.c32

   memtest

 

This can be done either by plugging the Flash into your PC or, by copying the files to the 'flash' share on your running server.  The server must then be rebooted.

 

If you are currently running unRAID Server 3.0-beta1 or higher, please follow these steps to upgrade:

 

1. Referring to the System Management Utility 'Main' page, make a note of each disks's model/serial number; you will need this information later.

 

2. Shut down your server, remove the Flash and plug it into your PC.

 

3. Right-click your Flash device listed under My Computer and select Properties.  Make sure the volume label is set to "UNRAID" (without the quotes) and click OK.  You do NOT need to format the Flash.

 

4. Copy the files from the new release to the root of your Flash device.

 

5. Right-click your Flash device listed under My Computer and select Eject.  Remove the Flash, install in your server and power-up.

 

6. After your server has booted up, the System Management Utility 'Main' page will probably show no devices; this is OK, navigate to the 'Devices' page. Using the model/serial number information gathered in step 1, assign each of your hard drives to the correct disk slot.

 

7. Go back to the 'Main' page and your devices should appear correctly.  You may now Start the array.

 

There is a bug in the current (4.5.3) release that will show disks as un-formatted when initially starting the array.  This does not show itself for most people.   It you see un-formatted, simply "Stop" the array by pressing "Stop" and then press "Start" to re-start it.  DO NOT PRESS THE "Format" BUTTON.

 

That same bug exists in every release of unRAID if a drive takes too long to mount, even the one you are currently running.  un-formatted just means un-mounted (unless you are just newly adding a disk, in which it cannot be mounted since it has no file-system, and still is actually just un-mounted)  If you see a disk that has data on it showing as un-formatted DO NOT PRESS THE FORMAT BUTTON.  Just Stop the array and Re-Start it.

 

I'd perform the following few steps

I'd take a screen shot of your "Devices" page so you are certain of the disk assignments before starting the procedure.

I'd re-name your existing bzroot and bzimage files on the flash drive to bzroot.312 and bzimage.312

 

Then I'd un-zip the current release on your PC and only copy the following files to the root folder of the flash drive

   bzimage

   bzroot

   syslinux.cfg

   menu.c32

   memtest

 

then proceed as above.

 

Other than checking for the UNRAID label, you can do all of this over the LAN.

If you can type

ls -l /dev/disk/by-label

and if you see UNRAID there is no need to check for it on your PC.

 

Joe L.

Many Thanks for the pointer Joe! I'll get on it today.