Unraid based on Arch Linux instead Slackware


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Does it make sense for unraid to be based on Slackware considering that there are distros like Arch?

I'm under the impresion that slackware is losing traction and users.

 

How complex would be to build Unraid with Arch? what benefits could be there compared with Slackware?

Edited by L0rdRaiden
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Does it make sense for unraid to be based on Slackware considering that there are distros like Arch?
I'm under the impresion that slackware is losing traction and users.
 
How complex would be to build Unraid with Arch? what benefits could be there compared with Slackware?
Slackware isn't the most popular distro sure, but it's stable.

I'd turn the question round, and ask what are your reasons for wanting it to be based on Arch, which is known for it's bleeding edge approach and has a tendency to sacrifice stability to maintain it's bleeding edge.

Not qualities I would personally want from a NAS myself.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

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33 minutes ago, CHBMB said:

Slackware isn't the most popular distro sure, but it's stable.

I'd turn the question round, and ask what are your reasons for wanting it to be based on Arch, which is known for it's bleeding edge approach and has a tendency to sacrifice stability to maintain it's bleeding edge.

Not qualities I would personally want from a NAS myself.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
 

 

You turn the question to me but honestly I mentioned Arch like I could have mention Debian or any other distro.

 

I'm no expert on linux, this is why I'm asking about if Slackware is optimal since to me it looks like is a distro that has lose a lot of space in the community, again, honestly I have no idea, if you tell me Slackware is perfectly fine and there won't be any benefit by changing to debian or whatever, I will believe you.

 

On the other hand I'm seriously thinking about purchasing Unraid, I'm just unsure about the future of it since it's not based on an open source model.

How many developers are behind it?

Does the business model justify the future of Unraid?

Is there a roadmap written somewhere? I have only seen obsolete stuff.

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Slackware is far from dead and still actively maintained. The latest slackware version 14.2 was released July 2016, but package updates are continuously made, like other distros.

 

unRAID makes use of an up-to-date linux kernel and the latest slackware packages. Using another distro wouldn't bring any benefit, just a LOT of development.

Also keep in mind that unRAID is really a stripped down linux distribution with many unnecessary packages removed, which makes it relatively easy to maintain.

 

Nobody can predict the future, but Limetech is in business since 2005. 13 years of unRAID seems to me a good foundation for a long future ahead.

Edited by bonienl
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You turn the question to me but honestly I mentioned Arch like I could have mention Debian or any other distro.
 
I'm no expert on linux, this is why I'm asking about if Slackware is optimal since to me it looks like is a distro that has lose a lot of space in the community, again, honestly I have no idea, if you tell me Slackware is perfectly fine and there won't be any benefit by changing to debian or whatever, I will believe you.
 
On the other hand I'm seriously thinking about purchasing Unraid, I'm just unsure about the future of it since it's not based on an open source model.
How many developers are behind it?
Does the business model justify the future of Unraid?
Is there a roadmap written somewhere? I have only seen obsolete stuff.
There are three or four developers that I know of behind Unraid and it's been going for years, I've been using it since 2011, so I wouldn't worry about it going anywhere.

It's not completely opensource, but large parts of it are AFAIK.

Slackware is fine, it's pretty hardcore Linux, and it lacks the package managers of things like Debian, but in many ways that's a good thing. Stops users installing stuff and breaking things. Any extra functionality can be obtained leveraging Docker or a plugin.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

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On 3/2/2018 at 4:56 AM, L0rdRaiden said:

On the other hand I'm seriously thinking about purchasing Unraid, I'm just unsure about the future of it since it's not based on an open source model.

Off original topic, but you can always try it for a month and see if it's something you like. The data is stored in standard Linux file-systems, so your data is never locked away in some DRM-locked-space. 

 

Sure the Distro isn't free, but considering the product: A stable distro. User setup/config has been done for you, and what setup/config to do has been wrapped into templates and a web interface. Then given the fact Lime-Technology has given the user a strong storage/data management, Application server, and KVM (hyper-visor). It's a one time fee, and price scales linear. Data is not DRM wrapped. For me it was, queue Fry-meme: "Take my money," as a total-linux-newb when I first bought unRAID. But that's me, and simply the ramblings of a satisfied customer/user (Plus key).

 

 

Edited by Jcloud
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25 minutes ago, Jcloud said:

The data is stored in standard Linux file-systems, so your data is never locked away in some DRM-locked-space

 

This is one of the main attractions !

 

Except for emhttp/d (which is proprietary and required to sustain a business), pretty much everything else is open source.

 

Ease of use is a huge +1 ... most alternatives are either catching up (freenas, omv, ...), not really in the same league (zfs) or just not there yet (nas4free, flexraid, ...) .. but anyone's free to experiment and choose.

 

For my peace of mind, it's the best investment (2 pro license keys) I've made.

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If anything, I could see a port to Debian stable. This is what Ubiquiti (ubnt.com) use for their routers and switches, as well as what OpenMediaVault is based on. We would benefit from a more robust kernel (maybe?) And lots of packages/ppas to add at will. LT is likely fluent in Slackware and that's why they chose it as a base. It's a great, stable distro that's been alive for a long time. 

 

I would never, ever run arch or a rolling release distro on 24/7 hardware. 

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2 hours ago, jonathanm said:

You see this as a plus, LT sees it as a detriment. The base OS runs purely from RAM, and reloads from the USB at boot. Any add on stuff needs to be handled a little differently when you run the root filesystem in RAM.

Excellent point. Maybe a rock solid base like Alpine Linux that was designed to run from ram would be a good point to consider.

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