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[jonp]

Wow, I can't believe we let this thread go on this long without chiming in ourselves.  Let's be ultra clear here:

• The Internet connection requirement we are discussing here ONLY applies to the Trial and not paid licenses.
• The Internet connection requirement also only applies when you first boot the system and any subsequent reboots. 
• Starting and stopping the array doesn't require Internet validation.
• It is very rare for us to see complaints about the Trial requirements, but sure, we do get them from time to time.

The bottom line is this:  it is very difficult to make software (especially on Linux) that isn't easily pirated in some way.  Internet validation is one of the best tools we have to work with, and while it's not ideal (we know this), its the best option available.  I have seen no alternatives suggested in this thread that would adequately deal with the concerns relating to licensing.  Until someone comes up with one, this is what we're sticking with.

 

I should also mention that the ability to use pfSense in a VM with Unraid isn't something we necessarily recommend or tout.  It's something that some of our users do and do very successfully, but it does come with some limitations and this is one of them (inability to adequately test in the Trial experience).  If this is a showstopper for you, then you'll need to look at another solution because we're not going to change licensing requirements for this use-case (its not justifiable).

 

With respect to running VMs while the array is stopped, this has been discussed pretty heavily and there are LOTS of challenges and concerns with that.  They might not be obvious at first, but spend more than 1 hour thinking about it and I bet you'll fill up both hands with reasons why this isn't a 2-minute patch for us to include in the OS.  Trust me when I say, that's a feature I was asking for internally over 2 years ago and we still can't justify doing it for the sheer amount of work it would take at this point.  It's not to say that we would never consider doing that in the future, but there is a long list of to-dos on the pile that will definitely come before we shift focus on to that.

[cammelspit]

Okay, so I have one more question I hope you guys can help me with. I mean, you put up with my uninformed virtual shouting so may as well ask... I bought a license... Because I bought a license I have to shut down the array for the key install process to finish. My question is this, will this be the last time that I have to set up the old router to get this key validated or is the key already validated and a reboot will work just like it would normally on the licensed version? I guess it boils down to, do I have to get the old router out again once more or will a reboot work like the normal paid version would and just start anyway? This will decide if I reboot middle of the night when no one is on the internet or if I have to wait till Monday when they are all at work and I can fiddle for a while getting it going without bothering anyone.

Edited July 20, 2018 by cammelspit

[tr0910]

You're using unRaid I'm a way that only a few of us are. When I bought my version it was 8 years ago we were still on version 4. I'd give you better than 50-50 odds that once the licence key is in place, you'll not need a call home, but it's not certain.

[cammelspit]

3 minutes ago, tr0910 said:

You're using unRaid I'm a way that only a few of us are. When I bought my version it was 8 years ago we were still on version 4. I'd give you better than 50-50 odds that once the licence key is in place, you'll not need a call home, but it's not certain.

Hehe, I thought so. I am not 100% sure, so I will try and reboot at a time I won't bother anyone if I have to spend half an hour resetting the modem and such just to be on the safe side. I would rather it see it to tell me I am on the trial license for a couple more days then have to deal with my renters yelling at me that the internet is down again. They really do have judgy eyes. ?

[Hoopster]

27 minutes ago, cammelspit said:

Okay, so I have one more question I hope you guys can help me with. I mean, you put up with my uninformed virtual shouting so may as well ask... I bought a license... Because I bought a license I have to shut down the array for the key install process to finish. My question is this, will this be the last time that I have to set up the old router to get this key validated or is the key already validated and a reboot will work just like it would normally on the licensed version. I guess it boils down to, do I have to get the old router out again once more or will a reboot work like the normal version would and just start anyway. This will decide if I reboot middle of the night when no one is on the internet or if I have to wait till wondering when they are all at work and can fiddle for a while getting it going without bothering anyone.

 

Obviously, you had Internet connectivity when you bought the license and registered your flash drive. 

 

If I understand things correctly, once your key has been registered/associated with the GUID of your flash device, Internet connectivity is not required for booting the unRAID server.  There are no longer any checks happening over the Internet related to licensing  The key file only cares that it is installed on the flash device with the registered GUID.  I assume the first reboot (and all subsequent reboots) after purchasing a license will be free of Internet connectivity requirements.  But in my scenario this is not even an issue as it is in yours.

 

The unRAID boot process is still going to be checking for Internet connectivity as it brings up the NICs (so there may be a delay until NIC times out)  but, it does not need it for licensing sake or to start the array.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2018 by Hoopster

[cammelspit]

2 minutes ago, Hoopster said:

 

Obviously, you had Internet connectivity when you bought the license and registered your flash drive. 

 

If I understand things correctly, once your key has been registered/associated with the GUID of your flash device, Internet connectivity is not required for booting the unRAID server.  There are no longer any checks happening over the Internet related to licensing  The key file only cares that it is installed on the flash device with the registered GUID.  I assume the first reboot (and all subsequent reboots) after purchasing a license will be free of Internet connectivity requirements.  But in my scenario this is not even an issue as it is in yours.

 

The unRAID boot process is still going to be checking for Internet connectivity as it brings up the NICs (so there may be a delay until NIC times out)  but, it does not need it for licensing sake or to start the array.

 

 

Yeah, this would be an ideal scenario for me so I could just go on ahead and reboot as soon as I can see, via the pfSense WebGUI, that no one is online at that particular moment. That having been said, I don't want to risk it if I can't be totally sure. It's just that breaking out the old router takes a few minutes and a good 10 minutes for my modem to reset and assign an IP address to it, then the wait for me to swap all the cables and reset again once pfSense is up and running again. as far as how long it takes for the unRaid itself to pick up internet once it is given internet, it seems to be a few minutes at least and it takes me pulling the cable going to the MB and plugging it back in. I should probably write a script that releases and renews the IP programmatically instead. I am coming from a Windows environment and Linux was only a side thing I used when I was especially bored so it is somewhat of a learning process for me. 

[Hoopster]

4 minutes ago, cammelspit said:

Yeah, this would be an ideal scenario for me so I could just go on ahead and reboot as soon as I can see, via the pfSense WebGUI, that no one is online at that particular moment

 

I have rebooted my servers a few times when the Internet has been down and it does not affect unRAID starting at all; just the additional time due to NIC timeouts.  Of course, that was never the first reboot after license purchase which is your question.

 

If you currently have a valid key file in your flash drive Config folder (Pro.key, Plus.key, Basic.key depending on which version you purchased), i would assume you can reboot with no array start issues with or without Internet connectivity.

[cammelspit]

5 minutes ago, Hoopster said:

 

I have rebooted my servers a few times when the Internet has been down and it does not affect unRAID starting at all; just the additional time due to NIC timeouts.  Of course, that was never the first reboot after license purchase which is your question.

 

If you currently have a valid key file in your flash drive Config folder (Pro.key, Plus.key, Basic.key depending on which version you purchased), i would assume you can reboot with no array start issues with or without Internet connectivity.

I think I'll just try it and see, then the info on that will be available for everyone. I have to wait for my wife to finish work though, she works from home and overnight. I do want to know the real answer here but I will share that answer once I find out.

 

Thanks for the quick reply though, I appreciate it.

Edited July 20, 2018 by cammelspit

[Hoopster]

9 hours ago, cammelspit said:

I think I'll just try it and see, then the info on that will be available for everyone. I have to wait for my wife to finish work though, she works from home and overnight. I do want to know the real answer here but I will share that answer once I find out.

 

Thanks for the quick reply though, I appreciate it.

 

The post below confirms what I was saying.

 

 

[cammelspit]

I just tested it and sure enough, it worked fine. No old router, no fiddling, just shut down my VM, shut down my dockers, shut down the array, start the array and everything just powered up fine even considering the pfSense instance was off and there was no internet at that moment. ?

[1812]

I suppose I could have chimed in earlier since I run my firewall in a vm, meaning the array does start with a license w/out internet...... ?