unRAID Server release 4.0-beta10 available

Download.

Hoping to release 4.0-final, but enough changes here for one more beta release.

unRAID Server 4.0-beta10 Release Notes

Upgrade Instructions
--------------------

If you are currently running unRAID Server 4.0-beta1 or higher, it is only necessary to copy the files:
    bzimage
    bzroot
from the new release to the root of your Flash device.  This can be done either by plugging the Flash into your PC or, but 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:
    bzimage
    bzroot
    syslinux.cfg
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.


If you are installing this release to a new Flash, please refer to instructions on our website at:

http://www.lime-technology.com/wordpress/?page_id=19


Changes from 4.0-beta9 to 4.0-beta10
------------------------------------

Improvement: added VIA 10/100 Ethernet NIC support.

Improvement: added specialized IDE driver for SiSxxx chipset to ensure (U)DMA support.

Bug fix: correct bug preventing automatic loading of Intel Pro/100 driver.

Bug fix: correct owner/group of /var/spool/at* directories so that atd (at-daemon) can start properly.

Bug fix: removed extraneous debug messages.

Bug fix: added back 'xarg' command.


Changes from 4.0-beta8 to 4.0-beta9
-----------------------------------

Bug fix: restored some network drivers which didn't get built into -beta8.

Bug fix: fix problem where Intel Pro/100 (FastEthernet) wouldn't load automatically.


Changes from 4.0-beta7 to 4.0-beta8
-----------------------------------

Bug fix: fixed device discovery problems.

Bug fix: fixed condition where: a disabled disk that was marked 'enabled' again, but parity-sync (rebuild) was interrupted/cancelled, disk could not be marked 'disabled' again if it was removed.  Also cleaned up text describing actions system takes when starting array.

Bug fix: removed extraneous debug messages introduced in 4.0-beta5.


Changes from 4.0-beta6 to 4.0-beta7
-----------------------------------

Bug fix: remove "native" r8169 Realtek driver which conflicts with manufacturer's r1000 driver added in -beta6.

Bug fix: correct problem where formatted disks may appear 'unformatted' when array is started.


Changes from 4.0-beta5 to 4.0-beta6
-----------------------------------

Improvement: added Realtek RTL8111B/RTL8168B/RTL8111/RTL8168/RTL8111C driver version 1.05.


Changes from 4.0-beta4 to 4.0-beta5
-----------------------------------

Improvement: installed the 'at' command and associated 'atd' daemon (execute commands at a specified time and date).

Bug fix: added patch to eliminate "atkbd.c: spurious ACK on isa0060/serio0..." messages.

Bug fix: restored 'find' command inadvertantly removed in -beta3.

Bug fix: added 'stop' command present in pre-4.0 releases.


Changes from 4.0-beta3 to 4.0-beta4
-----------------------------------

Added Attansic L1 GigE driver version 2.0.7.


Changes from 4.0-beta2 to 4.0-beta3
-----------------------------------

Improvement: upgrade Samba to 3.0.24.  This release of Samba includes better support for Vista.

Improvement: upgrade Intel Pro/1000 driver to latest release (7.4.27).

Improvement: replace "stock" Marvell driver with newer skge/sky2 drivers.


Changes from 4.0-beta1 to 4.0-beta2
-----------------------------------

Improvement: added more network drivers:
    D-Link DL2000-based GigE adaptors (eg, DGE-550T)
    National Semiconductor DP83820 series (eg, D-Link DGE-500T)
    SIS 190/191
    VIA "Velocity"

Improvement: added floppy support.

Bug fix: the GUID formation for some Flash models is not generated correctly.

Bug fix: array would not start if disabled disk was not physically present.


Changes from 3.1-beta2 to 4.0-beta1
-----------------------------------

Improvement: move to linux 2.6.20 kernel.  The linux 2.6 kernel offers several advantages over linux 2.4 kernel used in previous unRAID Server releases:
  - better hardware compatibility, especially with newer hardware
  - many enhancements and bug fixes in the disk i/o code
  - more opportunities for performance tuning

Improvement: permit custom timezone.  You can select the appropriate timezone file from our website and then download to the 'config' directory on your Flash.  The main purpose of this feature is to implement proper Daylight Savings Time adjustments.

Improvement: support up to 14 hard drives.

SWEET! thanks Tom, I'll load this up after class tonight, and let you know how it goes. I'm pretty psyched to get unRaid up and running.

Tom many thanks for your continued effort. I'll move from 4b9 to 4b10 this evening.

A somewhat related question - can you share with us the expected time line (no commitment, of course) for future releases / content? I'm specifically craving for NFS support which I saw is the first item in the laundry list. Thanks in advance.

Thanks Tom.  I upgraded from beta9 to beta10 last night. All appears to operating well so far, with only the below trivial issue noted during installing a new drive.

The only issue I noted (trivial and possibly was also present in previous builds), is that when I install a new drive and the drive is "clearing", the blue status dot flashes (in the web console) along with the other drives, after the spin-down time.

Clearly the drive is not spun-down as it is currently being cleared.

I can't 100% recall timing, but I believe the drive may well have been spun down (ie. blue dot flashing), before I actually initiated the clearing.  So it may be an issue of the clearing process not updating the spun-up status when starting a clear on a drive that is currently spun-down?

Note that I can't be 100% sure of whether the blue dot was flashing already when I started the clear operation, or whether it started flashing along the way?  Note that the Clear operation on my 500GB SATA drive took approx 108mins, and spin-down was set at 1 hour.

I realise this is a trivial display issue only, but thought I would report it anyway.  Also, wasn't sure if this should be reported here, or in the unRAID 4.0 forum?

I have actually experienced the "spun down drive" blue light on the clearing drive with 4beta9. It freaked me out at first...but once I figured out what was going on, I too chocked it up as a trivial nonissue. With mine, the blue light was not flashing when the clearing operation had started. It was when I came back to check the status later that it, along with the other drives in the system, was show as spun down.

Tom,

I have yet to upgrade to any of the 4 beta's but I guess I will when you go final with it.  Just one question however, with the very limited enhancements to this version do you really think it's a full version upgrade or is it more like a 3.1 or a dot release.  There are still many features that were and are on your list of enhancements and I don't see any of them here.  Just my 2 cents.

Just one question however, with the very limited enhancements to this version do you really think it's a full version upgrade or is it more like a 3.1 or a dot release.  There are still many features that were and are on your list of enhancements and I don't see any of them here.  Just my 2 cents.

The upgrade of the Linux kernel from 2.4 to 2.6 is a significant upgrade, that provides compatibility with latest hardware / motherboards, and also has been reported to fix some possible 2.4 kernel related file system issues.  This kernel upgrade alone is worthy of the full version number upgrade.

The upgrade of the Linux kernel from 2.4 to 2.6 is a significant upgrade, that provides compatibility with latest hardware / motherboards, and also has been reported to fix some possible 2.4 kernel related file system issues.  This kernel upgrade alone is worthy of the full version number upgrade.

Well if you have existing working equipment then, really, there are only two reasons to upgrade : 1. functionality or 2. performance. The former is a few releases away, and the jury still out on the latter.

Tom many thanks for your continued effort. I'll move from 4b9 to 4b10 this evening.

A somewhat related question - can you share with us the expected time line (no commitment, of course) for future releases / content? I'm specifically craving for NFS support which I saw is the first item in the laundry list. Thanks in advance.

The next release looks like it will be 4.0-beta10 reanamed to just 4.0 (meaning a "final" release).  Simultaneously we'll release 4.1-beta1 which will include "writable user shares" and "security".

For "writable user shares" you will be able to view all your storage as "one large file system", though each disk individually retains it's own file system.  This is similar to how it works now, but you will be able create new shares and fully create/delete files from any level in the directory tree as if it really was one large file system, and no need for the "re-scan" button.  In addition you can select between two algorithms for determining which drive will be used when a new file is created:

- "first free" just uses the next data disk with the most free space

- "highwater" which selects the next data disk with the least amount of space above a certain minimum size.  When no disks have any free space still above the "minimum" then the "minimum" is lowered.

For "security" you will need to add a list of user names and passwords.  You can then create shares which limit access by user name.  Some can be fully read/write, some read-only, etc.

Since both of these features require per-share configuration data, they will be released together.

For "security" you will need to add a list of user names and passwords.  You can then create shares which limit access by user name.  Some can be fully read/write, some read-only, etc.

 

Since both of these features require per-share configuration data, they will be released together.

Please also consider including a root password and a password on the web-management page. (It can be the same password, or different)  Without those having passwords, the new security on the SAMBA shares can be circumvented.  With a root password and a web-management password the security you set on the SAMBA shared drives will control who can access and see files based on newly added users and passwords as you described... without a root password and a web-management password anyone can take control of the server.

The added security will open up new markets, as it is today a business would probably never consider unraid for their backup or shared LAN storage as there would be no way to keep users files from being readable by anybody, and worse, deletable by anybody using the root login.  With the added security a business user can take advantage of unRaid as part of their backup and network storage solution.

Joe L.