OS6 now works on x86 Legacy WARNING: NO NTGR SUPPORT!

bajorgensen wrote:
I am watching him. Very positive that he is commiting code upstream. I have a Ultra, but native linux support will be a plus for the community. (and if he packages his development into an image that can be flashed, ARM users will rejoice! I am sure...)

An image that can be flashed would be great. He'd need to get something stable though. For the Intel boxes installing Debian would be much easier.

bajorgensen wrote:
mdgm wrote: The script is encrypted so unless you can decrypt it that's not an option. Also I think there probably would be a check in the init script run on boot as well. That script is compiled as a stripped binary so you wouldn't be able to replace that. Argh! Why oh why do you do this Netgear?

There are multiple reasons for this. One would be that they wouldn't want a competitor to be able to easily copy their work.

mdgm:

bajorgensen wrote: I was a bit surprised that they are using the 3.0 kernel. Maybe OS6 has been under development for too long NetGear mentioned the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel on FaceBook. I think that is based on the 3.0 kernel. So if NetGear is using GPL for the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel to get stuff to make BTRFS work that might explain why it is on kernel 3.0 on the x86_64 devices. Since the x86_64 devices are on that kernel then they'd probably want the ARM devices to be on the same kernel version to make it easier to update both OSes at the same time.

3.0.70 was released mid March, there is no way Oracle has incorporated those changes yet.
Besides, I think most of the Oracle changes are backported enterprise features that are not applicable in the target market for Netgear.
It seems to me that Netgear has chosen to use the stock kernel from kernel.org, applied Netgear and Marwell patches against that.
Good choice getting a new kernel! Lets hope Netgear can follow mainline kernel and avoid having to backport a lot of fixed that will come "free" by using updated kernel.

There are multiple reasons for this. One would be that they wouldn't want a competitor to be able to easily copy their work.

Yes, I am sure competitors are drewling to get their hands on the lovely Frontview code base.... ;)

Ultra4 upgraded to OS6 here - had a few worries getting it to boot and factory reset but largely down to me being impatient, then trying to find out what the new admin password was threw me for a while (of course I didn't try the usual industry standard one - "password" until I tried all the usual netgear ones).

Seems very fast the interface - lightningly quick, especially compared to the glacial os4 stuff.

The SMART+ display seems buggy - partly because the disks are too close together on the screen and partly because it just displays in the wrong place and in a window too small. You hover over the disk green status on the performance page and it shows you the stuff but about 1cm too high and on IE10 it sometimes doesnt remove the window and you have to press F5 to get rid of it. Chrome does the same but at least the window goes away - but its very hard to point at the right disk you want to look at.

I'll put it back to OS4.2.22 soon unless netgear relent/come-to-their senses as I'll be flogging it and wouldnt want the new owner to be thrown in the deep end - unless I flog it at work.

M.

Why again will you return it to 4.2?

AMRivlin wrote:
Why again will you return it to 4.2?

Because its unsupported and I wouldnt want to have to provide tech support to someone possibly new to networks/nas how to put it back to v4.2.22. If/when (hell freezes over) and netgear wake up from their drug addled acid/extacy trip and an official upgrade becomes available then they can do that for themselves. Sure we might sort out the fan speed thing and get apps installing but its just too risky at present. If its someone from work, then I can offer them the chance and they would be more tech savvy anyway as I'd only offer it to the others in IT.

BTW: I found a place for cheap long VGA cable, anyone tried theese? http://www.pccables.com/07129.html

Finally got my cable and for anyone in the US with an Ultra 6 this is a no brainer.
I payed $20 for international shipping, but it was worth it.
The cable is long enough to be permanently installed in the chassis,
just poke out the little metal piece covering the VGA cutout in the metal chassis.

If I load the patched 6.0.4 img in post 3 using FrontView, can I later revert back to 4.2.22 img from the v6 Frontview (or whatever they're calling it in 6) or is this a one way trip?

Yes! It was surprisingly easy! Big shout out to mgdm for modyfying the string in the 4.2.22 image, so READYNAS OS think it is a 6.0.5 upgrade, rather than a downgrade.
The original disks were detected and after a file system check and reboot all was back to normal.
A bit dissapointed that OS6 would not detect the SW RAID set from 4.2 though... (it was building the new xraid, so maybe that was causing it)

Poking around in OS6 for an hour or so, I must say this is the one everyone has been waiting for!
Sure, it is a bit rough in some edges, and there are some design faults IMO, but overall it fixes most gripes people has with RAIDiator...
Given some time, OS6 will be excellent!
I am actually quite ready to do a data migration and factory reset to OS6, but future compability makes me a bit uneasy.

Not supporting OS6 on old units (at least x86) is an idiotic buisness decition. Sure, there are costs, but I guarantee that Netgear will loose a lot of future buisness.
Anyone with half a brain knows that the current series easily will run OS6. So product managers: when your market share starts dropping, look no furter thant the bathroom mirror.

So I have now started in earnest looking for alternatives testing Debian 7, ubuntu and Windows 2012 server.
I must say all of them run smooth, but most of all I am truly impressed with windows 2012 on a dual core 1.66 Mhz Atom with 4 GB RAM.
Since windows does no longer give you the option of creating SW RAID during install, I tried Intel HW RAID, but the RAID set kept failing.
Not sure if it is the old drives I was testing or if it is a HW bug. Anyone knows how to replace the Intel ROM in the BIOS?
Right now I think the best option will be to boot windows from a USB drive and use ReFS on the internal drives.

@MDPlatts: I think the old linux kernel/os and lack modern functions of OS4 is worse than using OS6 with loud fans. But i do hear your valid concerns, and to each their own.

For the record, there is zero chance Netgear ever officially supports os6 on legacy devices. That ship has sailed.
The best thing OS4 users can hope for is a 4.2.23 bug patch.

Just noticed that whilst some times in the display are in BST (british summer time), the logs are in GMT (greenwich mean time) - e.g. one hour earlier.

Also just seem to have crashed the gui creating a share - its gone all rotating egg-timer on me setting ownership/permissions and doesnt seem to be coming out (though the log says its finished).

There will be more serious bugs than UI funnies but these niggles should be simple to fix and I'm sure they already are in some beta around the corner.

I wasn't the one who modified the firmware image.

I'm running OS6 successfully on a ultra4.
Questions though.

I forgot to update the bios, can I use the old addon or do i revert and use the add-on
I have teaming with LACP running. but WOL no longer works, anybody know a trick (I found the new BIOS might solve it?
I keep losing connection to my APC UPS after each reboot, I use a management card on the UPS so APC mib file is used

Other than these niggles running solid. :D