NASLite Network Attached Storage

I would like to get a clear understanding on Server Elements update policy given conflicting information provided on this forum when compared to the 'official' policy when purchasing the product.

When I received my download link I noticed the wording.

"This download link will be available to you for a maximum of 180 days from time of purchase, or for a total of 6 downloads. This download link will also serve as your upgrade path to NASLite-2 CDD CD-ROM ISO Image updates and fixes."

For the sake of clarity, can someone from the company clarify what constitues "Image update and fixes" and what consitutes an upgrade.

Or can I take it that any new releases made within 180 days from the date of purchase will be available to me under this agreement.

Mdub

Basically, you are eligible to download copies of the package that you have bought, up to 15 times (recent change) within a 180 day period of the initial purchase.

So, you could conceivably never be able to download an update if none is available within the 180 day period, or be able to download 15 updates if all are available in the same 180 day period.

As far as the definition of an update, fix and upgrade I take it you are eligble to download all updates to the v2 branch for the corresponding product. Should a version 3 of NASLite be released within your 180 days it would not be included in download deal.

Superboss, this is my understanding as well, but the details of the policy is muddy and I think it needs to be clarified by the server elements team.

My primary concern is how I get version 2.04 (and any other updates) before my link becomes inoperative.

Mdub

Download the update with your original download link.

OK, I've done this, but how do I confirm I have version 2.04 without burning the image to CD.

Mdub

That is a valid point to be honest. All the images have the same filename. Would it not make more sense to include the version number in the filename?

The latest version is always the version downloaded.




Considering you can only download the *latest* version and not old versions, I don't see the point.

Hi Ralph,

The only time I have a problem is when I was to lazy to save the iso in a folder without a good folder name like what version number, a month later I can come back and i am stuck thinking about what version it was?
usually i boot the iso in vmware or virtual pc to find out the version or even burn to CDRW..

it can be a pain, but the user i.e. me can make it easier by simply having a good system to save the iso in.

If the paying customers see a point, surely there is a point Ralph? The problem occurs when you have multiple versions of the iso stored locally, which is needed because of the download limit. A possible, and in my case evident, scenario is that more than one version of the ISO is stored locally but with the same filename and seemingly identical. With any other file I would just delete the two and download the latest version but with the download limitation policy this is not applicable for NASLite. Sure I could check the creation date of the file and try to determine which one is the latest, or be more careful with my local folder structure etc - but it would make alot more sense to me to enforce a naming policy which includes the revision number. If there is a technical reason not to do so, please let us know instead of saying there is no point.

I have to agree with superboss, I have seen posts where someone would download a upgrade and then burn "the" iso and then post that the new version is not the latest version. having a filename that relates to the version number would solve these kinds of things outright.

I have to admit, I myself have burnt the wrong versions and have a number of CD's in my case.

Remember that saying Ralph, "The customer is always right"

I, too, would like to see the version number as part of the downloaded file name. I can, and generally do, add the version number to downloaded files that don't already have it but it would simplify it for me (and eliminate potential errors) if the number was already there.

The original post was regarding the Server Elements upgrade policy. I’ll attempt and clarify that first.

When you purchase a Server Elements product, you are entitled to free updates to your licensed product for duration of 180 days or a total of 15 (originally 6) downloads. In addition, during that time (180 days or less from the time of original purchase) you can use the download link provided to you as a form of a voucher that entitles you to discounts on any and all Server Elements products for the purpose of cross-product upgrades as well as purchases of additional licenses. Each download link issued by Server Elements as a result of a purchase carries the same properties, regardless if it is issued for a cross-product upgrade or an additional licenses purchase. Once a link is older than 180 days, it is purged from our public download server and is no longer valid.

I hope that the above explanation satisfies the original post. If I’ve left any points unclear, please ask and I’ll be happy to explain in more detail.

With that out of the way, let me explain our position on the ISO filenames. As Ralph noted earlier, the public download server provides access to the latest ISOs only. Some ISO downloads contain multiple products. Consider the “NASLite Server Suite v1.x” or the “NASLite v1.x Floppy Disk Utility CD-ROM”. A version is out of context in such cases, so that creates a bit of a problem.

Is there any reason the user cannot simply rename the downloaded iso image (either whilst starting the download or directly afterward) to a name of his choice? I have done this with other file types, but never an SIO image, I see no reason why it should not work.

Ditto here, I thought that's what people were doing anyway. I do

I have a brand spanking new NASLITE-2-USB-204.ISO file sitting right below my older, but still useful NASLITE-2-USB-203.ISO and so forth. Any SEI-NL2-USB.ISO file on my drive is brand new or a stray. Mount it with Winrar and check the version then rename it. It's really not that big of a deal.