This paid Linux distro takes a different approach to storage, booting from USB and running in RAM—with containers and virtual machines along for the ride.
The Linux distribution Unraid OS 7.4.0 has been released.
You probably haven’t heard of this one because it’s something of a rare beast, being a commercial distro from Lime Technology, Inc. that you actually have to pay to use (although there is a 30-day free trial available). It’s also not something you’re going to put on your desktop and laptop, as it’s designed for network-attached storage deployments.
Because of that, it’s also probably the only distro you’ve run across that asks if you want to download it for Linux, Mac, or Windows. Actually, the platform-specific download is for a USB Creator you’ll use to put Unraid OS onto a bootable USB flash drive that you’ll use to boot the OS on your server. The distro itself will then run in RAM.
If you’re wondering how much you’d need to pay for something like that, its website lists a Starter package (“perfect for home users”) that allows up to six storage devices on the server and includes a year’s worth of updates for a newspeak “one time” payment of $49 (unless you want to keep it updated, in which case you’ll pay an additional $36 per year after your minor-version release reaches end-of-life). The same “one-time” payment deal comes with the Unleashed package that costs $109 (“best value for power users”), and which allows unlimited storage devices. There is a true “one time payment” package, called Lifetime, which for $249 gives you updates forever (or for as long as Unraid is a thing).
“Every license is fully loaded,” the company proclaims, meaning you get some form of the following:
- Network Storage (NAS)
“Your data stays safe and scalable in Unraid’s parity-protected Array, along with high-performance storage pools supporting ZFS, BTRFS and XFS.” - Docker Containers
“Run Plex, Jellyfin, Nextcloud, Immich, and thousands more, side by side.” - Virtual Machines
“Full virtualization for Windows, Linux, and beyond.” - Community Apps
“10,000+ apps and plugins.” - VPN & Tailscale
“Encrypted remote access from any device, anywhere.” - Community Support
“Join over half a million users on forums, Discord, and all major socials.”
Again, if you’re in need of a NAS, you can take this one for a 30-day free trial, or you can pony-up some bucks and buy a package.
However, you might want to start by reading the release notice.
Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux
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