drivepool access

[dominator99]

Hi All

This is a hypothectical question; if Stablebit were to cease trading & the drivpool licence expired how would I gain access to the 'pool' to recover my data?

I ask this question because in 2022 this happened to me (which I'd forgotten about):

Lost access to (DrivePool M3) because trial period had ended hence mirror not accessible!!
Purchased a new licence & all was OK!!

[VapechiK]

hello.

if DrivePool were to 'die' and development were to cease, as long as you had purchased licensed copy(ies) of the software you will still be able to install and run it on Windows computers, at least until some future unknown windows update breaks it.

either way, you will always have access to your pooled data by simply checking 'show hidden files and folders,' then navigating to the hidden 'PoolPart.xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxx' folders on each drive comprising your pool.

easy peasy.

cheers
 

[Christopher (Drashna)]

5 hours ago, dominator99 said:

Lost access to (DrivePool M3) because trial period had ended hence mirror not accessible!!
Purchased a new licence & all was OK!!

Are you sure that this was with StableBit DrivePool, and not Drive Bender?  

The reason I ask, is that we don't disable duplication, and we don't use the term "mirror" for file protection (it's always duplication).  

And because of the section in the licensing FAQ, and experience: 
https://stablebit.com/Support/DrivePool/Licensing

Quote

Q. What happens to my files on the pool when the trial license expires?
Nothing at all. Your pool remains fully readable. The only restriction that goes into effect when the trial runs out is that you won't be able to create new folders on the pool.

At this point you can choose to purchase a Retail license or move your data out of the pool and uninstall the product.

 

5 hours ago, dominator99 said:

This is a hypothectical question; if Stablebit were to cease trading & the drivpool licence expired how would I gain access to the 'pool' to recover my data?

This is a topic that has come up from time to time, and we do have plans on if this were to happen.  Obviously, we don't want it to ever happen, but the future is uncertain. 

I believe the plan in that case was basically, disable the licensing altogether, and stop support completely for the software.  

[dominator99]

Thank you all for your feedback

[dominator99]

ps

I don't like the term 'duplication' which suggests 2 copies of files/folders are created. I store 3 copies therefore 'replication' is a more appropriate term for more than 2 copies of files/folders. Call me pedantic!

[Christopher (Drashna)]

You are very welcome.

And you're pedantic!  Though, I tend to be the same way.  But yeah, it may not be the best term, but replication also kind of invokes the same mental image, IMO.  I'm not sure there is a "best phrasing", short of making up our own.

[dominator99]

Maybe 3rd,4th, 5th order replication etc is more appropriate than 2nd order (duplication)?

[580guy]

Great info. I just upgraded the OS on my server, and was thinking about this very thing while I was de-activating and re-activating on the new drive!  You read my mind!

[dominator99]

duplicate (2 copies), triplicate (3 copies), quadruplicate (4 copies), quintuplicate (5 copies) are a more precise definition. I know, PEDANTIC!