Concerns and questions upgraded to OS5

My Cloud OS 5 Personal & Network Attached Storage My Cloud Pro Series
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First, I would like to thank each one of you that have submitted topics concerning OS5, you guys remind me of ALPHA and BETA testers.

Since receiving the initial announcement of OS5 for my PR4100 I have been hesitant in doing it. It took me some time to get the PR4100 the way I felt comfortable with it. After reading most of the questions and all the answers, suggestions and recommendations I would like to hold off doing it. But, by not upgrading this creates many questions in my mind:

Will I be forced to upgrade later?

How long will OS3 be supported before OS5 is the only OS supported?

Is PLEX fully supported?

If I purchase a new PR4100 does OS5 come pre-installed?

Is there a better NAS for PLEX and storing historical data from Windows and Linux (based) systems?

Reviewing my options, I am outgrowing my PR4100 24TB NAS, only have 5.6 TB left, getting ready to upgrade soon. Not sure if increasing the internal disk capacity in the existing PR4100 or purchasing a new one with more capacity is the answer. Having to upgrade to OS5 is not a viable solution from what I have read, it does not seem to be ready for ‘Prime Time’.

Having to login through WD to get to my physical NAS is not what I want to do. I do not trust the cloud any cloud! I want total control and security of my own data and movies. I do not want anyone scanning my ‘digital stuff’ for any reason.

We put too much faith in 1’s & 0’s to control access, I believe the Cloud does not care who owns the 1’s & 0’s that are making requests.

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@Korbendallaz, some feedbacks:

  • The upgrade to OS 5 from OS 3 is a manual upgrade so user needs to opt-in from the device’s web dashboard in order for the device to upgrade to it. However, pls keep in mind (as also mentioned in the OS 5 upgrade notification screen in the web dashboard), WD will not be making any more updates or improvements for the OS 3.
  • The Plex server in OS5 is the same as OS3 with basically the app packager difference made for OS5.
  • Since the OS5 just came out at the end of Oct, if you purchase a new PR4100 now (Dec 2020) then it should still have OS3. It usually takes a few months for the new software to be put into production (plus freight time) but I can’t say for how long.
  • Regarding the concern on having to login thru WD to get to the NAS, you can refer to this post from the WD PSIRT team to see if it help clarify:
    “When accessing the Admin web dashboard by IP address, the dashboard will check to see if your access can be upgraded to HTTPS security automatically, and if so, redirect you to use HTTPS. If you are accessing the dashboard without an Internet connection, access will continue to use the local IP address.”
    My Cloud OS 5 HTTPS Redirects
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Thanks for the info jchen!
As stated in the OS 5 upgrade notification screen that WD will not be making any more updates, when will this start as I just installed a server update dated 3 Dec 2020?
If I don’t upgrade to OS5, will that void my warranty, It expires 04/2021?