1144 - Registered and Evaluation Accounts

Redstor makes use of two Account types: Registered and Evaluation. This is especially useful for resellers and managed service providers (MSPs).

When a new Account (or Group) is created, it is a Registered Account (or Group) by default. This means that the Account makes use of Redstor's service and is billed accordingly. However, it is possible to create a free Account for temporary trial purposes. This type of Account is called an Evaluation Account and is not billed. It expires after a specified period of time (see How to manage Group expiry below).

How to upgrade or downgrade an Account

Using the Storage Platform Console, you can upgrade an Account to change its status from Evaluation to Registered, or downgrade to change from Registered to Evaluation. To do this:

1. In the Account Management view, open the relevant Group in the Accounts tab of the workspace.

 

You can also use the Upgrade and Downgrade buttons in the toolbar.

The Account type will be changed from Registered to Evaluation or vice versa, and a record of the change will be displayed in the Diagnostics area at the bottom.

 

Note: 

• Accounts that are created within an Evaluation Group will automatically be Evaluation Accounts. Even if the Group is upgraded to Registered, these Accounts will remain Evaluation Accounts until they are manually upgraded, as described above.
• Once an Account in an Evaluation Group is upgraded to a Registered Account, we recommend moving the Account into a Registered Group.

How to check an Account's type

1. In the Account Management view, open the relevant Group in the Accounts tab of the workspace, and check the relevant Account's entry in the Registered column. An entry of TRUE means the Account type is Registered; an entry of FALSE means the Account type is Evaluation.

2. If you do not see the Registered column in the Accounts tab, click the Columns button on the toolbar at the top, tick the Registered checkbox, and click Close.

How to manage Group expiry

You can also manage an entire Group's Account type and expiry details in the Storage Platform Console. To do this:

1. In the Account Management view, right-click the relevant Group name and click Configure.

2. Click on the Expiry tab.

3. The option This is a registered Group will be selected by default. You can retain this, or switch to This is an evaluation Group (see Step 4 below). If retained, you can add a date at which all Accounts in the Group will be disabled (see Account status below). If you have legacy Desktop/Laptop Edition clients deployed in the Group, you can provide a banner image in URL form that will be displayed in these clients.

4. To change the group from Registered to Evaluation, select This is an evaluation Group. You can then take one of the following approaches:

• Select a date for the Group to be disabled. After this, existing accounts will not be able to backup and no new Accounts can be created. Existing accounts will not be deleted from the Storage Platform, they will only be disabled (see Account status below). The admin can then either delete the Group, or enable the Group and set it to Registered.
• Select an evaluation period per Account in this Group. The evaluation period starts on the date the Account is created, and ends after the specified time. You can also set a date on which the Account should be deleted. For example, if an Account is set to be disabled after 14 days and deleted after 7 (more) days, the following will happen:
  • When the Account is created, it will be active (to do backups and restores) for 14 days and will then be disabled.
  • The account will remain on the system for another 7 days, after which it will be automatically deleted. If the user wants to continue onto a paid service, the account needs to be enabled and upgraded to Registered before the end of this 7-day period.

If you have legacy Desktop/Laptop Edition clients deployed in the Group, you can provide a banner image in URL form that will be displayed in these clients.

 5. To disable the Group regardless of its type, tick Group is disabled.

• Accounts that are created within an Evaluation Group will automatically be Evaluation Accounts. Even if the Group is upgraded to Registered, these Accounts will remain Evaluation Accounts until they are manually upgraded, as described above.
• Once an Account in an Evaluation Group is upgraded to a Registered Account, we recommend moving the Account into a Registered Group.

Account type vs Account status vs backup status

Account type is not to be confused with:

• Account status, which indicates whether an Account is active or has been disabled. Disabling an Account prevents backups from that Account, although it is possible to re-enable the Account when needed. An Account's status can be checked under the Active column in the Accounts tab. An entry of TRUE means the Account status is Active; an entry of FALSE means the Account status is Disabled.

• Backup status (e.g. successful or failed), which is indicated by differently coloured symbols, as explained in Article 027.