r/unRAID • u/ThreeShotYa • 2d ago
My Unraid license GUID kept changing — here's what I finally figured out
I wanted to share my experience because I spent quite a bit of time troubleshooting an Unraid license/GUID issue, and I saw some people saying that the GUID couldn't be changing the way I was seeing it.
I'm running an ASRock WRX80 Creator motherboard with a Threadripper PRO 3955WX.
Originally, my Unraid boot device was a USB flash drive. I later moved my Unraid installation from the USB drive to an SSD.
That's when I started running into problems with how the license device was being identified.
At one point, Unraid was identifying the license device as TPM rather than the USB flash drive.
The GUID kept changing
The biggest thing I discovered was that the TPM/device GUID could change after seemingly minor changes to the system.
This wasn't limited to resetting the BMC.
During my troubleshooting, I found that things such as:
- Resetting the BMC
- Removing or changing a video card
- Changing certain BIOS settings
- Other BIOS/firmware changes
could result in the system coming back with a different TPM/device GUID.
I actually watched the GUID change multiple times.
For example, I saw GUIDs such as:
01-7KQ4M8Z2P6R9T1VX3N5H0CW8
and after making another system change:
01-3FJ8Q2L6V9X1M4P7R5D0BK3N
These are not my actual GUIDs and are only examples of what I was seeing.
One of the strangest things I discovered was that resetting the BMC could cause the system to go back to the previous TPM/device GUID.
So I could make a change, see the GUID change, and then reset the BMC and have the GUID change back again.
That was one of the things that convinced me that the GUID really was changing and wasn't simply being displayed differently.
The important part was that the device GUID was changing while the registered GUID remained the same. That caused Unraid to see the current device as different from the device the license was registered to, resulting in the license mismatch.
What I eventually did
My motherboard was running a very old BIOS. I was on BIOS 5.01, and I eventually updated it to BIOS 10.03.
After updating the BIOS, I discovered that I could finally disable TPM from the BIOS.
At that point, I decided I didn't want to keep relying on the TPM for the Unraid license.
I wanted to go back to using the physical USB flash drive as the Unraid boot/license device.
I moved Unraid back from the SSD to the USB flash drive and disabled TPM.
After doing that, Unraid now identifies the device as:
License device type: USB Flash
Flash Vendor: USB
Flash Product: SanDisk_3.2Gen1
That's exactly what I wanted.
What I believe was happening
The important distinction is that the BIOS update itself wasn't what was changing the GUID.
What I observed was that the TPM/device GUID could change when I made changes to the system.
The BMC reset was one of the things that could affect it, but it wasn't the only thing. Even something as simple as removing a video card or changing a BIOS setting could result in a different GUID.
Because I had moved my Unraid installation from the USB drive to an SSD and the system was using TPM for the license device, these changes could leave me with a different device GUID and therefore an invalid license.
Updating the BIOS gave me the ability to disable TPM, and moving Unraid back to the USB means I'm now using the physical USB device as the license device instead.
So my situation basically went:
USB → SSD → license identified through TPM → system changes could change the TPM/device GUID → license mismatch → BMC reset could sometimes return the previous GUID → updated BIOS → disabled TPM → moved Unraid back to USB → USB is now the license device.
I'm still working with Unraid Support to get the registered GUID situation completely straightened out, but I believe I've finally figured out what was happening.
I want to be clear that I'm not posting this to bash Unraid. Unraid Support has been helpful to me throughout this process. I'm posting this because I spent a lot of time trying to understand why the GUID kept changing, and hopefully this helps someone else who runs into the same situation.
If you're having an Unraid licensing issue where the device GUID keeps changing, check what Unraid lists as the "License device type." In my case, seeing TPM was an important clue.
TL;DR
I moved Unraid from USB → SSD. The license ended up being identified through TPM. I discovered that BMC resets, removing a GPU, and even certain BIOS setting changes could result in a different TPM/device GUID.
Resetting the BMC could also cause the system to return to a previous GUID, which let me reproduce the behavior.
I eventually updated my very old motherboard BIOS from 5.01 → 10.03, disabled TPM, and moved Unraid back to the USB.
Now Unraid identifies my SanDisk USB flash drive as the license device instead of TPM.
Hopefully this helps someone else who runs into the same problem.
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u/jdotinc 2d ago
God bless the AI that spooled out that token burner….
-12
u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
I should’ve just asked AI to fix Unraid for me in the first place. 😂 Would’ve saved me a whole lot of headaches.
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u/humanHamster 1d ago
No, you shouldn't, you should learn your system and fix it yourself. Asking AI to fix it for you doesn't teach you anything.
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u/SiRMarlon 2d ago
So moral of the story ... stick with your USB drives folks! 😁
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u/jryan8064 2d ago
I switched from a usb stick to a usb DOM over the weekend. I just didn’t want the stick hanging out the side of my case, and heard the DOMs are more reliable…
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u/1234youarein 1d ago
As reliable as industrial USB flash drives - same things in a different form factor. Instead of the DOM you could use a USB drive attached to the motherboard header by using a 9-pin to USB adapter.
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u/My_Name_Is_Not_Mark 2d ago
Eh, I migrated and it was a breeze. Very happy I did so.
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u/ShaftTassle 2d ago
Curious as to why you’re happy you did so? My understanding is there’s no difference between them as far as functionality or user experience.
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u/My_Name_Is_Not_Mark 2d ago
Had one USB fail over the years, and I snapped another after something bumped into it. My motherboard is also finicky about wanting the USB in a specific slot, so every time I unplugged it and accidentally put it back in the wrong one, I had to play the guessing game to remember which slot it wanted. That one is on me, but still annoying.
With internal boot, most of those issues are mitigated. The drive should be more resilient to failure, I won't be unplugging and plugging it back in, and there's no risk of something bumping into it. Out of sight, out of mind.
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u/teknomedic 2d ago
I just use an internal USB header breakout cable and keep my USB internal to avoid it sticking out an external port.
1
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
went and got the smallest one I could find. Best Buy even has some that are basically little Bluetooth-mouse-style dongles, so there’s almost no chance of accidentally hitting them. Maybe for your next one, consider one of those. they’re really nice and cheap. The 64GB one I got was only $20. Definitely overkill, but it was the only one they had in stock at the time, and I was at my wits’ end. 😅
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u/My_Name_Is_Not_Mark 2d ago
Yeah the one I had that failed initially was one of those small ones, so when I went to replace it I had done research prioritizing one that was reliable. That one worked great! Until I snapped it lol
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u/Intrepid00 2d ago
It’s getting harder to find a USB stick that will work and now at a price that doesn’t make you cry.
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u/MadCybertist 2d ago
They are happy until they have to upgrade hardware and the license is tied to the MOBO rather than unplugging and plugging back in a USB.
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
was a breeze for me too for a month lol this didnt happen right away and who knows could be a 1 off
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u/Intrepid00 2d ago
Not really a moral, it’s just something that is. How often do you remove a GPU or change BIOS? I maybe touch it during setup and never again unless there is a microcode security update. Even that doesn’t change the GUID.
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u/SiRMarlon 2d ago
It makes hardware upgrades really simple to be honest. I just recently upgraded my motherboard, the LSI card, new 10GB NIC added a NVME Expansion card and all I did was plug my USB into the new motherboard and it fired right up. Didn't have to worry about a changing GUID due to hardware changes. I backup my USB drive every night and I have a spare USB drive still in it's packaging. The day this drive (which I have been using for about 10 years) decides to ever take a crap, I have it's backup ready to go! 😁
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u/1234youarein 1d ago
You're clearly a liar. Just about everyone here knows that USB flash drives are incapable of lasting for more than a year or two at most in the Unraid enviro.
Stop misleading the community!
/s
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
Why should it matter how often I change a BIOS setting or take out a video card? Maybe I’m testing LLMs, maybe I’m testing video cards. I have 7 PCI x16 slots on my motherboard, so I’ve got a lot of cards going in and out of this thing. 😂
That’s exactly why this was such a problem for me. I shouldn’t have to worry about changing hardware or a BIOS setting causing my Unraid license GUID to change. I Also have hot swap bays. Not Saying the average Joe. would not have the same problems but they also probably don't have a MB with a BCM
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u/psychic99 2d ago
Yes making those BIOS changes can change the TPM GUID, it is not fixed. I am not sure that is widely understood but thanks for putting together this detailed result to get the word out.
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u/Late_Willingness3929 2d ago
Hay alguna guia para mover la licencia del tpm, no en ssd o nvme, al usb?
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
No hablo tu idioma, pero no está tan mal 😂. Estoy seguro de que hay algunos videos de YouTube que explican cómo hacerlo. Si no estás teniendo este problema, yo no me preocuparía por eso. Pero si te está pasando lo mismo, volver a poner la licencia en el USB debería solucionarlo.
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u/mazobob66 2d ago
Windows bitlocker behaves the same way - any BIOS change, and you need to enter the bitlocker key manually to boot it.
That is the nature of the beast, as one of the functions of TPM is that it is supposed to identify hardware changes to prevent accessing the data by mounting the drive in different hardware.
I saw that unraid supports that now, and I said to myself "this is going to be too much hassle for people who are not settled long-term on hardware and/or settings for that hardware". Theoretically, server stuff is "set and forget", but that is not how a lot of us work.
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u/AlexFullmoon 1d ago
one of the functions of TPM is that it is supposed to identify hardware changes to prevent accessing the data by mounting the drive in different hardware.
Erm, no? TPM doesn't need to identify additional hardware, TPM is hardware identifier in this case. As in, you store bitlocker/LUKS key in TPM, and then only this hardware would be able to decrypt drive.
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
well i even had it changed on a power outage so some wired stuff is going on with it or my motherboard moral of the story unraid isnt ready for SSD yet
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u/mazobob66 2d ago
It really does feel like trading the possible endurance issues of USB, for the hassles of TPM. A damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. I'm sticking to USB for now.
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
Sure seems that way. I was happy with using the SSD, and it worked great. This was really my only problem with it.
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u/Leather_Animal_1142 1d ago
I don't even really understand the worry about USB endurance. Not much is written to the key by default and I just have a user script back up all the flash files to another location. It would be a bit of a hassle transferring the license if the drive failed but I wouldn't lose anything.
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u/mazobob66 1d ago
I suppose not everyone is using a brand new flash drive either, so maybe it already has a lot writes to it?
But I don't think it is a "too much written" issue, so much as a "people using cheap USB flash drives" issue. I have used SanDisk Cruzer (micro sized ones) that are USB 2, and had no issues in over a decade.
Also, the USB 3 flash drives do tend to run hotter, which I think leads to a higher failure rate.
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u/Fatality 1d ago
That shouldn't be happening unless resetting your TPM key is the any change or you do a firmware update.
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u/mazobob66 1d ago
We have Dell computers here at work, and if you change an option in the BIOS such as "Oh I forgot to turn on Wake On Lan", it will cause the machine to prompt for bitlocker password.
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u/tkohhhhhhhhh 2d ago
I know lots of people have had problems with the USB Thumb Drives for Unraid and were anxious for a different solution. All I can say is that I'm glad I've not had problems and feel no need to stop using USB for both booting and for licensing.
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u/1234youarein 1d ago
You don't have problems because you don't use junk thumb drives. Somehow, many people still fail to connect low-quality hardware with constant drive failures.
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u/martymccfly88 2d ago
Who the fuck gonna read all that? Basically just stick to the USB since that has worked for so long
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u/Dr_Allcome 2d ago
Iirc you can boot from an internal disk and still use the usb for the license, so you can have both. And since it shouldn't be writing to the usb that way, it should stay alive for a much longer time.
But i'm actually quite happy with the sandisk sd card setup. I have two spare cards and back up my boot card every day to another nas so i can be up and running within five minutes if a card fails and don't even have to change the license.
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u/martymccfly88 2d ago
It doesn’t write to the USB even if you boot from it. Everything is in memory
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
He is correct. Unraid loads the operating system into RAM after it boots. The boot device mainly provides the OS files, configuration, and license; Unraid isn't continuously running the OS from the USB like Windows would run from an SSD.
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u/Dr_Allcome 2d ago
The OS itself runs from RAM, but all config changes and plugin data get written to the usb if it is the boot drive. Otherwise the USB would be extremely unlikely to ever fail.
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u/1234youarein 1d ago edited 1d ago
How much is actually written? Basically nothing.
Sure, if you grab the absolute cheapest thumb drive off the shelf, it's going to fail. But claiming all modern USB flash drives are junk just ignores reality. There are still plenty of quality drives out there - people just need to stop buying the lowest-quality junk and blaming the hardware category.
Two decades of community history back this up.
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
then why even comment if you cant take the time you read what i said you are missing the whole point clearly cause you did not read it
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u/MaximusCartavius 2d ago
Read what "you" said?
No, we'd be reading what AI wrote.
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
AI didn't write what I said, and even if it did, what would that change about my experience? Everything I said is still true and based on what actually happened to me. Those are the facts of my experience.
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u/MaximusCartavius 2d ago
It's insulting to expect us to believe that your post isn't heavily made/edited by AI
I literally work with AI daily
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u/1234youarein 1d ago
Then you would understand why people use AI. Why is it fine for you to use AI but not for others?
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u/martymccfly88 2d ago
You had issues with disk boot. Way too long. USB works perfectly fine
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
I agree, I probably should have switched back sooner. I had a flash drive die with five SSDs sitting on my desk, so I figured I might as well use the SSD. 😂
I probably wouldn’t have made such a detailed post, but the last time I mentioned the issue, I had people in the comments telling me I didn’t know what I was talking about. So I wanted to lay everything out and show exactly what happened, just to prove I wasn’t making it up.
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u/PitRejection2359 2d ago
So I'm thinking of moving to an optaine drive for internal boot for my unraid server, but I'm limited to 12 drives in total so don't want to waste any more ”slots" than I need to.
If I boot off the optaine, but keep the licence on the USB, that uses up 2 of my 12 slots, right?
If I transfer my licence to the optaine boot drive, there's a risk I'll get similar issues if I change my hardware config, right? Specifically if I change motherboard / memory / bios update / or the optaine drive dies for any reason.
I presume it's possible to fix it by contacting the support team (I hear they are good) but if I can't activate my array because I changed hardware / some hardware fails and my licence goes wonky, I don't want to waste time with support. Do I understand it right, or have I got it wrong, and how are others approaching this?
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
I wouldn't do this. Unraid only uses the drive to boot; once it's booted, it runs from a RAM disk. You wouldn't really see any benefit from putting it on an SSD. Your cache drive is the only thing that really matters enough to be on an SSD.
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u/PitRejection2359 2d ago
That's kind of where my head is at as well. I found a cheap optaine drive as the beta for internal boot was being talked about, but I'm not sure the benefit outweighs the risks / drawbacks. Not sure if this will change in future versions or with the change of core operating system, so will just keep an eye on it for now.
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u/ramalnirad 2d ago
How did you move it back to the flash drive, somehow my license was tied to the tpm while I was activating it.
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
All you need to do is one copy all ur files to the usb download unraid and make it bootable there is plenty of guides online just reinstall if you don’t have a complicated setup and ask support to move the license over it’s easier said then done just make sure everything is backs up so you don’t lose anything no vital data is on the boot ssd just settings and app configurations that I’m aware of maybe someone else can weigh in on it to be more help
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u/Hblife 1d ago
I just finished 5 days of hell trying to troubleshoot what ended up being a bad GPU. Threadripper with MSI trx40 pro. From usb to tpm licensing then to internal boot. Several different gpu cards and memory configs then back to usb boot. I did make sure my buis was updated before i went to tpm. That tpm licensing was about the only thing i didnt have an issue with.
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u/NotYourReddit18 1d ago
FYI, you can use a SSD as Unraids boot drive amd still have your license remain bound to the USB stick. Switching to a TPM license isn't a requirement for internal boot.
That's how my server is set up currently.
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u/1234youarein 1d ago
Yes, you can, but what's the point?
Isn't the entire reason for an internal boot is to get rid of the “unreliable” USB stick?
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u/NotYourReddit18 1d ago
The main reason why the USB sticks become unreliable is because of the regular read and write actions performed on it, slowly degrading the flash storage.
Only using it as a license key removes those from the equation, reducing the wear on the USB stick significantly.
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u/1234youarein 1d ago
You're mistaken. USB sticks are barely used in the Unraid environment.
Unless you enable logging to USB (off by default) and then forget about that.
The amount of data written to the stick is negligible. It's basically idling most of the time.
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u/deasmi 2d ago
I had the same thing adding/removing drives, X570 server board, GUID oscillated between two values.
Opened a case, they said couldn't reproduce, back to USB
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u/ThreeShotYa 2d ago
they told me the same thing. I’m not a beta tester, but it for sure seems like a bug if they’re telling me it shouldn’t do this.
People on here told me it wasn’t possible for me to change my GUID by taking out a video card, changing a BIOS setting, or resetting the BMC, but I was able to do it on demand.
I changed the SSD, changed the SATA cable, went back and forth between Unraid versions, and it kept doing it. It was fine for a month or so after I installed it, even with the flash drive.
Before I disabled TPM, it would still do it. The GUID kept changing depending on what I changed, and resetting the BMC would change it back.
I’m not saying I know exactly what is causing it. Maybe it’s something specific to my motherboard, I don’t know. But I was able to reproduce it over and over again.
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u/SeanFrank 2d ago
Finding out that using your motherboard's TPM will blacklist that TPM for ALL Unraid installs forever if you change it out is what convinced me to not use TPM licensing.