On-prem 3.0.0-rc26 requires cloud account?

Just upgraded to the current version of 3.0.0-rc26 and I keep getting an error bar regarding needing to connect to a cnMaestro cloud account. Since we use on-prem servers so we are not sending this data to the cloud and have no wish or want to connect these servers to the cloud, how do we get rid of this erroneous error bar?

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Hi Douglas,

This is just a reminder message to indicate to connect to Cloud servers and not an error bar. We can close this and it will not popup until the user logs out and login again .

Thanks,
KR.

If that was true then something is wrong as it does close but is back after a few minutes. How about not having it there or not forcing us to connect a cloud account to our on-prem servers thus defeating the purpose?

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I was also wondering about this pop-up, and after reading release notes on the latest versions, I have further questions.
What exactly is the purpose to us “anchoring” it to a cloud account, and why, according to patch notes, will it be made mandatory?
I feel like that would defeat the purpose of our on-premise version altogether, and I now have to consider security since this server now needs a path to the internet.
So I would appreciate some clarification on that from Cambium.

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Not that I have a reason to not trust Cambium but I do have very good reasons to not trust a new hole being poked in the firewall. That and the information that is passed may seem innocuous, it also provides an administrative access to the network.

We have since gone back to the 2.4.x version and prohibit that server from accessing the internet.

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Hi Neil – the initial goal of the Anchor Account, which has been in plan for cnMaestro On-Premises since its inception, is to map managed devices to a customer account and aid Cambium Support when issues arise (through the Cambium ID, which is also stored on the devices). The association also provides high-level data about on-premises installations, such as hardware used, features enabled, and version of cnMaestro running. These help Engineering understand how the product is actually deployed by customers (such as what percentage of customers have enabled high availability). Over time, the services have expanded to include integrated/shared CBRS billing and software pre-downloads, and we will soon enable cnMaestro X through the Anchor account. In an upcoming release, we will add notifications to let customers know when patches are released and if their particular version should be upgraded. We expect to continue enhancing the Anchor Account feature over time (such as with secure redirection of devices from Cloud to an On-Premises instance).

In the 3.1.0 release, we will require existing customers (who upgraded from a 3.0.x release) to associate with an Anchor account in order to upgrade to 3.2.0. All new 3.1.0 customers installing for the first time will need to create an Anchor Account as part of the initial setup process.

I really don’t like this idea, seems like CN want to force us in something. After years of “you can benefit from our free management, not like other brands”

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Hi MW_WISP – the Anchor account will be used independent of cost. So both Essentials (free) and X (paid) accounts will need an Anchor.

The fact that cost isnt the object seems to be lost here. It is the security concerns that drove the choice for on prem installs. WE DONT LIKE OUR SYSTEM DATA ON THE INTERNET!

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IMHO, don’t trust it. This is another odd new requirement, so it looks like another hidden agenda to me.

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What happen if CN’s cloud is unreachable?

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Anything new about that topic?

Most of our customers do not wish to connect their local devices to cloud, some of them are not even allowed to do so for compliance reasons.

How do you handle this?
On Prem was one of the key factors for choosing Cambium at all.

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we dropped back to a previous version. And yes, we can not have our system on someone elses cloud.

@Douglas_Generous
THX for your fast response.

However switching back to a previous version would not be a long term solution for us. Currently we are in the situation that we want to switch all our customers from a different vendor to Cambium, but having no real on prem solution will stop us from doing so, as this is a mandatory requirement for most of our customers.

So we need an official statement from Cambium regarding this issue.

Again, the 2.4.x version is fully on-prem no cloud account needed.
Only the 3.x versions need a cloud account tie-in.

So far Cambium has refused to provide a real answer as to why an on-prem server needs a cloud tie-in and will not at this time provide a version of 3.x or newer without cloud tie-in.
I have been bugging them about this and have not received more than wrote acknowledgement.

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@Douglas_Generous
THX for confirmation.
I just opened a support case with Cambium and see what they say. If there will not be a recent version with real on-prem support we will look for a different vendor for our customers. As said most of them are not willing or even are not allowed to connect to could for management of infrastructure.

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