Synology released a new NAS that is a little different that what we’re used to seeing. First off it is very tiny and it is also a bit in reverse, but with good reason. The new Synology Diskstation DS416slim is a NAS for 2.5-inch hard disk drives and drives are plugged through the rear. With its measurements, 18.4 cm x 16.8 cm x 23.0 cm, and its low weight, 700 grams, the DS416slim is a ultra-small NAS that still packs quite a punch.
The Synology DiskStation DS416slim is built around an Armada 385 Dual Core 1.0GHz CPU and comes with 512 MB DDR3 memory. That is enough to allow this tiny unit to perform with up to 170MB/s read and 77MB/s write performance through a link aggregated windows connection. The CPU also features a dedicated hardware encryption engine.
As mentioned above, the DS416slim is capable of link aggregation and that is because it comes with two RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports on the rear panel. Whether you want to configure them for load balancing or failover protection is naturally your choice. The NAS also comes with two USB 3.0 ports for external storage and other devices, one on the front for easy access and one on the rear for more permanent connected devices.
The rear is also where you find the four drive bays that each can hold a 2.5-inch hard disk drive or solid state drive with a height up to 12.5mm. Without any real height limitation, the choice of drives to use is yours. The power consumption is rated at about 17 watts during access and just 11 watts during HDD hibernation, which also makes it a very power efficient NAS. The noise output is rated to 20.3 dBA.
As this is a Synology NAS, it naturally comes with their own impressive DSM operation system. The DSM system also just got a major overhaul and version 6.0 was just released as well. You get tons of streaming and backup options as well as mobile apps and security when you pick a DSM 6.0 powered NAS.
The new Synology DS416slim comes with a recommended retail price of £222.00 including VAT or €248.64 excluding VAT, and it is backed by a 2-year warranty.
If you haven’t invested in a NAS for your home yet, then it might be time to do so as it can make your digital life so much easier by being a centralized storage and media centre. Synology officially released the newest model of theirs and it might be the perfect unit as your first one. The new DS216j is built around Marvell’s Armada 385 dual-core 1 GHz CPU and it comes with 512MB DDR3 memory onboard.
The DiskStation DS216j is able to deliver a great performance despite the low-sounding specifications and can deliver an outstanding read/write performance of 112.75 MB/s in reading and over 97.6 MB/s in writing when connecting from a Windows environment. The system is equipped with a single RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port and two USB 3.0 ports for high-speed storage and other USB devices .
The DS216j is focused on home and personal use where it allows you to build your own personal cloud or served as their centralised multimedia server effortlessly. Backup and sync files across NAS’, PCs, and mobile devices as easy as a few clicks to initialize a job after which everything runs on its own. You can also stream files to DLNA media players and devices, Chromecast, or Airplay with ease as well as attach USB speakers for direct playback from the NAS itself.
The DS216j is a budget and entry-level unit which shows in a few places. These aren’t bad things, just things that can cut production costs and provide you with a cheaper product such as fewer connection ports and the not having ejectable drive bays. Users can also adjust the LED indicators brightness based on four different settings as well as schedule it on demand.
Synology’s DiskStation DS216j is now available worldwide and comes with an RRP of just £126.00 including VAT or €145.00 excluding VAT. The DS216j NAS is backed with a 2-year limited warranty.
It has been about six months since Synology launched the Beta program for the new DiskStation Manager (DSM) 6.0 and we’re so very close to an official release. Today I’m taking a closer look at just this new operating system and will show you the new improvements and features.
This review is a little special for me as my NAS reviews normally focus a lot more on the hardware side of things as well as the performance. It isn’t that I don’t show the user interface and features, but there isn’t room to dive as deep into the system as there is today where I’m focusing on the operating system and apps alone.
There are a lot of new great enhancements in DSM 6.0 and one of the best is one that you’ll barely notice as a normal user because it’s going on behind the curtains. The new OS has been upgraded to a 64-bit architecture on compatible models. This will not only allow for a better overall performance by utilizing the modern CPUs a lot better, it also supports over 4GB memory allocation for one single process to deploy large scale applications.
Synology also took some of the previous built-in features and modularized them into packages instead. This ensures better system maintenance and update flexibility. The Modularization in DSM 6.0 includes Storage Analyzer, Hyper Backup, PHP, Web Station and Text Editor, Log Center with basic built-in functions in DSM and extensive functions via package download, WebDAV, and Snapshot Replication.
DSM 6.0 brings a lot of enhancements for both home users and enterprises alike. The High Availability Manager server is now able to handle split-brain errors a lot better and it doesn’t require a full data replication anymore to get back up and running. This can save you from valuable downtime and thereby profit loss. It also comes with improved upgrade efficiency and cluster binding, and best of all, it also supports Docker DSM
Backup and replication got new features too and some things got moved around to accommodate the new add-on packages. Any existing setups will automatically be moved to the new locations upon upgrading, so that’s not something you need to worry about. CSP support got added to the security features in order to prevent XSS attacks while TLS and SSL profiles can be adjusted according to your browser capability and settings. Another nifty new security feature is that you can add and manage you most frequently used devices as trusted devices that don’t need a verification code every time you log in.
There are several new and pretty awesome features in DSM 6.0 beta, where on of them is the Docker DSM. Businesses can create a multi-tenant environment with flexible resource control and secure isolation. All Docker DSMs run independently from each other and provide additional features such as live migration. Synology’s multi-version backup provides snapshot and replication to one or more remote sites, up to every 5 minutes, and block-level incremental backup and cross-version deduplication is also included. You’re well covered here.
The SSD cache feature allows you to use up to 12 SSDs now, but that amount is naturally for the big enterprise models and the home-use NAS don’t come that kind of drive-bay amount. When SSD cache is enabled on a volume with advanced iSCSI LUNs, the performance can be improved up to 30%. You can now use different SSD models to create an SSD cache.
This is truly an upgrade that worth the shift from 5.x to 6.0 with the amount of features added, and I’ve only mentioned some of them up until now. The search feature won’t just search file and directory names now, it can also search the files actual content as well as meta tags to find just the thing you’re looking for. You can use 802.1X network authentication for wired networks and organize your firewall rules into different profiles.
There’s also a new Spreadsheet feature with co-editing, historical versions, tag, and file sharing link as part of Note Station. Offline editing, one-click email clipping, and instant table-chart conversion is also part of the deal. Apple Watch users can now enjoy the Note Station even more as it is now compatible with the Watch. Owners of an Apple Watch can now check notes directly on their wrist, or create new notes via voice input.
MailPlus server comes with active-active architecture, load balancing, and content filters and allows you to have a great mail solution running right from your own location. The clients are browser- and mobile-based and feature physical mailbox, virtual labels, auto-filter, and sticker.
Cloud Station Server and Cloud Sync now provide users with flexible synchronization of files within specified subfolders in addition to shared folders. Small file syncing has now become over 8 times faster than before which is great as those small files often come in big groups. Synology also revamped the Video station for this new version. It now supports offline transcoding, on-screen buttons, and Windows 10. DS Audio got Apple Watch support now too, to allow users to select songs, playlists, and broadcasts directly.
The first NAS that I reviewed after I joined eTeknix was QNAP’s amazing HS-251 NAS, so it is a real pleasure today as I have the upgraded model in the testing area. I will take QNAP’s SilentNAS HS-251+ for a thorough spin in my testing area and check on its performance as well as show you the latest version of the QTS operating system that was released recently.
The HS-251+ NAS retains the same basic design that provides you with a completely silent NAS. There are no fans or other parts that can generate any noise apart from the storage drives you’ll be using. This design adds another bonus which is a dust-free inside. This is made possible because the entire chassis is used as a heatsink for the entire unit and inserted drives. There are no fans to draw dust and other unwanted dirt into the system. That makes it very easy to maintain, but it also means that it should be placed on top of a shelve rather than in a tight spot where it could have trouble getting rid of the excess heat.
QNAP’s HS-251+ is powered by a quad-core Intel Celeron processor and while some might take a step back here, it’s a great chip for the system. You get four cores that run at 2.0GHz and with a burst speed up to 2.4GHz, it consumes very little power, which also helps with the cooling, and it has more than enough power to drive a system like this. The CPU is backed by 2GB DDR3L RAM and the NAS has a 512MB DOM for the basic system.
Whether you want to mount 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives, the HS-251+ can take both. We only got two bays at our disposal here, so most people will probably choose the larger 3.5-inch drives that provide up to 8TB capacity for consumers at the time of writing. Smaller 2.5-inch drives do however run more silently and it produces less heat, so it’s something that is worth to consider in a system like this. The drive bays themselves are hidden behind a removable front that further helps to keep dust out while it also gives the NAS a sleeker appearance.
Connection wise we find two USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports next to the two RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports. Sadly none of the ports are located on the front or front end of the sides, but it isn’t a big issue with a flat NAS like this. You can easily both reach and view behind the unit. The NAS supports both printer and storage sharing through the built-in USB ports and over the network, which is a thing that can make the household IT-setup a lot easier.
You can also expand the HS-251+ through the use of QNAPs expansion enclosures UX-800P and UX-500P with 8 and 5 drives respectively. This can provide you with up to 80TB raw storage capacity in the HS-251+ using 8TB drives.
Next to those more normal connections, the QNAP HS-251+ also has an HDMI port from which you can connect it directly to your TV and use it for media playback and even run other operating systems in a virtual environment directly from the NAS. The QNAP QvPC technology is awesome and I’ll be showing you some of those features on the following pages. The HDMI connectivity supports 1080p video playback and the NAS also comes with hardware transcoding capability, making the HS-251+ is an ideal companion at home for multimedia entertainment.
Included with the QNAP HS-251+ is also a remote control that makes the usage from the couch a lot easier, more convenient, and in a fashion one is used to from TVs, DVRs, CD players, etc. With this, it is easy to control the playback and navigate the menus without the hassle of a keyboard and mouse.
The newest QNAP operating system, QTS 4.2, brings an even smoother experience than the predecessors with its flat and modern design. QNAP have streamlined loading times and added an intelligent desktop and multi-window operation that makes controlling every aspect of your HS-251+ fully accessible and easy to use.
It’s easy to centralize your all your files and backups in one place with this NAS, as it allows you to create backup jobs to and from the NAS, sync with computers, tablets, and mobile devices as well as the cloud. The real-time and offline HD video transcoding allows smooth playback of all your files no matter what the connection is like and file formats that might not be supported.
You naturally also get all the other great features such as the headless 24/7 download center, surveillance station with up to 40 channels, official mobile apps for all key functions and management, app center with official and third-party apps to increase the functionality even more, alert functions via SMS and Email services, web server, FTP server, Radius server, VPN server, print server, Plex media server, and much more.
The QNAP HS-251+ also supports the Qsirch function that is a QNAP exclusive. It is one of the best search function available that will find anything that you’re looking for on your NAS with ease and a lot faster than any traditional method will. Simply type in as much as you know about what you are trying to find, including bits of the file name or even words/phrases in the document, and Qsirch will display a list of matches, complete with thumbnails, as you type.
Feature Highlights
Dual-core CPU with hardware encryption engine
Your personal cloud with centralized management, file storage, sharing and backup
Real-time & offline HD video transcoding for your mobile devices, PCs, and Smart TVs
Supports file synchronization between multiple devices to have most up-to-date files
Modern set-top design for your digital lifestyle
Storage is expandable through extra units
Packaging and Accessories
QNAP’s HS-251+ comes in a plain brown box with a sticker that shows us what is inside. We get all the details we need on the sticker itself, from hardware specifications to features, so it has everything it needs to have.
Next to the NAS itself, we find a Quick Installation guide, the remote control, a power adapter and power cable from the region where it has ben bought as well as two RJ45 LAN cables inside the box.
ASUSTOR released a new version, although it’s only a beta version for now, of their Photo Gallery NAS feature. The new version brings a lot of new features as well optimizations and speedups on existing function. The new Photo Gallery 2.0 Beta is available now and it is compatible with all ASUSTOR NAS devices running ADM version 2.5.2BDF1 and onwards.
The new Photo Gallery 2.0 Beta offers multi-level folder structures, increased thumbnail processing speeds, and more sorting functions than before. New features also include auto rotation to correct orientation of uploaded images, a concealable side navigation bar that shows album folder structures, and an intuitive search function. Customizable browsing quality based on the device and network environment was also added in order to give you the best experience. Those are all great things that I’m sure will be welcome among the ASUSTOR NAS users.
This latest version of Photo Gallery is using a new database technology that makes most of these functions possible, such as the multiple levels of folders as well as the greatly increasing thumbnail processing speeds that will give you a much smoother browsing experience.
We take more and more digital photos every day and the larger the collection grows, the harder it gets to sort and manage them. We want this to get as easy as possible and the new Photo Gallery 2.0 Beta version offers some new improvements here. You can now switch between Album and Browse modes when viewing photos. Users can also customize the browsing interface according to their preferences where customizable items include language, hide and show the number of comments, show the total number of photos on a page, image aspect ratio, and the ability to prioritize image quality or speed according to the usage environment or device. Another new feature is the ability to auto-rotate photos based on the information stored in the image file. This can save many hours of work manually rotating all your panorama shots, for example.
“In our modern technological age, the total output of digital photos is growing significantly every day. The ability to manage all these photos has become a key issue for many individuals,” said Vincent Tseng, Product Manager at ASUSTOR. “Photo Gallery allows users to save time and effort while helping them to centrally manage all of their photos. Users will be able to effortlessly browse and share all of their favorite photos with friends and family around the globe.”
The new Photo Gallery 2.0 Beta is available directly from the Beta Apps section in your ASUSTOR App Central and it is also available as a direct download for devices that don’t have an active internet connection. There’s also a new Android app, AiFoto 2.0 beta, available to work with the new Photo Gallery 2.0 Beta. A new iOS version will also be available soon.
Key features for the Photo Gallery 2.0 beta version
“Album” and “Browse” viewing modes: “Album” mode, organizes all the photos from the various subfolders of an album into a single level for convenient browsing while “Browse” mode allows users to browse through photos in detail according to the album and subfolder infrastructure.
Multi-level folder structure support: In “Browse” mode users can create multiple levels of subfolders. And for second level folders can assign permissions, providing flexibility for permissions management.
Concealable side navigation bar: Provides album thumbnails and total photo count for each album.
User preferences: Individual users can decide whether to show the total number of comments and whether or not to have the side bar automatically open to the location of the current album being viewed. Users can also change the interface language and configure image quality according to browsing device, optimizing the browsing experience.
Intuitive sorting: Ability to sort images in ascending or descending order according to file name or time taken.
Adjustable browsing: Supports photo wall, 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 image ratios for display along with an ability to scale down images to a minimum of 0.60 times. The number of photos shown per page can also be configured (50, 100, 250, 500, 1000).
Automatic image rotation to correct orientation, saving time and energy.
Comprehensive search function: Can use keywords to search within specified albums and folders. Can also specify search criteria such as file name, album name, file description, comments, commenter, time taken, time uploaded and tags.
One-click sharing to social media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Plurk, email)
Intuitive drag and drop management: In “Browse” mode, supports directly dragging and dropping photos to move them.
Can configure album cover and tags (for a single photo or batch of photos).
Slideshow viewing mode
Provides comment function for users to interact with each other.
Supports a wide range of image formats: RAW, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF
With the advances in storage capacity on our drives, more and more people realise that a 2-bay NAS actually is enough for most people. With 8TB drives, you can have up to 16TB raw capacity or 8TB in a mirrored RAID setup, which honestly is plenty for most people. And storage doesn’t even have to be expensive. For example, you can get the 8TB Seagate Archive HDD for just £157.02. With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at Thecus’ newest family member, the N2810 2-bay NAS that is equipped with the newest generation Braswell CPU, supports encryption, and also 4K playback and transcoding.
Thecus new N2810 is using the Intel Braswell N3050 dual-core processor that has a base clock speed of 1.6GHz and a burst speed up to 2.16GHz. It also comes equipped with 2GB DDR3 ram that allows you to run a lot more at once from this device than a lot of other ones. N2810 also supports AES-NI encryption engine for increased performance and enhanced security. The memory is expandable all the way up to 8GB, in case the included 2GB shouldn’t be enough for you. It should however easily be enough for plenty of multitasking and seamless 4K playback.
The NAS has plenty of connection options with three USB 3.0 ports for maximized transfer speeds on externally connected storage as well as two LAN ports that allow for 7 modes of link aggregation. The N2810 is also equipped with an HDMI port for local playback and supports USB devices, Apple TV, and Chromecast. More traditional media apps such as Kodi (formerly known as XMBC) and Plex further increase the rich multimedia offering.
Thecus bundles both Intel Security and Acronis backup solutions with the N2810 to give an even bigger peace of mind when it comes to the security of your files as well as the device itself. Should local security and backup not be enough, then the N2810 also supports DropBox, Amazon S3, and ElephantDrive. There is also an app store with over 700 free apps and user profiles for Thecus OS 7.0.
The drive trays are lockable to prevent accidental ejection as well as keep people with long fingers away from your drives. The front USB 3.0 port comes with a one-touch copy button for easy backups to and from external drives.
“The N2810 steps up to the challenges that 4K playback creates and provides a robust hardware platform that is able to handle multiple tasks with ease,” said Florence Shih, CEO at Thecus Technology Corp. “With the recent development of our newest operating system, ThecusOS 7.0, we are elated to announce that the N2810 will be the first Thecus NAS to be released with the new software.”
The new Thecus N2810 NAS will begin shipping globally in February. Since we now know that the N2810 will ship in February and come with the brand new Thecus OS 7.0, we know also have a time frame on the OS and can expect it to be rolled out to other Thecus NAS around the same time or shortly after.
Synology’s 2-bay play series has been very popular among users due to its great features and functionality coupled with a low asking price. Today I’m taking a closer look at the newest model in this series, the DS216play, a NAS featuring a powerful dual-core CPU with hardware H.264 and H.265 transcoding support and floating point unit.
Let us dive right into the hardware on this little NAS. The CPU is an STM STiH412 32-bit dual-core processor with 1.5GHz and floating point unit. The hardware transcoding engine is capable of the H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-2, and VC-1 codecs and it can work with a maximum resolution of up to 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) at up to 30 frames per second. It allows you to transcode 4K videos to 1080p, making them suitable for all screens and bandwidths whether they are local media players or remote mobile devices. In addition, you can also stream original 4K resolution videos to your multimedia player or 4K TV within a local network environment. The CPU is backed by 1GB DDR3 memory which should be sufficient for its area of operation.
With those hardware specifications, the DS216play is able to deliver an average speed of 107 MB/s when reading and 91 MB/s when writing on a RAID 1 configuration from a Windows environment. The built-in floating-point unit enhances the overall capability of the main CPU and it is particularly advantageous in speeding up thumbnail creations when uploading a lot of photos or videos.
One of the main features of a NAS like this is to stream media files to a whole lot of devices. The DS216play can act as a DLNA certified DMS (Digital Media Server), allowing you to stream multimedia contents, such as music, photos, and videos, to DLNA compliant devices. It can also stream to pretty much any other device such as mobile phones and tablets, TVs, and stereos. Synology also offers support for Samsung TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Roku players.
Three of the official and very popular apps on the DS216play are the Photo Station, Video Station, and Audio Station. They provide a streamlined and sleek interface that turn your NAS into an entertainment hub. The Video Station allows you to browse and manage all your movies, TV shows, and home videos and build up a smart video library with those. The Photo Station is the same, just for still pictures, and it also allows you to create web albums or blogs to record and share the exciting moments of your lives with others. The Audio Station can create your own audio streaming service where you can build a personal music center and stream music directly from your Synology NAS to other devices. You can rate your songs and sort music into smart playlists according to the rating. Plus, sharing a playlist with others is as simple as creating a sharing link and sending it to your friends.
Thanks to Synology’s QuickConnect, you can easily access all the NAS functions no matter where in the world you are, as long as the NAS and you both have an internet connection. It is a very simple DDNS service that takes care of all the settings for you. All you need to do is log in. This allows you to create your own personal cloud service where you don’t need to rely on costly monthly plans or storage limits. You can still connect your NAS to public cloud offerings such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, hubiC, and Baidu Cloud as well as Amazon S3, Glacier cloud service, Microsoft Azure, SFR, and hicloud.
The Synology DS216play supports plenty of backup methods for both Windows and Mac users with the use of Cloud Station. Whenever you modify a file, the changes are backed up to the DS216play automatically. Mac OS users can also use Apple Time Machine. Backups to and from another Synology NAS is also supported, just as rsync servers, external drives, and cloud services can be used as backup targets.
Speaking of external devices, the DS216play has one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port for external storage devices, printers, or wireless adapters. There is one Gigabit Ethernet port for the network connectivty and the entire unit is cooled by a 92mm fan.
So far I have talked a lot about the media capabilities on the DS216play NAS, but we shouldn’t forget that NAS stands for network attached storage. The DS216play naturally supports everything it needs to here from Samba (SMB2) for Windows and Mac OS users as well as AFP and NFS. Should you use WebDAV for your credentials, then that is supported too. AFP, CIFS, File Station and WebDAV also support network recycle bins for extra safety. An FTP service is also included by default, one of the oldest and most universal file transfer protocls around.
The File Station is a fast and secure feature for sharing and managing your files stored on DS216play. Just drag and drop to upload data from Mac or PC. Advanced filters make it easy to search for documents, photos, or videos and it also has a built-in FTP and email client. IT lets you organize and share files through an advanced web application and you can even share files and folders with others by simply sending a link. Files can be reached on mobile devices via the companion mobile app DS file. Both HTTPS and SSL/TLS encryption are featured for secure transfers and you can even set link expiry dates.
Synology built the DS216play in the well-known two-piece chassis, this time in black. It is simple yet effective with the only downside of not having front-accessible drive bays. On the other hand, home users are the intended market for a NAS like this and it is not like they’re switching and swapping drives all the time.
Feature Highlights
4K Ultra HD video transcoding on the fly
Powerful dual-core CPU with H.265 codec support
107.7 MB/s Reading, 91.47 MB/s Writing
DLNA certified for media streaming
Powered by Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
Packaging and Accessories
The Synology DiskStation DS216play comes in a simple brown box with a sticker highlighting the NAS model and its features.
The physical characteristics are detailed a little bit more on the rear where it also lists the hardware specifications.
Inside the box, next to the NAS itself, we find a power cable and AC/DC converter, a LAN cable, screws for the drives and the chassis itself as well as a Quick Installation Guide to get you going.
It isn’t everyone that needs the fastest NAS model on the block with all sorts of fancy features, sometimes you just want something simple, effective, and cheap. ASUSTOR created a great NAS for just such a scenario and dubbed it the AS1002T. The AS1002T is a 2-bay entry-level NAS and today I’m taking a closer look at the NAS, its features, and performance.
ASUSTOR only just released the 10-series a little while ago and these are the first ARM-powered NAS devices from ASUSTOR. Next to this 2-bay unit that I’m reviewing today, ASUSTOR also created a bigger brother to it with 4-bays. However, it is the AS1002T that I’m reviewing today and this NAS is powered by a Marvell ARMADA-385 1.0GHz dual-core processor and comes with 512MB onboard RAM. That might not sound like much, but it should be plenty for normal file-serving and streaming purposes at home. The Marvell ARMADA-385 CPU offers both hardware encryption engine and floating-point unit, but it only consumes a small amount of power; a truly efficient little NAS with a power consumption of just 13.2W during operations.
The diamond pattern on the front together with the otherwise simple black layout gives the AS1002T a great design and it isn’t as boring as a plain black unit would be. It would look equally nice next to your entertainment system or TV as it would in your home office.
The 70mm fan on the rear of the unit provides the cooling and the NAS only produces 19dBA of noise during idle mode and 32 dBA during use. That’s not much at all which is a great thing, a device that will run 24/7 needs to blend into the background and be forgotten.
The AS1002T is a basic NAS that provides basic connectivity. It comes with a single Gigabit Ethernet connection that in itself is sufficient for most personal setups where low-end switches wouldn’t allow for link aggregation anyway. Adding more would just increase the price. You get two USB 3.0 ports that not only support storage drives but also USB UPS devices and printers that then easily can be shared over your network. WiFi and Bluetooth adapters are also supported on the AS1002T
The NAS features a completely tool-free installation with two thumbscrews on the rear of the unit to open it. Once they are out, you can simply slide the case apart and install your hard disks. The hard disk installation is tool-less too thanks to the included thumbscrews. A simple way to make it easy to install the drives and keeping everything cost-effective. The downside here is that you cannot swap slide out the hard drives as easy and during use as you would be able to with an NAS that features ejectable drive trays. Again, that would have been an unnecessary cost increase as most home users won’t swap drives at all. Once it’s running, it’s running.
Thanks to the ARM CPU, the AS1002T is a very efficient little NAS. It only consumes 13.2W during operation and 6.6W during disk hibernation. The AS1002T features automatic standby for both internal and external disks, auto fan control so it never spins more than needed, and power scheduling for on, off, and restart. These are all features that are great for the environment, hardware, and electrical bill.
The LEDs can be dimmed to fit just the scenario you put the NAS into and whether you want to see them or not. The AS1002T also features the LED Night Mode where it automatically adjusts the LED lights based on your settings.
Despite the low power consumption and eco-friendliness, the AS1002T NAS still performs great. It is capable of providing a read and write performance of up to 95MB/s reading and 110MB/s writing with the 3TB WD RED test drives that ASUSTOR used for the specifications.
Besides just being a network connected storage, the AS1002T is a great multimedia companion. The CPU’s built-in floating-point unit is able to quickly process large amounts of photo thumbnails, allowing you to instantly transfer and browse photos at any time. The rich variety of multimedia server applications is able to smoothly stream high-definition multimedia entertainment to devices such as UPnP/DLNA players, web browsers on computers, tablets and smartphones.
As I previously mentioned, the ARM CPU features a built-in encryption engine, allowing data to be completely protected from the moment it is first stored on the NAS. This means that you never have to worry about your confidential data falling into the wrong hands even if your hard disks become lost or stolen. The built-in hardware encryption engine features read speeds of over 39 MB/s and write speeds of over 31 MB/s for encrypted data. This is only about a third of the speed non-encrypted files would have, but it is still plenty for most operations that involve sensitive data.
ASUSTOR’s AS1002T is naturally powered by the ASUSTOR Data Master (ADM) 2.5 firmware that provides users with the latest enhanced core functions such as internal backup, shared folder based network recycle bins, and iSCSI LUN snapshots. Optionally, users can download more apps such as Syslog Server and DataSync for Microsoft OneDrive along with newly upgraded versions of existing Apps such as Photo Gallery and LooksGood. The NAS unit will of course also work with ASUSTOR’s mobile apps for tasks such as system management, file management, backup, downloading, media sharing, home surveillance and more, allowing users to have effortless and continuous access to their NAS while on the go.
Packaging and Accessories
The ASUSTOR AS1002T box is a simple white with all the relevant information right on the front, such as compatibility, basic features, and specifications, as well as a photo of the unit itself. The rear features a few more information in a variety of languages.
Inside the box, you will find an AC power adapter and a power cable that is suited for the region you bought the unit in. There is an LAN cable, software and manual disk, setup guide, and eight thumbscrews to mount the drives.
We’ve recently seen Synology release both the DS216se and DS216play, and now it is time for the DS216 to enter the market. Synology introduced the new 2-bay NAS and announced the immediate availability of the same. Synology’s DiskStation DS216 is the direct successor to the DS214 and it is quite an upgrade.
The DS216 is powered by a dual-core Marvell Armada 385 CPU that runs are 1.3GHz and is backed by 512MB DDR3 memory. The Marvel Armada 385 CPU comes with built-in hardware encryption engine that can increase the performance with encrypted files up to 49% while reading and 110% while writing compared to the DS214. Encryption becomes a thing more and more people want to utilize which makes this a great selling point. The CPU also features a floating point unit that especially speeds up the creation of thumbnails, but overall helps with the performance of the system.
With that hardware at its disposal, the DS216 can provide a read/write performance of 111.18 MB/s in writing and over 112.79 MB/s in reading.
Synology’s DS216 features one USB 2.0 port on the front where it also has a one-touch copy button and it has another two USB 3.0 ports on the rear next to the RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port. Other than that, the DS216 doesn’t have any more connectivity, but what would you want more?
The two-bay NAS supports up to 16TB volumes with its two bays and 8TB drives, a storage amount that should be plenty for most people. The front panel is removable and behind it are two drive trays that support hot-swapping and easy tool-free installation.
A nice touch is that you can adjust the LED brightness on the front of the NAS, allowing you to tune it down where it otherwise would be too bright and just annoying. Perfect for living room placements where you don’t want a lot of blinking lights all the time. Other than that, the DS216 features all the other great functions that we know and love from the DSM operating system.
The DS216 is backed by a 2-year limited warranty and is available now worldwide for an MSRP of £204.00 and €240.00.
QNAP have brought us some awesome technologies that expand the NAS’ usage abilities and they back once again with a new combination of devices. The newest two NAS devices don’t just run QNAPs own QTS operating system for normal NAS usage, they come with a combination of QTS and Android, allowing you to use the NAS directly with all your favourite Android apps. The two NAS are the TAS-168 1-bay unit and the TAS-268 2-bay unit.
The new QNAP TAS-x68 series uses an ARM v7 1.1GHz dual-core processor and has 2GB DDR3 RAM and 4GB flash memory. You get one USB 3.0 port on the front and four USB 2.0 ports on the rear next to the Gigabit Ethernet port and an HDMI port.
The combination offers terabytes of storage capacity as well as 4K H.265 and H.264 HDMI-out and makes the TAS-x68 an optimal and budget-friendly multimedia NAS with nearly unlimited apps available. And you also save yourself the trouble of getting an Android-based TV box. And there aren’t that many Android boxes that support 4K UHD yet, which the TAS-x68 does.
You got access to both the Google Play market and QNAP’s QTS apps, which should provide you with almost any function from enterprise features to fun games and streaming content. QTS 4.2 still supports all the normal NAS functions from cross-platform file sharing to backup functions, FTP, and WebDAV. VPN setups are also available in both QTS and Google Play, allowing you to tunnel your way to your designated target.
This could very well be the perfect NAS for heavy Android users as well as give new ones the ability to get a device that does a lot more than just store files. The new QNAP TAS-x68 series should be available globally now, which means they will arrive at your local resellers shortly. Early listings have the TAS-168 listed for €199 and the TAS-268 for €250.
Today’s review is a real pleasure for me as I get to take a closer look and test an elite class business NAS with built-in 10GbE and high availability function. I got Thecus’ N7770-10G 7-bay business NAS on the table and I’m going to give it thorough testing to show you just how amazing it is.
When I review consumer class NAS devices, I often talk about how they are suited for all sorts of media and streaming needs as that is the main focus for that group. The Thecus N7770-10G does all this too and it does it great, but it isn’t what it was designed for. This is a business class NAS and as such it needs a whole other set of features and functionality. You get a complete backup solution that includes the use of external devices, cloud backup, snapshots, and client backup as well as total security thanks to Intel Security Antivirus, AES 256-bit encryption, and VPN server functionality. The N7770-10G still provides all the mobile connectivity and media streaming capabilities as well as centralized authentication control.
The Thecus N7770-10G NAS isn’t built around a low-power ARM or Intel Celeron CPU, instead it’s built with a full Intel Core i3-2120 dual-core processor that has a base clock speed of 3.3GHz. To go with that CPU, you get 8GB DDR3 ECC memory that is expandable all the way to 32GB, dual Gigabit Ethernet, 10GbE card pre-installed, and 7 drive bays for a lot of raw storage.
It is my personal opinion that we have been stuck at 1Gbps ethernet connections for way too long. While we had the ability to link those together to achieve better connections, it is old by now and today’s needs also increase the need for better connectivity. In that regard, I’m glad to see Thecus having this model with an included 10GbE adapter, making it ready for the step into the next speed category. It still features two Intel 82574L Gigabit Ethernet connections too, which you naturally all can link aggregate and trunk. Further, you get a total of six USB 2.0 ports where two of them are on the front and two USB 3.0 ports on the rear. The HDMI port further allows you to turn your NAS into the ultimate multimedia hub by connecting the NAS directly to your TV or monitor.
The N7770-10G supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 10, 50 and JBOD modes besides single disk usage. You can create multiple RAID volumes with different modes, only limited by the amount of drives you have available for the pool. Should a hard drive malfunction occur, changing one is simple thanks to online RAID migration and expansion, hot spare, and auto rebuild. You can also pick which filesystem you prefer as the N7770-10G supports EXT3, EXT4, Btrfs and XFS for increased flexibility and ability to suit many different types of environments. Users can simultaneously use different file systems across multiple RAID volumes to get the best of each one.
iSCSI Thin-Provisioning is a thing that many people still read past as they don’t really know what it is, but it is well worth getting the handle on, as you can manage your storage better and get better speeds. Connect through iSCSI for the fastest data transfer speeds available and make wasted disk space a thing of the past with thin provisioning’s flexible storage functionality. Windows Server, NT, and XP users will need to download the iSCIC initiator from Microsoft, but Windows 7, 8, and 10 users, for example, have it built right into the OS. If in doubt, just search for iSCSI from your Windows start menu search.
Two awesome features in Thecus NAS’ that often are overlooked, are the Disk Clone and Disk Wipe functions. Both can be extremely useful for both business and home users. The Disk Clone features allows you to copy the entire contents of a disk to one or many other disks while the Disk Wipe function allows you to permanently destroy a volumes data.
Business data is sensitive data and sensitive data needs to be protected. Thecus N7770-10G offers AES 256-bit RAID volume encryption that allows you to fully encrypt the entire RAID volume. Sensitive data also has to be sent and received with the proper security, for this you can set up the VPN server. It allows users to remotely access a secure network with the equipment already at hand.
Data Guard backup solution is the ultimate software as it provides both local and remote parts. Currently, data is backed up across RAID volumes and external drives. In addition, Data Guard uses innovative technology to sync data across the network to other NAS and servers. It makes managing NAS user-friendly and convenient. But there are many ways to backup your data and the Thecus N7770-10G pretty much supports them all.
With BTRFS support, users can enjoy the simplicity of snapshot backups. Snapshots of data at various time points can be manually or automatically made and just as easily later restored to rollback files or folders to previous states. Rsync is probably the most common used technique and Thecus supports this too. It gives great flexibility with remote backup capability, a flexible scheduler, and the stability of Linux-based transfer.
You can easily create your own cloud solution with the Thecus N7770-10G, but that doesn’t mean that the existing cloud providers should be counted out. There can be many reasons to use these services and Thecus supportsDropBox, Amazon S3, and ElephantDrive cloud backup functionality. The best here is that it is as easy to use and setup as all the normal and local sharing functions.
Data Burn is another great feature that comes in line with the previous mentioned Disk Clone and Disk Wipe features. With Data Burn, you can connect a CD, DVD, or Blue-ray burner and create physical optical backups of your data. In addition, it also supports burning of ISO image files instead. You can of course also use a connected optical drive to easily backup the data to your NAS.
When you buy a Thecus NAS like this, you also get a few extra software pieces that are well worth having. The hardware in itself is solid quality while failovers and redundancies are available for almost all systems. But you also need to protect your files and an Antivirus software is perfect for this. Thecus partnered with McAfee and includes their award-winning software for free.
Acronis True Image is also included for free and it is one of the easiest ways to manage your backups, I use it quite often on both a personal level and for my reviews setups. It is one of the easiest pieces of backup software available with a long set of functions and One-click protection setups.
Keeping an eye on the NAS while you’re on the go isn’t a problem either thanks to iOS and Android connectivity. With T-OnTheGo and the T-Dashboard, you can manage your NAS, and upload to and download/stream from your NAS using an iOS or Android device on the go.
Feature Highlights
Intel Core i3-2120 (3.3.GHz Dual Core) processor
8 GB DDR3 ECC Memory (Expandable to 32 GB)
10GbE card included
1 x HDMI port
Hot-swappable hard drives
RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and JBOD
Packaging and Accessories
The front and the back of the box look the same, and it looks stunning. There is no doubt looking at the package that we’re dealing with a premium NAS. The feature highlights as well as the NAS itself are shown clearly and easy to spot.
The side of the box goes more into detail on the specifications and package content. This is also where it will be marked what market it is intended for, which really only comes down to what power cable is included.
The other side shows the feature highlights and how it can be useful in pretty much any scenario. As the box says, A NAS for every need.
Inside the box we find a power cable for our region, a single RJ45 ethernet cable, four keys for the drive trays, screws for seven 3.5-inch drives and screws for seven 2.5-inch drives as well as a utilities disk, warranty card, and quick installation guide.
QNAP released a new and powerful 5-bay NAS with upgradeable memory, quad-core CPU, SSD cache support and 10-Gigabit Ethernet support. The new QNAP TS-531P features an Annapurna Labs Alpine AL-314 quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 processor with 1.4GHz, hardware encryption engine, and floating point unit, and it comes in two versions with either 2GB or 8GB DDR3 memory.
Right out of the box, the QNAP TS-531P features four Gigabit Ethernet ports that naturally support Link Aggregation and Failover, but you can expand it with either a 10GbE SFP+ or 10Gbase low-profile add-in card for even better connectivity. 10GbE is finally starting to make a proper entry into the market as more and more SMB devices start to feature what used to be reserved to the enterprise sector and it is something that I’ve been waiting for in a long time. The TS-531 supports add-in cards with up to two ports, allowing you a total of either 6 Gigabit Ethernet ports or 4 GbE and two 10GbE ports in this NAS.
This is an SMB NAS that comes with all the essentials in this area, which also means that the HDMI port for direct usage as HTPC that we see on personal oriented NAS devices isn’t there. There are however three USB 3.0 ports for expansion where one of them is located on the front for easy access together with the one-touch copy button. These ports can also be used to expand the storage abilities with up to two QNAP expansion enclosures, either the UX-800P 8-bay or UX-500P 5-bay units. With two 8-bay expansion units, you can have up to 168GB raw storage capacity using 8TB drives.
The TS-531P supports Container Station that allows users to operate multiple virtual Linux systems thanks to the LXC and Docker lightweight virtualization technologies. You can easily download more through the built-in Docker Hub Registry or create your own. It supports import and export and permission settings along with a flexible user interface, and informative dashboard. Container Station will also support the Online Document app that is currently in development. It will allow users to directly view, edit and store files of various types (office documents, images, and text files) on their TS-531P without the hassle of back-and-forth file transfers.
The QNAP TS-531P will naturally also support all the other great features that we have come to know from QNAP, from the comprehensive backup options that include cloud offerings over the powerful Qsirch search feature to the surveillance station and everything in between. It is available now starting from €513.41 and €648.81 respectively for the 2GB and 8GB models.
Synology officially announced the worldwide availability on the successor of the DiskStation DS713+ NAS, the brand new DS716+ with upgraded CPU and 4K video transcoding abilities.
The new Synology DS716+ is built with an Intel Celeron N3150 quad-core CPU running at 1.6GHz and has a burst speed up to 2.08GHz and that comes with a 256-bit AES-NI hardware encryption engine. Synology coupled that with 2GB DDR3 system memory, making the DS716+ a very capable 2-bay NAS unit for growing businesses. The DS716+ comes with excellent transfer speeds thanks to dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and support for both BTRFS and EXT4 file formats on the internal drives. It is able to perform with 223 MB/s while reading and 137 MB/s while writing unencrypted data and still maintain an impressive 218 MB/s when reading and 141 MB/s when writing encrypted data.
Synology added three USB 3.0 ports, one on the front and two on the back, for easy storage expansion as well as connectivity of printers and UPS devices. I am personally a big fan of eSATA ports and as such it pleases me that Synology also included that on the DS716+. USB is great, but it doesn’t hold up to a native SATA connection and makes expansion a lot easier. Speaking of expansion, the DS716+ 2-bay NAS can be expanded with the use of a Synology expansion unit DX513, allowing it to support up to 7 HDDs at ones and have 56TB raw storage. It is naturally also compatible with the smaller 2-bay expansion unit.
Thanks to the new quad-core N3150 CPU, the DS716+ is capable of real-time H.264 4K Ultra HD video transcoding, providing a complete support to the latest multimedia file formats. The noise level is rated at just 18dBA and the silent NAS doesn’t consume much power either: only about 26W during access and 9W when the hard disks hibernate.
Synology fans will also notice a subtle little improvement on the old physical layout over previous models and I personally quite like it. We find a USB copy button on the front and both that button and the power button changed to feature an LED stripe.
Synology is backing the DS716+ with a 3-year warranty and it is available for a price starting at €451.92.
QNAP created their TS-251 Turbo NAS as a great high-performance solution for home users as well as small and medium-sized offices, and today I’m taking a closer look at what it has to offer and how well it performs in our testing area.
The TS-251 provides a high performance and high-capacity storage solution thanks to a great combination of QNAP’s advanced QTS operating system and some great hardware. It is an easy-to-use yet powerful NAS for data backup, file synchronization, remote access, home entertainment, and it is also ideal for users to build a personal cloud where they can access their data easily and secure, outside of the prying eyes of strangers and commercial hosting solutions.
The QNAP TS-251 is built with an Intel Celeron 2.41GHz dual-core processor that has a burst speed up to 2.58GHz. It comes with two DDR3L memory slots and is available in two models, one with 1GB RAM and the one I’m taking a look at today with 4GB DDR3L RAM in two 2GB modules. The TS-251 has 512 DOM storage for the system itself and comes with two hot-swappable trays.
Users of the TS-251 Turbo NAS get two Intel-powered Gigabit RJ45 Ethernet ports that support trunking and link aggregation. There is one USB 3.0 port on the front together with the One-Touch copy button and another USB 3.0 on the rear. You will also find two USB 2.0 ports there. The rear USB 3.0 port is excellent for expanding the capacity of the NAS with up to 8 more drives, making this a great starter NAS that can be expanded at a later time, should you need it. QNAP has the UX-500P and UX-800P expansion units that respectively provide 5 and 8 extra drive bays. They connect to the NAS through a single USB 3.0 cable, making it real easy to set up. That effectively means that you can have up to 60TB raw storage with a complete set of 6TB drives and the TS-251.
The two USB 2.0 ports are perfect for USB printers, pen drives, and USB UPS connection as well as for keyboard and mouse when you’re using the HD Station. This is also where the HDMI port comes into play, as you can hook the TS-251 directly up to a monitor and use it for direct media playback of 1080p videos with 7.1 channel surround sound as well as run virtualization systems.
The powerful Intel x86 processor in the TS-251 can transcode Full HD videos on-the-fly as well as offline, allowing you to play them smoothly on both PCs and smart devices. It allows for up to 5 devices to simultaneously view different videos stored on the TS-251 with on-the-fly hardware accelerated transcoding. Even devices that lack the computing power or have limited file format support will have a great experience and it doesn’t require any complicated and time-consuming file conversions done by yourself.
You can easily stream to all your devices whether they are Smart TVs, PlayStation, or Xbox systems as well as Hi-Fi systems that support streaming. Mobile devices, both Android and iOS, are supported and so is Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV. Plex Media server is also included which is one of the most popular ways to manage streaming content.
For the perfect media experience, you might also want to invest in the optional media remote. The TS-251 features an IR receiver and works like a charm with the QNAP RM-IR002 remote control as well as MCE remote controls. You can also turn your mobile devices into remote controls by installing the Qremote app. All in all, you’re covered when it comes to media features on the TS-251.
You can easily turn the QNAP TS-251 Turbo NAS into your own personal cloud solution thanks the myQNAPcloud. It provides an always-connected infrastructure for everyone, and all without complicated setups and extra services such as static IPs, redirects, and DNS setups. A few simple steps to register your NAS and it’s ready.
Constant synchronization is a breeze with Qsync where any file uploaded to the TS-251 will be made available for all linked devices, such as computers, laptops, and mobile devices. Qsync is especially useful for frequent travelers in managing files and ensuring that different devices have the most up-to-date files with great flexibility.
The TS-251 also offers various data recovery options such as Real-Time Remote Replication (RTRR) for real-time and scheduled data backup to remote Turbo NAS or FTP servers as well as synchronization of files to remote folders from local folders. The rsync protocol is also supported and it is a very popular and simple method to backup data to remote servers on a scheduled basis. Commercial and public cloud services are also supported for both backup and restoration from providers such as Amazon S3, Amazon Glacier, Microsoft Azure, ElephantDrive, Dropbox, and Google Cloud Storage.
Local backup is just as important and in many cases it is the main reason that people invest in an NAS. The TS-251 can do that thanks to QNAP’s NetBak Replicator that supports real-time and scheduled data backup on Windows, including Outlook email archiving. Mac OS X users can use Apple Time Machine for effortless backup, and both types of users can use the USB 3.0 port and one-touch backup button on the front to backup that external storage to the NAS. A wide range of third-party backup software such as Acronis True Image and Symantec Backup Exec are also supported.
I’ve previously mentioned the direct usage functionality of the TS-251 thanks to the USB and HDMI ports, and that all comes together thanks to QNAP’s exclusive QvPC Technology. It allows you to use the NAS directly as a PC with direct access to stored data, the ability to run multiple applications using Windows/Linux/UNIX/Android-based VMs, surf the web on Google Chrome, or enjoy Full HD videos with up to 7.1 channel audio via Kodi.
The Virtualization Station is another feature we get thanks to the QvPC technology and it transforms the TS-251 into a virtualization platform supporting multiple operating systems, fast virtual machine creation, virtual machine import/export, snapshot, and that enables desktop operations on web browsers. With the easy-to-use interface, you can centrally manage all of the virtual machines created on the TS-251 with minimal effort. You can also download VMs on demand from online VM markets and import them to TS-251 without any complex procedure. This feature requires at least 2GB of RAM, so the 1GB model is out of the running here. Thankfully I’ve got the 4GB model here. As previously mentioned, you can also upgrade the memory in the TS-251 at any point with standard SO-DIMM DDR3 modules.
The TS-251 can also be used as Surveillance Station and you can monitor this directly via the HDMI output in real-time with local display, and much more. Surveillance Station offers a professional surveillance solution with a user-friendly management interface, over 2,600 compatible IP cameras, and expandable IP camera channel licenses. Next to real-time monitoring it also supports video and audio recording as well as playback with a wide range of customizable settings. There are also Android and iOS apps available for this.
Downloading files can also be done directly by the NAS thanks to the download center. The new and improved Download center in QTS 4.2 means that the old QGet tool isn’t needed anymore and QNAP has ceased the support for this. The Download Station can download BT, Magnet, PT (Private Trackers), eMule, FTP, and HTTP, and all without the need to have a PC running. You can also install HappyGet app to back up abundant online videos to your TS-251.
QNAP NAS’ offer so much, it is tough to mention it all. In short, it does pretty much everything. There are a few things more worth highlighting such as the Signage Station that lets you creatively present your animated content such as personal animated resumes or life memory books. You get the Notes Station that gives you a private and secure way to share and collaborate on digital notes and Qsirch is probably the most efficient way to search for content on your NAS, it’s quick and effective, and it searches your content intelligently.
You also get the Photo Station and Music Station that help you share the photos and media you want while keeping other things private and limit the availability. Connect and stream internet radio, favorite songs from iTunes server and much more. The TS-251 can do it all.
Packaging and Accessories
The front of the packaging displays the NAS unit itself and the area of operation, in this case, High-Performance Home users and Small offices. Some of the main features are also presented right on the front and it is an overall great looking design. It’s simple, but not boring.
A personal cloud setup is getting more and more relevant as we are getting used to being connected everywhere we go. The rear of the box displays that and shows some of the ways that you can utilize that.
The two sides provide even more information, without being too cluttered. Overall a great package design from QNAP on the TS-251; I like it.
Inside the box, you’ll find a power supply and power cable from the region where it was bought, in this case, a UK power cable. There are two LAN cables so you can use both LAN ports right away as well as screws for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives. Two small manuals help you getting started, setting it up and connecting it for the first time.
It has been a little while since Synology released the last major update for their award-winning NAS operating system, but now it is here, t least in its beta form. Synology officially announced the beta release of their DiskStation Manager, or DSM for short, as version 6.0 beta. The new system architecture will be much more efficient thanks to the upgrade to 64-bit architecture on compatible models as well as modularisation of a greater number of applications.
There are several new and pretty awesome features in DSM 6.0 beta, where on of them is the Docker DSM. Businesses can create a multi-tenant environment with flexible resource control and secured isolation. All Docker DSMs run independently from each other and provide additional features such as live migration. Synology’s multi-version backup provides snapshot and replication to one or more remote sites, up to every 5 minutes, and block-level incremental backup and cross-version deduplication is also included. You’re well covered here.
There’s also a new Spreadsheet feature with co-editing, historical versions, tag, and file sharing link as part of Note Station. Offline editing, one-click email clipping, and instant table-chart conversion is also part of the deal. Apple Watch users can now enjoy the Note Station even more as it is now compatible with the Watch. Owners of an Apple Watch can now check notes directly on their wrist, or create new notes via voice input.
MailPlus server comes with active-active architecture, load balancing, and content filters and allows you to have a great mail solution running right from your own location. The clients are browser- and mobile-based and feature physical mailbox, virtual labels, auto-filter, and sticker.
Cloud Station Server and Cloud Sync now provide users with flexible synchronization of files within specified subfolders in addition to shared folders. Small file syncing has now become over 8 times faster than before which is great as those small files often come in big groups. Synology also revamped the Video station for this new version. It now supports offline transcoding, on-screen buttons, and Windows 10. DS Audio got Apple Watch support now too, to allow users to select songs, playlists, and broadcasts directly.
These are just a few of the things that Synology’s DSM 6.0 beta has to offer. You can also check out the new mini-site, release notes, or just go ahead and download it if you can’t wait any longer.
Oh, and don’t forget: Synology also rewards beta testers that provide valuable feedback. Three winners will be selected during each beta stage and they each win a Synology DS215j NAS. The winners will be chosen based on the significance of issues discovered and reported, time spent cooperating with Synology’s Support Team in solving the issues, as well as helpfulness of recommendations for making DSM 6.0 even better.
ASUSTOR just launched the new 31 series of NAS designed for the multimedia prosumer and with built-in 4K capabilities. The new series consist of two devices, the 2-bay AS3102T and the 4-bay AS3104T. The new NAS units are built around an Intel Celeron N3050 1.6GHz dual-core processor with a 2.16GHz Boost speed. It comes with 2GB built-in dual-channel DDR3 memory and can provide around 110MB/s transfer speeds in a RAID 1 setup.
The NAS connect through a single Gigabit Ethernet Port, which also explains the transfer speed ratings. They also come with one USB 3.0 port on the front and another two on the rear for extra storage connectivity. There is an Infrared receiver on the front and an HDMI 1.4b port on the rear that supports 4K UHD resolutions that make it ready to hook directly up to your 4K TV or monitor.
“ASUSTOR’s 31 series devices provide smoother multimedia playback via their enterprise-class core hardware and dual-channel memory,” said Johnny Chen, Product Manager at ASUSTOR. “The 31 series lowers the barriers for home users and prosumers who require 4K multimedia playback and secure cloud storage.”
The compact sized NAS units with the elegant looking diamond pattern pack quite a punch thanks to the Braswell generation CPU that provides enhanced multitasking and supports AES-NI encryption engine for increased access speeds on encrypted data. The systems don’t use drive trays that are hot-swappable, but drives can be swapped toolless thanks to the thumbscrews on the rear and inside.
ASUSTOR’s LooksGood app can be used on the AS31 series to view videos over the Internet as well as to watch and record live digital TV. LooksGood also features ASUSTOR’s Hyper-Transcoding technology which provides at least a tenfold reduction in video conversion times. This series also support real-time transcoding that allows users to enjoy a smoother streaming experience where the playback device otherwise could have limits in capabilities and bandwidth.
QNAP started the beta version of their QTS 4.2 operating system a little while ago and it was very successful as well as received with positive feedback from users all around. Now the official version of QNAP’s QTS 4.2 has been released and I can say first hand, it is great. QTS 4.2 doesn’t just feature a refreshed user interface with a flat design, frameless media viewer and a general better browsing experience, it also comes with a row of new features and improvements.
A refined multimedia experience is provided thanks to the multi-zone multimedia controls that allow users to centrally manage media via various streaming protocols and services. The Photo Station got a major UI overhaul too while the HD Station got more useful apps with multilingual and multi-tasking support. The File Station adds remote connections to public cloud services and also shared folders from a remote NAS. myQNAPcloud provides a new dashboard for users to centrally manage multiple NAS with stronger security mechanisms such as myQNAPcloud ID control and SSL certificates.
The Storage Manager adds a snapshot tool for volume/LUN backup and restoration. Several enhancements are included to improve business efficiency and performance such as SSD cache acceleration, QJBOD (JBOD enclosure roaming), cloud sync support for Google Drive and Dropbox. QTS 4.2 also introduces an industry-leading hybrid virtualization solution allowing users to run complete OS VMs with Virtualization Station and lightweight virtualization with Container Station that supports both LXC and Docker. Fewer restrictions and more options are both things we all appreciate. QNAP also added several security mechanisms to ensure data security, including 2-step verification, shared folder encryption, instant notifications to mobile devices, and VPN server with L2TP/IPsec support.
As a storage reviewed it also happens that I’m currently reviewing a QNAP NAS and had the chance to try the new QTS 4.2 myself in its final version, and it is great. It will take you about 2 minutes to get used to the new look after which you’ll love it.
QNAP announced a new series of NAS devices for businesses that need nothing but the best, the new TVS-ECx80-SAS-RP series. The new NAS units are built around an Intel Xeon E3-1246 v3 quad core 3.5 GHz processor and come with either 16GB DDR3 RAM or 8GB DDR3 ECC RAM.
A great CPU and plenty of memory is just a small part of what makes this new series so great. QNAP releases four units in this series: The TVS-EC2480U-SAS-RP 24 x 3.5-inch 4U, TVS-EC1680U-SAS-RP 16 x 3.5-inch 3U, TVS-EC1280U-SAS-RP: 12 x 3.5-inch 2U, and the TVS-EC1580MU-SAS-RP with 9 x 3.5-inch and 6 x 2.5-inch bays in a 2U rackmount unit. All four units come with 4 x Gigabit LAN port and are 10GbE ready with optional add-in cards via two PCIe expansion slots. They supports 3.5-inch SAS 12Gbps, SAS/SATA 6Gbps hard drives and SSD, or 2.5-inch SAS/SATA SSD. The hard drives are, of course, hot-swappable and the untis also come with built-in 256GB mSATA modules for SSD caching. USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and HDMI ports are also part of each of these units.
All that hardware I’ve just mentioned is able to deliver an impressive performance with up to 3,800+ MB/s throughput and 268,100+ IOPS. If you should run out of space at some point, QNAP has you covered with their REXP-1620U-RP and REXP-1220U-RP RAID expansion enclosures of which you can attach up to eight of. That in return allows you over 1 Petabyte of raw capcity which is managed from a single unit.
Having a lot of data is one thing, you also need to be able to access it in a proper fashion. The TVS-ECx80U-SAS-RP series is an industry-leading unified NAS that supports Auto Tiering to deliver constant optimization of data across high-performance SSD, 12Gbps SAS drives and high-capacity SATA disks.
“QNAP’s Qtier Technology triggers storage auto-tiering for the TVS-ECx80U-SAS-RP series, allowing the right data to be placed in the right disks at the right time according to the access frequency of stored data,” said Alan Lin, product manager of QNAP. “The new NAS series realizes the optimal storage efficiency and boosts performance, making it the best storage solution especially for environments like virtualization that contain dynamically-changing workloads.”
There isn’t much that you can’t achieve with this new series, may it be your own cloud system or something completely different. You get all the usual features of a NAS unit of this caliber including QNAP’s great Qsirch for efficient searching of data in that giant storage pool.
The new TVS-ECx80U-SAS-RP QNAP NAS models and REXP-x20U-RP RAID expansion enclosures are now available and come with up to 5-years warranty where the first three years are default and included.
ASUSTOR has launched a new line of entry-level NAS devices called the 10-series and it is the first ARM powered series from ASUSTOR. The new NAS units AS1002T and AS1004T are powered by a Marvell ARMADA-385 1.0GHz dual-core processor and come with 512MB onboard RAM. That should be plenty of performance for normal file-serving and streaming alike.
Intel’s x86 based CPUs aren’t the cheapest on the block and opting for an ARM based solution can cut the costs quite a bit. The ARMADA-385 shouldn’t be discarded due to that as it comes with hardware encryption engine and floating-point unit while it only consumes a small amount of power; a truly efficient little NAS.
The AS1002T is a 2-bay NAS and the AS1004T is a 4-bay NAS, but other than that they are the same. You get two USB 3.0 ports where one of them is placed on the front as well as a single Gigabit Ethernet connection. Plenty to hook everything up and get a good performance. The NAS units are capable of providing read and write performance of 95 MB/s and 110 MB/s.
The diamond plate finish gives the units a nice touch and the installation is completely tool-less thanks to the hand-screw design. There is one more minor difference in the two units: The AS1004T comes with a 120mm fan where the AS1002T only has a 70mm fan.
“ASUSTOR’s 10 series was designed with both hardware performance and modern aesthetics in mind,” said Johnny Chen, Product Manager at ASUSTOR. “The devices also feature the convenient use of hand screws, which allows users to easily remove the outer cover and complete hard disk installation without the use of any extra tools.”
Both NAS units feature ASUSTOR’s ADM (ASUSTOR Data Master) 2.5 firmware that provides users with the latest enhanced core functions such as internal backup, shared folder based network recycle bins, and iSCSI LUN snapshots. Optionally, users can download more apps such as Syslog Server and DataSync for Microsoft OneDrive along with newly upgraded versions of existing Apps such as Photo Gallery and LooksGood. The NAS units will of course also work with ASUSTOR’s mobile apps for tasks such as system management, file management, backup, downloading, media sharing, home surveillance and more, allowing users to have effortless and continuous access to their NAS while on the go.
Key Features for the AS1002T and AS1004T
Marvell 1.0 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Pre-installed 512 MB Memory
1 x Gigabit Ethernet Port
Front of Device: 1 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (5 GB/s) Port, LED Indicators
Back of Device: 1 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (5 GB/s) Port, Power Button, Reset Button
Hand Screws, Easily Remove Cover and Install Hard Disks Without Additional Tools
Supports Hardware Encryption Engine
Supports RAID Volume Management RAID 0/1, Single, JBOD (AS1002T)
While Kodi 16’s alpha is making headlines in some places for its upcoming features, Kodi 15 is the latest official and full version. ASUSTOR are the first NAS manufacturers to support Kodi 15 on their 50, 51, 61, 62, and 7 series NAS devices; All those with HDMI out.
Multimedia streaming and direct play is one of the main reasons many people invest in an NAS in the first place and as such it’s nice to see the manufacturers hurrying to get the best experience out to their users. As part of that, ASUSTOR will also release AiCast soon, a powerful and dedicated remote mobile app for Kodi. With AiCast users will be able to conveniently select media and control playback on Kodi from their local network or even remotely.
Kodi 15 brings some nice new features such as a chapter selection window for mkvs and other containers that support chapters, adaptive seeking where the time jumps will get larger the more you press the seek button, and the audio and subtitles can now be selected from a list rather than a spinner. The Language Add-Ons also got an overhaul and are no longer dependent upon release. The overall add-on manager has been reworked too, making it easier to find the add-ons that you’re actually looking for.
If you, like me, are the lucky owner of an ASUSTOR NAS that supports Kodi, then the update is a breeze. Just log in to your ADM control panel and head to your App Central to select the update. All done.
I’ve upgraded mine and it’s a great one. Now I’m looking forward to Kodi 16 getting out of tis alpha stage, so I can enjoy features such as non-linear stretching and the option to select “none” for preferred subtitles.
Synology unveiled their newest rackmounted NAS dubbed the RS2416+ and RS2416RP+ that features a redundant PSU. The 12-bay NAS can easily be expanded on the fly for up to 24 drives and should bring a good performance thanks to great hardware.
The Synology RS2416+ is equipped with a quad-core Atom C2538 CPU and comes with built-in AES-NI hardware encryption engine, and 2GB RAM that is expandable up to 6GB. The NAS comes with four Gigabit Ethernet ports that support failover and Link Aggregation as well as two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports.
The RS2416+ supports the Btrfs file system and offers metadata mirroring and checksums that guarantee a higher level of data availability and survivability. Snapshots can be automatically captured as frequently as every five minutes, allowing businesses to go back in time and recover previous versions of files and folders. You can set it to retain up to 256 daily, weekly, or monthly snapshots when equipped with expanded memory.
“Small- and medium-sized enterprises need a storage solution that grows with them, while also ensuring past documents, records, and other important data are protected against human error or unforeseen hardware errors. With advanced data protection and integrity mechanisms, the new RS2416+/RS2416RP+ provides the ideal choice for storing a business’ crucial data,” said Michael Wang, Product Manager at Synology Inc.
Both the RS2416+ and the RS2416RP+ with redundant PSU are now shipping globally. The MSRP for the RS2416+ is set to £1290 inc VAT and €1380 before taxes. The RS2416RP+ UK MSRP is £1620 inc VAT and €1825 before taxes.
Western Digital has a great line-up of NAS devices that already come with a lot of good features and plenty of functionality, we’ve seen that for ourselves recently in the review of the WD EX4100 NAS. WD recognized that one thing was missing from their NAS when comparing to the competition and caught up on that by partnering with Milestone Systems and adding their Arcus Surveillance software to the upcoming and newly announced My Cloud OS 3.
The Milestone Arcus Surveillance software will be available first on WD’s My Cloud Business Series NAS systems beginning this month and it is expected to be available on other My Cloud systems such as the My Cloud Expert Series in the future. Milestone Arcus is designed to be embedded in hardware devices and as such a perfect choice for WD. This enables WD My Cloud OS 3 users to turn their NAS into a full-fledged networked video recording systems for their offices or homes. After installing the Arcus app, users can install up to 16 cameras where the first two are free and more will require the purchase of additional licenses.
My Cloud OS 3 will also bring a lot of other features that mostly centre around photo and video capabilities, and Chromebooks and Chromecast are also supported with this new OS version. My Cloud OS 3 will be available as a free download at the end of September 2015 for the models My Cloud, My Cloud Mirror, My Cloud Expert Series EX2/EX4, My Cloud Expert Series EX2100/EX4100 and My Cloud Business Series DL2100/DL4100.
ASUSTOR announced the release of the ASUSTOR Data Master (ADM) 2.5 beta version which contains updates and features that focus on file security and backup. The ADM 2.5 beta is open to all ASUSTOR NAS users and it can be downloaded now from the official site.
ADM 2.5 beta provides a variety of enhanced core functions and new applications including iSCSI LUN snapshots for virtual storage, fast and flexible internal backup and shared folder based network recycle bins. Newly added apps for this version include the Syslog Server App, a management tool that enhances network maintenance productivity and the DataSync for Microsoft OneDrive App, which syncs the Microsoft OneDrive service with ASUSTOR NAS.
A great time save in this setup is the newly added iSCSI LUN snapshots and a snapshot manager. It provides almost instantaneous creation of snapshots and can save a significant amount of time and storage capacity when compared with traditional LUN backups. The snapshot manager helps users to view, manage, and restore the up to 256 snapshots that can be created for each LUN.
The Network Recycle Bin also got an update and now retains the original directory structure better and allows you to more easily recover accidentally deleted files including their file permissions and user settings. They’re also available for each shared folder now, giving the user the ability to enable it where needed and leave it out where it would be annoying. Another network improvement is the Syslog server that centrally aggregates system logs from various network devices.
The last addition is one that will be extra handy for those who upgraded to Windows 10. ASUSTOR ADM 2.5 beta supports Microsoft’s OneDrive and allows each individual ADM account to log into a OneDrive account and combine the power of cloud storage with your NAS. Synchronization works both ways and you can also just up and download files manually as you want.
As mentioned, the ADM 2.5 beta upgrade is available for download now on the official ASUSTOR Beta Program mini-site.
Last month I had the pleasure to take a look at the Synology DS715 [review here] 2-bay NAS and today I continue with Synology’s second recently released NAS, the Synology DiskStation DS215+.
The DS215+ is an all-in-one 2-bay NAS server that offers high performance while staying energy-efficient and providing a full set of business features. The dual-core CPU is powerful enough to handle multi-tasking applications and can help small and medium businesses to centralize their backups, protect critical assets, and share files quickly and efficiently – and that on a budget.
Inside the DiskStation DS215+, we find an Annapurna AL-212 dual core ARM processor with 1.4GHz with floating point unit and hardware encryption engine and 1GB DDR3 memory.
There are plenty of connection options on the DS215+ starting with the two Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports that allow you to set all modes of failover and link aggregation, including IEEE 802.3ad. The unit has two USB 3.0 ports for external drives and other devices as well as an eSATA port. Readers familiar with my reviews will know that I love it when they add the eSATA port as it is my preferred method of attaching external storage as it doesn’t have the same latency as USB does.
The hardware encryption engine coupled with the other improvements allow this unit to deliver twice the performance over the predecessor when dealing with encrypted storage.
Synology’s drive trays in these units are awesome and allow for a speedy setup as well as maintenance. The screw and tool-less design is as simple to use as pulling the sides off, inserting the drive and putting them back on. The trays are also lockable which is another bonus. You don’t eject them by accident and no false friend runs off with your drives that easy.
The software part is well covered by Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM), an operating system that has won a lot of rewards, and all well deserved. It comes with most basic and used features as standard and you’ll most likely find what is missing there in the add-on section. DSM is real easy to use and has great multi-tasking support.
One of the great features of DSM is the File station, a fast and secure way for sharing and managing your files stored on the DS215+. It has built-in FTP and email clients and allows drag and drop of files from both Windows and Mac OS systems. Mobile systems can do the same with the DS file app. HTTPS, SSL/TLS encryption, and link expiry dates also ensure file sharing over the Internet stays secure.
The basic file sharing on your network isn’t any problem for the DS215+ either as it supports it all. SMB2, FTP, NFS, WbDAV, windows AD and LDAP – you’ll find it all. Network recycle bin is also available on both AFP and CIFS shares.
The DS215+ allows for seamless account integration thanks to the User Home feature that automatically creates user folders to minimize effort while the Windows ACL support allows admins to fine-tune access controls and set up privileges through a familiar interface.
This is truly an all-in-one server as it is labeled with everything it supports. From file storage and media streaming over Mail servers and VPN servers, the DS215+ lets you do it all. It can also work as a print server with your USB printers and share them over the network as well as act as DNS server, Directory Server, RADIUS Server, DHCP Server, and Log Center. All that in one tiny box.
With the support of Windows AD, LDAP, and Domain Trust, DS215+ enables seamless account integration. The User Home feature can automatically create a “home” folder for every user account to minimize the administrator’s effort in repeatedly creating “home” folders for all accounts. Windows ACL support on DS215+ allows IT administrators to fine-tune access controls and set up privileges to files and folders on DS215+ through the familiar Windows user interface. With compatibility for major protocols, DS215+ can eliminate server configuration overhead and enhance IT administrators’ efficiency.
Backup and storage works in many ways and one very useful is the personal cloud the DS215+ allows you to set up. The Cloud Station allows you to sync files between devices in online and offline mode. The Cloud Station can remember up to 32 historical versions, encrypts the traffic, and can also sync between different NAS stations as well as mobile devices.
Security isn’t just well covered in the Cloud Station and Drives with the AES 256-bit encryption, the DS215+ also supports Antivirus and basic network security. You can also enable two-step verification for your users.
All of Synology’s mobile apps work great with this device, may they be DS note, DS audio, DS video, DS photo+, DS cloud, DS file, DS download, and DS cam. Everything right at your fingertips and on your smartphone or tablet.
That is a lot of functionality and features in one little device and one that saves both the environment and your wallet thanks to the low power consumption. When the HDDs hibernate, the DS215+ consumes just about 9W and less than 21 W when accessed. Thinking small can pay off in the long run.
We ain’t all equally skilled when it comes to the configuration of network and storage devices nor is it everyone that has the same interest in that. Sometimes you just want to purchase something, enter your preferred name and password, and then be ready to rock.
WD’s My Cloud series is designed for just these scenarios and it comes equipped with drives and is pre-configured. All you need to do yourself is connect it, turn the power on, and set your password. Today I’m taking a closer look at the WD My Cloud EX4100 from the Expert series and will give it a good spin in the test area.
The MyCloud EX4100 it is a 4-bay NAS unit and in this case it comes pre-loaded with four 4TB WD RED drives. Other disk configurations are available if 16TB shouldn’t be the right match. You can get it from driveless all the way up to 24TB raw capacity.
You will need some power on the insides to handle what the EX4100 promises and it comes with a dual-core Marvell ARMADA 388 processor that clocks at 1.6GHz and 2GB DDR3 memory. This should be plenty, but if it shouldn’t be then the EX4100 also comes with three USB 3.0 ports allowing you to connect extra external storage.
Two gigabit Ethernet ports take care of the network traffic and they fully support both port trunking and link aggregation for failover redundancy and improved traffic capabilities.
A nice bonus for every device is the built-in display at the top of the unit. It allows you to quickly see what’s going on with your unit, its name, network details, and storage setup. It will also keep you updated on the progress when you changing major configurations such as the drive setup.
Just because the unit comes pre-equipped with four drives doesn’t mean that you can’t replace them with smaller, bigger, or just other ones if you want to – or in case you bought a driveless unit. The EX4100 supports hot-swapping and comes with easy-release front bays for quick access. Pop the slider and the drive will eject.
It comes as no surprise that WD used their own RED series of NAS drives in these units. They are built especially for NAS usage, so what better to pick. In this case, the unit is equipped with four of these 4TB drives. The WD RED series uses an IntelliPower RPM systems up to 5400 RPM and come with 64MB Cache.
The EX4100 doesn’t have any dedicated drive trays and is as such tool-less to upgrade. The drives are still firmly secured inside thanks to the large dividers. Not using drive caddies allows for a smaller and more narrow footprint, something anyone can appreciate.
The EX4100 supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 as well as JBOD and Spanning. While the RAID 0 to 60 modes are self-explanatory, how the terms JBOD and Spanning are used variates a bit, including Single disk. Essentially, JBOD and Spanning is the same thing but with a small difference. JBOD stands for Just a Bunch Of Disks, these can either be presented as single volumes or one large where they are used as extension for each other. Spanning, on the other hand, will create one large volume with all the drive space available and the drives don’t even need to be the same capacity.
JBOD stands for Just a Bunch Of Disks, these can either be presented as single volumes or one large where they are used as extension for each other. Spanning, on the other hand, will create one large volume with all the drive space available and the drives don’t even need to be the same capacity.
In the EX4100’s case, JBOD will result in four individual volumes and spanning will create one large volume without redundancy or performance improvements. As always, which mode i
As always, which mode you chose is down to your own needs. Whether you need a maximum amount of capacity, redundancy, performance improvements or a little of each.
Storage is just one side of the story, you also need to connect that storage somehow. The EX4100 comes with two Gigabit Ethernet ports that support both failover and port trunking.
The addition of a dual power supply system with a backup for emergency situations is awesome and something more NAS should feature. Any product can break for one reason or another and it should have a backup solution in case that happens.
The single and relative large 120mm fan helps to keep everything cool without creating too much noise. It only needs to rotate at low speeds to keep everything cool and operate optimally.
So far I’ve talked a lot about the hardware, but that’s just one side to the story. The software has to match with the right features, otherwise what would be the point.
It doesn’t matter if you want to connect to the WD MyCloud EX4100 from Windows, Linux, or your Mac OS based system, everything should be covered with Samba, Bonjour, and NFS3 support. The EX4100 also support VLAN, UPnP, iSCSI, SSH, and WebDAV and comes with an FTP server.
It is well suited to stream all your stored content to anything from smart devices to TVs and media players. Twonky’s UPnP media server, DLNA, and iTunes server are all present and it supports connection to devices such as WD TV Live, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows 8, connected TVs, Blu-ray players and digital picture frames.
Security is important everywhere and WD has that part covered too with features such as Active Directory support and 256-bit AES full volume encryption.
You can set up backup plans to local and remote locations as well as the same system, use Apple’s Time Machine, or use the cloud-based services Amazon and ElephantDrive. You can also sync drives with the attached USB 3.0 ports.
Security also involves power management and the EX4100 doesn’t just come with redundant PSU support, it can also control both network and USB connected UPS power backup devices.
Within the package you’ll find the NAS device with the drives inserted, a network cable, a power supply and, in this case two connector cables: one UK and one EU. There’s also a startup guide that will get you set up, even if you don’t know the darndest thing about NAS systems.
Remote access can not only be achieved through the web interface, you can also get both a desktop application and several mobile apps for your Android and iOS devices.
Other features such as a download server for both HTTP and P2P services, being IPv6 ready, supporting jumbo frames up to 9000 bytes, and SNMP for easy administrator management in larger environments are also all present.
If you’re concerned about the environment and having a device running all the time, then WD has you covered too. It features disk spin down when not need, which also will increase the drives lifespan, wake-on-LAN, automatic power recovery, and scheduled power on-off times.
The PCB has a simple build where only one side is utilized. The memory is soldered onto the board, so you can’t upgrade that, but that would also be kind of missing the target audience for a pre-setup unit.
We see that the memory used comes from SKhynix and the LAN ports are controlled by two Marvell 88E1512 chips. The USB 3.0 ports are controlled by a Renesas µPD720210 4-port hub controller.
Synology has just released not one and not two new NAS, they went for a while three while at it. The first new unit is a refresh of an older model and the DS215+ replaces the DS214+ with a new and improved dual-core processor and hardware encryption for up to 80% faster reading and 50% faster writing operations. The DS215+ comes with two Gigabit ethernet LAN ports and 1GB RAM.
The DS715 on the other hand is a brand new unit, and what a unit it is. It is packed in the same beautiful packaging as the DS215+ but has another interior design. The DS715 is equipped with a quad-core CPU with hardware encryption and comes with 2GB RAM. Two gigabit ethernet ports connect the unit to your network and you can expand it with the DX513 unit for up to 7 drives.
The DS715 also supports Synology High Availability (SHA) which ensures a seamless transition between clustered servers in the event of a server failure.
Both the DS215+ and DS715 are backed by a two-year limited warranty and are available now for an MSRP of £252 and £306 respectively. We will have a review of both these units ready for you very shortly, so check back for more. You won’t be disappointed.
The third new unit is designed for enterprises and it is a beauty. The RC1801xs+ together with the RXD1215sas expansion unit provide a great base for your company’s storage needs.
“For today’s businesses, maintaining server uptime is the key to ensuring maximum productivity and minimised costs. The high-availability cluster design of RC18015xs+ and RXD1215sas is the ideal storage solution for enterprises seeking nonstop business continuity, scalability, and comprehensive data protection tools,” said Michael Wang, Product Manager at Synology Inc.
The high availability cluster design combines two computing servers and multiple storage units into a single high-availability cluster. You can scale the unit up to 180 drives and a maximum raw storage capacity beyond 1PB with superior performance. With over 2.270MB/s throughput, 355K IOPS, 8GB ECC RAM (upgradeable), PCIe slot for a 10GbE card and more, you get an impressive system.
Synology RC18015xs+ and RXD1215sas are now shipping globally. While they are separate units, they aren’t intended to work alone but as a high-availability cluster. Two RC18015xs+ and at least one RXD1215sas expansion unit are required to operate normally.
The RC18015xs+ comes with an MSRP of £2802 and the RXD1215sas with £2400, so it won’t be a cheap setup – but it is one that will be worth it.
It can be really troublesome finding just the right file that you are looking for when you got million of files in terabyte of data stored on your NAS, but that task just got a little easier for some people. Those are the ones that have an x86-based QNAP NAS with 2GB RAM or more.
QNAP released a new QTS app called Qsirch and it works a lot like you’re used to from Google, Bing, and similar search engines, except this one runs on your own NAS and searches your files.
Qsirch doesn’t just search by filename, it searches within the content of the files as well as taking tags such as author into consideration. Media tags found in audio and video files are also included and the results come in fast.
QNAP also created a video where they compare a scenario between a normal NAS search and using Qsirch. While a competitor product was used in the demonstration, they could also have used one of their own ARM based devices or one with 1GB ram – based on the requirements for the Qsirch app. That aside, the demonstration really shows how fast someone can find something.
You might not remember the exact file name, or even the filename at all. Maybe all you remember is the name of the person creating the document you’re looking for and the general subject. Qsirch will find the file for you in seconds.
With such a powerful feature that can find basically anything on your NAS in seconds, you also need proper security. QNAP made sure that they covered this part too as the Qsirch will follow your QTS permission settings and only allow the user to search the files they’re allowed to view.
You can also exclude directories that you don’t want to be searchable, this could be backup directories or other places with duplicate files or just folders that you don’t want to be searchable in general.
Qsirch is available now from the QTS App Center for all x86-based NAS models that have a minimum of 2GB RAM. Qsirch is recommended for the TS-x51, TS-x53, TS-x63, TS-x70, TS-x71, and TS-EC with 2GB RAM and QTS 4.1 or newer firmware installed. 4GB or more RAM is recommended for optimum performance.
