NAS

Qnap TurboNAS TS-870U-RP Rackmount

February 5, 2013

Real World Labs recently posted a review of the Qnap TurboNAS TS-870U-RP Rackmount, a high-end eight bay NAS server intended for use by small or medium businesses.

The review over at Real World Labs includes quite a few performance benchmarks, including simplified graphs comparing the 870U to other similar NAS enclosures for easy side-by-side comparison, so if you're interested in expanding your business's storage capacity you might want to check out the full review.

Overall Real World Labs' impression of the 870U is positive, though they do mention some issues with the unit's network interface. From their summary:

With the 870U-RP being our first of what I hope to be many we have the chance to test here at RWL in the High End SMB market.

Performance of this NAS was on par with what I expected, that is to say with dual Gbit LAN a NAS can only push so much data. Alas we did hit 118 MB/s Read and 119 MB/s Write and it's clear that these results are being compromised by the standard network interface, which is a pair of GbE connections.

...

Fill testing on this unit proved to be no match, where previous units did slow down slightly this 870U-RP pushed on without sacrificing performance. A feature that we were not able to test on this unit is the 10Gbe capability and is the main feature of this NAS. With similar 10GbE capable NAS appliances selling for 400-500USD more, Qnap has released a low cost solution that is sure to grab a lot of attention.

Real World Labs

Synology DiskStation DS213 Review

January 24, 2013

TestFreaks recently put up a review of the Synology DiskStation DS213, a two bay NAS device intended primarily for small business use. The TestFreaks review is quite comprehensive, including unboxing and unit detail photos as well as software screenshots. The performance benchmarks against other Synology products are particularly useful, so if you're looking to replace your own aging Synology hardware you might want to the TestFreaks review there to take a look.

According to TestFreaks, Synology appears to have created another high quality (albeit expensive) NAS device: From their conclusion:

Performance wise it improves on its predecessors in terms of speed. What helps separate it from other NAS boxes is the DSM 4.1 interface. Synology has made an easy to use yet powerful GUI that most anyone who has used a Windows, Linux or OS X machine can easily pick up. The Package Center allows the DiskStation DS213 to be tailored to suit the user whether for home or business. Plus, the DS213 uses share-level AES 256-bit encryption, which in the past was only available on Enterprise level servers.

I have yet to come away from a Synology product disappointed and the DiskStation DS21 continues this trend. Its price is the only factor that may scare off potential buyers; although research will show that similarly featured NAS devices will be in the same price range and the feature set of this unit make it a worthwhile investment.

TestFreaks

How To Choose The Right NAS Guide

January 16, 2013

ComputerActive.co.uk recently put out a very brief guide to selecting the right NAS for your personal use. Most of the advice presented is pretty straightforward for anyone who knows much about network attached storage, but it might still be useful to someone just setting up their first storage device.

Most of the advice presented in the article can be summarized in the quick 3 points brought up early on in the article:

There are three key points to consider when buying a Nas.
•    First, Nas devices are available in ‘populated’ and ‘bare’ forms – put more simply, with or without hard disks.
•    Secondly, you can get Nas products with or without Wifi – those without need to be plugged into the router or into a compatible extender, such as a powerline adapter.
•    And thirdly, Nas devices with more than one disk can make use of a technology called Raid (short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks) that can provide even safer backups and give better performance.

Computeractive.co.uk

A few examples of products:

2 X NEW HOMEPLUG NETGEAR 500 Mbps POWERLINE ADAPTER NANO ETHERNET KIT PS4 IPTV

Tenda P200 Mini 200Mbps Powerline Adapter KIT HomePlug Ethernet Adapter AV200 x2

2X 500Mbps Mini Homeplug Ethernet Network Extender AV Powerline Adapter Kit

Synology DS413j NAS Review

January 15, 2013

Madshrimps.be recently posted a review of the Synology DS413j NAS, a budget-oriented 4 bay NAS intended for home or small office use.

Overall, Madshrimps seem to like the DS413j most for its value, not necessarily any overwhelming technical merits that it might have in the speed department:

The DS413j is a more budget-oriented NAS solution from Synology and can be had for about 150 Euros less than the DS413 which means 300 Euros. Synology is one of the top builders for this kind of solutions, but the decrease in price does not also mean lower quality materials. The product is built around an older chassis design, with two silent 80mm fans and the opening is now in the back.

To install each drive, we can easily remove each tray, use the included screws for securing the drive onto the bay, and then slide it back in. For additional security, we can also fix the trays to the chassis with the supplied screws. Thanks to the number of bays, we can install up to 4-4TB HDDs for receiving a total of 16TB storage space, more than enough for homes and small businesses.

The NAS operates with the latest DSM 4.1 version, which is really easy to use, as we have also seen with the other products from them. The OS is frequently updated by the manufacturer to ensure full stability and for features enhancement.

Regarding the NAS performances, there is a noticeable difference in speed between the DS413j and DS413. When writing a single large file to the NAS, we get speeds nearing 45MB/s but when reading the same file, we get close speeds to 100MB/s.

Madshrimps.be

Iomega StorCenter px2-300d Review

January 14, 2013

PCMag recently released a review of the Iomega StorCenter px2-300d. The px2-300d is a two bay NAS drive, purchasable diskless or with a pair of 1, 2, or 3 Terabyte drives. Intended for either personal use or home office use, the px2-300d is on the expensive side for personal storage or a relatively cheap home office expense at $387 on Amazon.com at the time of this post.

One problem area that they addressed was Iomega's Personal Cloud system, which isn't necessarily bad but certainly isn't the best cloud storage solution available on the market. They also pointed out that the px2-300d is in a bit of an odd position, as it is a bit too expensive for most home users and doesn't quite have all the features that a high end business model might possess. However, on the whole PCMag was pretty happy with the px2-300d's performance:

This is one of the best consumer NASes from Iomega. It's got great performance and an abundance of features for smaller, home businesses and power users. Those needing more specific features and more advanced business-class capabilities will want to deliberate between the px2 and Synology's DS712+ because Synology's offering has a more extensive feature set or go with a higher-end NAS such as the StorCenter px4-300d.

Still, for general NAS purposes, the px2 is a winner, and it makes sharing content very easy with the Iomega Personal Cloud. The px2-300d easily gets 4 out of 5 stars, with the DS712+ still the Editors' Choice for its slight edge in performance and more packages available to extend its feature set.

PCMag.com

A few examples of products:

Iomega StorCenter ix2 200 2 TB 2 x 1TB Network Storage TEMPORARY POWER SUPPLY

Iomega StorCenter PX4 300D Network Storage 4GB RAM Diskless

IOMEGA StorCenter ix2 Network Storage 4 TB 160 GHZ 35550 800099975

Iomega StorCenter ix4 200D Network Storage without drives

Synology RackStation RS3412xs Review

January 11, 2013

StorageReview recently posted a review of the Synology RackStation RS3412xs. The RS3412xs is a ten bay NAS solution provided by Synology.

The RS3312xs is intended for use by larger businesses, the RS3412xs comes in with a hefty price tag of $3140 at Amazon.com as of the time of this posting. This product definitely isn't intended for the average consumer.

The full StorageReview review provides dozens of performance tests using both a standard hard drive and a solid-state hard drive, so if that sort of thing interests you, you might want to head over to their full review. Unfortunately they don't provide any benchmark comparisons to similar NAS devices with similar configurations, so the information there might only really be informative if you're already familiar with general speeds found in high-end large business NAS devices.

Overall, StorageReview seems positive regarding the RS3412xs, though they do note that the price involved in power redundancy might not be warranted for all businesses, especially at the high price point involved.

Pros

Brings a gorgeous and easy to use interface into the SMB space

Extremely fast when populated with SSDs

Supports 10GbE connectivity with the performance to make use of it

Cons

No SSD caching support in this model

$1,000 price premium for power redundancy

Bottom Line

The Synology RackStation RS3412xs/RS3412RPxs offers an easy to use interface for SMBs or branch/remote offices that need enterprise-grade storage without the often-found enterprise-grade complexity and expense.

StorageReview

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 Review

January 8, 2013

TechGage has recently released a review of the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2, a two bay NAS device produced by Netgear. The Duo v2 is available in several configurations, including driveless, two 1-Terabyte drives, or with two 2-Terabyte drives.

Overall the TechGage review is favorable, and provides speed tests for the NAS though no easy comparison graphs are available to check against similar devices. Though the speed tests aren't necessarily the best around, TechGage's final analysis is that the NAS is difficult to truly disapprove of due to relatively low cost and Netgear's proven track record of reliability:

The ReadyNAS Duo v2 is a stable, solid offering from NETGEAR and one that I have no problem recommending to anyone looking for an affordable and stable two-bay NAS. It’s not the fastest, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s all that most need and nothing more.

TechGage

If you're looking for a decent two bay NAS with high quality and a low dollar value, it sounds like the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v2 is a good product that will probably fill your needs. However, if speed is more important to you than price point, you might need to keep on looking.

A few examples of products:

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo RND2000 Version 2 NAS

Netgear ReadyNAS DUO 2210 100NAS Network Storage Includes 2 x 1TB Disks Drives

Netgear ReadyNAS DUO NAS Network Attached Storage RND2000 RND2150v2 Guaranteed

Netgear ReadyNAS DUO NAS Network Attached Storage with 4TB Capacity 2x 2TB HDD

Asustor AS-602T Review

January 5, 2013

TestFreaks recently released a review of the Asustor AS-602T, a two-bay NAS device. Don't worry if you've never heard of Asustor before now - neither had I until last November. They've actually only been around since 2011, and the 602T is one of four products available from them according to their website.

So is the 602T a juvenile product released by amateurs? Not according to the TestFreaks review. They've got a lot of compelling evidence up including a lot of pictures and speed test comparisons to other leading NAS products, leading up to a very positive 9/10 rating and their Editor's Choice award, summarized thus:

The AS-602T is the fastest NAS I’ve ever tested or owned, and that’s a good thing of course. Speed isn’t everything though, the 602T is fully featured just like any other NAS out there on the market. You’ll find options for pretty much everything related to storage and networking in the admin area. The settings can be a bit overwhelming for a novice user, but you don’t have to use all of them if you don’t want. Once you get it setup and running, it’ll run fine without any real user intervention. The advanced settings are welcome though, and it’s nice to have them so you can fully configure and control the 602T and set it up exactly how you like it.

TestFreaks

There are some downsides - the 602T doesn't include any hard drives, making the current price of $490 a bit high. That said, if you're in the market for a high-speed two bay NAS with a good set of features and don't mind providing your own drives, the Asustor AS-602T might be your solution.

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