Vous possédez un NAS Synology avec 2 ports réseau, il est possible d’accélérer les débits/transferts sans lui acheter une carte supplémentaire! Grâce à la fonction SMB Multichannel, vous allez pouvoir profiter d’une vitesse améliorer en lecture et écriture pour vos transferts de données entre le NAS et votre ordinateur. Cependant, il y a quelques contraintes… Ce tuto fait suite à notre article NAS : Agrégation de lien et SMB Multichannel (partie 1). Synology et  SMB Multichannel La fonctionnalité est assez […]

UTM est un logiciel de virtualisation basé sur QEMU. L’outil existe depuis plusieurs années et son code source est accessible gratuitement. Il s’est construit une jolie réputation, car il fonctionne aussi bien sur Mac, iPhone et iPad. UTM se distingue par son interface, sa puissance et son intégration dans l’univers Apple. Cerise sur le gâteau, il est gratuit et l’interface est en français… UTM – Virtualisation gratuite La dernière version d’UTM exploite les nouvelles fonctionnalités fournies par le framework Hypervisor […]

Contrairement aux attaques par rançongiciels, les stealers ou infostealers (information stealer ou voleur d’informations en français) sont pour le moment encore une menace méconnue du grand public. Il s’agit d’un logiciel espion utilisé pour récupérer des informations sur votre appareil, à votre insu. Il fouille votre ordinateur et transmet les données trouvées aux malfaiteurs. Cela peut aller d’un suivi de votre activité en ligne, au vol de mot de passe, voire une usurpation d’identité. Comment opère l’infostealer? Une fois installé […]

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Review of the Terramaster T6-423 6-Bay NAS

I think it would be fair to say that in their 2022/2023 series of desktop devices, Terramaster has really, REALLY been putting its foot on the accelerator! Although often considered very much the value brand in the network-attached storage industry, the speed at which this company continues to evolve in order to remain competitive with bigger brands such as Synology and QNAP continues to impress. Alongside the release of refreshes of their existing 2-Bay/4-Bay NAS systems, a new ARM-powered Value series AND new Dual 10GbE rackmount devices, Terramaster has also released several new unique devices to their portfolio and multiple new scales of server in 6-Bay, 9-Bay and 12-Bay. Today, I want to talk about a particularly uniquely designed NAS, the T6-423, a 6-bay desktop server that manages to borrow elements in its design from both desktop and rackmount chassis. Arriving with a multimedia-friendly CPU, 2.5Gbe, NVMe SSD storage options and a pretty high design quality level, the new terramaster T6-423 is a device that you are likely going to either love or hate. This new chassis (technically the first 9x I have ever seen, if you discount the QNAPs TS-9xx hybrid storage systems) The new T6-423 certainly is an unusual beast, but does it deserve your data? Let’s find out.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Quick Conclusion

I like the terramaster T6-423 NAS a lot more than I thought I was going to! Over the years I have seen several quirky NAS designs appear from brands looking to find gaps in the existing market between the traditional 2-bay, 4-bay, 8-bay and rackmount systems. In most cases, these brands tend to never really hit the ground running with these systems and a lot of that is because they are either priced poorly, have bad internal hardware choices for the sake of offsetting the overall cost of a new design or simply do not read the room in knowing what people want. I’m pleased to say that the Terramaster T6-423 does not seem to suffer any of these things. This 6-Bay arrives in a chassis that is a smaller and more convenient frame than many horizontal desktop 6 drive systems, arrives at a price point that for the scale is reasonable and has the same or better hardware than most other mid-range desktop NAS in 2022 Plus, this is one of the very, very few 6-Bay NAS systems in the market build on an Intel Celeron Architecture (only about 2-3 others available in the market in 2023). Alongside this, Terramaster’s innovations in TOS5 to improve their platform to include many more storage services, backup methods and a few premium apps in the works means that the brand still manages to be competitive in spite of its more cost-effective reputation and hardware focus. First-party app development still pales in comparison to bigger NAS brands (though popular third-party tools that already exist in the market are supported and available to download) and in terms of software, this system is still a little underwhelming, if very functional. Then you have the build quality. The construction of this chassis is particularly higher than I anticipated and unlike many of the brand’s rather dated or plastic-looking cases in 2 and 4 bays, The T6-423 is remarkably well constructed with excellent considerations being made to ventilation and keeping the device compact despite its large storage potential. As long as you keep in mind that you are buying a more cost-effective or value alternative to top-tier brands, as well as having perhaps a little more patience with the software than you might like, the Terramaster T6-423 is a great NAS and an exceedingly positive move by the brand to further evolve.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Unboxing, Packaging & Presentation

Although the T6-423 NAS is a new device and there have been tweaks in its presentation, things have remained largely the same as with the packaging and protection in older units – only more so! As this is a more affordable solution, it is understandable that some areas of the retail package are going to be a little understated. Additionally, NAS systems like the T6-423 NAS are going to 99% of the time be purchased online (not in your local I.T shop or generally in line of sight at the point of sale), so the need for flashy packaging is less important. That said, many brands still put a little effort into this and present their solutions as a means to promote a brand, lifestyle or general vibe or excellence in their product (i.e. “the first bite is with the eye” etc). The Terramaster T6-423 arrives in a very plain brown box and just has the model ID with a sticker and the brand logos.

Remarks of presentation aside, the packaging of the Terramaster T6-423 is pretty good in terms of protection. The unit is well-held in foam (much thicker than normal and completely encasing the T6-423) and the accessories are neatly and securely contained. There is practically no room for the system to move in transit and ultimately, that is all that matters (silent shock/motion damage to the components).

The accessories box contains lots of accessories and although most are pretty standard (setup instructions, power supplier, warranty information, screws, etc), there are a couple of unusual additional that I have never received in other brand’s products, namely the inclusion of additional HDD tray clip/screw washers and additional rubber feet for the NAS. This isn’t really a good/bad thing and for those that need them, it’s a handy addition. Just seemed an unusual addition.

One small but positive area of note is the LAN cable included. As mentioned earlier, in more affordable NAS solutions (like more tech), the way savings can be made is by cutting corners. Therefore I was surprised that the Terramaster T6-423 arrived with a surprisingly high-quality LAN cable. Thick, Cat 6 and very high quality at the connector. Again, this is a small point, but companies such as QNAP and Terramaster HAVE provided Cat 5e cables of a shorter length, thinner material and nowhere near the quality of this one with their 1/2.5GbE solutions. It’s a VERY minor point, but this is the sort of area I would have assumed Terramaster would have saved a few £/$ on and I am impressed.

The Terramaster T6-423 arrives with an external PSU (quite standard in smaller chassis desktop systems) and it’s quite non-descript and not too much to write home about. It’s a 2-pin connector 120W PSU. Overall, there is quite a good range of accessories included with the Terramaster T6-423. Nothing spectacular, but pretty much everything you are going to need (aside from storage media) to set up your NAS quickly and easily. Let’s discuss the design of the T6-423.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Design

Terrasmaster NAS drives are pretty distinctive. The brand has been using largely the same chassis in its 2 and 4 Bay systems for about 5 years, but in the case of this new 6-Bay system, the brand has gone a little left field. Arriving as a desktop chassis, but looking remarkably similar to that of a rackmount (only vertical), it still manages to be tremendously compact and it wasn’t until I finally had my hands on the device that I realised how much smaller it is than the official photos that are dotted around online would indicate. I was immediately impressed by the build quality of this device. The chassis is completely metal externally (save for a single plastic strip on the front), the system feels incredibly sturdy and is a huge jump up from the 50/50 plastic and metal combo chassis that are featured on the smaller NAS devices in Terramaster’s portfolio.

The chassis MEASURES 334 x 135 x 295mm and around 70% of the available space is occupied by those 6 bays of storage. Although the pictures make this system look about the size of a normal PC case, it is actually a bit smaller and I was a little surprised by the scale of the system when I had my hands on it. Only one side panel can be removed (the right side, which allows access to the main motherboard for M.2 NVMe SSD access and Memory upgrades) and the overall build quality is quite high.

Of course, an important factor when it comes to the smooth running of this scale of storage is the cooling and ventilation afforded to the system when in use. I am pleased to confirm that the Terramaster T6-423 NAS features a tonne of ventilation throughout. Each of the bays has a metal vented panel on the front, the area above the storage with the CPU+Memory etc has its own ventilation strip, the side of the casing that is closest to the storage media has a HUGE area of ventilation and all these are being utilized passively with the three active rear cooling fans.

Storage media is easy to install and the system takes advantage of the popular RAID configurations (RAID 1, 5, 6, 10, etc) that the user might want to opt for. Additionally, the system can be operated with as little as a single storage drive if you want, then add drives to the storage pool gradually if you prefer. This is particularly advantageous when you note that Terramaster TOS 5 now includes TRAID – a flexible and less rigid RAID system that allows you to use mixed drive capacities in a single RAID pool, as well as making expanding storage in general much easier. The trays of the Terramaster T6-423 NAS themselves are metal, springloaded, but not lockable. They are not click-and-load screwless drive trays, but that’s hardly the end of the world and Terramaster include all the screws you will need.

Each of the bays are SATA connected (combined data+power) and are hot-swap enabled, so no need to power down the system when connecting a new drive to a RAID for expansion or RAID repair on the fly. Each row of three drives feeds into a multi-lane cable and then directly into the motherboard (as opposed to the NAS having a separate storage board that is connected to the motherboard with a PCIe slot/angle connector as in smaller NAS systems. This is a clean and intelligent piece of design here and, again, not something we see alot of on desktop NAS devices (it is much more popular in larger rackmount design). One thing about the design that we DO have to discuss a little more is the actual deployment. Opting for the vertical 2×3 arrangement of drives does mean that this device is going to be very tall and many users might have wanted something shorter but wider (i.e like most 6/8-Bay NAS systems). The base of the system has 4 large rubberized feet that lift the system up for whichever desktop surface it is placed on by around a 0.9cm. This is fairly normal BUT is it possible to deploy the Terramaster T6-423 NAS horizontally – i.e on it’s side, so it looks a little more like a compact rackmount that you deploy on your tabletop.

Well, yes, sort of. Inside the accessories kit you find a pack of additional rubber feet and although there is ZERO mention of this being so you can deploy the Terramaster T6-423 NAS in a horizontal fashion, it is not particularly hard to do so and these will ensure that the side of the chassis with all those HDD ventilation is raised up from the desk (much like it is with most another desktop NAS).

When it is on its side, it looks surprisingly neat Again, very much like a compact rackmount chassis and I can DEFINITELY see some users opting for this style of deployment of the Terramaster T6-423 NAS. The only issue I can foresee here is that the network ports will be at a 90-degree angle (hardly the end of the world).

Overall, I have to say that the design and build quality of the Terramaster T6-423 NAS was considerably higher than I thought it would be and I very quickly grew accustomed to the unusual design and saw its merits. Additionally, the build quality here is considerably higher than other smaller Terramaster desktop NAS chassis. Let’s discuss the ports and connections of the Terramaster T6-423 NAS to see if this NAS continues to impress.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Ports and Connections

The rear of the Terramaster T6-423 NAS is a little sparse, but what you have here is (for the most part) pretty darn good for 2022. The system features an external 120W PSU that Terramaster state, when the system was fully populated with Seagate Ironwolf 4TBs) consumed 39/16W active/idle respectively. Inside the Terramaster T6-423, you find that the PSU is a stock (i.e not customized or bare) power supplier and neatly installed with all cabling readily tied.

Of course, the first big improvement of the Terramaster T6-423 and x423 series has over its predecessors in the brand’s desktop portfolio in recent years (F4-422 and F5-422) is the inclusion of 2.5-gigabit ethernet (2.5GbE). The NAS arrives with two ethernet ports that can provide around 250-279MB/s throughout each, as well as allowing link aggregation (aka Port Trunking) to combine their bandwidth and provide 5GbE (around 500-550MB/s throughput) with the use of a smart switch. In the last few years, we have seen several brands provide 2.5GbE connections at the same cost as 1GbE ports and with internet service providers and affordable switch manufacturers providing 2.5GbE solutions, it was only natural that NAS brands would make the jump towards it. Hypothetically, if you had a faster than Gb internet connection (fiber etc) and a google drive account, that means that you would be able to connect with your cloud drive FASTER than a NAS system in your home if you only have 1GbE. This is why NAS systems need to arrive with 2.5/5/10GbE in 2023, for the sake of futureproofing and to keep up with the growing demands for data access. Additionally, 6x SATA storage bays (as well as the internal SSD bays that I will touch on later) will easily saturate a 2.5GbE and even LAG-supported 5GbE connection, so these ports allow you to maximize your storage potential and share that bandwidth with multiple connected users.

One slight letdown is that the Terramaster T6-423 arrives with an HDMI port BUT they do not have any kind of HDMI/Visual GUI that can be accessed (unlike QNAP’s HD Station and Asustor’s Portal applications) The HDMI out DOES allow you to access SSH/Telnet level/stylized backend controls with a USB keyboard, but with this CPU and hardware architecture supporting embedded graphics, 4K media and multimedia services, it is a real shame that you cannot do anything more home/SMB friendly than command line. Maybe one-day Terramaster will update TOS to take advantage of this feature in a more graphical/KVM way, but it has been 2 years of these systems having HDMI and we have yet to see any change on this.

That said, this HDMI output and the more open nature of the Terramaster T6-423 NAS does mean that you CAN run TrueNAS Core or TrueNAS SCALE on this system (without invalidating the warranty, thanks to the way the system deploys the OS during initialization). This is not really something that Terraamster NAS directly promotes, as they would prefer people use their own TOS platform. However, the appeal of buying a ready-made tower server (built with server 24×7 efficiency and running in mind) to run ZFS TrueNAS on, without the hassle of building your own machine and having mixed warranties, is hugely appealing. You can find out more on how to install TrueNAS a Terramaster NAS in the video below:

The USB ports of the Terramaster T6-423 are a subtle upgrade over previous/older NAS systems from the brand, with this NAS featuring 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports. These allow connections of up to 10Gb/s (1,000MB/s – double that of the USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gb/s in older systems) and that means much, MUCH faster local backups to external storage drives, as well as the support of USB JBOD storage expansions. The real benefits of USB 3.2 Gen 2 in expansions are only really felt when using larger SSD arrays or 5-8 bay expansions. Nevertheless, these ports are a nice extra for the system. Additionally, Terramaster recently released an affordable USB-to-2.5GbE adapter for £25+ that allows you to connect ANOTHER 2.5GbE port on this system. Add a 2-4-8 Bay storage expansion to the other USB port and you have a great deal of storage and network bandwidth for this system to graduate towards, all thanks to those newer gen USB ports.

The ports and connections of the Terramaster T6-423 are few in number but still nonetheless good upgrades over it’s predecessor. Terramaster could have EASILY cut a few corners here (i.e USB 3.2 Gen 1 or just a single 2.5GbE port) and most users would not have batted an eye (as it is noticeably lower in price than the similar USB 3.2/2.5G QNAP TS-873A). Let’s get our screwdriver and take a look inside this NAS to see how Terramster have approached the internal specifications of the T6-423.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Internal Hardware

As mentioned earlier, the internal layout of the components in the Terramaster T6-423 NAS is surprisingly petite and has a nice, clean setup. The controller board takes up less than 50% of this compartment of the case and the only wires on show are those storage multilane cables that are feeding into the main board. Despite the modest Celeron CPU inside the Terramaster T6-423, the heatsink that has been applied to it is pretty massive!

Most other NAS systems that are built using this generation of Celeron processor have heatsinks around a quarter of the size of the one in the Terramaster T6-423 NAS. Sadly, it cannot be easily removed (I didn’t want to undermine/harm later testing either) but I would be interested in seeing just how many components are under that heatsink – as even if this is a 6 bay NAS, that’s ALOT of heat dissipation potential that I doubt this CPU is ever going to need. Still, better to have it than not!

The CPU featured in the Terramaster T6-423 NAS is a quad-core Intel Celeron N5105 CPU, a processor that has been very much the ‘CPU of choice’ among the 2022/2023 generation of NAS hardware from most of the brands (except Synology). This is a quad-core x86 64bit processor that is 2.0Ghz in clock speed, that can be burst up to 2.9Ghz when needed. It features an onboard AES-NI encryption engine, as well as Intel-embedded graphics for visual data tasks such as native multimedia playback, transcoding, photo management and improved services in TOS 5 (still in beta) towards AI photo recognition and surveillance with IP Cameras. As mentioned, although this is never going to challenge the likes of an Intel Pentium or Intel Core in 2022, it is still a very good CPU and in the context of NAS and this price point, very competent indeed.

Alongside that CPU, the Terramaster T6-423 NAS also arrives with 8GB of DDR4 Memory (twice the amount of most other systems of this scale and others in the x423 series). However, closer inspection of the T6-423 architecture does raise a small question. Firstly, the 4GB of memory the system arrives with is a single 4GB 2666Mhz SODIMM module, which is great as this is double what most other brands would include in this storage tier + price point.

However, Terramaster state that the T6-423 NAS supports up to 32GB of DDR4 SODIMM memory across its two slots. However, Intel state that this CPU only supports a maximum 16GB across two channels – so although I am sure the system would definitely see 32GB of memory if you have 2x 16GB installed, I do wonder if you will definitely be able to actually USE all 32 correctly.

The Terramaster T6-423 also features two M.2 NVMe SSD bay that allows you to install significantly faster SSDs into the system alongside SATA HDDs, meaning that you have another option for your storage. Now, there is good and bad news here regarding these ports. On the plus side, they can be used for either caching alongside the larger HDD RAID configuration (to allow read-only caching and improve their performance in key areas) or as its own storage pool. This is something that popular NAS competitor Synology has never implemented to their NVMe bays till VERY recently (and only then, only on the DS923+ and DS723+ NAS as of Jan 2023), despite it being a highly requested feature. On a slight downside, as the Intel N5105 CPU inside the Terramaster T6-423 is already being stretched a little thing in it’s architecture, so the M.2 NVMe SSD bay is PCIe Gen 3 x2 speed. This means that NVMe SSDs such as the Seagate Ironwolf 510/525 or WD Red SN700 at PCIe Gen 3/4 x4 will be limited down to a maximum 2,000MB/s transfer speeds. This is still something you can incorporate into a solid RAID for improved performance and its better to have them, than not at all though.

The internal hardware inside the Terramaster T6-423 is still good for the money and certainly gives you a solid base level of hardware to work with. The means to access and upgrade the system hardware is less smooth than most/all other commercial NAS brands, but once you have jumped these odd hurdles, you have some great kit here to use in conjunction with 1st and 3rd-party applications. One nagging point for me is that the system COULD have used the onboard lanes that they used on the M.2 NVMe bays instead towards a PCIe upgrade slot. Then users could have made their own choice between an SSD caching upgrade card OR opting for 10GbE. Let’s move into the subject of software and TOS on the T6-423.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Software

If you are an existing Terramaster NAS owner, or are someone that has been considering their NAS brand for your private server purchase, then you might have heard that they recently released their latest BIG software update. Upgrading from TOS 4 to TOS 5, this new update brings a huge range of improvements in the GUI, available applications, supported services, security and user controls to their NAS systems.  It is important to note that even though TOS 5 is now fully released and in its non-beater version, some applications are still in beta within this software platform and although I will touch on them throughout this review, I will make a point of highlighting when some applications in full release or are still in Beta. These include Terra Photos, Terrasync tools, Centralized Backup, and elements of Terra Search and Surveillance Manager. Although all of these applications are still available in the app center, the experiences I had with them still demonstrate that they are not in their final form and suffered weak resource sharing with the rest of TOS5. Otherwise, all other elements discussed in this review are in their full-release candidate form. Additionally, at the time of writing, TOS5 is not available for ARM processor NAS devices. I made a MASSIVE review of TOS 5 in it’s own dedicated article below, which I recommend you read if you want to know the FULL scope of what TOS 5 can and cannot do:

Click Below to read the FULL Review of TOS 5 for Terramaster NAS

What I liked in TOS 5

• The GUI is considerably clearer and much more vibrant.
• The options and icons in the GUI are much more responsive and clear against other background activities.
• There are considerably more backup and synchronization tools in TOS5.
• There are a vastly improved number of storage configurations and services available at your disposal.
• The mixed drive TRAID Is going to win serious points with ex-synology owners.
• The system includes direct tech support and remote access terminal for official support and difficulties
• The network isolation mode in TOS5 is both unique to the brand and particularly helpful.
• The resource monitor is 10 times better than in previous versions of TOS 5 and genuinely useful.

• The upgrade path between TOS4 and TOS5 is not as smooth as it should be. And will confuse some and concern others.
• Multimedia tools are a little lacking and although there is a general DLNA media server application and the photo app in beta, there is no dedicated video or music tool available.

New Features & Improvements in Existing Services in TOS

In TOS 5, not only have the storage structure and data interaction mode been reconstructed but also, compared with the previous generation, it adds more than 50 features and 600 improvements. The new features meet more business requirements, as well as significantly improve response speed, security, and ease of use.

Browser Access to TOS is Now 3x Times Faster

TOS 5 adopts progressive JavaScript language and a lightweight framework with a faster loading speed. TOS 5 features bidirectional data binding, easier data manipulation, and automatic synchronous response to data changes in the page; UI, data, and structure separation make it easier to change data without the need to modify logic codes. Using progressive JavaScript language, TOS 5 has a more lightweight framework. In addition, through two-way binding of data, the view, data and structure are separated. When the page is operated, it automatically responds to changes in data, which makes the system “lighter” and achieves a faster loading speed.

New caching technology avoids network round trips between the server and the database, bypasses the calculation that occupies resources, saves server resources, and improves response time and waiting time, so TOS 5 has the fastest response time in the current TOS family. Compared with the last generation, the TOS 5 response speed has increased by 300%! Use WASM to optimize the calculation method and execute the back-end complex calculations on the front-end, thereby reducing the calculation pressure on the server. In addition, TOS 5 uses the most popular back-end language at the moment, which can support high concurrent requests. Compared with traditional interpreted languages, the compilation speed is faster.

Improved Resource Monitor in TOS 5

The new iconic resource monitor board allows you to grasp the operating status of your TNAS comprehensively and intuitively in real-time; at-a-glance visibility of system load, CPU and memory usage, network traffic, disk I/O, device temperature, storage, processes, online users, listening ports, and system resource occupancy. Historical records of up to 30 days can be easily traced back.

Full One Button System Isolation Mode Available in TOS 5

TerraMaster’s unique security isolation mode completely isolates your TNAS device from the external network through network isolation, digital signature, and file format restriction, providing a safer operating environment and effective protection against virus and ransomware attacks.

Support of the WORM File System in TOS5

Data can be written at one time within the customized protection period and cannot be deleted or modified. This effectively protects your data from malicious damage, deletion, or tampering and provides data protection for up to 70 years; essential for the financial, judicial, medical, and scientific research sectors, as well as other business users.

Improved Storage, Backup & Sync Features in Terramaster TOS 5

TOS 5 features optimized storage architecture to reduce the system space occupation. The file deduplication system, file system compression, TRAID elastic array, and other functions also save you up to 40% of storage space

Single Portal Folder Level Backup for Home and SMB Users

Reduce complexity and embrace simplicity. All backup needs can be completed through a single portal, providing one-stop backup solutions including Central Backup, TerraSync, Duple Backup, Snapshot, USB Copy, CloudSync, and other comprehensive backup tools. This meets your clients’ disaster recovery and restoration requirements, as well as backup policies and destinations.

Business Focused ProActive Backups for Larger Business

To improve management efficiency, medium and larger-sized businesses need a centralized and active backup solution for multiple users, PCs, and servers. Centralized Backup is a business-oriented backup solution that supports backup and restoration for multiple device types. You can centrally backup data of dozens or even hundreds of PCs, servers, or virtual machines with only one TNAS.

New Flexible RAID Support in TRAID in TOS 5

By optimizing the traditional RAID mode, TerraMaster RAID (TRAID) gives you flexible disk array configuration, flexible online migration, capacity expansion, and redundancy policies. As well as improving disk space utilization, it also provides solutions and security protection for storage space changes caused by new business requirements. Much like Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) in that you can mix drive capacities for improved storage after the RAID redundancy calculation. I reached out to Terramaster directly on this and they confirm that this function is supported in TOS 5.

Multiple Client Sync with TerraSync in TOS 5

TerraSync, a TerraMaster self-developed synchronization tool, realizes data synchronization between multiple users and multiple devices. It efficiently implements data sharing among branch offices and data synchronization between individuals on multiple devices and platforms, which assists employees in collaborative work and improves work efficiency.

New CloudSync Application for Bare Metal-to-Cloud Live Sync in TOS 5

The new CloudSync app integrates multiple cloud drives and syncs them into one application, including Google Drive, One Drive, Amazon S3, Backblaze, Box, Dropbox, Koofr, OpenDrive, pCloud, Yandex disk, and Aliyun. This allows users to centralize the management of multiple synchronization tasks and add a variety of cloud disk synchronization options including Aliyun and Rackspace. A more flexible, stable, and efficient solution for data synchronization between your TNAS and cloud drives is facilitated by your choice of customized synchronization strategies, such as traffic control, scheduled tasks, and encryption.

CCTV Surveillance in Terramaster TOS 5

TNAS is an ideal video recording storage device. The new Surveillance Manager makes full use of TNAS storage resources to realize camera management, real-time monitoring, video storage, playback, query, event and activity monitoring and recording, providing you with economic and flexible video monitoring management tools to safeguard your personal and property safety.

AI Photo Recognition Now Available in TOS 5 with Terra Photo

Terra Photos is TerraMaster’s brand-new AI photo management application that provides smart solutions for your photo management and sharing; it uses intelligent AI algorithms to identify and classify faces, pets, locations, and other objects in your photos.

Docker Added to Existing Container Tools in TOS 5

Combined with docker-compose and portainer, the new Docker Manager features an optimized operation interface, with multiple new features which provide visual management that meets all your requirements for container customization and flexible configuration.

New Update to Terramaster’s Mobile App, TNAS Mobile 5

To adapt to TOS 5, TNAS mobile has also ushered in a comprehensive update, TNAS mobile 5. Featuring an optimized user interface and interaction, it has also added mobile phone backup, photo management, personal folders, team folders, data safebox, TerraSync, remote administrator, and other functions, which provide more convenience for remote access, mobile office, and remote management of your TNAS. Once again, I need to highlight that the T6-423 NAS needs to be viewed with its price tag always in mind. With software and hardware that is available on other NAS brand devices, it is easy to imagine that this device is a much, more affordable alternative to QNAP or Synology NAS. However, you should always remember that this device is still aimed at those looking for a first dip into NAS and if should be compared with WD NAS and D-Link when making your choice of NAS. it is DEFINITELY better than those and arrives at a better price, but it may still be a year or more before the Terramaster TOS Software platform can compete with DSM and QTS. That said, the Beta is really showing that TOS is going to evolve even further and for more information about the TerraMaster TOS operating System, I recommend visiting my software review here from a couple of years ago.

Key Software and NAS tasks that are supported are:

• RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, JBOD – as well as TRAID, the Flexible RAID configuration
• Apple Time Machine Backup
• Cloud Migration and Synchronization
• NAS to NAS Rsync Support
• Plex Media Server
• Docker
• Mail Server
• Web Server
• DLNA Media Server
• WordPress Server
• Download Server
• Snapshot Support

With a good range of applications to choose from, as well as the support of modern NAS applications in the mix, the TerraMaster T6-423 does give you a good base with which to start your NAS journey, though it may feel a little streamlined for those with greater NAS experience. It is also worth mentioning that TOS 5.1 is currently available in Beta (as of Jan 2023) and includes numerous improvements that include:

1. Upgraded kernel – The TOS 5.1 kernel has been updated from 4.19 to 5.15. Compared to the previous generation kernel, TOS 5.1 Beta optimized EXT4/Btrfs/NTFs file systems and SMB3 file server, used ext4/f2fs/ubifs file system encryption in the encryption API, enabled Apple M1 SoC functionality under Linux and added USB 4 interface support, which greatly improved the performance and security of file system.

2. 4K hardware decoding – The new hardware decoding driver for Intel Jasper Lake GPU is added, which will significantly improve 4K video hardware decoding capability for TerraMaster NAS.

3. Storage pool expansion via USB – By connecting TerraMaster USB disk array, users can easily expand the storage space of the storage pool for TNAS. It supports TRAID/RAID 0/RAID 1/RAID 5/RAID 6 array mode and provide 10Gb storage bandwidth. Compared with eSATA or mini SAS expansion enclosures, TerraMaster USB expansion enclosures are more economical and more convenient.

4. Hyper Cache – TerraMaster Hyper Cache is TerraMaster unique SSD cache acceleration tool. Hyper Cache can provide up to 3 cache modes to choose from to suit different usage needs, and can also create disk arrays for SSDs to increase cache speed and security. Such configuration delivers high-speed storage that’s ideal for video editing.

5. Categorized notifications – TOS 5.1 Beta optimizes system messages and divides message notifications into four levels: information, success, error, and warning. Each level of messages is marked with a more eye-catching symbol of different colors. User can always keep track of any abnormalities in the system and ensure the security of the system and data.

6. USB storage management – TOS 5.1 fully optimizes the mounting of USB partitions. The system will record the path of the last mounted USB partition. When re-mounting next time, the original path will be allocated first to provide more storage space for the use and backup of USB.

7. Optimized Docker Manager – TerraMaster launches updated version of Docker Manager and updates the Docker engine to 20.10.17 version. The optimized interface brings it in line with users’ aesthetics and usage habits. Container deployment is more flexible and TerraMaster NAS utilization is optimized.

8. Better AI computing performance – TOS 5.1 replaced the more powerful Intel OpenVINO AI computing engine, combined with the new Terra Photos application, the intelligent photo recognition efficiency increased by 30%. Terra Photo is designed for home users and photography enthusiasts to manage photo storage, share and access photos from anywhere.

We will likely see TODS 5.1 roll out as a full release candidate and full availability in Q2 of 2023.

Terramaster T6-423 NAS Review – Conclusion

I like the terramaster T6-423 NAS a lot more than I thought I was going to! Over the years I have seen several quirky NAS designs appear from brands looking to find gaps in the existing market between the traditional 2-bay, 4-bay, 8-bay and rackmount systems. In most cases, these brands tend to never really hit the ground running with these systems and a lot of that is because they are either priced poorly, have bad internal hardware choices for the sake of offsetting the overall cost of a new design or simply do not read the room in knowing what people want. I’m pleased to say that the Terramaster T6-423 does not seem to suffer any of these things. This 6-Bay arrives in a chassis that is a smaller and more convenient frame than many horizontal desktop 6 drive systems, arrives at a price point that for the scale is reasonable and has the same or better hardware than most other mid-range desktop NAS in 2022 Plus, this is one of the very, very few 6-Bay NAS systems in the market build on an Intel Celeron Architecture (only about 2-3 others available in the market in 2023). Alongside this, Terramaster’s innovations in TOS5 to improve their platform to include many more storage services, backup methods and a few premium apps in the works means that the brand still manages to be competitive in spite of its more cost-effective reputation and hardware focus. First-party app development still pales in comparison to bigger NAS brands (though popular third-party tools that already exist in the market are supported and available to download) and in terms of software, this system is still a little underwhelming, if very functional. Then you have the build quality. The construction of this chassis is particularly higher than I anticipated and unlike many of the brand’s rather dated or plastic-looking cases in 2 and 4 bays, The T6-423 is remarkably well constructed with excellent considerations being made to ventilation and keeping the device compact despite its large storage potential. As long as you keep in mind that you are buying a more cost-effective or value alternative to top-tier brands, as well as having perhaps a little more patience with the software than you might like, the Terramaster T6-423 is a great NAS and an exceedingly positive move by the brand to further evolve.

PROS of the Terramaster T6-423

CONS of the Terramaster T6-423

Surprisingly compact for 6-Bays of Storage Good Middle ground between a Rackmount and Desktop System 2.5GbE at the Price of 1GbE Good CPU for the Price Point USB 3.2 Gen 2 is very forward-thinking for local backups Great RAID Options and a fluid RAID Snapshot Replication BTRFS Support if preferred Supports Plex and all 1080p Transcoding 4K Video transcoding natively A large amount of maximum memory supported (16-32GB – TBC) M.2 SSD Bay inside for caching/storage at PCIe Gen 3×2

Default 4GB memory is 2133Mhz HDMI Currently Unsupported TOS Software still feels a little empty of Killer-Apps at the moment (as the AI photo recognition, Surveillance, Centralized Backup tools, etc are still in Beta)

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The Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD Review – NT Enterprise Edition

Seagate and their Ironwolf series of hard drives have fast become a mainstay of the NAS landscape in a relatively short time, considering their NAS HDD and eventual rebranding to Ironwolf in 2015/2016. In that time they have closed considerable ground on their biggest rival in this field, the WD Red series, and now although the brand first released Ironwolf Pro 20TB NAS Hard Drives back at the start of 2022, they are now in the process of revising a number of these drives and introducing a new higher durability STX0000NT001 series to join that existing the STX000NE001. These newer class of Prosumer/large-scale storage array NAS hard drives arrive with almost twice the workload rating, more than double the MTBF rating and still maintain the same high reported performance levels. All this said, why the sudden change? Perhaps facilitated by hardware shortages or due to the growing concerns of some users over larger capacities having the same workload rating of smaller capacities, leading to diminishing durability returns? Whatever the reason (more on that later), there is no denying that 20TB of storage in a single 3.5″ HDD casing is something to behold and today we are going to review this new massive drive from Seagate, benchmark it, test it with leading NAS brands Synology and QNAP, discuss the differences ith the existing Ironwolf Pro range and (hopefully) help you decide if it deserves your data? Let’s begin.

Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB Hard Drive Review – Quick Conclusion

Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

What is the Difference Between the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 NE Drive and Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 NT Hard Drive?

The difference between the previous/current generation of Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs and these newly released NT versions is largely based on their build and design being much close to that of the Seagate EXOS series, which results in higher sequential performance in the lower capacities, longer/higher durability rating and a larger scope of deployment. (Note – you can find out more on this in our article HERE or in our video HERE)

Main Key Differences Between Seagate Ironwolf Pro and the New NT Version

• Standard Ironwolf Pro drives can be used in upto 24 Bay enclosures, whereas these new NT drives are data center scale in their deployment and results in limitless enclosure volume support
• Standard Itonwolf dries have a 300TB annual workload, Ironwolf Pro can take 300TB a year and the new Seagate Ironwolf Pro NT series can reach take 550TB of writing per year
• Across the range of capacities of Seagate Ironwolf Pro and the new Ironwolf Pro NT versions, the new NT version is around 15-30MB/s faster on reported sequential performance (likely higher in typical ad-hoc use). This increase is minimal in the larger capacities though
• The Seagate Ironwolf NT series arrives with a reported 2.5 Miliion hours MTBF vs the 1-1.2 Million on standard Ironwolf Pro drives

Here is how the two versions of Seagate Ironwolf pro compare side by side on the rest of the specifications

HDD Type	Seagate Ironwolf Pro v.2	Seagate Ironwolf Pro
Price	£509 / $539  /  €569 (01/02/23, ST20000NT001 version)	£449 / $429  /  €449 (01/02/23, ST20000NE001 version, Currently on offer in numerous locations)
Available Capacity	2TB-20TB	2TB-20TB
Model ID Standard (X=capacity	STx000NT001	STx0000NE000
Interface	SATA	SATA
Drive Bays Supported	Unlimited	8-24-Bays
Magnetic Recording	CMR	CMR
Workload Rate Limit (WRL)	550TB per Year	300TB per Year
Rotational Vibration (RV) Sensors	Yes	Yes
On-board Cache	256MB	256MB
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF, hours)	2.5Million	1Million
Sector Size (Bytes per Logical Sector)	512E	512E
Rescue Data Recovery Services(years)	3yrs	3yrs
Spindle Speed (RPM)	7200	7200
Max. Sustained Transfer Rate OD Seq Read (MB/s)	285MB/s (20TB) 285MB/s (18TB) 270MB/s (16TB) 270MB/s (14TB) 270MB/s (12TB) 263MB/s (10TB) 255MB/s (8TB) 250MB/s (6TB)	285MB/s (20TB) 260MB/s (18TB) 255MB/s (16TB) 255MB/s (14TB) 240MB/s (12TB) 240MB/s (10TB) 240MB/s (8TB) 220MB/s (6TB)
Rotational Vibration @ 10-1500 Hz (rad/s)	12.5	12.5
Operating Temperature (ambient, min °C)	0	0
Operating Temperature (drive reported, max °C)	65	65
Nonoperating Temperature (ambient, min °C)	-40	-40
Nonoperating Temperature (ambient, max °C)	70	70
Vibration, Nonoperating: 10Hz to 500Hz (Grms)	2.27	2.27
Acoustics, Idle (typical, measured in Idle 1 state) (dBA)	20	20
Acoustics, Seek (typical) (dBA)	26	26
Shock, Operating 2ms (Read/Write) (Gs)	40/40Gs	40/40Gs
Shock, Nonoperating, 1ms and 2ms (Gs)	200	200

So, as you can see, both are available in between 2TB and 20TB at the time of writing, but it is in just a handful of specifications (though crucial to larger scale RAID/configurations) that major differences between the STXX00NE001 and STXX00NT001 can be observed.

Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB Hard Drive Review – Design

The design of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD remains largely unchanged in appearance compared with the most recent high-capacity releases. The 3.5″ casing is helium sealed and the new NT class of drives arrive with a change in the labelling to differentiate them from the NE Ironwolf Pro series. Perhaps this differentiation is the separate them for use in 24+ Bay servers (given the oddly open-ended ‘unlimited bay’ support on the spec sheets vs the ‘upto 24-Bays of the Ironwolf Pro till now). Typically NAS/SAN system that feature 24x and higher storage bays would have been urged to opt for the EXOS series (available in both SAS and SATA). Perhaps this is a means to open up and bracket the Hyper-Scale and Data Center tier up, as more and more medium-large business setup single/paired Rackmounts outside of the large-sclae cabinet settings of the past? It’s hard to say, as otherwise, what problem is a newer and more durable Ironwolf Pro drive solving?

One argument might be the growing question of workload ratings on HDDs vs Growing Capacities and how they are starting to result in reduced margins of durability. The general rule of thumb when it has come to Hard drives for 24×7 server deployment is:

• Standard Class Server Drives (so, upto 8 Bays of storage, small-medium Business deployment) is 180TB workload a year over the 3yr warranty
• Large Scale Server Drives (above 8 Bays and upto 24 Bays for Higher-end business and large-scale deployment) at 300TB workload per year over the 5yr Warranty
• Enterprise/Hyperscale Server Drives (i.e Data Center, with theoretically limitless Bay numbers, factoring expansions and growth) at 550TB workload per year over the 5yr Warranty

Now the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB is branded as a ‘Pro’ class drive (the middle one, above), however it arrives with a 550TB Workload rating, putting it well into the Enterprise bracket and treading on the toes of Seagates EXOS series – though lacking the SAS and Encryption options of EXOS options. However, the general rules of 180/300/550TB respective workloads on each tier begin to fall down a little when you factor that a 1TB drive that has a 300TB workload at 210MB/s performance and a 20TB that is also at 300TB workload annually, but 285MB/s max transfer will not only hit that workload limit quicker – but there is also the question of how this translates over time vs the available storage space and writes over time! Therefore the newer gen Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 Hard Drive arriving with 550TB/yr (alongside NT versions of many of the other lower capacities) does elevate this point somewhat for those users in between the Large Scale and Hyperscale/data center.

The 20TB in the ST2000NT001 is spread over 10 platters of 2TB each, made possible via the drive being helium sealed. This reduces potential internal drag and friction between platters, maintains the balance and allows much thinner platters to be used. Spinning at 7200RPM, the platters feature dual-plane balancing (known as AgileArray) also time-limited error recovery (TLER), which ensures the drive reading head isn’t delayed in intermittent read errors and can restart quickly to increase access when needed.

The 10 platters spinning at 7200RPM are also accompanied by 256MB of caching on board, which really surprised me, giving most of Seagate’s competitors have hit the 512MB cache level at this capacity tier. Having half the chance of its rivals does not seem to diminish both the performance or the sustained performance either.

As mentioned, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDD series only arrives in SATA. Although I can understand that Segaate does not want to overlap TOO much with their EXOS range that they already have done, there are an increasing number of SAS NAS solutions arriving on the market (with both Synology and QNAP both increasing their range of solutions in this direction noticeably for their 2022/2023 generations). Yes, users could just go for a suitable SAS EXOS option, but then they lose out on the Rescue Data Recovery services and Ironwolf Health management on the drive.

Overall, any improvements or changes in the build/construction of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB ST2000NT001 HDD over the rest of the range and/or the previous NE version are all internal. We have to take Seagate at their word on the effective doubling of the durability rating, but given their pedigree in the EXOS enterprise series, I have little doubt in this. Although the Ironwolf Pro 20TB is not the only NAS drive in the market right now that is breaking the 20 Terabyte level, it does arrive with a couple of things that many others don’t that we should cover – the included Data Recovery services and the Ironwolf Health Management tool for NAS.

Is Seagate Ironwolf Health Management and Rescue Recovery Services Worth Caring About?

For those that are not aware, the Seagate Rescue+ package is a data recovery service that is included with your Ironwolf and Ironwolf Pro drives that, alongside your 3/5-year warranty, includes an additional 3 years of data recovery services. What that means is that if your drive fails through no fault of your own within reason (so, no, not smashing it with a hammer), you can send the drive off to the Seagate recovery labs and they will try to get that data back. From accidental deletion, all the way through to mechanical and forensic level recovery, this is an impressive inclusion! You should still factor other safety nets in your architecture (backups, UPS, RAID, etc) but given the cost of data recovery services (costing anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds), this is a very, VERY useful inclusion when you need it. This plus an already normally lower price point than Pro series drives in the WD Red series means that the Seagate Ironwolf hard drives still manage to be the better value choice for alot of users, especially when including the Rescue recovery included. They are also the only 3rd party NAS hard drive brand that has a tool to monitor drive health available on practically ALL the NAS software GUIs in the market, in Seagate Ironwolf Health Management. Here is part one of a two-part video series on the NASComapres YouTube channel were we showed the Seagate Rescue Recovery service (arguably, in a very extreme fashion!):

You can find out more on the Rescue service and its Pros/Cons in the video below. Otherwise there is another video detailing a guide on what to expect from data recovery costs/fees etc in a video from 2021:

Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB Hard Drive Review – Testing

Testing the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB is going to be performed across multiple methods, but still rather unconventional. This drive is designed for deployment in large # Bay servers, but although I have several NAS in the studio that could accommodate this frequency of drives, I do not have sufficient Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB units. Therefore the testing I have conducted are all examples of single-drive performance. These will include several PC testing sessions using popular and recommended storage testing applications and two NAS tests involving Synology and QNAP.

• Windows 10 Pro Desktop System
• Intel i5 11400 Rocket Lake – 6-Core 2.6/4.4Ghz
• 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory
• Intel B560M mATX Motherboard
• OS Storage, Seagate Firecuda 120 SSD
• Test Hard Drive connected to a Sabrent USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gb/s external dock
• Synology test was conducted on a DS923+ NAS using the system’s own benchmarking tool
• QNAP test was conducted on a TS-464 NAS using the system’s own benchmarking tool

These last tests are important as not only is the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD designed for NAS use, but also at the time of writing neither brand lists this hard drive as compatible. There is more to this though that I will touch on later.

The first test involved using CrystalDisk. I performed tests on 64MB, 256MB, 1GB and 4GB test files, as well as mixed 70/30% R/W. The results were consistent and largely lived up to Seagate’s claims here.

This test used AJA and was a 512MB, 1GB and 4GB Test of a 5K Test file.

The next test used ATTO disk benchmark and this one used a 64MB, 256MB and 1GB test file in the same windows PC test environment. However, I also included the IOPS. The random 4K operations of a hard drive will typically be hugely dwarfed by those of SSDs, but enterprise HDDs and pro series drives still tend to rate noticeably higher than domestic HDD and standard-class NAS HDDs on this score.

In order to conduct a windows performance test, I copied 22.8GB of mixed files (2,310x) over to the drive as a separate disk. The result was consistent performance and the transfer, averaging at 174MB/s on the windows transfer overall and peaking at 239MB/s. Although this is lower than the transfer rates stated by Seagate and in the synthetic tests above, this is perfectly understandable when dealing with this high volume of small/differing date, compared with the largely Sequential Data tests stated elsewhere.

2,310 Files, 22.8GB Windows Transfer – 02:44

Synology & QNAP NAS Testing with the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB Hard Drive

Now, before I move on to the NAS testing. It is worth highlighting a couple of important factors with regard to the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB and the support available from each NAS brand I am focusing on for the testing. Now, Synology is the ONLY NAS brand in the market that also has its own first-party HDDs available to users too. These are Originally Toshiba Enterprise-grade produced hard disks that have had a Synology-specific firmware applied to them. Now, why is this relevant? Well, because some larger-scale Synology products in 2021 onwards do not list other 3rd Party HDDs as compatible. Even then, if you look up some of the older 2020 released NAS drives currently in the market (such as the DS920+ for example), they DO list HDDs from the likes of Seagate Ironwolf (and their EXOS and Skyhawk series) BUT they do not list drives larger than 18TB at the time of writing. This is an odd stance by the brand, when larger-scale 20TB and 22TB hard drives are available in the market and designed for NAS.

If you install an HDD or SSD inside a Synology system with the latest version of their software platform DSM, but the HDD in question is not on the compatibility list, you are greeted by a message that will detail that the drive is not recommended in the storage manager.

You can still use the HDD for Storage Pools, Volumes, Hot-spares, etc, but it is an oddly jarring message for some. Of course, this is the current compatibility of this HDD at the time of writing and may well change in the future as further HDD capacities arrive and additional compatibility testing takes place.

Click to view slideshow.

Nevertheless, you can still push through this warning and proceed to test the performance of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD from within the Synology Storage Manager. Here was the results.

Click to view slideshow.

The HDD compatibility of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB Hard drive on the QNAP NAS platform is less complicated (eg the 18TB HDDs from most brands are listed) but at the time of writing the 20TB models are still not on the available list of compatible HDDs (again, this will likely be addressed shortly after commercial launch). Here is how the drive is benchmarked and appeared in the QNAP NAS system.

Noise Testing the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB NAS Hard Drive

This is something that is often overlooked when users are getting excited about bigger and bigger HDDs entering the market and the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB is no exception to this – NOISE! Because of the sheer scale of hardware that is getting packed into these larger capacity 3.5″ HDD casing and the more industrious hardware inside that needs to perform 24×7 durably, operational noise is unavoidable. Once you exceed around 8-10TB (HDD brand dependant), the increased platters and heavier duty actuator/arm mechanism needs to be a grat deal more reactive (due to the larger space that is needed to be covered ad-hoc. The Seagate ST2000NT001 20TB is a pretty spot-on example of this and although you are getting some great performance, it is achieved with a large amount of mechanical work under the bonnet. Now, if you are running a larger-scale data center/rackmount style setup, this is not going to be much of a barrier. As those kinds of server will have multiple fans and use horizontal pressure fan cooling – so they will be much louder than the drives! However, in more modest 4-8 Bay desktop NAS systems, its a different story, as these use smaller/quieter fans and alongside being more conductive of vibration, the noise of these drives in operation will be a great deal more obvious.

Here is an example of four Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs in a Synology DS923 4-Bay NAS, running an intense 4K IOPS benchmark on the drives (likely the LOUDEST THING you will ever hear, so this is not truly representative of idle/standby/low use):

And here is the same test being performed in a QNAP TS-464 NAS 4-Bay with Seagate Ironwolf Pro HDDs . Same 4K Benchmark scenario, in a similar scale 4x RAID 5 setup as the Synology. Again, this represents PEAK access. In a regular idle/standby, it will be quieter.

If you want a better idea of typical operational noise and noise when booting the drive with the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TBs, watch the middle portion of the YouTube review HERE. Regardless, if you are sensitive to noise, will be in close proximity to the NAS device (direct 10GbE editing?) and will be running a smaller scale NAS system – then these new 20TB HDDs might not be quite your cup of tea!

Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB Hard Drive Review – Conclusion

Straight out the gate, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB HDD comfortably delivers on it’s promises of performance. This alongside full tested and confirmed compatibility with Synology and QNAP NAS devices means that you have a drive here that can turn any 4-Bay NAS into a 60TB RAID5 Storage colossus – let alone once you start thinking about rackmounts and hyperscale. The pricing at the time of writing is a little muddled (the result of having two SKUs/Model IDs floating around in the market and eTailers having to play catch up) but that should hopefully iron out over time. I particularly appreciate that the workload discussion surrounding ‘Pro’ Class drives at 300TB/yr vs rapid HDD capacity growth is being addressed here with a 550TB/yr version to rival that of ‘Ent’ class drives – whatever the reason/motivation. The value of the Ironwolf Health Management tool is going to be something of debate and the inclusion of 3yrs data recovery services is a nice extra that (with any luck) few will need to use – but having them included in a 20TB HDD that still manages to maintain a similar level of Price per TB vs the bulk of NAS HDDs in the Pro tier increases the value notably. As HDDs continue to increase in scale and Seagate (among other brands) continues to outline their plans to hit 50TB by the end of the decade, the Seagate Ironwolf Pro ST2000NT001 is another good example of an HDD that finds a sweet spot between price, durability and value. Just be aware that this is a drive designed for large-scale use and that means high operational noise and higher than typical power use than non-Pro and smaller cap drives!

PROs of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB	CONs of the Seagate Ironwolf Pro 20TB
Very Good Price Point vs WD Red/Red Pro Data Recovery Services Included (3yrs) 550TB/yr Workload & 2.5M MTBF 285MB/s Transfer Speeds Ironwolf Health Management Inc. Seagate Secure Onboard Cosistent Performance	Noisy!!! Definitely Cannot have Just One Pricing and Model ID Confusion Higher Standby/Idle Power Use Tipping point vs SDDs

Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro SSD Failure Issue – Latest Update

The news of Samsung SSDs reporting declining health that was covered in our previous post HERE continues to roll on and in the two weeks since our initial article and video on this, several new updates have emerged on this, some good, some less good, an official response and increased clarity on some affected SSDs in the Samsung SSD Family. I would recommend checking out the previous article if you are not upto speed on this, but the story up till now is

Samsung SSD Firmware Failure Issue –  The Story so far?

The previous article can be found HERE, but in that article from Feb 02/02/23 we highlighted:

• The first large-scale public recognition of Samsung SSDs suffering decreased drive health and failures was reported in China on the forum ChipHell
• Big US-based PC builder Puget Systems started seeing increased Samsung SSD health drops and drive fails from their customer base (predominantly using them as OS drives in custom PC/Workstation builds
• Samsung initially confirmed (in conjunction with Puget Systems input) that they are aware of the issue affecting drives with the firmware version 3B2QGXA7 and rolled out firmware updates for several affected SSDs
• Clearest Indications of Samsung Drives affected by this firmware/health-drop issue were observed using the disk maintenance tool CrystalDiskInfo, users began seeing the health of drives drop and increased values in 0E and 03 measurement IDs from within the program
• The full range of affected Samsung SSDs is still TBC, but the Samsung 990 Pro (Released Nov’22) and the Samsung 980 Pro (Released Sept ’20) are confirmed to be affected. Other SSDs in the 870/970 EVO, 970 EVO Plus and PM9A1 range have been highlighted, but no official statement or confirmation has been made.
• Firmware Updates were either already made available for the affected SSDs or are in the process of being rolled out via the Samsung Magician Tool

In the two weeks since then, the following updates have emerged (covered in more detail later in this article)

• A Samsung Official Support Forum team member confirmed that this issue was recognized, that a firmware update for the Samsung 990 Pro is (was! Feb 13th released) coming that would prevent the firmware health declining issue.
• Any impact of the firmware issue on the health of a Samsung SSD will not be reversed after the firmware update
• Samsung is asking affected users to contact them under their warranty/support for RMAs and discuss replacement
• Puget Systems has switched its use of Samsung 1TB and 2TB NVMe SSDs in their built customer systems over to Sabrent SSD equivalents (already using their 4TB and 8TB drives)
• Robbie Khan at Neowin highlighted that his attempts to get his 1-week old Firmware affected Samsung 990 Pro Repaired/replaced were met with decline, but has since been contacted by Samsung to reapply for replacement and/or replicate the issue

That’s where we are right now! Let’s dig a little deeper into those latest updates, how to check if you could be potentially affected and how to go about updating your firmware appropriately.

Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro SSD Firmware Failures – Official Responses

In the last two weeks we have seen increased coverage of the firmware issue that is affecting certainly SSDs (with the Samsung 990 Pro garnering the peak of the headlines, as this SSD was released in the closing stages of 2022, around 3-4 months ago). In response to increased queries that have been raised on the official Samsung support channels, one post was responded to by a Samsung support team member, specifically addressing the investigation that is happening internally regarding this firmware-related SSD health issue. Below is the original post on the official Samsung Community Support forum (source):

Hello everyone,

Samsung has been investigating customer inquiries about anomalies related to the SMART of the 990 PRO SSD. These anomalies were found to be caused by issues with the 990 PRO SSD’s firmware. Accordingly, a firmware update was released today, February 13, 2023, that fixes these anomalies. (SMART values ​​are not restored to factory settings after firmware update. Actual SMART values ​​of each SSD vary depending on user environment and usage conditions).

The update can be downloaded from Samsung Magician or here: https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/support/tools/
You can find our warranty conditions for the 990 PRO SSD at https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/support/warranty/.

Unfortunately, this update does not reverse the effects of drives that have already had the declined health displayed in the Magician tool and in SMART test results. “The S.M.A.R.T. values are not reset to factory defaults after updating the firmware,” DavidB added. “The actual S.M.A.R.T. values of each SSD will vary depending on user environment and usage conditions.”. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Samsung told Blocksandfiles in an article on Feb 2nd:

“Samsung Electronics stands behind the quality of our industry-leading SSDs, including the latest 990 Pro. We are aware of limited reports concerning this matter and are currently investigating these experiences, as user configurations vary.”

So far, at the time of writing, outside of quotes provided on 3rd party sites and their support forum team, there has not been a particularly loud public statement on this from Samsung themselves on their own news pages.

Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro SSD Firmware Failures – Replacement and RMAs?

Regarding options open to the affected Samsung 990 Pro (and other Samsung SSDs potentially affected by this), there were reports online of users trying to raise the issue under a warranty repair/replace RMA with the Samsung support team getting their requests rejected, stating no issues were found. One prominent users was Robbie Khan at Neowin, who wrote an article on his attempts to seek an RMA and replacement for his affected Samsung 990 Pro SSD, spotting early signs that his 2TB drive was showing telltale signs of the firmware-related health declining issue in SMART testing in both the Samsung Magician Tool and in CrystalDiskInfo accessing the SMART results onboard the drive, within a few days of buying the SSD. He stated “Within another day or so it had dropped to 98%, by this point I’d not even written 2TB to the drive. Fast forward a couple more days and the drive health was sitting at 95%”:

Click to view slideshow.

When raising this with Samsung, his RMA for the Samsung 990 Pro was declined. Samsung stated that the issue was not found on his drive, despite his own tests in Samsung Magician indicating otherwise and CrystalDiskInfo indicating drive health decreasing after just a week, with just under 5TB of data being written to the 2TB SSD in that time. Stating that if the issue persisted when the drive was received back, that he could resubmit new and clearer evidence of this. As you can imagine, Robbie Kahn was less than thrilled about this! See email response from Samsung below (once again, from the same Neowin article)

Since that original Samsung 990 Pro SSD RMA request, the Neowin article and Samsung beginning to address this issue on some of their own platforms (and quotes on 3rd party platforms), Samsung reached back out to Robbie Kahn to readdress this issue. Robbie states:

“Samsung’s RMA division, Hanaro, have reached out and offered to A) Replace this SSD, and B) Try to replicate the problem. Quite why both of these options were not on the table before the issue became public is a mystery. We still request that readers continue to share their 990 Pro drive health stats and what region of the world they are in so that a better overall picture can be drawn of what appears to be a potentially developing situation.” – Robbie Khan @ Neowin 23/01/23

So, not great overall and you can definitely appreciate why Robbie would be less than thrilled about the way this has been handled till now, as well as his motivation to address this issue on behalf of other affected users.

Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro SSD Firmware Failures – Puget Systems Switching to Sabrent?

Puget Systems was one of the first bigger western corporate platforms to address this issue (issuing a big news post on their platform on Jan 31st here in response to raised issues by their customer base on Samsung SSDs showing signs of rapid health drops. Samsung did reach out to them and work with them after these raised concerns. Since this original article, Puget Systems have issued a larger and more specific statement on their working relationship with Samsung for the time being. Original full Puget Systems updated statement on the Declining Samsung SSD Health Firmware Issue and it’s impact on their operations can be found HERE, but more specifically:

“For many years, Samsung solid-state drives (SSDs) were among the most reliable components in our workstations. We wrote about this and praised their incredibly low failure rates many times, but something changed in the last year. We started to see abnormally high failure rates in the field with one specific model: the Samsung 980 Pro 2TB. This was their highest capacity M.2 NVMe drive in that line, and the smaller 500GB and 1TB models seemed unaffected. We worked with Samsung on this for several months, and they recently provided a firmware update which they claim will address the issues our customers have been running into. However, the trouble didn’t end there. Late in 2022, Samsung launched a new line of M.2 SSDs with increased performance – the 990 Pro line. Even before we got the updated 980 Pro firmware, we had hoped that this new series would remedy the problems its predecessor had… but unfortunately, the opposite has happened. Despite initial positive reviews and good performance during our qualification process, numerous tech websites have now reported that Samsung’s 990 Pro drives are exhibiting rapid health degradation, with Samsung Magician software reporting a drop of around 1% endurance per week.

These drives are popular and commonly used as both the primary OS & application drive as well as high-speed storage for project files, so if the endurance (and thus lifespan) of the drives is indeed dropping at this rate it is very concerning. Samsung is investigating these reports, and we will continue to work with them to help arrive at a solution for both our customers and the public in general. In the meantime, we felt it was prudent to shift our product line to an alternative product while this situation unfolds and we learn more.” – 02/02/23 William George, Product Development @ Puget Systems

They state that until the issue is satisfactorily resolved for them, they will be switching their included 1TB and 2TB SSDs used in their built systems from Samsung 990 Pro and Samsung 980 Pro drives over to the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus SSD series, stating:

“As such, we are transitioning our 1 and 2TB NVMe drives over to Sabrent. We’ve been using their larger 4 and 8TB capacity drives for some time, as Samsung has not yet offered any high-performance SSDs in those sizes, and we have had good experiences with them so far. Our smallest 500GB model will remain on Samsung’s 980 Pro, however, as that size is not available in the 990 Pro line and thus was not impacted by whatever is affecting those newer drives. We don’t often announce changes to our product line like this, as brands and models shift all the time, but because we have been so outspoken about Samsung SSD reliability in the past we felt that it was important to speak up in this particular situation.” – 02/02/23 William George, Product Development @ Puget Systems

Although this is one isolated company making a statement on their use of Samsung SSDs changing, it is still quite a significantly high-profile statement nonetheless.

How to Check if your Samsung SSD could be potentially affected by this Firmware issue?

Much like in my previous post on the Samsung SSD Firmware health-dropping issue, the scope of SSDs affected by this issue is a little hard to identify completely until we see an official confirmation by Samsung. SSDs can fail for a variety of reasons and although lots of users can raise concerns of SSD failure, there is a wide range of reasons that this could be the case. Only the Samsung 990 Pro and Samsung 980 Pro have been largely recognized as affected by this firmware issue (with new firmware updates issued via official sources), but sites that recognized this issue last year were keen to highlight that SSD Firmware is carried over quite alot between Samsung SSD ranges (as the Controller’s of most of Samsung SSDs are developed and manufactured in-house). Here is a table with the models and their affected firmware versions based on concerns by the website Chiphell in China:

And this is the largely confirmed stated list of SSDs from Samsung vs affected SSDs, and their status (as of 15/02/23, only the Samsung 990 Pro and Samsung 980 Pro SSD are indicated):

This table was last updated on 15-02-23

Model	Model Number	Capacity	Affected
Samsung SSD 990 PRO	MZ-V9P1T0B/AM	1TB	YES (use update 1B2QJXD7)
Samsung SSD 990 PRO	MZ-V9P2T0B/AM	2TB	YES (use update 1B2QJXD7)
Samsung SSD 980	MZ-V8V250	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD 980	MZ-V8V500	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD 980	MZ-V8V1T0	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD 980 PRO	MZ-V8P250B/AM	250GB	YES (use update 5B2QGXA7)
Samsung SSD 980 PRO	MZ-V8P500B/AM	500GB	YES (use update 5B2QGXA7)
Samsung SSD 980 PRO	MZ-V8P1T0B/AM	1TB	YES (use update 5B2QGXA7)
Samsung SSD 980 PRO	MZ-V8P2T0B/AM	2TB	YES (use update 5B2QGXA7)
Samsung SSD 970 PRO	MZ-V7P1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD 970 PRO	MZ-V7P512BW	512GB	NO
SSD 960 PRO	MZ-V6P512BW	512GB	NO
SSD 960 PRO	MZ-V6P1T0BW	1TB	NO
SSD 960 PRO	MZ-V6P2T0BW	2TB	NO
Samsung 950 PRO	MZ-V5P256BW	256GB	NO
Samsung 950 PRO	MZ-V5P512BW	512GB	NO
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus	MZ-V7S250	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus	MZ-V7S500	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus	MZ-V7S1T0	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus	MZ-V7S2T0	2TB	NO
Samsung 970 EVO	MZ-V7E250BW	250GB	NO
Samsung 970 EVO	MZ-V7E500BW	500GB	NO
Samsung 970 EVO	MZ-V7E1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung 970 EVO	MZ-V7E2T0BW	2TB	NO
Samsung 960 EVO	MZ-V6E250BW	250GB	NO
Samsung 960 EVO	MZ-V6E500BW	500GB	NO
Samsung 960 EVO	MZ-V6E1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD 870 EVO	MZ-77E250BW	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD 870 EVO	MZ-77E500BW	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD 870 EVO	MZ-77E1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD 870 EVO	MZ-77E2T0BW	2TB	NO
Samsung SSD 870 EVO	MZ-77E4T0BW	4TB	NO
Samsung PM961	MZVLW128HEGR	128GB	NO
Samsung PM961	MZVLW256HEHP	256GB	NO
Samsung PM961	MZVLW512HMJP	512GB	NO
Samsung PM961	MZVLW1T0HMLH	1TB	NO
Samsung PM981	MZVLB256HAHQ	256GB	NO
Samsung PM981	MZVLB512HAJQ	512GB	NO
Samsung PM981	MZVLB1T0HALR	1TB	NO
Samsung PM981	MZVLB2T0HMLA	2TB	NO
Samsung PM1725a	MZWLL1T6HEHP	1.6TB	NO
Samsung PM1725a	MZWLL3T2HAJQ	3.2TB	NO
Samsung PM1725b	MZPLL1T6HAJQ	1.6TB	NO
Samsung PM1725b	MZPLL3T2HAJQ	3.2TB	NO
Samsung PM1728	MZWLL6T4HMLA	6.4TB	NO
Samsung PM1733	MZPLL960HEHP	960GB	NO
Samsung PM1733	MZPLL1T9HAJQ	1.92TB	NO
Samsung PM1733	MZPLL3T8HALS	3.84TB	NO
Samsung PM1733	MZPLL7T6HALA	7.68TB	NO
Samsung PM1735	MZWLJ1T6HALU	1.6TB	NO
Samsung PM1735	MZWLJ3T2HALU	3.2TB	NO
Samsung PM1735	MZWLJ6T4HALU	6.4TB	NO
Samsung SM951	MZHPV128HDGM	128GB	NO
Samsung SM951	MZHPV256HDGL	256GB	NO
Samsung SM951	MZHPV512HDGL	512GB	NO
Samsung SM961	MZVPV128HDGM	128GB	NO
Samsung SM961	MZVPV256HDGL	256GB	NO
Samsung SM961	MZVPV512HDGL	512GB	NO
Samsung SM961	MZVPV1T0HALR	1TB	NO
Samsung SM963	MZILS1T2HCHP	1.2TB	NO
Samsung SM963	MZILS3T8HMLA	3.84TB	NO
Samsung XS1715	MZILS800HEHP	800GB	NO
Samsung XS1715	MZILS1T6HEJF	1.6TB	NO
Samsung XS1715	MZILS3T2HMLA	3.2TB	NO
Samsung XS1715	MZILS6T4HALA	6.4TB	NO
Samsung XS1715 2.5″	MZILS400HEGR-00003	400GB	NO
Samsung XS1715 2.5″	MZILS800HEHP-00003	800GB	NO
Samsung XS1715 2.5″	MZILS1T6HEJF-00003	1.6TB	NO
Samsung XS1715 2.5″	MZILS3T2HMLA-00003	3.2TB	NO
Samsung XS1715 AIC	MZILS400HEGR-00004	400GB	NO
Samsung XS1715 AIC	MZILS800HEHP-00004	800GB	NO
Samsung XS1715 AIC	MZILS1T6HEJF-00004	1.6TB	NO
Samsung XS1715 AIC	MZILS3T2HMLA-00004	3.2TB	NO
Samsung PM9A1	MZQLB1T0HBLB	1TB	NO
Samsung PM9A1	MZQLB2T0HBLB	2TB	NO
Samsung PM9A1	MZQLB4T0HBLA	4TB	NO
Samsung SSD-970 EVO NVMe	MZ-V7E250BW	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD-970 EVO NVMe	MZ-V7E500BW	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD-970 EVO NVMe	MZ-V7E1T0BW	1TB (1,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-970 EVO NVMe	MZ-V7E2T0BW	2TB (2,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-870 QVO SATA	MZ-77Q1T0BW	1TB (1,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-870 QVO SATA	MZ-77Q2T0BW	2TB (2,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-870 QVO SATA	MZ-77Q4T0BW	4TB (4,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-870 QVO SATA	MZ-77Q8T0BW	8TB (8,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 QVO SATA	MZ-76Q1T0BW	1TB (1,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 QVO SATA	MZ-76Q2T0BW	2TB (2,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 QVO SATA	MZ-76Q4T0BW	4TB (4,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 EVO SATA	MZ-76E250B	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD-860 EVO SATA	MZ-76E500B	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD-860 EVO SATA	MZ-76E1T0B	1TB (1,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 EVO SATA	MZ-76E2T0B	2TB (2,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 EVO SATA	MZ-76E4T0B	4TB (4,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 PRO SATA	MZ-76P256BW	256GB	NO
Samsung SSD-860 PRO SATA	MZ-76P512BW	512GB	NO
Samsung SSD-860 PRO SATA	MZ-76P1T0BW	1TB (1,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 PRO SATA	MZ-76P2T0BW	2TB (2,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-860 PRO SATA	MZ-76P4T0BW	4TB (4,000GB*)	NO
Samsung SSD-850 EVO SATA	MZ-75E120B	120GB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 EVO SATA	MZ-75E250B	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 EVO SATA	MZ-75E500B	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 EVO SATA	MZ-75E1T0B	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 EVO SATA	MZ-75E2T0B	2TB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 PRO SATA	MZ-7KE128BW	128GB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 PRO SATA	MZ-7KE256BW	256GB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 PRO SATA	MZ-7KE512BW	512GB	NO
Samsung SSD-850 PRO SATA	MZ-7KE1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 EVO SATA	MZ-7TE120BW	120GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 EVO SATA	MZ-7TE250BW	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 EVO SATA	MZ-7TE500BW	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 EVO SATA	MZ-7TE750BW	750GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 EVO SATA	MZ-7TE1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 PRO SATA	MZ-7PD128BW	128GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 PRO SATA	MZ-7PD256BW	256GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 PRO SATA	MZ-7PD512BW	512GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 SATA	MZ-7TD120BW	120GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 SATA	MZ-7TD250BW	250GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 SATA	MZ-7TD500BW	500GB	NO
Samsung SSD-840 SATA	MZ-7TD1T0BW	1TB	NO
Samsung SSD-830 SATA	MZ-7PC064B	64GB	NO
Samsung SSD-830 SATA	MZ-7PC128B	128GB	NO
Samsung SSD-830 SATA	MZ-7PC256B	256GB	NO
Samsung 470 SATA SSD	MZ-5PA064	64GB	NO
Samsung 470 SATA SSD	MZ-5PA128	128GB	NO
Samsung 470 SATA SSD	MZ-5PA256	256GB	NO

---

How to Update Your Samsung SSD Firmware via PC and via Synology & QNAP NAS

 

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Which is the Best NAS Media Server Tool – Plex, Emby or Jellyfin

Although modern Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices can be used for a multitude of purposes, there has always been a large percentage of users who buy a NAS from the likes of Synology, QNAP, Asustor and Terramaster (or go full DiY/Open Source and opt for TrueNAS) in order to host their own multimedia server. If you have been out of the loop this last decade or so, then you might not be aware that the standard of media server software and ease of use has evolved incredibly and when it comes to NAS drive multimedia streaming, there are THREE big players in this arena – Plex, Jellyin and Emby. These three platforms (alongside many others, including tools such as Video Station from the NAS brands themselves) have allowed users who own DECADES of digital media (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, eBooks, Comics, etc) to not only access them conveniently remotely from the comfort of their soft/hotel room/commuter train/beach – but also do so with the slick graphical user interface that you would often associate with premium streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. This is done thanks to massive only databases (such as TheMovieDatabase and IMDb) that mean that your years of multimedia is scanned, sorted, and arranged into searchable titles. It then adds boxart, movie posters, cast lists, trailers, synopsis, trailers, extra content and more. Suddenly your dull breadcrumb ‘file/folder’ pile of media takes on an insane quality level and you have your very own personal Netflix – BUT CRUCIALLY YOU OWN ALL THE MEDIA!! That is the appeal of media server software like Jellyfin, Plex and Emby!

Jellyfin	VS	Plex	VS	Emby
Truly Open Source?		Premium Package?		The Middle Ground?

Although all three are quite similar on the face of it, all three have appealing design, interface, cost and customization choices that will almost certainly make one of them more suitable for you than the others! All three are supported by the bulk of modern NAS platforms, with via an available app in the brand’s official app center, available via a 3rd party app center (see QNAPClub or Synocommunity for example) or allow you to create a container within the NAS software and run from there, but there are definitely distinctions between all three that you might want to know before taking the plunge on your new multimedia server setup! So, today I want to go through all of the differences between Plex, Emby and Jellyfin media servers and, hopefully, by the end help you decide which is best for you!

Note – A huge thank you to Protektor-Desura for his time breaking down these services and his permission to use his data. You can find out more about his ongoing project HERE.

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – What have they ALL got in Common?

Before we go any further, it is worth highlighting the things there are supported by all three of these media server applications. It needs to be underlined that regardless of your specific requirements, Plex, Jellyfin and Emby are all EXCELLENT media server applications and alongside a massive range of client applications to watch/listen/read your multimedia on your devices, they have all grown into platforms that rival most paid subscription streaming services like Prime, Netflix, Disney+, etc. Here is a quick snapshot of all the things that Jellyfin, Emby and Plex have in common:

Plex, Emby and Jellyfin ALL Support the following: (Note – Some Services for Emby/Plex Require Subscription Services)
1080p/4K Support AV1 Compression Support H.265/HEC Support Metadata Scraping Group Watching	Android/iOS Client Amazon Fire TV App Apple TV App Roku App Android TV App Desktop PC/Mac Client	Hardware Transcoding Live TV / DVR Multiple Users Offline Downloads Smart Home Integration TV/Movie Tracking

Now, there are a whole bunch of other things that Plex, Emby and Jellfin have in common (the above list would easily be 10x longer if I names them all), so I stuck with the most requested/sought-after features. But what about the things that they don’t have in common? Or those things that are locked behind a subscription/one-off-fee? Let’s begin with the first difference that many users consider the biggest hurdle – the cost of Plex, Emby and Jellyfin.

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Pricing

Now, for many users, the idea that the media server software that they want to use on their NAS costing them MORE money is REALLY annoying! The whole point for many users making the switch AWAY from streaming services (Netflix, HBO Max, etc) is because they wanted to spend that money on the hardware to watch the media they own, as well as ensure that it’s not changed/removed from one money to the next. Now, unfortunately, this is only half the story! The fact is that media platforms such as Jellyfin, Plex and Emby have REAL PEOPLE working o them, as well as continued development (and that is not even factoring in security/stability/feature improvements in the software’s life) that all needs to be subsidized. The NAS brands DO NOT financially support them, the Streaming services actively avoid/discourage them and although users can always donate – the user vs donation ratio is obviously is painfully uneven. Therefore unless these platforms embrace advertisements and/or 3rd party sponsorship (which is a slippery slop for many), the more ambitious platforms need to find ways to fundraise their services in a way that doesn’t hurt casual/low-end users, but pushes the heavier users to support the service.

Here is how Plex, Jellyfin and Emby breakdown their costs:

Server License Fees	Jellyfin	Plex	Emby
Free Option?	Yes, Completely	Yes, but some services unavailable	Yes, but some services Unavailable + Some Client Apps Need One-off payment
Monthly	Free Unlimited Users	Plex Pass $4.99 (15 devices)	Emby Premiere $4.99 (25 devices)
Yearly	Free Unlimited Users	Plex Pass $39.99 (15 devices)	Emby Premiere $54.00 (25 devices)
Lifetime	Free Unlimited Users	Plex Pass $119.99 (15 devices)	Emby Premiere $119.00 (25 devices)

So, IMMEDIATELY Jellyfin looks appealing, RIGHT? It’s totally free for the server application, client tools and (remember the chart above showing what all three support) has most of the same features as Plex and Emby. Although all three have free-to-use options, the ability to use ALL services and client tools is where the subscription services appear. Of the three, Emby works out the tiniest bit more expensive, but actually (when you work it out at the per-user vs cost) it is largely identical to Plex in costs. The main reason that Emby works out the most expensive technically is that although the Emby Premiere subscription is optional, some of the client applications (eg iOS, Android, FireTV, etc) require you to either have an existing Premiere subscription OR pay a one-off fee. Plex allows you to install the app for free on most platforms, but limits the range of supported services that you can use (eg, hardware transcoding, share watch, etc) without a Plex Pass subscription in place. Next, let’s dig deeper into those available features and services available in Emby, Jellyfin and Plex to see what is available, what differs and what is free/paid-for!

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Features, Functions and Supported Formats

Now, as mentioned in the introduction, Emby, Plex and Jellyfin all support a whole bunch of services and features to help you enjoy a wide range of multimedia, in a wide range of formats and on a wide range of devices! But there is definitely some disparity when you dig deeper. Let’s go through the range of supported features of these three applications and see where they start to separate:

Features	Jellyfin	Plex	Emby
License	GPL v2	Full Commercial	Full Commercial
Client/Server	Yes	Yes	Yes
4K Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
ATSC 3.0 Support (4K HEVC Main 10 profile at Level 5.2 Main Tier, HDR, Dolby AC-4, MPEG-H 3D Audio)	No	No	No
AV1 Support	Yes	No	Yes
Audiobook Support	Yes	No	Yes
Bandwidth Limiting	Yes	Yes	Yes
Camera/Photo Upload	No	No	License
Collections	Yes	Yes	Yes
Comic Book Support	Yes	No	No
Commerical Skip	3rd Party Add-on/Free	License	No
E-Book Support	Yes	No	No
Favorites and Tags	Yes	No	Yes
Game Support	No	$2.99/Month	Broken
Group Watching	SyncPlay/Free	Watch Together/License	Limited/Free
Hardware Transcoding	Yes	License	License
Internet Radio Support	Yes	No	No
Intro Skipping	Yes, Plugin	Yes	Yes
LDAP Support	Yes	No	License
Live TV/DVR Support	Yes	License	License
Lyrics	No	License	No
Magazine Support	Yes	No	No
Mobile Media Optimizer	No	License	No
Mobile Sync	No	License	License
Movie Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multiple Plugin Repositories	Yes	No	No
Multiple Users	Yes	License	Yes
Music Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Music Video Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Offline Media (Download & Play Offline)	Yes/Free	License	License
Parent Controls	Yes	License	Yes
Per User Bandwidth Limit	Yes/Free	License	License
Photo Albums	Yes	License	Yes
Plug-in Support	Yes	No	Yes
Podcast Support	3rd Party Add-on/Free	No	Yes
Recommend & Discover	Yes	Yes	Yes
Remote Login Server	Never	Yes	Yes
Server Backup	No	Yes	License
Server Stats	Playback/Free, Reports/Free, Embystat/Free	License, Tautulli/Free	Yes, EmbyStat/Free
Sharing Libraries	No	Yes	No
Simultaneous Login Limits	Yes	No	Yes
Smart Home/Voice Control	Alexa/Free, Home Assistant/Free	Alexa/License, Google/Free	Alexa/License, Google/License
Theme Songs and Videos	3rdParty Plugin/Free	Yes/Songs only	License
TIDAL Music (Requires Subscription)	3rd Party Add-on/Free	License	No
Tonemapping CPU	No	Yes	Yes
Tonemapping GPU	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trailers & Extras	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tuner Sharing	No	No	No
TV Episode Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
TV Guide Data	Yes/3rdParty Add-on/Free, fHDHR/Free	License	License
Virtual Reality	No	License	No
Video Chapters Metadata DL	No	No	No

Now, Jellyfin is the most open of the three (cough because it’s pure Open Source), and as good as that sounds, it is worth remembering that this does come with a downfall in platform development when compared to the platforms that get user-subsidy via subscription. Jellyfin is the less visually modern of the three (for those that care) and also throws alot of information at you on the server side, whilst not guiding the user as much. This results in a slightly steeper learning curve vs Plex and Emby. Emby also suffers from this a little, but also does a slightly better job of guiding the user through the experience. The main difference here is regarding the extent of open source! Of the three, PLEX is the one that is the closest to ‘the establishment’, it has long since shrugged off it’s free ‘indie’ type image, as it is the closest in design, appearance and presentation to subscription services. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as this results in a premium level of support, development and updates, connections with existing services and just generally a much better-presented platform overall (server-side and client-side) that is more user-friendly and intuitive – exactly what you would expect from the more premium presented/priced package in 2023/2024. However, this also results in the platform being alot more rigid, restricting optional add-ons and packages that are typically ‘unofficial’ (i.e. ones that Plex do not add to the service themselves). Equally, that Development vs Subsidy balance results in ALOT of the more exciting features being locked/restricted behind a Plex Pass subscription. This is initially understandable (again, see previous paragraph about supporting good work), but many users bulk at the idea of paying for a service, when they already paid for their hardware and said software will occasionally intentionally limit that hardware utility behind the subscription. Both Emby and Plex are guilty of this. Let’s talk about Hardware Transcoding!

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Hardware Transcoding

What is Transcoding? Transcoding (also referred to as encoding, decoding and converting in similar means) is when a file is changed in order to be better suited to the destination client device that it will be enjoyed on. Here are some examples of when you might need to take advantage of transcoding:

• You might own media in a specific compression (the technique used by the media industry to make cinema screen blockbusters into at-home watchable content, among other reasons), such as HEVC/H.265, but not have a licence to play it on your client device, a NAS that supports HEVC or have sufficient client-side hardware/permission locally to convert it
• You might own 4K versions of your multimedia, but you want to watch it on a mobile device where a 480p or 720p version is much, MUCH more client power/hardware efficient to watch
• You are on a limited internet/cellular connection (morning commute, hotel, coffee shop, etc) and need a compressed version of a media file streamed
• Your media might be in an unsupported format (a hugely overlooked factor in audio formats) such as mp4a, FLAC, ACC, etc and needs changing

Transcoding can be done in advance (offline transcoding) or as/when the file is being accessed (known as on-the-fly transcoding) and that later one requires your NAS/Media Server to have sufficient hardware to change the file quickly enough to keep up with organic natural playback (i.e. it takes less than a second to convert/transcode a second of media). Now, you can use software transcoding (i.e the NAS will use raw CPU/System power to change the file, which is less efficient and less effective) or you can use hardware transcoding, which uses specifically available NAS system hardware (graphics card or CPU integrated graphics) to do the job, which is MUCH faster and MUCH MORE efficient. Where Plex and Emby hit a wall is that both platforms have put hardware transcoding support in their premium subscription services Plex Pass and Emby Premiere. This effectively means that the media server software is charging you to use the hardware in your NAS. This upsets quite a few people. Now, in their defence, hardware transcoding does require the software to be adaptive to different graphical hardware, requires time/energy invested in optimizing the software to take advantage of the hardware the best it can and is technically a more specialized media service/function that is not used by everyone – so in a way it makes sense tha this would be one of the optional settings to use as a means to subsidize development in their platform. However, the fact that Hardware Transcoding is available for free in Jellyfin is one of the strongest benefits that users that need this service will observe when comparing Jellyfin, Plex and Emby.

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Supported NAS Hardware & Software Server Platforms

Although Plex, Jellyfin and Emby are all supported on the bulk of NAS platforms, the actual installation of them on NAS devices (from brands such as Synology ,QNAP, WD, Asustor and Terramster) or Custom built NAS servers that run on TrueNAS Core, TrueNAS Scale or UnRAID is not as straight forward from one media server app to the other. Here is how the three media server applications compare with it comes to installing the server-side application for Emby, Plex and Jellyfin:

Server OS	Jellyfin	Plex	Emby
Android	No	Yes	Yes
Asusor	No	Yes	Yes
Docker	Yes	Yes	Yes
FreeBSD	No	Yes	Yes
Linux	Yes	Yes	Yes
MacOS	Yes	Yes	Yes
Netgear ReadyNAS	No	Yes	Yes
Nvidia Shield	No	Yes	Yes
Open Media Vault	Yes	Yes	Yes
QNAP	No	Yes	Yes
Rasberry Pi	Yes	Yes	Yes
Synology	Yes	Yes	Yes
Terra Master	No	Yes	Yes
Thecus	No	Yes	Yes
TrueNAS	No (docker supported)	Yes	Yes
WD My Cloud & My Passport	No	Yes	Yes
Windows	Yes	Yes	Yes

Straight away, you can see that the installation of Plex and Emby on..well..EVERYTHING is supported. Once again, that optional paid subscription model has evidently paid off! Not only is Jellyfin not available as a standalone installer on a large number of platform, but in some cases it can only be installed as a custom-built container application (requiring a container hypervisor such as Docker) and although this is not hugely difficult, it will be dependant on the end user to create it right, as well as the efficiency of the NAS hardware in question to run the container as efficiently as possible. Overall, when it comes to the installation of the server-side application for these three multimedia server applications, Plex and Emby are winning the race! However, this is just the client-side application (i.e the one running the media server on your NAS), what about the support of the client applications for all your devices? Let’s take a look.

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Supported Client Apps & Player Devices

The success of your multimedia server is going to be based on the smoothness of how well your NAS runs the server slide Plex, Emby or Jellyfin application – but also HUGELY dependant on the quality and extent of how well it is supported on the devices that you plan on accessing and enjoying your multimedia (referred to as clients or client-tools). Although all three applications can be accessed via the majority of web browsers (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Mozilla, Opera, etc), the bulk of users want to access their media via their phones, laptops, Smart TVs and streaming boxes such as FireTV and Roku. The range of supported clients and the means/extent of their use is possibly one of the biggest areas of difference between Emby, Plex and Jellyfin that you will find! Here is how they compare:

Clients	Jellyfin	Plex	Emby
Android	Free (Google Store), Free (F-Droid Store), Free (Amazon Store), MrMC $2.99	$5 or Server License	$5 or Server License
AndroidTV	Free	Free	$5 or Server License
AppleTV	Free, InFuse $.99/month, $9.99/yearly, or $74.99/lifetime, MrMC $6.99	Free	$5 or Server License
FireTV	Free	Free	$5 or Server License
GoogleDaydream VR	No	$5 or Server License	No
iOS	Free	$5 or Server License	$5 or Server License
Kodi	Jellyfin-Kodi/Free, Jellycon/Free	PlexKodiConnect/Free	Embycon/Free
LenovoMirage Solo VR	No	$5 or Server License	No
Linux	Free	No	No
MacOS	Free	Free	$5 or Server License
OculusGo VR	No	$5 or Server License	No
Roku	Free	Free	Free
SamsungGear VR	No	$5 or Server License	No
Sonos	DLNA	Free	DLNA
SonyPlaystation 3	DLNA/WebBrowser	Free	DLNA/WebBrowser
SonyPlaystation 4	DLNA/WebBrowser	Free	DLNA/WebBrowser
Tivo DVR Box	No	Free	No
Tizen(Samsung TV)	Free/Not in Store	Free	Free
WebBrowser	Free	Free	Free
WebOS(LG TV)	Free	Free	Free
Windows	Free	Free	$5or Server License
Xbox360	No	Free	No
XboxOne	Free, Videotape/Free	Free	$5 or Server License

So, let’s break this down a little. In the case of Jellyfin, the application continues to be largely free and available on the bulk of currently used client hardware platforms. I say ‘largely’, because in some cases Jellyfin is not available as a direct client application for those platforms. You will need to use 3rd pary tools/plugins on some client hardware, some apps are glorified browser tabs with a lite GUI on top and some need to have a small fee to maintain their existence on certain app centers. Emby on the other hand is available on more platforms than Jellyfin, however, a large number of those platforms require you to either have an existing Emby Premiere subscription in place in order to download/use them or need you to pay a fee at the app center in order to use them. Finally, we have Plex, which is the one that seems to be the most freely available client application, widely available native installer client app and has much fewer instances of app-payment requirements than Emby.

Now there IS the argument that Emby and Plex need to subsidize these apps being hosted on these app centers, as their continued appearance there and patches being developed over time needs funding. But I do think the availability and potential pricing of these tools is something that is not advertised enough and something that many users do not realize until AFTER they have invested a bunch of time setting up their respective Emby/Plex Media server on their NAS. Jellyfin is clearly the one that is trying to keep itself Free/Open-Source as much as possible, but that comes with limitations on how far they can stretch themselves and the ease of installation on client devices in some cases.

Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby on a NAS – Conclusion

Choosing between a Jellyfin, Emby and Plex Media Server NAS for your massive multimedia collection is one that going to be about the extent you are going to use it! If you are looking to create a simple media server that is largely accessible everywhere, but has lots of users, is user-friendly on both the server/client side, won’t need all the bells and whistles of a higher-end media enthusiast and you are just looking for a pretty way to enjoy your existing media that compares with premium subscription services – GO FOR PLEX!

If you are looking for a moderately customizable and featured multimedia server that gives you a good balance of control, usability and hardware support, but where the pricing can be a lot more flexible/ad-hoc (i.e one off payment per client of $5) and want the slick GUI, but also the option to customize it and take advantage of a few community add-ons – GO FOR EMBY!

Finally, if you are much more of a multimedia enthusiast, have a wide range of different media formats (i.e Audio, Video, literature and more), want to be able to link a large number of other services/tool and want to take advantage of the full extent of your NAS hardware (but are prepared for a slightly higher learning curve) – GO FOR JELLYFIN!

In summary, here are the pros and cons of each:

Clients	Jellyfin	Plex	Emby
Pros	Largely FREE on the client and Server side Supports Many more formats of media Wide range of supported Plugins Live TV / DVR Services are free to add Much more customizable Much more hardware efficient Offline Downloads Supported	Easiest to setup on Server/Client side Massive available as a client/server application with widest support Very User Friendly Optional Premium Support/Service options for Users Technically cheaper than Emby	One-off app payment vs regular subscription will appeal to some users Phone Camera Upload Support More Customizable than Plex, in add ons and GUI More Client/Server apps available than Jellyfin More media analytical tools than Plex
Cons	Steeper learning curve Fewer ready-to-go installer applications on client/server side Lacking some System config backup options vs Plex/Emby Lacks Premium/Paid support/Service option	Some Subscription/Paid restrictions Hardware Transcoding PLEX Pass barrier is annoying! Offline Downloads behind Subscription Service Lacks customization and Add ons of Emby/Jellyfin Live TV / DVR Support is behind Subscription	Hardware Transcoding behind Subscription Live TV / DVR Support behind Subscription Offline Downloading behind Subscription Not quite as widely available as Plex

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Synology DS1823xs+ 10GbE 8-Bay NAS Revealed

Updated 19/02/23 – This article has been improved, with further information on the CPU and architecture of the device since it was published yesterday

Ever wondered if Synology would ever release a 10GbE solution that was targeted at photo/video editors? A moderate-sized NAS, maybe 8 bays or so, expandable, supports M.2 NVMe, a PCIe upgrade slot that allowed further network upgrades and a big warranty for peace of mind? Well, THAT is exactly what the Synology DS1823xs+ NAS is! This new 8-Bay NAS solution from Synology, arriving sometime in Q1 of 2023 by the looks of it, has ALOT of the things that long-time Synology follows have asked for and although we already touched on the rumours of the DS1823xs+ Diskstation way back in September of last year and in our Rumours and Predictions video back in September, it has now been confirmed – and with a bunch more nuggets of information on the specifications and design. It’s tough to say at the moment whether this serves as a follow-up to the DS1621xs+, a 10G alternative to the DS1821+ or even a replacement for that long, long ago DS1817 – though that last one is pretty unlikely! So, let’s breakdown everything we know about the Synology DS1823xs+ NAS.

Hardware Specifications of the Synology DS1823xs+ NAS

The hardware that the Synology DS1823xs+ NAS arrives with seems to be something of a 2023 generation equivalent and middle ground between the DS1621xs+ and the DS1821+ NAS, both released in 2020. Arriving with a quad-core AMD V1000 series embedded Ryzen processor and 8GB of DDR4 ECC memory that is likely to be scalable to 32GB using Synology D4ECSO-2666-16G memory modules. The main storage is eight SATA bays that can be partially/fully populated, but keep in mind that this is an XS series Synology NAS, so the DS1823xs+ will likely not support SHR (though it will support BTRFS, like most Synology NAS systems).

• The Familiar 8-Bay Diskstation Chassis
• 8x SATA 3.5″/2.5″ Bays
• 2x M.2 NVMe SSD Bays (Cache/Pool Use – TBC)
• AMD Embedded Ryzen V1780B Processor
• 4 Cores, 8 Threads and 3.35Ghz Frequency
• 8GB DDR4 ECC Memory (Expandable to 32GB)
• Internal 250W PSU
• 166 mm x 343 mm x 243 mm Chassis
• 5yr Warranty

As you can see from the official image below, the DS1823XS+ uses the same 8-Bay chassis as several previous releases in the Diskstation series. This has always been a very popular scaled Synology NAS device and the aesthetic design has always won alot of people over – though do factor in that it is a metal chassis and therefore (with larger and/or enterprise-grade HDDs), this is NOT going to be quiet operation! This chassis lacks any kind of active LCD screen, but is rather more understated, with numerous controllable LEDs that provide system, network and drive status information. All eight bays use click-n-load screwless installation, are springloaded in the removal action and are lockable with a pair of included keys. As this is an XS series device, that means that it also includes 5 years of manufacturer’s warranty for the hardware and an especially long length of support on the software!

Synology DS1823xs+ NAS – Ports and Connections

The ports and connections of the Synology DS1823xs+ are very similar to the DS1621xs+, with this 8-bay arriving with an on-board 10GbE connection (as well as two-gigabit ones and an out-of-bounds management port). It would have been nice to see two 10G ports, as found in the DS3622xs+, however, I assume Synology have reasoned that 8x SATA HDDs (even in a RAID 0) would definitely saturate 1,000MB/s, but would be unlikely to saturate 2,000MB/s. That said, for those that would consider full populate with SATA SSDs (as prices become more reasonable) and/or factoring in the 2x expansion slots), the system DOES have the option to scale up its network connectivity with a PCIe upgrade slot. Synology has a range of 10GbE upgrade cards (E10G21-F2/E10G18-T2/E10G18-T1), as well a 25GbE x2 FC card (E25G21-F2). So there is still plenty of scope for scalability here.

• 1x 10GbE Copper (10GBASE-T) Network Port
• 2x 1GbE Network Port
• 1x OoB Gigabit Port
• 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) Type-A Ports
• 2x eSATA Expansion Slots, for 2x DX517 Expansion Chassis’
• 1x PCIe Gen 3×8 Upgrade Slot
• 120 mm x 120 mm x 2 pcs Fans

Circling back to those M.2 NVMe SSD Bays, it is still yet to be confirmed whether these slots will be useable as storage pools AND caching, or JUST caching. At the time of writing, only the Synology DS723+ and DS923+ NAS support the use of M.2 NVMe SSD bays for storage pools. However, I think it is quite likely that Synology will enable this feature on the DS1823xs+. Aside from the benefits of faster storage pools for important databases and key applications to work from/to, there is the benefit of the DS1823xs+ having a 10GbE slot. The Synology 8-Bay NAS devices have always been popular with those working in photo and video production and they would see tremendous editing benefits in having two M.2 NVMes inside accessible as storage pools – working as hot storage for editing, then allowing the 8 bays to either all be cold storage, or a combination of cold and warm storage across SATA HDDs and SATA SSDs.

Synology DS1823xs+ NAS – HDD & SSD Compatibility?

Another lingering question is regarding the support and compatibility of Hard Drives and SSDs. In the last 12-18 months we have seen Synology change its stance on compatibility of 3rd party drive media on their systems. Although recent releases in the PLUS and VALUE series from the brand have supported all of the usual 3rd party manufacturers (WD, Seagate, Toshiba, etc), the XS series devices in both desktop and rackmount have had much more concise and Synology-drive-media focused compatibility lists. It is quite likely that this will be the case for the DS1823xs+ NAS will arrive with support and compatibility at launch of the HAT5300, SNV3400/3410 and SAT5200 Media only. There is talk/rumours floating around of a Synology standard class NAS HDD, which would likely also be added. Nevertheless, HDD/SSD compatibility on the DS1823xs+ NAS is still very much TBC!

Synology DS1823xs+ NAS – CPU and Memory

Next, let’s discuss that CPU and Memory. The Synology DS1823xs+ NAS arrives with an AMD Embedded Ryzen V1780B, a quad-core (8 thread) x86 CPU that has a 3.35Ghz clock speed. Alongside this, the DS1823xs+ NAS also arrives with 8GB of ECC SODIMM DDR4 Mmeory that can be upgraded to 32GB over two slots, using Synology branded memory. Synology has been increasing the range of solutions in its portfolio that support ECC memory and as this is an XS class NAS, it was largely inevitable that it would have this high-data-integrity long-term protecting memory in place! 8GB by default seems a little small, given the potentially high price point that the DS1823xs+ NAS will arrive at, but that is more about the cost of Synology official Memory right now vs 3rd party and/or non-ECC memory by comparison (which is not officially supported).

Now, it is still less clear if the DS1823xs+ is a completely new NAS range (the last Synology 10GbE 8-Bay diskstation as the ARM-powered DS1817 5+ Years ago), or serving as a 10GbE equivalent of the DS1821+, or even a replacement for the 2020 released DS1621xs+. Whichever way you look at it, Synology choosing the AMD V1750B processor is actually not too bad an idea! For a start, if you look at how it compares below with the current V1500B embedded Ryzen in the DS1821+, it largely massively improves upon it (whilst still remaining in the ZEN CPU family and allowing Synology to maintain the existing hardware construction on the board/installation). Alongside an increased clock speed and supporting faster memory, this means that those looking to take advantage of fast internal AND external throughout will see some great performance here. See below:

MODEL	Synology DS1823xs+ NAS CPU AMD RYZEN EMBEDDED V1780B	Synology DS1821+ NAS CPU AMD RYZEN EMBEDDED V1500B
PRODUCT TYPE	SOC	SOC
FAMILY	AMD Ryzen Embedded V-series Processors	AMD Ryzen Embedded V-series Processors
LINE	V-Series V1000	V-Series V1000
OPN	YE1780C3T4MFB	YE1500C4T4MFB
TDP	35-54W	12-25W
CPU TYPE	Zen	Zen
CPU BASE FREQ.	3.35GHz	2.2GHz
# OF CPU CORES	4	4
# OF THREADS	8	8
SECURITY PROCESSOR	Yes	Yes
TOTAL L2 CACHE	2MB	2MB
TOTAL L3 CACHE	4MB	4MB
SYSTEM MEMORY TYPE	[email protected] MHz	[email protected] MHz
MEMORY CONTROLLER	Dual Channel w/ECC	Dual Channel w/ECC
ETHERNET	2x 10GbE	2x 10GbE
USB	1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen1, 4x USB 3.1 Gen2	1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen1, 4x USB 3.1 Gen2
SATA	2	2
LOW-SPEED INTERFACES	AZ, EMMC, eSPI, GPIO, I2C, LPC, SD, SMBus, SPI, UART	AZ, EMMC, eSPI, GPIO, I2C, LPC, SD, SMBus, SPI, UART
PCIE LANES	16L Gen3	16L Gen3

Likewise, if you compare the AMD embedded Ryzen V1780B in the DS1823xs+ against the DS1621xs+’ Intel Xeon D1527, the AMD comes out much better overall. Yes, the DS1823xs+ is potentially being delivered as an upgrade/refresh of the DS1621xs+ (still TBC), which SYnology increasing the range of their systems that are switching from Intel to AMD processors (an AMD EPYC processor in the latest generation SA series, and the DS923+/DS723+ arriving with a dual-core R1600 Embedded Ryzen), it’s not hugely surprising that they have opted for this slightly higher tier V1000 series processor for the DS1823xs+. Additionally, the DS1823xs+ isn’t even the first Synology NAS to arrive with support of this CPU – with the 2022 released FS2500 being the first to feature it.

All this said, there is no avoiding that in order for the V1780B CPU in the DS1823xs+ NAS to be as high performance/broad in ability as it is, this results in a noted increase in TDP (i.e how this translates into typical CPU power use) compared to both the older Xeon D1527 and AMD V1500B. In most conventional computer use, the impact of this is generally relative to ‘you use it, fine, you switch it off, no hassle’. But in the case of a high-performance, 24×7 NAS solution, a higher TDP will likely mean higher power use/bills in the long run. This is all going to be relative to the amount you use it and the weight of those processes – but given this device’s status as an 8xSATA, 2xNVMe, 10GbE, 1xPCIe Upgrade and Max 250W PSU NAS in the Enterprise tier – it is largely tailored towards 24×7 heavier use!

When Will the Synology DS1823xs+ NAS Be Released and What Will the Price Be?

The price of the DS1823xs+ is still unconfirmed, however, it has already appeared in a few places online and a pricetag of around 1600 EUROs has appeared. Based on the previous prices of the DS1821+ and DS1621xs+ (as well as much larger DS362xs+), this is probably quite accurate. How this will translate globally and where your local tax and shipping will fit in is a different matter however. Regarding release, although there has been no official reveal of the DS1823xs+ NAS so far, it HAS appeared on amazon Japan (as a handful of other sites in the EU), so it would seem that release is looking remarkably soon! Almost certainly in the first quarter of 2023. If not in some regions before the end of February, then likely at some point in March 2023. I will be updating this article later with more information as/when it arrives. Subscribe and/or use the notification boxes here on the page to get updates on this sent directly to your inbox. Have a fantastic week!

 

How Well Does the QNAP TS-262 NAS Perform as a Plex Media Server?

Is the QNAP TS-262 worth it as a Plex Media server NAS? A Plex Media Server NAS is a network-attached storage (NAS) device that has the software for the Plex Media Server application installed. The device acts as a central repository for all multimedia files, and the Plex application streams the content to connected client devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. The attraction of having control over all your movies, TV shows, music, and personal videos, in the sleek and organized way popularized by streaming giants like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, cannot be denied. With the rise of streaming platforms, however, comes the growing cost of monthly subscriptions and the uncertain ownership of the content. Even if you purchase digital movies or TV shows from online stores like Amazon Video, you still face the challenge of finding storage space and the risk of losing access if the platform loses its license. Having a Plex media server that offers a premium and accessible user interface, without the need for subscriptions, is a key reason why many home and prosumer users choose to invest in one. However, it’s important to note that not all NAS drives are created equal in terms of compatibility and performance with Plex. In this article, I will share my experience using the TS-262 NAS as a Plex media server, to help you make an informed decision on whether it’s worth storing your 4K multimedia content on it in 2023.

Note – If you are unfamiliar with the QNAP TS-262 NAS, but you want to learn more about it, what else it can do and whether it is good for more than just Plex, you can watch my video review below:

What is the Hardware of the QNAP TS-262 NAS Drive?

The QNAP TS-262 NAS drive is structurally similar to most personal computers and laptops, as it features a CPU, memory, and storage. However, it boasts components that are designed to be more energy-efficient and provide optimal performance for 24/7 usage, with a greater emphasis on storage-related applications. On the other hand, the hardware in a PC or laptop is geared towards running general applications, with storage services being relatively basic. The TS-262 NAS is equipped with a popular mid-range server CPU, DDR4 memory, and can accommodate both Hard Drives and SSDs using SATA connections. Although the specifications of QNAP NAS drives are not directly linked to Plex, it is important to understand the hardware specifications relevant to Plex when considering the TS-262 NAS. Below, I have compiled a list of the hardware specifications of the TS-262 that play a significant role in its compatibility and performance with Plex:

• CPU: Intel N4505 Dual Core 2.0-2.9Ghz
• Embedded Graphics: Yes, 350-700Mhz
• Memory (Quantity & Maximum): 4GB DDR4 (Max)
• Number of Storage Bays: Two
• M.2 NVMe Caching Bays: Two, M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x1
• Network Connectivity: 2.5GbE + PCIe Upgrade Slot

Next, let’s quickly touch on how we measure how good/bad the QNAP TS-262 NAS is for Plex Media Server.

Understanding the Plex Media Server Tests of the QNAP TS-262 NAS

Important Terms to Understand in Plex/NAS/Multimedia that will make the TS-262 NAS Plex Tests Easier to Understand.

• SD, 160p, 240p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K : The resolution refers to the level of detail at which media is displayed, ranging from SD to 160p, 240p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 4K. The higher the resolution, the more pixels are present, which is determined by the quality of the original recording. Displaying high-resolution media, such as 1080p and 4K, puts a heavier load on the NAS hardware. NAS devices with limited graphics capabilities or no graphics at all may struggle to play 4K media seamlessly or not play it at all. It’s important to keep in mind that just because a NAS brand, such as QNAP, claims that their latest NAS is capable of natively playing 1080p or 4K media (natively meaning through their own software, client tools, and/or DLNA), this does not guarantee that the TS-262 NAS will perform the same way with Plex. As Plex is a third-party tool, it may have different requirements and limitations.
• Transcoding, Encoding, Decoding: Transcoding, encoding, and decoding are various terms used when a media file needs to be transformed to be better suited for a specific device, internet connection, or hardware. When accessing media locally, transcoding may not be necessary, unless your files are mainly H.265/HEVC based. However, when accessing media from remote locations with limited bandwidth, weaker internet connection, or smaller devices, you may want to access the media in lower quality. This is where transcoding, or real-time encoding, comes in handy. Keep in mind that transcoding is one of the most demanding tasks for a NAS. To utilize the full resources of the NAS CPU, including its embedded graphics, you may need to enable the “Make My CPU Hurt” option in the encoder menu of the Plex NAS settings menu, which may require a Plex Pass subscription depending on the NAS.

• H.264, HEVC, H.265: The compression techniques H.264, HEVC, and H.265 are used to make large media presentations suitable for viewing on home devices. While H.264 is widely supported by all devices, not all have permission or a license to play H.265/HEVC, as the licensing and patents for H.265/HEVC are complex, expensive, and spread across multiple providers. This can lead to the need for automatic conversion/transcoding of H.265/HEVC media into H.264, which consumes more system resources. The QNAP NAS drive, like the rest of the QNAP NAS range, does not come with HEVC support by default.
• Bitrate:Bitrate refers to the quantity of data that is processed per unit of time, typically expressed in megabits per second (Mbps) for video and kilobits per second (kbps) for audio. The higher the bitrate, the better the quality and resolution of the media tends to be.

For more information on the most important terms to understand when discussing/researching a NAS as a Plex Media Server can be found in my video below:

If you have any further questions, you can use the free advice section at the bottom of the page and ask Eddie and me directly.

How was the QNAP TS-262 NAS Tested in Plex?

The setup for testing the TS-262 NAS for Plex was as follows:

• The QNAP TS-262 NAS was accessed over a 1GbE network, however in order to test how the NAS would cope with transcoding/encoding, I would force the Plex Player client to transcode the file manually
• The TS-262 NAS was used in the default CPU+Memory state that the base model arrives in (no upgraded memory or upgraded caching media)
• Tests were performed one after the other with a short break between each test, so you might see the tail end of the previous test on a CPU graph, but I have pointed at the are of the % utilization that is important as per each test.

CLEAR PASS indicates successful file playback with enough resources for the NAS to handle other tasks, while PLAYED BUT HIGH CPU % signifies that the file played, but consumed significant system resources. FAIL AND-OR DID NOT PLAY means the file did not play or playback was choppy. To view the full video of the Plex tests performed on the QNAP TS-262 NAS, watch the video below (warning: long). Or, you can scroll down to see individual test results and which ones succeeded and which ones failed.

What % System Resources did the QNAP TS-262 NAS Use in Plex when Idle?

The Plex Media Server app requires a portion of system resources even when not playing multimedia, to ensure quick playback from the QNAP NAS when requested remotely. While 2 cores and 2GB of memory are ideal for best performance, some NAS also reserve resources for system use. Knowing the amount of system resources consumed by the QNAP TS-262 NAS when Plex is idle can provide insight into available power for playback. Here’s a screenshot of the TS-262 when Plex is running but no media is being accessed.

Plex Test 1 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – UHD 4K H.265 HEVC 10bit 16Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – UHD 4K H.265 HEVC 10bit 16Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: CLEAR PASS

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 2 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – IMAX 4K UHD 2160p 40Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – IMAX 4K UHD 2160p 40Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: CLEAR PASS 

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 3 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – IMAX 4K H.264 10bit 80Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – IMAX 4K H.264 10bit 80Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: FAIL AND-OR DID NOT PLAY

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 4 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K H.264 8bit 16Mbps MP4

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K H.264 8bit 16Mbps MP4 File Performed:

RESULT: PLAYED BUT MEDIUM CPU %

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 5 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K UHD HEVC h.265 8bit 60Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4k uhd hevc h.265 8bit 60Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: CLEAR PASS

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 6 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K UHD HEVC h.265 8bit 30Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4k uhd hevc h.265 8bit 30Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: CLEAR PASS 

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 7 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K UHD H.265 HEVC 60Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K UHD H.265 HEVC 60Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: PLAYED BUT HIGH CPU %

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 8 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K H.264 12Mbps 24FPS MP4

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K H.264 12Mbps 24FPS MP4 File Performed:

RESULT: CLEAR PASS

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 9 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K H.264 8bit 32Mbps MKV

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 4K H.264 8bit 32Mbps MKV File Performed:

RESULT: PLAYED BUT MEDIUM CPU % 

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 10 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 1080p 2Mbps MP4

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 1080p 2Mbps MP4 File Performed

RESULT: CLEAR PASS

Extra Notes: None

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Plex Test 11 – QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 720p 0.7Mbps MP4

Here is how the QNAP TS-262 NAS Plex Test – 720p 0.7Mbps MP4 File Performed:

RESULT: CLEAR PASS

Extra Notes: None

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Is the QNAP TS-262 NAS Any Good outside of Plex and Where Can I buy It?

If you are interested in learning more about the QNAP TS-262 NAS Drive, I am pleased to confirm that the review here on NASCompares is already live and you can find out more about this device below.

Quick Verdict of the QNAP TS-262 NAS – What We Said in the TS-262 Review:

The QNAP TS-262 NAS is a substantial update on the QNAP TS-251+D (even worth considering for those who opted for the TS-251+D or TS-251+B previously) that features a more modern CPU that allows increased internal performance. This translates in hardware to M.2 NVMe SSD support, a larger bandwidth PCIe Upgrade slot, USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gb/s connectivity and 2.5GbE by default. Some areas of the device are less compelling, such as that fixed 4GB of memory meaning that the price needs to reflect the extra RAM on day 1, but you also cannot scale that extra memory further as your processes grow years from now. The limiting of those M.2 NVMe SSD bays to PCIe Gen 3×1 makes alot of sense, giving the range of this PCIe3 Celeron CPU makes sense, but is nonetheless going to annoy some users. lastly, the hardware gains in the system featuring much, MUCH more powerful and visually appealing HDMI 2.1 is a fraction let down by the HD Station software getting fewer and fewer feature-rich updates (outside of stability and performance fixes). As far as running the QNAP QTS EXT4 software platform on the TS-262, you will have little to no complaints, as it can run the bulk of the 1st/3rd party applications available to the software, just remember that you are running a dual-core and two thread processor – so the glass ceiling in terms of hardware resources is going to be a pinch lower than some of their Pentium, Intel Core or Xeon systems of course. After a bumpy start to 2022, with the brand needing to win alot of users back after being targetted by ransomware groups and missteps in communication, fast forward to the start of 2023 and you have a much more secure, closed and layered QNAP NAS platform here.

Choosing the QNAP TS-262 NAS over the increasing range of 2-Bay’s in the brand’s portfolio is a little less straightforward, with the TS-262 nestled somewhere between the TS-253E, TS-264, HS-264 and TS-364 (with several more 2-Bay options in the TS-x51+, TS-31P3 AND TS-31K still listed on their official site). I also think the TS-262 would do better to have been released alongside the TS-264 (and the rest of the x64 range), when the portfolio was a little less clustered and its status as an affordable alternative to the TS-262 made alot more sense! The QNAP TS-262 is designed for users looking to spend a little less on base hardware, whilst still buying a device that can be scaled in storage, network bandwidth and more down the line. QTS still continues to be fully featured and has a great many new security and access defaults/settings introduced to limit novice users leaving doors open, but still has a fractionally steeper learning curve than many of its competitors, often trying to do too many things at once (or at least not stopping an end user doing too much at times), which can lead to occasionally bumps in the road when using their platform on a more modest system as this. The QNAP TS-262 is a great 2-Bay NAS and a solid refresh/update on the TS-251D, but if you can stretch your budget a fraction more, I recommend opting for the TS-462 or TS-264 ($100-200 more) as much like this device doubles down on it’s predecessor hardware, so do those two NAS ram things up further for your money. A good NAS indeed, that lives a tad in the shadow of it’s own brothers and sisters!

Read the Rest of the Review HERE. Alternatively, you can find out the Pros and Cons below, as a few retailers that sell the QNAP TS-262 NAS. Thanks for reading and if you need any further help choosing the right NAS for your Plex Media Server, use the free advice section linked below. Have a great week.

 

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En feuilletant les actualités ce week-end, je suis tombé sur un article dévoilant la mise en ligne d’un nouveau service de DNS européen : dns0.eu. Les fournisseurs de DNS sont relativement nombreux, mais sûrement pas tous respectueux de vos données. DNS européen, gratuit et respectueux On connaît tous les fameux DNS de Google avec notamment 8.8.8.8 ou ceux de Quad 9. Jusqu’à il y a quelques jours, j’utilisais encore ceux de Cloudflare avec sa version limitant les risques de Malware. […]

How to Install TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS Drive – Step-By-Step Guide

Not all Linux servers are built equally! If you are new to the world of private server storage, you might have heard about how “everything runs on Linux”. Now, that is not exactly true (with many other platforms out there with their own building blocks), but Linux still continues to be the dominant platform that most software we regularly use is built from. Network Attached Storage (NAS) is no exception and most new or relatively inexperienced NAS users can be separated into two clear categories. There are those that want to get their hands dirty, spend sensibly on a DiY system in order to take advantage of community built platforms such as TrueNAS Scale (the Linux version of the popular TrueNAS Scale FreeBSD platform), and then there are those that are happy to pay extra for the system to arrive prebuilt, but also know that the software that it comes with can be a little more restrictive. However, it is NOT impossible to have the best of both! Today, I want to show you how to turn the remarkably affordable NAS solutions from Asustor (easily the best Value NAS in the market right now, even when the 2022 range is pretty well hardware equipped with NVMe, 2.5G, Embedded Graphics CPUs and more) into a linux based TrueNAS Scale, ZFS Powered, NAS system. It is considerably easier than you might think, is very easy to reverse and allows you to have the full customization and freedom of TrueNAS Scale, a prebuilt 24×7 designed server system and all whilst still getting exceptional value for money for the hardware. Cool right? Let’s begin the step-by-step guide.

Note – a FULL 30-Minute Installation Guide for TrueNAS Scale on an NAS is available HERE on the NASCompares YouTube Channel

Important – It’s important to note that TrueNAS Scale is NOWHERE NEAR as user-friendly as Asustor ADM and before making any switch to a new NAS OS, it is important that you understand the process, risks and differences in the platforms. This guide is designed to help you use your Asustor NAS to run TrueNAS Scale as it’s primary OS. If you go ahead with this and use the same HDD/SSDs in the system that you are currently using in the Asustor ADM Setup, it will likely format them, so IF you want to reverse your Asustor NAS back to its ADM set up with all your data/drives the same, you will need to remove them before using the TrueNAS setup, put them to one side safely and use new HDD/SSDs for your TrueNAS installation. Lastly, although this whole process is reversible, you are technically using the Asustor in a means that the brand does not state as ‘intended use’ and this MIGHT lead to support/warranty problems down the line if a fault appears in the Asustor or the software installation that was the result of the TrueNAS Scale installation (the bios records everything!). This is HIGHLY UNLIKELY but not impossible (eg you work a TrueNAS Scale server so hard and/or push the CPU to breaking point running particularly aggressive TrueNAS jails and/or use the inline compression/deduplication expensively in TrueNAS and it burns out the CPU – this would not be covered by your Asustor NAS support, as they did not certify that the system can handle this.

TrueNAS Scale Software on Asustor NAS Hardware – What You Need?

It is worth highlighting that having just an Asustor NAS is not quite enough and in order to get TrueNAS Scale up and running on an Asustor NAS requires a few extra checks and use of a few items you might have already in the home/office, or a quick $10 shop online at most. In order to upgrade your system to TrueNAS Scale, you will need to consider/have the following:

• an Asustor NAS Drive with (minimum) an Intel 64bit x86 CPU and a minimum 4GB of Memory (recommended 8GB+)
• Download the latest stable release of TrueNAS Scale here as a system image (you will be converting this to USB later on) – DOWNLOAD
• Any Data that is currently on the Asustor NAS RAID that is mission critical to be backed up or moved (as it will be completely formatted)
• A USB drive to use as the TrueNAS installation drive ( I recommend THIS ONE here from Sandisk, as it is low price and incredibly small, even at 32GB)

 

• I recommend not using a USB larger than 32GB, due to the constraints of 1st party software to format larger than this in FAT32. Don’t be tempted to spend like $2 more for a 64GB, as the TrueNAS Scale installation will occupy the full USB space (as you will create a system-image-USB) and space is utterly irrelevant when the TrueNAS Scale installation is so small
• A Disk Image to USB conversion too. I recommend ‘Rufus’, currently in ver 3.19 and can be run in a portable .exe form that doesn’t require installation – DOWNLOAD
• A basic USB Keyboard (example HERE but really, any will do) and an HDMI Monitor (or simply any device that has an HDMI input – NOT output) such as a TV or Capture card
• Hard Drive and/or SSD media (you should already have these, but just in case) for your storage Pool / RAID
• Optional M.2 NVMe SSD of at least 120GB, but highly recommended – Installing TrueNAS Scale is not unlike installing a Windows OS on a new PC, as you are connecting a USB to run the installer, but you need to target a drive in the Asustor NAS to install TrueNAS onto. Whichever drive you use, it will make that drive largely inaccessible for anything but the TrueNAS operating system. Therefore IF you are running an Asustor NAS that has internal m.2 NVMe SSD bays OR one with dedicated 2.5″ SSD bays, I highly recommend getting a low-capacity drive of between 60-120GB (these will be very cheap compared with larger HDDs that start in the Terabyte scales) and then use this for the TrueNAS software. This means that ALL of the main SATA storage bays of the Asustor are then used for your storage pool(s) (aka the RAID). Do NOT install TrueNAS on another USB drive during installation, as this is less stable.
• Optional – Download Advanced IP Scanner HERE, as it is a really useful tool for analyzing your network and finding your new TrueNAS Scale NAS for remote access

That is about it. Most of these are devices are that you will almost certainly already have to hand.

Can I Reverse the TrueNAS Scale Installation and go back to Asustor ADM?

Almost certainly YES! I say ‘almost certainly’, as there is one small caveat. When you make the change from Asustor ADM to TrueNAS Scale on the NAS hardware, the drives (HDD and/or SSD) inside used in TrueNAS pools used in the new system software architecture. This works both ways if you want to revert back to ADM on the NAS too. You CANNOT use the Storage Pool, Volume structure, Folders etc of drives from an Asustor NAS in a TrueNAS setup (you will need to format these in TrueNAS). So, although the act of reinitializing the NAS to its original software is very easy (you just need to go into the BIOS of the Asustor using the same method in the guide below, then change the boot drive order BACK to the Asustor OS internal SSD), it will mean that any data that resides on the disks inside will be formatted. So, if you are choosing to make a change from one NAS OS to another, make sure you have your data appropriately backed up elsewhere OR move the drives that were in your Asustor (with their ADM Storage structure) to one side safely and install new 3.5″ storage media for the TrueNAS pools etc. So, let’s begin the installation of TrueNAS Scale on the Asustor NAS.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 1, Download TrueNAS Scale

Head to the TrueNAS Scale website HERE and download the latest stable release of the software to your local PC, Linux or Mac system. Make sure to remember where you downloaded it.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 2, Download Rufus USB Image Tool

Head to the Rufus website and download the latest version of that tool – I recommend downloading the standalone executable file here, as then it will immediately run when you double-click the file, without installation etc. It may redirect you to Github, but it will be the same executable file. Once again, remember where you downloaded it.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 3, Preparing the USB

Connect the small form factor USB Drive to your system (again, this is the one I used from Sandisk) and after a few seconds, it should appear as an available USB Drive. The drive MAY need formatting (you will be prompted to do so), if that is the case, then you can format it via the system prompts and by default, it will format it to FAT32 (as long as your USB is less than 32GB). If you are not presented with a system prompt to format your USB, then you can head into My PC, or My Computer via a windows computer and right-click the drive, select ‘format’ and format it that way.

If you have used the USB for other things previously, there is a chance that the drive has existing partitions in place. For that, the quickest way to completely remove any partitions is to open up the bottom-left windows system menu as normal, and then just type diskpart and open the command-line GUI tool. From there, use the command list disk to show the available drives that are connected, you will see your USB (normally disk 1 or 2, but can differ depending on your system layout and can be spotted by the storage amount). From there, type select disk # (where # is the drive number that your USB is shown as) and then type clean, which will then remove any index structure for the drive (i.e the partitions and existing format) and then you can go back to the My Computer/My PC page and format the drive to FAT 32 as normal.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 4, Creating a USB Installer Image of TrueNAS Scale

Open the Rufus application and from there you will see the USB Drive (listed as NO NAME, or ‘UNTITLED’, ETC) at the top. From there, look to the select image/find image option (depending on the ver. of Rufus or your USB Image Creator tool of choice) and find the TrueNAS Scale disk image you downloaded earlier). If the drive is not listed, it may have downloaded as a compressed/archive file. If that is the case, head to the location of where you downloaded TrueNAS Scale (in your file explorer, not in Rufus) and right-click the file you downloaded. If the option to ‘extract‘ is visible, then you can extract it (i.e unpack it to the original form) in that same download directory. From there, head back into RUFUS and then the TrueNAS Scale system image should be visible. Select it, then run the Rufus System image creator tool and create your USB bootable TrueNAS Scale disk image.

REMEMBER! This will completely format your USB drive and any files that are on that USB will be destroyed. The system image creator tool will turn the USB into a pure boot image tool – the USB will not be usable for traditional storage again unless you completely format it again.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 5, REMOVE THE USB FROM YOUR PC!!!!!!!!!

Really, really important and sometimes overlooked. Once the USB creation is completed, you need to remove the USB (using the eject hardware safely option at the bottom right of your windows machine taskbar as normal). DO NOT accidentally leave the USB in your USB Ports for any longer than necessary. If you leave it in and your system reboots at any point (eg in a normal ‘end of day shut down, go home, reboot tomorrow’ scenario), then the system might boot directly into the TrueNAS Scale installation and although it is easy to exit from, it can change your system default boot preferences, maybe even remove your primary boot drive as the OS drive – requiring a little messing with a windows installation disk to change it back. The odds of this are very small, but not zero, so make sure to safely remove your USB drive when the TrueNAS Scale system image creator tool is completed.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 6, (OPTIONAL) – Install an NVMe SSD

This is an optional step, but one I would certainly recommend for newer-generation Asustor NAS devices. TrueNAS is a lot like a traditional computer operating system (eg Windows or macOS) in it’s architecture and will run at its best when the necessary boot files are located on a separate, smaller and faster area of SSD/flash storage away from the general bulk storage. So, if possible/available in your Asustor NAS, I would recommend installing a smaller m.2 NVMe SSD drive and then using that as the target/location for your TrueNAS Scale installation. This is not compulsory and you can also use a single HDD or SSD in one of the main storage bays of your Asustor, however, it means that this drive will unusable for general storage (i.e in any RAID configuration or storage pool). This CAN be negated with some creative portion creation, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Additionally, do NOT try to install TrueNAS Scale on another USB drive that is connected to the system – this isn’t particularly stable and tends to result in a poorer TrueNAS Scale experience. M.2 NVMe bays and their location in the Asustor NAS changes depending on the system. Some allow you to access these bays via the main HDD 3.5″ bays, whilst others (the majority) require you to remove the external chassis casing to access these bays (eg the Lockerstor 2 and 4).

Reminder – TrueNAS is NOT a big program and you can use an SSD as small as 32GB and still have a tonne of provision for future storage space. However, M.2 NVMe SSDs are not available in smaller sizes than 120GB. Lower size than this and you will generally only find 2240 SSDs and/or SATA M.2 SSDs. These are still perfectly fine to use, but the performance difference between SATA and NVMe (PCIe) is HUGE! You can find many SSD options here on amazon for as little as $30  – Find Low Capacitiy and Low Price M.2 NVMe SSDs HERE on Amazon (already filtered the results)

Click to view slideshow.

NOTE – If you plan on upgrading the memory of your NAS to 4GB-8GB-16GB or higher (in order to use ALL of the features of TrueNAS Scale to their fullest extent), I would recommend doing so at this point before rebuilding the physical chassis again, as many Asustor NAS have the 2nd SODIMM memory slot in really tight locations.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 7, Connecting the USB, Keyboard and HDMI Monitor

Next, we need to connect the external means to install TrueNAS Scale on the Asustor NAS. Unlike when you set up your Asustor NAS for the first time, TrueNAS cannot typically be installed via the network like ADM. TrueNAS requires you to use a KVM (keyboard, Video Mouse – though you won’t need a mouse!) and go through the installation using a low-res graphical user interface. Now you will ONLY need this setup/items for the installation and initialization of your TrueNAS Scale server and after that, you will be able to use the server over the network/internet as normal.

You are going to need a basic USB Keyboard (not a Bluetooth or wireless one, as these may need drivers to run and you cannot install drivers at this point) and an HDMI Monitor/TV. You CAN use a mouse, but it is not hugely necessary and 99% of the choices in the setup of TrueNAS Scale can/will be via keyboard input. Also, I would also recommend connecting the NAS to the network during setup as this will allow the system to assume certain network values during setup that will save a tonne of time later. Once that is all connected, do NOT turn the NAS on yet – there is one small and slightly time-sensitive thing to do.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 8, Accessing the BIOS Menu of your Asustor NAS

Now that your Asustor NAS is all connected and you are ready at your keyboard/Monitor, turn the NAS on and wait till you hear a beep and you should see the boot screen of the motherboard splash on screen

As soon as you hear that noise (and likely see a flashing character or undersScale on the monitor screen), you need to continuously hit the ESCAPE key.

Doing this will (eventually!) result in the system displaying the blue BIOS menu (it changes between motherboards and Asustor uses a mixture of mobos in their Intel and AMD-powered systems). You need to be quick, as you only have about 3 seconds to do this before the Asustor will automatically boot from the small internal flash OS module that boots into Asustor. Once you see the page shown below, you need to select the ‘Boot Manager’ option:

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 9, Booting from the New TrueNAS Installer USB

Tap ‘DOWN‘ until you are highlighting the USB and then tap ‘Enter‘ or ‘Return‘ on your keyboard, as this will push the Asustor to boot from that USB and begin the TrueNAS Scale installation. Later on, I will show you how to force the system to ALWAYS boot into TrueNAS Scale, but for now, we just need it to read from this USB this one time.

TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 10, Rebooting and Starting the TrueNAS Installer

This next step is a bit of a quick one. Around 5-15 seconds after you selected the USB Drive in BIOS, the screen will display the TrueNAS Installer option page. Tap ‘Enter’ as soon as you see it, as the page is on a countdown and when it reaches zero it will (possibly, depending on the version) reboot and then you will have to repeat the last few steps again!), So, in order to avoid this, tap ‘ENTER‘ as soon as this page appears.

After a few minutes, the TrueNAS Scale GUI/Command will appear on your monitor and all you need to do is navigate the config choices to set up your TrueNAS Scale NAS the first time.

Important – TrueNAS Scale runs at its best when it is run on a separate drive from your storage. Much like an Operating System, you can install TrueNAS Scale on an available SSD in a SATA or NVMe SSD slot in the Asustor NAS, then (after initialization) you can go into the TrueNAS Scale > Storage area and create a pool of storage using the available storage media bays,

It is NOT recommended that you install it on a USB drive, for reasons of speed and power-connections.

After you have completed the setup and are back at the initial TrueNAS Scale boot menu, select the ‘SHUTDOWN‘ option (not reboot/restart, for reasons I will explain in a moment).

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TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 8, Remove the Boot USB Drive AND CHANGE BIOS!!!

Once your Asustor NAS has fully powered down, you need to disconnect the USB drive you installed earlier with TrueNAS Scale boot loader on it. You need to do this otherwise, when you reboot the Asustor NAS, it can potentially reboot into the bootloader again. You can skip past this and/or it will not action a reinitialization without your input, but better to remove the USB and therefore allow the system to always immediately boot into the TrueNAS Scale system you just created.

Next, you need to head back into the BIOS from earlier. Keep the Keyboard and HDMI Monitor connected and use the same method you used earlier during the initial boot of the Asustor (pressing ESC / ESCAPE repeatedly when you hear the first Asustor beep after about 10-15 secs) and as soon as you are greeted with the familiar blue BIOS screen. At the initial screen, tap Down and select the ‘Setup Utility’ Option:

On the next screen, tap Right until you have highlighted the ‘Boot’ Menu. Then tap Down until you have highlighted the ‘SD Card / eMMC’ option, then press Enter / Return:

The next screen should show you the internal SSD/FLASH drive that the Asustor NAS arrives with (that contains the ADM software, accessed for initializing the NAS the first time, as well as assisting with any issues/repairs in the ADM software down the line). You need to highlight the drive (the name will differ, depending on the Asustor NAS model) and then press Space / Enter to REMOVE the X from the box. This means that the NAS will no longer attempt to access this drive and from this moment, the drive you installed TrueNAS Scale onto will be booted from first.

After this, you can click right again in the BIOS menu to select the option to Save and restart. The system will then boot into the TrueNAS initialization (first-time setup).

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TrueNAS Scale on an Asustor NAS – Step 9, Reboot the NAS

Upon rebooting the Asustor into TrueNAS Scale (can take up to 5 mins, but usually much quicker). You have two options with how to access the configuration and controls. You can use the HDMI+Keyboard if you choose for console/command level access.

Alternatively (much more recommended), use a program such as Advanced IP Scanner, which is free and VERY useful anyway, or even network command prompt) to scan your local area network and find where the Asustor with TrueNAS Scale is located (i.e it’s IP). This IP (eg 192.168.1.111) is what you put into the URL bar ofay web browser and it will load into the login GUI for TrueNAS Scale. From here you will need to use the username ‘root’ in combination with the password that you created during initialization.

And that is about it. You now have TrueNAS Scale installed as the default OS of your Asustor NAS. From here you can do anything and everything that his highly regarded ZFS powered server software offers. Head into the Storage area and start creating pools, as well as areas for caching and lots more features.

TrueNAS was recently updated to ver.13 in a stable release of the FreeBSD format, as well as new improvements in the Linux-based version ‘TrueNAS Scale’. The first thing you are going to need to do when setting up your TrueNAS Scale > Asustor NAS server is set up your storage. Do this by heading into the storage tab and following the handy steps on screen. After that, you can pretty much do anything on your new ZFS NAS!

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EXTRA – How to Reverse Your Asustor NAS from TrueNAS Scale to Asustor ADM / ADM Software Again

Now, it is worth remembering that switching your Asustor NAS to run TrueNAS Scale instead of ADM is not a one-way street and you can reverse this relatively easily. Do remember first though that:

• Any data on the HDD/SSDs inside the Asustor that were used in TrueNAS Scale server setup will not be accessible/usable with the Asustor NAS system and will likely be flashed/formatted during the Asustor ADM reinitialization
• You will need your Keyboard and HDMI Monitor again in order to get back into BIOS
• If you kept your original Asustor RAID Pool on HDDs etc to one side (i.e you removed the already configured storage media in their RAID from the Asustor when you changed to TrueNAS and put these drives safely to one side), you should be able to migrate this data back into the Asustor NAS during re-initialization with ease. That said, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP FOR THIS DATA REGARDLESS

In order to reverse the Asustor NAS from TrueNAS Scale back to Asustor ADM Software, you need to (from a cold boot) access the BIOS menu again (so, at boot, with your Keyboard and monitor connected, press the ESCAPE over and over when the Asustor beeps, like before) and when you reach the BIOS menu. Then repeat the steps from earlier in this guide to get back to the ‘SD Card / eMMC’ option. Then you just need to use the Space/Enter key to put a cross back in the confirmation box. Doing this will restart the Asustor NAS and it will automatically boot into the Asustor ADM boot sequence. From here your NAS will either automatically boot into the Asustor Setup page OR (if you have your original Asustor NAS RAID drives, with their Pools, Volumes, etc) it will just boot into the Asustor NAS software as normal.

You can find out more about TrueNAS in my full review below that covers everything I like and dislike about the platform:

Thanks for reading! I hope you found this helpful and that it really helped you to make the most of your storage. Want to help me continue to make more guides, reviews and tutorials on the subject of NAS? Then you can do so in a few different ways (any of which I will be eternally grateful for if you choose to!). You can visit the ‘Support NAS Passion’ page HERE and see a few different ways that you can help us keep the lights on. Alternatively, you can use one of the links below to shop for your hardware today or in future (visiting those sites via the link below ensures that we get a mall commission on absolutely anything you purchase – and doesn’t cost you anything extra). Finally, if you want to support us in spirit rather than financially, recommend our blog to a friend or professional colleague or share a link on your social media site of choice. Thank you for reading and have a fantastic week!

 

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Synology annonce l’arrivée d’un nouveau NAS : DS1823xs+. Il s’agit d’un boîtier 8 baies (extensible jusqu’à 18), animées par un processeur AMD Ryzen V1780B et 8 Go de RAM. Il possède 3 ports réseau, dont un au format 10 Gb/s. Son prix : de 1682€ HT ! NAS Synology DS1823xs+ Le DS1823xs+ n’est pas un NAS comme les autres. Même s’il est au format tour, il s’adresse avant tout aux professionnels. Il possède 8 emplacements pour les disques (2,5 et […]

Synology DS223 NAS Drive – Does It Deserve Your Data?

The DS223 NAS is one of the best Synology Value 2-Bay systems that the brand has ever released, featuring a number of series-firsts in terms, yet still maintaining largely the same price point as the other two bays in the Value/J series to date. However, there is no avoiding that this is not going to be a system that suits everyone and although I waxed lyrical and was largely positive about its features in my Synology DS223 NAS Review, there are definitely going to be some elements of the DS223 NAS that will convince you to opt for a different solution. So, today I want to discuss the five things about the Synology DS223 that make it a must-have NAS in 2023 and five things that will possibly convince you that your money and data should go elsewhere. Let’s begin.

Note – You can find my full ‘Before You Buy’ video on the Synology DS223 NAS here. It covers mostly the same points, but also touches on a few more.

Reasons You SHOULD Buy the Synology DS223 NAS

So, first things first! Here are five reasons why the Synology DS223 NAS might well be exactly the private desktop server that you have been waiting for.

DSM 7 Still runs great on the DS223 NAS, even though it’s ARM Powered

The Synology DSM software is a great piece of software that allows you to do most anything you would ever want with your Synology NAS device, as well as replace your existing 3rd party software for backups, communication and multimedia with Synology’s 1st Party ones. Synology has been in business for many years and has a large range of products, including the DS223 NAS. This NAS runs on an ARM CPU instead of the traditional x86 Intel or AMD CPUs found in most devices. I was pretty sure this would be a major issue with the DSM software and the extent to which it would run, but much to my surprise, it ran perfectly. Everything I could think of trying worked perfectly, though there are some bigger applications that are absent (such as Virtual Machine Manager and Active Backup Suite), but the bulk of the long-running DSM applications are here and as an entry device into the Synology ecosystem, you are getting a huge range of applications and the Synology OS provided to a high level – especially at this price point.

Note – The Synology DSM 7 Value Realtek NAS vs Intel/AMD x86 NAS Video embedded below will be live in the next week or so, so if it is not available below, don’t worry. It will be published soon.

The Synology DS223 Value NAS Still Supports SHR, BTRFS and Snapshots

Another arguably useful improvement that Synology has made to its value systems in recent years is improving the base-level services, despite the more modest ARM processors they include. The Realtek ARM processor inside the DS223 is still more than enough to allow you to choose EXT4 or BTRFS as the system’s file system, with the latter providing several benefits in terms of resource impact of snapshot creation and file integrity checks. Then there is the support of SHR. Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) is a type of RAID storage technology that is designed to provide flexibility, scalability, and advanced data protection. It allows you to use different sizes and types of hard drives to create a storage pool and adapts to the differences between the drives automatically. Unlike traditional RAID, which only allows you to utilize hard drives of the same size and type, SHR allows you to mix and match different sizes and types of drives to create a storage pool. It also automatically adjusts the storage configuration to ensure data integrity and optimize storage utilization. Additionally, SHR provides data redundancy with an error-correction algorithm with mixed drive use that is more advanced than traditional RAID. This means that it can protect your data even if one of the drives fails. Some might argue that the benefits of SHR in a 2-Bay are limited (largely negating the benefits of mixed drive capacities vs resulting storage), but if you plan on upgrading the DS223 towards a largely NAS down the line, an SHR storage pool is much easier to migrate over to another Synology and can also then take advantage of the increased bays with larger capacity drives!

Synology’s BTRFS offers many advantages over the traditional EXT4 filesystem, such as increased storage space and data availability, as well as the ability to take frequent and scheduled backups. Snapshots are a major benefit of using BTRFS, as they allow you to easily take instant snapshots of an entire shared folder and clone it easily. This ensures data consistency and integrity, as well as the ability to recover from a hard drive failure or damage. The main advantage of using BTRFS is that it enables you to keep a schedule of hourly, daily, weekly and monthly snapshots. Although the DS223 NAS is not the first Synology NAS in the Value series to allow BTRFS, Snapshot Replication and supporting SHR, it is still good that this is included in this value package.

Hard Drive and SSD Compatibility on the DS223 NAS is Still Good

Unlike a number of higher profile (i.e more powerful and expensive) NAS systems in the Synology NAS portfolio that have much stricter supported official HDD and SSD compatibility/support, the Synology DS223 supports pretty much everything you would expect! As long as it is SATA and 2.5/3.5″ – they will almost certainly appear on the SYnology compatibility lists. There is still talk of Synology releasing a standard class range of HDDs (to accompany their existing enterprise HDDs and SSD media), but if/when they do, they will likely always allow competitor 3rd party HDDs in the WD Red and Seagate Ironwolf NAS drive series to be used on value series NAS like the DS223. They DO only support upto 18TB at the time of writing across all supported HDD brands, likely down to Synology’s own drives currently capping at 18TB, but most buyers of the Synology Value NAS systems like this one were far less likely to install HDDs of this scale!

All that said, do keep in mind that the Hard Drives that you choose to use will make an impact on noise. Any NAS HDDs (WD Red or Seagate Ironwolf) of 8TB or lower capacity will be lovely and quiet (only really making noticeable noise in periods of high access frequency), but larger capacity HDDs or enterprise class/industrial built Hard Disks will make more ambient noise (vibration hum, clicks of the internal arm/actuator and spinning disk platters) and these will be easily noisier than the DS223 noise when in operation.

The DS223 NAS Features Low Noise, Small Power Use and Compact Design

This is a point that will appeal to a very specific % of NAS buyers, but the 223 NAS arrives in the same 2-Bay Diskstation chassis as the DS220+ and DS218 before it (with tweaks here or there), which was very low impact in it’s design. What I mean by that is that it is quite a compact casing that is very easy to deploy, very well-ventilated on almost all sides (even the official logos on either side are ventilation panels) and is surprisingly low noise when in operation. The DS223 has a single rear active fan, and it is a low-noise fan too. The huge amount of ventilation that passes over the internal heatsinks (no internal CPU fans or a PSU fan, as that is external) is assisted by the copious ventilation and the result is a NAS that has had alot of time in R&D to balance between internal system temps in 24×7 operation AND having low ambient noise/space impact to the end user. HERE is my noise testing of the Synology DS920+ NAS (using a similar chassis, but in 4 bays) using different kinds of HDD and SSD media to show the noise levels that were hit.

Ensuring sufficient ventilation and cooling is essential for preserving the health and performance of a NAS like the DS223. Without proper cooling, a NAS system can become overheated, leading to poor performance and potential hardware damage. Furthermore, excessive heat can lead to increased power consumption, higher noise levels, and even shortened equipment life. Ventilation and cooling are especially important for a NAS that is located in an environment with high ambient temperatures or in an area with limited air circulation. To help ensure proper cooling, NAS systems should be placed in an open and well-ventilated space and away from large objects that could obstruct the flow of air. Additionally, the use of fans and other cooling components can help reduce operating temperature while also reducing noise levels. The compact but well-ventilated chassis of the DS223 NAS means that it finds a very good balance between noise during operation, good internal system temps and all the while making a very small impact on your home/work environment.

The DS223 NAS Arrives with Three USB Ports and a One Touch Copy Button

Unlike the more small-medium Business DS723+ and DS923+, the Synology DS223 NAS has really pushed the support of USB, with the device featuring three Typ-A ports that will be very, VERY handy for home users. The USB ports can be used to connect storage devices and support pretty much ANY USB storage device and some docks/readers, but more on that later. The USB copy button on the front of the DS223 NAS is a quick and convenient way to transfer data from any external storage device to the NAS. This button, when pressed, will automatically copy over all the data from a USB drive, external hard drive, or another storage device to the NAS. It is a great way to quickly and easily back up and store data on the NAS without having to go through the process of manually conducting regular backups via the browser/App GUI. This backup can be conducted in either direction (i.e NAS to USB or USB to NAS) and can be manually triggered with the button (for peace of mind) or automated when a specific drive is connected. You can also create custom backup and retention policies. These can ensure that versions of backups are maintained and can be prevented back to, can ensure that only files of a certain type/date/size/format are actioned and also policies for if an error/interruption occurs. Its a really useful little feature with a physical button attached that is often absent in more expensive/larger Synology NAS.

Reasons You SHOULD NOT Buy the Synology DS223 NAS

Of course, though, the Synology DS223 NAS is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. It is fair to say that there are some elements in this follow-up to the 2.5yr old DS720+ that have rubbed a few users up the wrong way. Let’s discuss the five reasons why the DS223 NAS (and indeed a Synology system in some cases) might not be the ideal private server solution for you.

The Synology DS223 has no Plex Media Support Support Right Now

As a pretty affordable Synology NAS system, the DS223 is likely going to be an ideal choice for smaller-scale users looking for a modest media server to enjoy the decades of media that they have collected, to create their very own media server. The DS223 arrives with the Synology Video station application, which is quite swish with metadata scraping, separate directories, transcoding support (NAS dependant) and lots of client applications available for desktop PC/Mac, iOS, Android, FireTV and more. However, many other users will already be familiar and committed to choosing Plex Media Server on their NAS, to manage and stream their multimedia collection. Plex is (to date) the closest you can get to the slick GUI of premium 3rd party streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, etc (as well as supporting a bunch of other plugging for internet TV services, games and more). However, as the architecture behind the Synology DS223 NAS (more precisely that RTD1619b ARM processor) has only just arrived, Plex has not developed an installer package to install Plex on this platform yet. The DS223 (alongside likely future releases in this value series family) also do not support Docker, so you cannot create a container image of plex as a workaround either. Now the process of creating a Plex Media Server installer is 100% in the hands of Plex, but after that they will likely need to either submit this .spk package to Synology for verification and confirmed acceptance to join the rest of the 3rd party/partner apps in the Synology App center. Otherwise, Plex will likely roll out a beta version of this installer in advance, which although will allow DS223 NAS owners to use Plex on their systems, it will not be 100% stable. The good news, is that there is almost certainly be a PLEX media server installer/package for the DS223 (and other 1/2/4-Bay Value Synology NAS) in the near future, it’s just a question of ‘when’.

The DS223 arrives with 1GbE and No SD Card Slot

Those ethernet ports. The default model of the DS223 NAS arrives with two one gigabit ethernet ports (the same as the DS720+, DS718+ and DS716+ before it), despite almost other commercial NAS brands producing solutions at this consumer-tier/scale arriving with at least 2.5GbE. Now, the adoption of greater than gigabit connectivity in client hardware (laptops, PCs, routers, switches, docking stations, etc) is by no means as ubiquitous as 1GbE (which has been around for decades at this point), BUT it is growing. ISPs are providing fiber internet connections globally that exceed gigabit speeds, along with 2.5GbE and WiFi 6 routers. We are seeing more prosumer switches, routers and PCs with default 2.5Gb network ports (at the same/similar cost as 1GbE), $20 USB-to-2.5G adapters and even the affordability of 10GbE on some client devices has allowed users to gradually scale up their hardware environment. The fact the DS223 arrives at the start of 2023 and does not feature greater than 1GbE ports by default is a shame BUT understandable for the price tag – however the lack of even an officially supported option to add 2.5GbE via USB is a heck of a shame! Even if you have no plans for 2.5G right now in your setup and think it something of a fad (favouring 10GbE), in terms of future-proofing and the general standard or networking hardware right now, gigabit ethernet is a surprising weakness here.

Note – The Synology2.5G/5GbE USB Adapter Installation Guide for DSM7 Video embedded below will be live in the next week or so, so if it is not available below, don’t worry. It will be published soon.

Although the lack of greater than 2.5GbE and the option to add it over USB will annoy some people, there is still a lingering question over phantom the SD Card slot! This is a hardware feature that Synology largely abandoned in the 2014/2015 (with the last system to feature it being the DS214play) – but this nevertheless is annoying when you see that the front of the DS223 chassis still has the design lines for this slot visible. It’s a very, VERY small complaint – but with so many amateur/hobby photographers using modest Synology NAS to backup their photos on the fly locally (in conjunction with several impressive Synology Apps for backups and AI Photo recognition on the DS223 still available), leaving the evidence of this slot some 7-8 years later is just rubbing salt in the wound!

USB Functionality and Support on the DS223 NAS are Underwhelming

I know, I KNOW. I am really banging a drum on the subject of USB in this DS223 article and this is going to sound fantastically churlish, BUT when looking at a smaller-scale NAS system, the importance of external connectivity (backups, migration of data, etc) grows in importance. The DS223 has USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, so 5Gb/s (500-500MB/s max bandwidth) – not the now rather common and widely available USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s). Now, the limitations of the USB are perhaps down to the CPU layout/chipset and a lack of USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) support in it’s architecture – although Synology has been pretty sticky on USB 5Gb/s on all their systems – maybe they will surprise us this year and skip immediately to USB 4). But it’s a bit of a shame that as good as having 3 USB ports is (especially for small/home users), the affordability of faster USB alternatives in 2023 and the standard of USB on most client devices being raised is still leaving something of a gap. Much like the 2.5G vs 1Gb complaints I made earlier, most other NAS brands at this price point tier have introduced USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10G / 1,000+ MB) ports, as well as USB-C in some cases. With the ease with which a user can add a USB tier to their 3-2-1 backup strategy (allowing them to be a little more financially creative with a network/remote/cloud backup tier as well), the slightly old skool USB ports here are a little underwhelming. With significantly more affordable RAID-enabled USB solutions in the market and/or M.2 NVMe external USB drives arriving affordable to comfortably provide faster external storage for backups, this seems like a bit of a misstep by Synology to ignore. in such a small-scale system.

Then there is the complaint that USB support in DSM 7 (currently ver DSM 7.1 and DSM 7.2 rolling out relatively soon) has been pretty cut-throat in removing support of USB peripherals. A number of key USB devices that were supported in DSM 6.2 were either reduced in utility or completely phased out when the big upgrade to DSM 7 occurred in 2021, leaving broad support with just USB storage, UPS’ and assignment to VMs/Containers (not applicable on such a modest system like the DS223). This has definitely rubbed a few users up the wrong way who used USB-network adapters, Printers, scanners, USB TV Tuners, Wireless dongles and more. We have never really had a clear answer as to why eliminating the range of supported USB devices happened in DSM 7, likely a question of security and maintaining a closed system from injection. But many users on github have been able to circumvent these limitations and easily reactivate access to many USB peripherals (in most cases, invalidating some/all of the support that Synology can/will provide in the event of system issues down the line – so not massively advised), so in the end – it’s just a bit annoying!

Server Side HEVC/H.265 Support and Conversions on the DS223 are Weak

Finally, there is a lack of conventional integrated graphics and generally weaker support of multimedia that needs system resources on the server-side. Most users will not notice this as an issue in day-to-day use, but multimedia users and especially a large % of dense/large streaming users will notice, if they are a little more reliant on the server-side processing than on the client. For example, if your media collection contains alot of dense/complex audio media (RAW, MP4a, FLAC, etc) OR alot of higher-end HEVC/H.265 Media BUT you do not have client hardware that supports these types (or allows local client conversions/transcoding), then the NAS will have to use raw horsepower to get the job done – much less efficient than embedded graphics doing the job. The Realtek RTD1619b DOES have a graphical component, but it is much more modest than those found in an Intel Celeron/Core or AMD Integrated Vega processor, designed around efficiency. Again, you might not be impacted by this (your client hardware might have enough power and privileges, or you own a local HEVC-licensed device), but it IS a concern if you are running a Media Server on the DS223 and need the NAS to convert files on the fly. Earlier in 2022, I compared the DS920+ (with an integrated graphics equipped Celeron) vs the DS1522+ (with a powerful, but less graphically equipped AMD R1600) in a detailed YouTube video testing 4K Media in Plex HERE. It showed the benefits of a lower-powered CPU that had a competent graphics component when it came to more complex/challenging media handling on the server side. Below are two videos showing how the Synology DS223 NAS performed in both Emby and Video Station with 720p, 1080p and d4K media in several different formats and client tools

Note – The Synology DS223 NAS Multimedia Server testing videos will be live in the next week or so, so if they are not available below, don’t worry. They will be published soon.

Synology DS223 Video Station Multimedia Server NAS Tests	Synology DS223 Emby Multimedia Server NAS Tests

Release of the Synology DS223+ NAS or Other Multimedia Home Synology NAS Soon…

 

Much like my point regarding the support of Plex Media Sever on the DS223 NAS mentioned earlier being a point that in time might become redundant, there are still alot of questions floating around on the subject of a new Prosumer 2/4-Bay NAS solution arriving in Spring/Summer of 2023. When the Synology DS923+ and DS723+ NAS were released at the end of 2022/start of 2023 respectively, many users were surprised that the brand had made the switch from an Intel Celeron processor in this series to an AMD embedded Ryzen (more powerful, but lacked the integrated graphics). They definitely liked the inclusion of ECC memory and an option to add 10GbE, but the CPU was quite a sticking point for many (see this video HERE) as it was less proficient at multimedia handling and it’s price point vs value and focus seemed to be more focused towards business users. Now, the DS223 is definitely greatly focused towards the home/entry-level user and it DOES have a decent degree of multimedia support – but it is definitely not comparable to the DS220+ or DS420+ from 2020. So, the question is, will there be a Synology DS223+ NAS in the future? There are DEFINITELY rumbles of a Synology DS223+ model ID in the background of some Synology official site databases if you crawl deeply enough (and even then, this can just be placeholder field entries internally). Additionally, I have heard from several sources mention of a further prosumer/graphical handling improved NAS for the home/prosumer media crowd coming in Spring/Summer of 2023 – but nothing concrete! So, one of the last reasons that you might want to hold off from buying the Synology DS223 NAS (at least for now) is that there may well be a better multimedia-supporting 2-Bay NAS coming from Synology in the coming months. It will definitely cost more than the DS223 (likely comparable to the DS220+ or DS723+ in price), but for the sake of waiting a few months longer and saving – that might just be fine and dandy for some!

Otherwise, you can watch the video below from Summer 2022, where I discuss whether the Synology DS220+ NAS is still worth buying:

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Synology DS223 NAS Review – Conclusion & Verdict

As soon as your look at the Synology DS223 as an entry point into the Synology software platform and ecosystem for those that want to have a small, robust and user-friendly NAS – it makes ALOT of sense! There is a reason why it arrives at a price point $120-150 cheaper than the DS723+ and as long as you are looking at the DS223 as a low-power, low impact and low-demand device, you are going to come away from it happy! It provides the bulk of the DSM applications and services that most home/small office users are going to want for Multimedia, Collaboration, Backup, Sync’d team drives and surveillance, but does so in a much more affordable package than the Plus series. Where some users might hit issues when they assume that the DS223 can provide the same extent of features and performance of the DS220+, DS723+ and above. This NAS carries the ‘Value’ tag for a reason and as long as you keep that in mind, it is a great little NAS box and serves as a great first NAS or as an extension of your existing Synology NAS environment as an additional backup layer. The rather lacklustre support of USB in DSM 7 is slightly countered by this device having three on board (though 5Gb/s) for storage, which is more desirable for home users, as is that copy button function. The removal of the SD Card slot in recent refreshes of this series, plus the continued appearance of 1GbE is disappointing but expected at this tier in the brand’s portfolio. But overall I cannot really fault the DS223 NAS for those users who want to be able to access the Synology NAS platform, but are on a tight budget and/or have low-ranged demands for it’s use. Again, just don’t go expecting a Ford Mustang when you are paying the price of a Ford Focus!

DEAL WATCH – Is It On Offer Right Now? Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS (Realtek RTD1619B Quad-Core 2GB Ram 1xRJ-45 1GbE Amazon USA 43.8 OFF (WAS 422) [LINK HERE] Synology DS223 Diskstation NAS (Realtek RTD1619B Quad-Core 2GB Ram 1xRJ-45 1GbE Amazon UK 11.79 OFF (WAS 656) [LINK HERE] Synology DS223 2-Bay Diskstation NAS (Realtek RTD1619B Quad-Core 2GB Ram 1xRJ-45 Amazon DE 4.1 OFF (WAS 279) [LINK HERE] These Offers are Checked Daily

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Synology DS423+ Diskstation NAS Revealed

Synology is having a remarkably busy start to 2023, with several high-profile NAS solutions being introduced to the market and today we want to discuss one that many have been waiting to hear about for quite a while – The Synology DS423+ NAS. With some much of Synology’s hardware output in the last year or so feeling that they were erring more and more in the direction of business users, it is quite a breath of fresh air to hear that Synology is releasing a new desktop 4-Bay that is arguably more multimedia friendly. Serving as the followup to the summer 20202 released DS420+, this new 4-Bay is an Intel Celeron-powered compact system that (although not exactly reinventing the wheel – more on that later) is a slight shake-up of what we have come to expect from this dual-core equipped tier of the brand’s portfolio. Let’s discuss the Synology DS423+ Diskstation.

Synology DS423+ NAS Hardware Specifications

The hardware specifications of the Synology DS423+ NAS, although not exactly going to challenge beefier systems like the recently released DS1823xs+, are still a slight step up from those found in the DS420+ NAS. Synology has been in the habit in recent years of choosing processors that lacked integrated graphics and gearing towards ECC memory, however, the DS423+ is noticeably more domestic. The CPU inside the Synology DS423+ NAS CPU is the Intel Celeron J4125, a processor already featured on the DS920+ and DS720+ NAS released in 2020. Now, this is not the first time that Synology has used the CPU of a higher tier previous release and years later switched it down to a lower tier (eg the Realtek RTD1296 in the Value Tiers and the J3455 a while back) and it is definitely good news that a much more multimedia friendly Synology NAS system has arrived on the market – but there is definitely going to be some users who are disappointed that the CPU previously featured in the DS920+ has reemerged in 2023 (as opposed to the N5105 and J6412 that competitors are rolling out in comparable devices). Here is a breakdown of the initial specifications:

Model ID	Synology DS423+ NAS
# of Bays	4x SATA 3.5″ or 2.5″
RAID Support	RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, Synology Hybrid RAID
File System	EXT4 or BTRFS
CPU ID	Intel Celeron J4125 x86 64bit
CPU Architecture	Quad Core – 4 Thread – 2.0Ghz-2,7Ghz (at burst)
Integrated Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 600 – 250-750MHz
Memory	2GB DDR4 SODIMM non-ECC
Upgradable Memory?	6GB (2GB + 4GB)
Expandable Storage?	No
M.2 NVMe Bays	Yes, 2x PCIe Gen 2 M.2 2280
PSU	90W, External PSU
Size	166 mm x 199 mm x 223 mm
Warranty	3 Years

One question that some might have is regarding the M.2 NVMe SSD bays on the DS423+ NAS – Are they for caching only OR do they also support storage pools? Arguably, as this system lacks any 10GbE and/or scalable network connectivity over USB, you would have little ability to transfer any m.2 NVMe SSD performance benefits to external transfer rates. Additionally, in previous instances of Synology utilizing this hardware setup, they did not support M.2 NVMe SSD storage Pools and as this processor is Gen2 architecture, it is quite unlikely that Synology will keep these bays as caching only. That said, never say never!

Now, there is ALOT we already know about this processor, as we have tested it for well over 2 years in the DS920+. It’s performance in DSM is fantastic (with full access to all the applications and services that you would expect), Plex Media Server performs very well in both 1080p and 4K (supporting client-side HEVC conversions and more), upto 40 cameras in the Synology Surveillance station applications (though you will need more than that base 2GB memory) and if the price point is comparable/lower than the DS420+ is at launch – the DS423+ an absolute bargain. However, there are going to be alot of comparisons to the DS920+, which was recently refreshed in the Synology portfolio to the DS923+, but is still available to buy in several e’Tailers.

As mentioned in previous videos/articles, there have definitely been moves by Synology to change the boundaries in their portfolio. Since the DS923+ NAS was shifted towards business/SMB users (the embedded Ryzen processor, optional 10GbE and ECC memory), the prosumer 4-Bay Synology tier has shifted towards what was formally the dual-core non-expandable 4-bay tier (previously DS420+, DS418play, DS416+, etc). That said, because of this, there are several ports that previous Synology diskstations with this architecture featured, which are absent in this more affordable package. Here are the ports and connections of the DS423+ NAS:

Default Network Ports	2x 1GbE RJ45
Upgradeable Network Ports?	No
USB Ports	2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s), Type-A
eSATA	0

What we have here, although quite pedestrian when compared to the scalable solutions in the most recent plus series devices, is pretty much what we would have expected for a device in this series from Synology. A lack of expandability and support of the DX517 is not a surprise. Nor is the DS423+ arriving with 2x 1GbE ports  (as opposed to 2.5GbE or an option to scale up), as Synology has been pretty clear on their support of network upgrades on this tier, as well as how upgrades are delivered at this scale (i.e. the E10G22-T1-Mini micro upgrade module). Finally, the inclusion of USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) ports is pretty much what we would expect too. In short, the ports and connections on the DS423+ are quite ‘safe’ and unlike back in 2020 when the margin of difference between the DS420+ and DS920+ was small – the difference between the DS423+ and the DS923+ is pretty vast and as long as Synology nail down a good price point for the DS423+ to keep it competitive, the standard of connectivity on this device might reasonable value.

Synology DS423+ NAS Release Date & Price

Given that the Synology DS423+ NAS has appeared on several European eShops in the last day or so, this indicates that the DS423+ will be arriving very soon, likely in early March. Pricing on the other hand is far less easy to confirm. Although several prices have appeared online (as such the €456.58 ex.Tax on the site shown above – which would be comparable to the DS420+ launch price in 2020), there isn’t a huge degree of consistency to these prices. Additionally, this is going to differ pretty wildly based on your region (just look at the average pricing of the DS923+ listing on line) and hardware shortages are realistically going to continue to be a factor in 2023 and 2024. We will update you more as soon as further information on the Synology DS423+ NAS appears from official sources and overall how this new system compares and/or completes the existing Synology Plus series portfolio. You can check Amazon and other retailers to see if the Synology DS223 NAS is available now using the links to them below (it supports us, costs you nothing extra and me and Eddie who run NASCompares will get a commission that goes directly back into the YouTube channel and blog). Have a great week!

Amazon USA 112.51 OFF (WAS 613) [LINK HERE]
Amazon UK 129.63 OFF (WAS 661) [LINK HERE]
Amazon DE 274.91 OFF (WAS 830) [LINK HERE]
Amazon ES 50 OFF (WAS 649) [LINK HERE]

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Synology RS2423+ and RS2423RP+ 10GbE NAS Rackmount Revealed

To say that Synology has been active in the first quarter of 2023 would be a fantastic understatement. In just two short months, they have formally and informally revealed a series of hardware solutions, beta software updates and are now beginning the rollout of their SMB/large-scale solutions. Last week was the release of the DS1823xs+, but possibly more interesting is the RS2423+ – a new 12-Bay Rackstation server that has taken the existing formula of this product series and scaled it up in some surprising ways. For a brand that occasionally gets criticism for being a little bland in it’s hardware choices, the Synology RS2423+ (also RS2423RP+ Redundant PSU version) scales up on it’s DS2421+ predecessor with a noticeably more powerful CPU, twice the memory and a significant increase in base level bandwidth. Indeed, this 12 bay rackmount seemingly matches the recent XS series release, but manages to still remain in the PLUS series. Let’s discuss this new and interesting rackmount NAS and ponder whether this is a turning point in the hardware on offer in the SMB Synology Rackstation tier of their portfolio.

Synology RS2423+ NAS Rackmount Hardware Specifications

The bulk of the physical design of the RS2423+ Rackstation remains the same as the bulk of 12-Bay Rackmounts in Synology’s portfolio. There are the usual 12 SATA slots (all lockable), 2U height with optional handles, half a metre depth and a reliance on LED indicators rather than an LCD screen etc. There isn’t any M.2 NVMe SSD slots (quite rare on Synology Rackstations) but there is the option to them via a PCIe upgrade and as the system is a PLUS series device there is the inclusion of Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) alongside the usual RAID options. But the real question for many is whether this is a suitable upgrade for existing Synology Rackstation users who might well be running an older-gen RS1219+ or RS2418+? Here are the initial specifications:

Model ID	Synology RS2423+ / RS2423RP+ Rackstation
Rack Height	2U
Size	RS2423+: = 88 x 482 x 552. RS2423RP+ = 88 x 482 x 578 (with server handles)
# of Bay	12x SATA Bays for 3.5″ and 2.5″ Media
Cooling	PSU Fan(s) and 3x 60x60cm Internal Fans (removable)
File System	EXT4 or BTRFS
RAID Support	RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and Synology Hybrid RAID
Expandable	Yes, x1 RX1223 12-Bay
CPU Model	AMD Embedded Ryzen V1780B
CPU Power and Cores	Quad Core / Eight Thread 3.35Ghz Processor
Default Memory	8GB UDIMM DDR4 ECC
Memory Expandability?	Yes, to 32GB
NVMe SSD Bays?	No
PCIe Upgrade?	Yes, PCIe Gen 3. Network Upgrades and/or M.2 NVMe SSD Cache Card Upgrades
PSU	350W or 2x 250W (RP Version)
Warranty	3 Years

Let’s discuss that CPU and Memory. The Synology RS2423+ NAS arrives with an AMD Embedded Ryzen V1780B, a quad-core (8 thread) x86 CPU that has a 3.35Ghz clock speed. Alongside this, the RS2423+ NAS also arrives with 8GB of ECC SODIMM DDR4 Memory that can be upgraded to 32GB over two slots, using Synology branded memory. Synology has been increasing the range of solutions in its portfolio that support ECC memory and as this is rackstation NAS, it was largely inevitable that it would have this high-data-integrity long-term protecting memory in place! Both the clock speed of this processor and the inclusion of twice the standard memory featured in the previous generations of this series are going to be appealing to many users. That 8GB memory MIGHT be down to increasing shortages in available memory at the production level (affecting many brands and changing the base level of quite a large number of releases in the last 6-12months) and therefore it might have just been simpler to include 8GB by default and increase the base price a few % OR swallow the loss a little as 8GB DDR4 (even ECC) is typically still going to be the same module allocation on a RAM PCB, but twice the quantity of MB/GB per cell.

The 8GB will certainly be a welcome increase, given the potentially high storage capabilities + the cost of Synology’s official Memory right now vs 3rd party and/or non-ECC memory by comparison (which is not officially supported) for many users. Moving over to the CPU, Synology have once again opted for this rackstation solution to feature an AMD-embedded Ryzen processor (now the 2nd gen of solutions by the brand to make the switch from Intel to AMD). If you look at how it compares below with the current V1500B embedded Ryzen in the RS2421+, it largely improves upon it (whilst still remaining in the ZEN CPU family and allowing Synology to maintain the existing hardware construction on the board/installation). Once again, the fact that this exact same processor appeared in the DS1823xs+ Enterprise series last week is also (frankly) an absolute BONUS in my eyes! Aside from the 4 cores and 8 threads up for allocation in VMs, its also more than 1Ghz higher in clock speed (without even mentioning burst/boost) per core than the V1500B that the brand has used on around 10 of their systems in the last two years. This means that those looking to take advantage of fast internal AND external throughout will see some great gains to be made here. See below:

 

MODEL	Synology DS1823xs+ NAS CPU AMD RYZEN EMBEDDED V1780B	Synology DS1821+ NAS CPU AMD RYZEN EMBEDDED V1500B
PRODUCT TYPE	SOC	SOC
FAMILY	AMD Ryzen Embedded V-series Processors	AMD Ryzen Embedded V-series Processors
LINE	V-Series V1000	V-Series V1000
OPN	YE1780C3T4MFB	YE1500C4T4MFB
TDP	35-54W	12-25W
CPU TYPE	Zen	Zen
CPU BASE FREQ.	3.35GHz	2.2GHz
# OF CPU CORES	4	4
# OF THREADS	8	8
SECURITY PROCESSOR	Yes	Yes
TOTAL L2 CACHE	2MB	2MB
TOTAL L3 CACHE	4MB	4MB
SYSTEM MEMORY TYPE	[email protected] MHz	[email protected] MHz
MEMORY CONTROLLER	Dual Channel w/ECC	Dual Channel w/ECC
ETHERNET	2x 10GbE	2x 10GbE
USB	1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen1, 4x USB 3.1 Gen2	1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen1, 4x USB 3.1 Gen2
SATA	2	2
LOW-SPEED INTERFACES	AZ, EMMC, eSPI, GPIO, I2C, LPC, SD, SMBus, SPI, UART	AZ, EMMC, eSPI, GPIO, I2C, LPC, SD, SMBus, SPI, UART
PCIE LANES	16L Gen3	16L Gen3

All this said, there is no avoiding that in order for the V1780B CPU in the RS2423+ NAS to be as high performance in ability as it is, results in a noted increase in TDP (i.e how this translates into typical CPU power use) compared to the older gen NAS using the AMD V1500B. In most conventional computer use, the impact of this is generally relative to ‘you use it, fine, you switch it off, no hassle’. But in the case of a high-performance, 24×7 NAS solution, a higher TDP will likely mean higher power use/bills in the long run. This is all going to be relative to the amount you use it and the weight of those processes – but given this device’s status as a 12x SATA, expandable, 10GbE and 1xPCIe Upgradable system – it is largely tailored towards 24×7 heavier use!

Synology RS2423+ NAS – Ports and Connections

The ports and connections of the RS2423+ NAS have really only seen one change over it’s predecessor, and that is in the area of network connectivity. The system still arrives in a 1 PSU or Redundant (2 PSU) version as needed, it still has the USB ports that are arguably diminishing in their utility on this platform, a COMs port (no OoB support gigabit port), a miniSAS expansion port for the RX1223RP and a PCIe upgrade slot. However, i think we need to focus on that main change in network connectivity here:

10GbE Ports	x1 10GBASE-T
1GbE Ports	x2 1GbE RJ45
Expansion Ports	1x miniSAS (for 1x 12-Bay RX1223RP)
COMS Port	x1
USB Ports	x2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb/s)

So, alongside that CPU improvement and double memory, there is another upgrade in the RS2421+ > RS2423+ refresh that we need to talk about, which is the RS2423+ arrives with a default 10GbE network connection – possibly the FIRST TIME I have sever seen a Synology PLUS series device to arrive with a 10GbE port by default. Now, there are alot of long time rackmount users that will be thinking ‘wait… who WOULDN’T have 10GbE on a 12xSATA rackmount???’, and you would be right to wonder that. 12x SATA (even bog standard HDDs at 160-200MB/s) are going to EASILY saturate a 1,000MB/s connection with change! However, Synology have always stated that in order to make their complete hardware+software systems more accessible/affordable, that some system options are made optional (i.e, via that PCIe upgrade slot – with 1/2x 10GbE and 25GbE options available, as well as cache cards and combo cards). So, MOST users kind of expected this system to be another standard 1GbE system like the 30-40 that came before it in the Rackstation series. So, I was as surprised as anyone else that the RS2423+/RS2423RP+ is 10GbE right out the box AND as its a main port, it leaves the PCIe upgrade slot for even more network connection options down the line.

Overall, the default ports and connections of the Synology RS2423+ NAS leave me quite impressed, especially when you compare it with the last few generations of this rackstation series. Let’s briefly discuss the DSM 7.1/7.2 (beta just around the corner) Support that this system will feature.

Synology RS2423+ NAS DSM Software and Services Support

Needless to say, the Synology RS2423+ NAS will support the bulk of DSM applications, features and services. Longtime followers of Synology (and NASCompres) will be familiar with the huge range of first-party applications and features of DSM, but for those less familiar, here are some highlights:

Synology Office – Create documents, spreadsheets, and slides in a multi-user environment. Real-time synchronization and saving make collaboration a breeze.

Synology Chat – Aimed at businesses, Synology Chat is an IM service that transforms the way users collaborate and communicate.

Synology Drive – Host your own private cloud behind the safety of your NAS with 100% data ownership and no subscription fees. Drive has become one of the premier applications of DSM and allows uses to create intelligent shared team folders that support versioning, file streaming+pinning, encryption, Windows AD support (soon) and native file system support with Windows and macOS.

Synology Photos – Manage your photos and videos with deep-learning algorithms that automatically group photos with similar faces, subjects, and places. Designed after the merger of Synology Photo Station and Moments, it also includes tailored folder, sharing and categorization features to help photographers manage their photos and share them with clients for feedback or business development.

Synology Calendar – Stay on track, share calendars, and schedule meetings, while ensuring sensitive information remains safely stored on company premises.

Synology Active Backup for Business (ABB) – Consolidate backup tasks for virtualized environments, physical servers, and personal computers, and rapidly restore files, entire machines, or VMs – license-free. This software also arrives as a specialised Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace platform to sync with those platforms and allow a bare metal tier to your cloud office services

Synology Hyper Backup – Backup your NAS safely and efficiently to multiple destinations with deduplication, integrity checks, compression, and versioning.

Synology Surveillance Station – Safeguard your business, home, and other valuable assets with reliable video surveillance tools. With improved AI services being accessible thanks to Synology BC500 and TC500 Cameras arriving in 2023. Additionally, you can connect this platform with Synology’s cloud platform to use ‘C2 Surveillance’ and bolster the odds of recordings being maintained in the event of accidental/malicious damage to your surveillance system.

Synology Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) – An intuitive hypervisor that supports Windows, Linux, and Virtual DSM virtual machines. Its powerful disaster recovery tools help users achieve maximum service uptime.

Synology High Availability – Synology High Availability (SHA) combines two Synology NAS servers into one active-passive high-availability cluster, alleviating service disruptions while mirroring data.

Synology Central Management System (CMS) – Synology CMS allows you to manage multiple Synology NAS servers quickly and conveniently from a single location.

Synology Video Station – Manage all your movies, TV shows, and home videos. Stream them to multiple devices or share them with friends and family.

Synology Audio Station – Manage your music collection, create personal playlists, stream them to your own devices, or share with family or friends.

Synology File Station – Manage your Synology NAS files remotely through web browsers or mobile devices. This tool allows complete file management and contains all the features and services of your own native file management platform (archiving, extracting, Copy, Cut, Paste, Sharing, native file format opening, integration with the rest of the Synology applications, property/metadata access, etc)

Synology RS2423+ NAS Rackstation Release Date and Price

To be frank, there is ALOT to like about this new Synology RS2423+ Rackstation. Alot of users have been hitting at Synology for its slightly lacklustre approach to hardware in recent years, providing genuinely ground breaking hardware only to the Enterprise tier. The RS2423+ could have so easily been a cookie-cutter refresh of the RS2421+… New CPU… close the box, ship it! The RS2423+’s CPU is a genuinely beefy upgrade on the V1500B (despite being in the same V1000 series), the default 8GB of memory (for whatever the reason/motivation by the brand) is going to be extremely welcomed by rackmount users and the inclusion of day one 10GbE somewhat silences discussion here of a lock of 2.5GbE. Back in my days of retail/service in storage, a decent % of rackmount buyers (easily half, but likely more) would pursue a day 1 increase of the network connectivity and/or memory – something that is inclusive here. It may seem slightly that we are giving Synology credit for ‘common sense’, but you have to also factor in the value of DSM and the work that has/will go into it. Overall, this might be one of the most interesting rackstation NAS systems that I have ever seen Synology roll out. I will be watching the RS2423+/RS2423RP+ with great interest!

Jellyfin on a Synology NAS – An EASY Installation Guide

The benefits of using a Synology NAS to enjoy your decades of collected multimedia on all of your network client devices (Smart TV, Phones, Tablets, Console, etc) are all pretty well established. Alongside not having to pay the monthly/annual media subscription services of the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and more to effectively ‘rent’ media, thanks to services like Jellyfin, you can scrape online databases for all of your box art, trailers, cast information etc and have your own media collected presented to you in anot dissimilar way to those paid subscription services – with media YOU OWN! Although a number of popular multimedia streaming platforms have grown in popularity, such as Plex and Emby, what sets Jellyfin apart from those is that it is 100% FREE. Plex locks a few services (such as hardware transcoding) behind a paid plex Pass subscription, Emby make some of the client applications paid-purchases (such as the mobile client), but Jellyfin continues to be championed as the perfect open-source and free-to-access/use multimedia private media server platform. HOWEVER, unlike Plex and Emby, Jellyfin is nowhere near as established in the App centers of the NAS brands – requiring a container creation and much more manually crafted installation, resigning its installation as a little trickier than those 2-click install apps. LUCKILY for Synology users, installation of Jellyfin on Synology NAS is now SO MUCH EASIER, thanks to supportive users on homebrew/community sites. So, today I want to guide you though the much easier way to setup Jellyfin on your Synology NAS.

Jellyfin on a Synology NAS – How to Find and Install the Jellyfin App for Synology NAS

Before we go any further, it is worth highlighting that the Jellyfin installer for Synology is not an official app or one that has been added by the brand themselves as a certified app. So, as with installing any 3rd party application, make sure you have your system secure and your backups in place. You should ALWAYS have this be the case, but nonetheless its always key to ensure this when using non-officially provided applications. In the case of installing Jellyfin, the first thing you need to do is connect your Synology NAS with the unofficial Community App center – SynologyCommunity. Although there are ALOT of applications available to try out there, the ones that will be automatically installed later are the Jellyfin app and the streaming add on ‘ffmpeg’.

Note – IF you do not want to connect your Synology NAS with the unofficial App center, You can download these tools individually if you want, by heading to the Synologycommunity website and downloading each

FFMPEG – https://synocommunity.com/package/ffmpeg/

Jellyfin – https://synocommunity.com/package/jellyfin

Otherwise, the MUCH EASIER way is to add the Synologycommunity app center to your Synology NAS. You can find the app center address by visiting THIS page, or alternatively, you can just copy the URL below:

Copy This –-> https://packages.synocommunity.com/

 

Next, log into your Synology NAS and then head into the App center. Log into your NAS as administrator and go to Main Menu → Package Center → Settings and set Trust Level to Synology Inc. and trusted publishers. In the Package Sources tab, click Add, type SynoCommunity as Name and https://packages.synocommunity.com/ as Location and then press OK to validate. Go back to the Package Center and the next SynoCommunity’s package center should be available on the left had side in the Community tab (listed by whatever name you gave it).

As mentioned, there are ALOT of applications in the Synologycommunity app center, with varying degrees of polish or usability. Depending on the hardware of your NAS (i.e. the CPU it is built on), different applications will be displayed (as some apps need integrated graphics or run or arrive with support of specific ARM/x86 processors). They should list alphabetically and the Jellyfin app should be easy to spot!

Installing the Jellyfin app on your Synology is as straightforward as most other applications. That said, in order for it to run at its best (features and services etc), it will also need to install the FFMPEG add-on. This is a hugely well know and established package know and used in some small/big way across thousands of applications. You will not need to download anything separately, as it will add it’s download and installation to the main Jellyfin installation.

Unless you have already downloaded ffmpeg in advance, you will just need to click confirm during the installation window and it will download it automatically.

It is once again worth reminding you that both the Jellyfin and ffmpeg applications are not supported in the official 3rd party app selection by Synology, and the NAS will warn you of this twice during the installation.

It is not hugely important which volume you install these two apps into on your Synology NAS. Just do NOT install the tools in the same folder directory as your media, as well as add media to the Jellyfin installation directory.

Towards the end of the installation, the Synology installer will highlight that applications that are installed in your Synology NAS will need you to manually grant them access to where your media lives in your system (i.e. installing Jellyfin does not automatically give the app access to your Movies, TV Shows, Music, etc). Just continue with the installation until it has been completed. Once that is done, I can guide you through granting Jellyfin access to your multimedia collection on your Synology NAS.

Jellyfin on a Synology NAS – How to Give Jellyfin Access to the Media on Your NAS

So, Jellyfin/mmpeg is installed on your Synology NAS. Let’s give this great multimedia streaming application access to your shows! Head back to the Synology DSM desktop and select ‘Control Panel‘. Then in the window that opens, select ‘Shared Folders‘, as shown:

The next window that opens will show you all of the folders on your Synology NAS. Now, if you have already uploaded your multimedia to the Synology NAS, you will have added it to one of these folders (as these are the primary folders your creat during your Synology NAS setup and installing other applications. Select the folder that you know your multimedia is in (n my case, that is ‘Multimedia and Virtual Images’, but yours will be different. When you select it, you can double-click it OR just click the ‘Edit‘ button at the top.

From here, you will need to move over to the ‘Permissions’ tab, as this shows the users, groups and applications (referred to as ‘System Internal User’s) that have any form of access to a shared folder. Use the drop-down tab at the top left and in the selection, select ‘System Internal User’.

This will display a list of all the applications and services that you have installed on your Synology NAS. Scroll down till you find SC-JELLYFIN and SC-FFMPEG. Then you need to tick a box to provide the appropriate amount of access you want o give these apps to your multimedia. Now, you CAN select Ready-Only, as this means the apps can see and index your media. However, if you plan on saving local metadata and save media/data (nfo’s) that has been scraped from online boxart databases (such as MovieDatabase etc), you will need to grant these tool Read/Write access (so they can write/save the newly gathered data appropriately – again, not a dealbreaker, but useful). You CAN create custom levels of access that can be quite granular, but this will take more time and attention. It’s your call! When you are done, simply click ‘save’ and close the Shared Folder and Control Panel windows.

Now you have installed Jellyfin on your Synology NAS and given the application enough access to your multimedia folders to allow it to start building and managing your media for streaming your stuff! The last thing we need to do is start creating our multimedia folders and connecting them with your collections! You will find the Jellyfin application on the selection of apps on your Synology NAS and DSM 7 apps menu like any other.

Jellyfin on a Synology NAS – How to Add Your Media Libraries and Find Metadata

Installing Jellyfin on your Synology NAS in DSM 7 and granting it sufficient access means you can now start creating your media libraries. You want to make sure all your Movies are in a Movie older, TV Shows and Boxsets in a TV folder, Albums in your Music folder, etc. You do this so you can find stuff quicker, sure. But MAINLY because you want to be able to let Jellyfin crawl these folders appropriately and add the multimedia box art, cast lists, episode synopsis’, bonus online resources and more – Turning your decades of multimedia into a slick ‘Netflix’ style GUI to enjoy from your sofa! The walkthrough wizard is very straight forward and begins with asking you to select your language etc:

Next, you will need to create an additional Jellyfin login account. This will ensure that your media is only accessed by those with permission. You can create many more users and groups in Jellyfin later on, but for now you just need to create a new set of login credentials (these will be needed when adding Jellyfin access to your client streaming devices later). Try not to replicate the same login credentials as you use for the Synology NAS and DSM, as this can present a security risk if a user gains more access than they should!

Next, you need to start creating those Media Libraries. It is worth noting that you can add and amend libraries at ANY TIME when using your Jellyfin Media server, but it is advised to add them at the start as shortly afterwards the system will begin indexing them and scraping metadata appropriately. This means that it will start sorting your media out into listings and then crawling the data bases you selected to check and add all the presentation media/art to your library. Select the PLUS symbol to start adding a new library.

First things first, select the content type (as this will change the way that Jellyfin will check databases, class the media and the online resources it will crawl for appropriate content). In the ‘Folders’ box, click the plus symbol and it will display the folders in your Synology NAS that Jellyfin has been granted access to. You should be able to find your media quickly.

There will be several options that allow you to configure your new media folder, the key ones you need to make sure are ticked are to do with the metadata downloaders. These are where Jellyfin will pull the graphical presentation, facts and just glossy wonderfulness to your new multimedia server. There are additional options to download ‘fan art’ if your media does not have metadata for your media, as well as the option to save locally as/when they are found, perform period rescans online to update your media and more. This is also the reason why your media needs to be appropriately catalogued in type, i.e if you class a folder full of TV Shows as ‘movies’, Jellyfin will not crawl the appropriate online resources to get media.

And THAT IS IT! As soon as you have added a few folders, complete the installation and then you will be presented with the primary server-side GUI for Jellyfin. The system will spend some time indexing your multimedia and scraping the appropriate metadata and the amount of time this will take will depend on the power of your NAS, size of your multimedia collection and your internet connection.

After this, there are a whole host of other settings and features you can start enabling/disabling (eg transcoding/conversion support, user/group access, UpNp/DLNA, remote access, client support and more) in the setting tab on the left-hand side. However, I won’t be covering those here, as these are quite specific to different kinds of users. I will be making an advanced video on Synology NAS Jellyfin NAS setups soon, but in the meantime you can watch my video below that will walk you through the synology DSM 7 Jellyfin installation from above. Thanks for reading and I really hope this guide helped you!

 

Synology annonce son premier SSD avec 7 To de stockage pour les NAS. Oui, il s’agit d’un SSD au format 2,5 pouces de la famille SAT5200 et il serait à même d’atteindre 530 Mo/s. Ce produit destiné aux entreprises équipées d’un boîtier de type FS, mais il reste compatible avec de nombreux autres NAS. Son prix serait autour des 1600€ HT… Synology SAT5210-7000G Synology s’est fait connaître tout d’abord par ses NAS, puis ses routeurs. Plus récemment, il s’est lancé […]