Synology NAS

The Synology Product line is targeted primarily to SMB and SOHO deployments; consisting of NAS appliances in both desktop and rackmount configurations. The newest models represent the top of the product line, supporting RAID 5 and up to 4 or 5 SATA drives.

The entries targeted to SMBs/corporate departments all attach to the network via Gig Ethernet connections and enable file sharing to Windows or Mac computers on the machine via built-in support for CIFS and AFP (3.1) communications. (NFS is listed as supported in all models beginning with firmware v.0518.) FTP file transfers are also supported; which can additionally be secured via SSL/TSL encrypted communications. Files are stored on the device in Unicode format (except with FTP), a feature that can be configured as needed. Management of the appliance is via an AJAX-enabled Web-based GUI; with user management via built-in account settings or through support for Active Directory Services on most models.

The devices can each accommodate 1 or more SATA drives (see below for specifics) and additionally include USB ports that allow the devices to utilize external hard drive storage and/or provide printer sharing capabilities to the network. Note that the enclosures ship without disks (the customer must supply the disks separately). Internal disks must be formatted as EXT3; while external disks can be formatted as FAT or NTFS (though NTFS drives will be read only).

In addition to their ability to provide file sharing capabilities on the network, the appliances also include the following features:

- Web Station: A built-in Web server with PHP and MySQL support (MySQL support is not enabled by default, but can be by an administrator) allows for intranet or Internet (provided the station is accessible from the Internet, of course) Web site publishing.

- Download Station: With the help of a "Download Redirector" component, individual users can redirect Internet downloads to the appliance; allowing it (the download) to continue in the background while the user continues other work or shuts down their machine.

- Backup: Three backup possibilities are provided by the appliance. First, the product can backup its data to a locally attached USB drive. Second, the appliance can perform a remote backup to another Synology appliance on the network (encrypted network backups are supported). Finally, with the assistance of the vendor's Data Replicator software, users can backup data from their own PC to the appliance or another external location (earlier versions of Data Replicator supported the backup of data only to the Synology appliance). Data Replicator is available only for Windows PCs, and supports immediate, synchronized, or scheduled backups.

Other features include Surveillance Station (allows for the recording of network camera feeds to the NAS), Photo Station (built-in blogging), Sony PS3 support, telnet/SSH support, SSL SMTP support, HTTPS support, and Audio Station (sorting and playing of tunes stored on the NAS).

Multiple models are available in the Synology product line; ranging from one to five disks and CPU speeds from 200 to 800 MHz. The newest models in the line are all targeted to high end SMB or entry level Enterprise deployments, and include:

- RS408/RS408RP: A 4-bay rack-mountable models with support for hot-swappable drives and RAID 0, 1, or 5. The RP model includes redundant power supplies with failover.

- DS508: A 5-bay desktop model, also supporting hot-swappable drives and RAID 0, 1, or 5. The DS508 also includes an external eSATA port.

Each of the new models includes dual Gig Ethernet ports and 256 MB RAM. Availability of these new models is expected in June/July, with pricing ranging from $1,029.95 (DS508) to $1,799.95 (RS408RP).

Synology's product line is available now; visit the vendor's Web site for full details of available features/models.

product submission by EITPlanet Staff

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