Saturday, June 23, 2012

Synology Rack Station 4-Bay (Diskless) 1U NAS Rackmount Network Attached Storage RS411 (Black)


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Synology Rack Station RS411 is designed to provide business workgroups with a flexible solution to share files and increase productivity. Its sophisticated Synology DiskStation Manager 3.0 provides an ideal solution for cross platform file sharing, secure server backup, Windows ADS integration, business mail server, and corporate surveillance.

This review is from : Synology Rack Station 4-Bay (Diskless) 1U NAS Rackmount Network Attached Storage RS411 (Black)
sleek! . The mainbord inside is a custom modular design, most likely to facilitate upgrade or replacement Not just a PC style board shoved into a rack case. So the result is everything is unexpectedly much more quiet and cooler running. I had assumed it would just be another loud hot box like other things in 1U form factor I have.

The drive slots support 2.5 or 3.5" SATA connectors, very smart case over all construction. Also rack mount box can be used on desktop if you wanted as well.

The UI is very slick as well, for now I am only only using the ISATA feature, which was smart to set up as files inside a partition, so I can later utilize the other features if I ever need to. Looks to have everything under the sun for MODERN NAS / SAN kinds of features.

My next NAS will also be one of these.
Synology Rack Station 4-Bay (Diskless) 1U NAS Rackmount Network Attached Storage RS411 (Black) Reviews
Nice unit for the home or small business . I haven't really used the more advanced features of this unit, so please take that under consideration for my review. I'm only reviewing it as a fairly simple iSCSI host. I installed it with 4x3TB drives and set it up so that if any one drive fails I haven't lost any data, and can hot-swap in a new drive. So far no drives have failed, so I can't tell you how well it handles this contingency (but hope it does handle it, since that's one of the main reasons for having a storage array). I have created several LUNs on it for backing up my PCs and laptops, running virtual machines, etc. I have had zero problems with it after months of use. The manual isn't the best, but the browser-based user interface is very intuitive for the most part. It has two ethernet ports and also a USB port for connecting it to a UPS for safer shutdown in case of a power failure (all easy to set up). Performance isn't super fast with Windows ISCSI initiator (that's to be expected, there are better iSCSI drivers out there). Performance is mostly slow on startup of a LUN or anything that first accesses it. NFS performance might be better, I have not tried it. After the iSCSI starutup lag, it's pretty fast enough for most uses. As an experiment, I've even run games that were installed on NAS drives on this, and it was no problem. I give this thing 5 stars because it's behaved flawlessly for my rather limited needs. Someone who exercises every feature of it (jumbo frames, etc) may feel differently about it.The rack case is ony 1U but it's very deep and fairly heavy. Seems very sturdy and well-made. The goofy little aluminum handles on the front block the rack mounting screws, so I simply unbolted the handles and took them off. The unit is also quiet and doesn't get very hot (at least for my utilization level) and those are huge plusses for the home user, who probably does not have a dedicated server room or closet to put his equipment rack in. Your hard drive choice will obviously be a factor in the cumulative noise level, so be sure to research your drives before buying. Synology publishes a list of compatible/recommended drives on their website.

Cons Review
Not worth the hassle . I purchased an RS411 from Amazon, along with 2 Hitachi 3TB disk drives. I had intended to rack mount the unit - but the rackmounting hardware is not suitable for this purpose - the screw holes are too wide for a standard 19 inch rack and the unit itself is quite deep and the front mounting hardware does not support the weight of the unit if it is only screwed into your rack using the faceplate - better to put it on a shelf - or in my case on top of another component in the rack, which is not ideal.

The main problem however is with the software that comes with the unit - it is advertised as being a few clicks and you're done - it's not. It has been almost 24 hours ! and the unit is still not operational. Another limitation is documentation - nothing comes with the unit - there is just a CD and you have to download the user guide and installation instructions from the web. Also - there is no live support - more on that later.

There are 2 software programs you have to install - one is a client on your PC - the other is the firmware for the unit itself. It is not very intuitive and basically it is just trial and error until you hit the right combination.

Finally, after 12 hours, I was able to install the PC client and the firmware on the unit. When I went to configure the unit, the PC software did not allow me to "sign on" to the unit's configuration utility and so I have not been able to complete the installation.

The biggest problem however is the support - there isn't any. There are on line forums and FAQs - but the only way to reach Synology support is to send them an email and wait for them to respond. I have been waiting for hours and there is no response. True it is saturday - but hey, I just shelled out $1,000 and there is no support. There is no phone support and you can not talk to a real person under any circumstances.

So, today, barring some last minute reprieve, in which case i will update the review - I will be sending this unit back to Amazon and will try Drobo or Buffalo or some other brand - but people - unless you want the ultimate in frustration - do not waste your time with this company or this product.

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Feature Synology Rack Station 4-Bay (Diskless) 1U NAS Rackmount Network Attached Storage RS411 (Black)

  • Optimal Price/Performance Ratio
  • Cross Platform File Sharing & Backup
  • Integrates with Windows ADS
  • 2 LAN with Failover and Link Aggregation Support
  • Power-saving with only 53W in Operation




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Product Details

EAN : 0846504000845
UPC : 846504000845
MPN : RS411
Brand : Synology
Color : Black
Weight : 20 pounds
Height : 8 inches
Length : 24 inches
Width : 22 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Manufacturer : Synology America Corp
Model : RS411
Platform : Mac OS X
Publisher : Synology America Corp
SKU : RS411
Studio : Synology America Corp

Where To Buy


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