Synology is taking things to a new level with its DS214+, which offers tremendous value for $369.
Design and hardware
The design of the DS214+ is very similar to that of other Synology offerings of late, like the DS414, DS214 and the DS 214 Play. We’ve touched on the overall design in other Synology NAS reviews, so we’ll go ahead and focus on what’s new in the DS214+.
The front of the DS214+ sees the power button at the bottom right, with a USB 2.0 port just above it. There is now a quick copy feature that allows you to transfer contents of a USB drive by connecting it to the USB 2.0 port. By inserting a USB drive or external drive and clicking on the button next to the USB port, the contents of the drive will be transferred. It is a nifty addition that can be utilised when you need to transfer files to your NAS quickly.
The indicators at the top now show the status of the LAN ports, of which there are two. The hard drive status indicators have been moved to the top of the hard drive bays.
At the back, there are two USB 3.0 ports along with two LAN ports that can be daisy chained to work in link aggregation mode. FInally, the DS214+ includes a feature we have been clamoring for since we got our hands on the DS214: an eSATA port.
The hard drive latch system is also tweaked from what we’ve seen on the DS414. The front plastic façade that was featured in the DS214, DS412+ and the DS414 has given way to a loaded latch system that is seen on the five-bay DS1513+. There is also a provision to lock the drive bays with a physical lock.
As for the hardware, the DS214+ features a 1.33 GHz dual-core Armada XP CPU by Marvell along with 1 GB DDR3 RAM and a single 92 mm fan at the back that serves to deflect heat away from the hard drives. Ventilation on the whole is well-thought out, as the Synology branding on either sides acts as additional ventilation on the NAS.
Features
Although there are other NAS units available in the market that offer better hardware, Synology is positioning the DS214+ as an all-in-one solution for home as well as SMB*users. The differentiator when it comes to the DS214+ is the feature set it offers, which no other NAS provides. The DS214+ is ideal for strong files over a home network, but its functionality extends beyond that. You can configure the NAS as a web server, use it to sync with cloud services and even run your own mail service.
Thanks to the web services functionality offered by the DS214+, you can host and run your website from the NAS. The service comes with built-in PHP and MariaDB support, which allows you to easily configure and manage your site. The web service allows you to manage up to 30 sites from a single NAS.
The loaded feature-set offered by Synology’s DSM 5.0 is what sets the DS214+ apart from other NAS in this price segment. Through the Package Center, you can install a host of utilities like Download Station, Audio Station, Video Station, Media Server and iTunes Server. As the name suggests, iTunes Server can be used to stream music from the DS214+ to all iTunes clients running on the network.
There is even a Surveillance Station that allows you to use your DiskStation as a surveillance tool. You can install from over 1,700 compatible IP cameras and route their feed to your DS214+. Along with its surveillance abilities, the DS214+ comes with ingrained cloud functionality that is a major asset when it comes to managing content in the cloud.
In addition to the built-in features, the DS214+ comes with a host of mobile apps through which you can access your content on the go.
Cloud services
With the DS214+, syncing files over the cloud is accomplished in two ways: you can either use Synology’s Cloud Station or sync files with a third party service, like Google Drive. Cloud Station offers easy synchronization of files across various machines and devices.
The service can store up to 32 versions of the same file to avoid overwriting and comes with the ability to make changes offline. As soon as you go online, the updated version of the file is synced across all devices. Businesses can also leverage Cloud Station’s administrative tools and encrypted data transfer utilities to sync and manage content across a network.
If you’d rather use third party cloud services like Google Drive, ******* or Baidu, you can use the Cloud Sync utility to sync files across your services. A copy of all synced files is stored on the DS214+, which acts as a safety net.
Benefits for SMB users
If you’re running an SMB, you can utilize the network services tools provided in the DS214+ to manage your company network. DSM 5.0 comes with a unified account management system that allows you to manage and enforce user-based policies from a single location. User authentication, authorization, and accounting can be managed centrally thanks to the RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) protocol that is built-into DSM 5.0. Both LDAP as Active Directory services can be used as the source for the RADIUS server.
The DS214+ can be used as an all-in-one server, allowing you to automatically assign IP addresses on your entire network with a DHCP server, and allocate a DNS server to host your own domain name services. Furthermore, DSM 5.0 comes with a Syslog service that allows you to view and manage logs from all connected machines from a single location. *The NAS also supports VPN technologies like Citrix XenCenter, VMware vSphere 5.1 and Microsoft Hyper-V.
The centralized backup utility allows you to safeguard your files by automatically syncing with your data to rsync compatible servers along with Amazon S3/Glacier servers.
Performance
The DS214+ comes with a lot of features, but that doesn’t mean that Synology neglected on any of its core functionalities, which include the ability to stream content to various devices and transfer files across platforms. To test the device’s prowess in this segment, we loaded two WD Red 2 TB drives and initiated file transfers from a Windows machine connected to the router via a Netgear Gigabit LAN switch. QuickBench results were blazing fast when transferring a single*4 GB file: the DS214+ continually managed to achieve 110 MB/s reads and 108 MB/s writes.
The Ds214+ was also stellar with regard to smaller files. Reading of small files averaging between 200 kB and 2048 kB was at a consistent 62 MB/s. Writing chunks of smaller files was also significantly faster, with the NAS averaging 50 MB/s.
Conclusion
The DS214+ is not only a robust NAS for home users, but can also be used for SMB users to configure and manage their network.
The DS214+ may not have the best hardware, but it comes with a stellar feature set that gives it a significant edge over other NAS units in this segment. For $369, the DS214+ is an affordable solution for your file storage and SMB needs.
Pros:
Cons:
Read More: http://ift.tt/1iXWXhG
The DS214+ is targeted at home as well as SMB users and as such comes with a host of features that allow users to manage, host and share files across multiple platforms and devices. With centralized backup and the ability to integrate with Time Machine, Amazon’s Glacier and Strato’s HiDrive, the DS214+ is the complete package. *Not only is it one of the better looking NAS systems you can buy today, it also comes loaded with more features than any other NAS currently avaialble.
Design and hardware
The design of the DS214+ is very similar to that of other Synology offerings of late, like the DS414, DS214 and the DS 214 Play. We’ve touched on the overall design in other Synology NAS reviews, so we’ll go ahead and focus on what’s new in the DS214+.
The front of the DS214+ sees the power button at the bottom right, with a USB 2.0 port just above it. There is now a quick copy feature that allows you to transfer contents of a USB drive by connecting it to the USB 2.0 port. By inserting a USB drive or external drive and clicking on the button next to the USB port, the contents of the drive will be transferred. It is a nifty addition that can be utilised when you need to transfer files to your NAS quickly.
The indicators at the top now show the status of the LAN ports, of which there are two. The hard drive status indicators have been moved to the top of the hard drive bays.
At the back, there are two USB 3.0 ports along with two LAN ports that can be daisy chained to work in link aggregation mode. FInally, the DS214+ includes a feature we have been clamoring for since we got our hands on the DS214: an eSATA port.
The hard drive latch system is also tweaked from what we’ve seen on the DS414. The front plastic façade that was featured in the DS214, DS412+ and the DS414 has given way to a loaded latch system that is seen on the five-bay DS1513+. There is also a provision to lock the drive bays with a physical lock.
As for the hardware, the DS214+ features a 1.33 GHz dual-core Armada XP CPU by Marvell along with 1 GB DDR3 RAM and a single 92 mm fan at the back that serves to deflect heat away from the hard drives. Ventilation on the whole is well-thought out, as the Synology branding on either sides acts as additional ventilation on the NAS.
The two-bay allows you to install a total of 10 TB (5 TB x 2) in a Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration.
Features
Although there are other NAS units available in the market that offer better hardware, Synology is positioning the DS214+ as an all-in-one solution for home as well as SMB*users. The differentiator when it comes to the DS214+ is the feature set it offers, which no other NAS provides. The DS214+ is ideal for strong files over a home network, but its functionality extends beyond that. You can configure the NAS as a web server, use it to sync with cloud services and even run your own mail service.
Thanks to the web services functionality offered by the DS214+, you can host and run your website from the NAS. The service comes with built-in PHP and MariaDB support, which allows you to easily configure and manage your site. The web service allows you to manage up to 30 sites from a single NAS.
The loaded feature-set offered by Synology’s DSM 5.0 is what sets the DS214+ apart from other NAS in this price segment. Through the Package Center, you can install a host of utilities like Download Station, Audio Station, Video Station, Media Server and iTunes Server. As the name suggests, iTunes Server can be used to stream music from the DS214+ to all iTunes clients running on the network.
There is even a Surveillance Station that allows you to use your DiskStation as a surveillance tool. You can install from over 1,700 compatible IP cameras and route their feed to your DS214+. Along with its surveillance abilities, the DS214+ comes with ingrained cloud functionality that is a major asset when it comes to managing content in the cloud.
In addition to the built-in features, the DS214+ comes with a host of mobile apps through which you can access your content on the go.
Cloud services
With the DS214+, syncing files over the cloud is accomplished in two ways: you can either use Synology’s Cloud Station or sync files with a third party service, like Google Drive. Cloud Station offers easy synchronization of files across various machines and devices.
The service can store up to 32 versions of the same file to avoid overwriting and comes with the ability to make changes offline. As soon as you go online, the updated version of the file is synced across all devices. Businesses can also leverage Cloud Station’s administrative tools and encrypted data transfer utilities to sync and manage content across a network.
If you’d rather use third party cloud services like Google Drive, ******* or Baidu, you can use the Cloud Sync utility to sync files across your services. A copy of all synced files is stored on the DS214+, which acts as a safety net.
Benefits for SMB users
If you’re running an SMB, you can utilize the network services tools provided in the DS214+ to manage your company network. DSM 5.0 comes with a unified account management system that allows you to manage and enforce user-based policies from a single location. User authentication, authorization, and accounting can be managed centrally thanks to the RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) protocol that is built-into DSM 5.0. Both LDAP as Active Directory services can be used as the source for the RADIUS server.
The DS214+ can be used as an all-in-one server, allowing you to automatically assign IP addresses on your entire network with a DHCP server, and allocate a DNS server to host your own domain name services. Furthermore, DSM 5.0 comes with a Syslog service that allows you to view and manage logs from all connected machines from a single location. *The NAS also supports VPN technologies like Citrix XenCenter, VMware vSphere 5.1 and Microsoft Hyper-V.
The centralized backup utility allows you to safeguard your files by automatically syncing with your data to rsync compatible servers along with Amazon S3/Glacier servers.
Performance
The DS214+ comes with a lot of features, but that doesn’t mean that Synology neglected on any of its core functionalities, which include the ability to stream content to various devices and transfer files across platforms. To test the device’s prowess in this segment, we loaded two WD Red 2 TB drives and initiated file transfers from a Windows machine connected to the router via a Netgear Gigabit LAN switch. QuickBench results were blazing fast when transferring a single*4 GB file: the DS214+ continually managed to achieve 110 MB/s reads and 108 MB/s writes.
The Ds214+ was also stellar with regard to smaller files. Reading of small files averaging between 200 kB and 2048 kB was at a consistent 62 MB/s. Writing chunks of smaller files was also significantly faster, with the NAS averaging 50 MB/s.
Conclusion
The DS214+ is not only a robust NAS for home users, but can also be used for SMB users to configure and manage their network.
The DS214+ may not have the best hardware, but it comes with a stellar feature set that gives it a significant edge over other NAS units in this segment. For $369, the DS214+ is an affordable solution for your file storage and SMB needs.
Pros:
- Affordable pricing.
- Strong feature-set.
- Cloud and network management utilities.
Cons:
- Complicated for first-time*users.
Read More: http://ift.tt/1iXWXhG
via Hardware Forums http://ift.tt/1oCPv3t
No comments:
Post a Comment