@ArcticWolf i noticed you have two synology ds418 NAS. Are you using SHR raid mode?
Can you give me your opinion about your NAS?
I am interested in buying a new NAS (ds418j).
I would like to buy a 4 bay NAS and i would like to know your opinion about a similar QNAP NAS also, if you know.
My choice will be between QNAP and synology.
Hi mate
,
I actually now have 3 x DS418's
,
(NOT J versions). Unfortunately I just haven't had a chance to set the new/third NAS up yet with the recent loss in my family. Hopefully it'll be up & running soon. (I also plan to run the Kodi MySQL/MariaDB server from the newest DS418 as well.)
I purchased my first DS418 12-18 months ago on direct advice from
@Skynet (& others here on the MINIX forum too), they all helped me choose the right NAS for what I needed.
I was so impressed with the DS418 that I soon purchased a second when the first one was full, & I now have the third DS418 as well . Very happy with them indeed. I also looked at the "DS418 Play" version but that would have been complete overkill for what I need my NAS's for, &
@Skynet also advised me that I just wouldn't need the extra features the DS418 Play has too.
The standard DS418 sits nicely between the "J" & "Play" models for their specs & their price too. They're affordable & absolutely ideal for general home use, & media storage. They're also perfect for streaming movies to Kodi etc., I haven't had any issues at all
. I've tested them using SMB, NFS & DLNA, they all work fine but I don't use DLNA persistently. SMB has a very slight delay compared to NFS after forwarding/rewinding etc., but NFS shows up various hidden folders on the NAS in Kodi, (although they can be specifically commented out in the advancedsettings.xml). NFS is also useful for the added access security by adding specific IP's if your devices have static IP's or you can also specify an IP range of permitted devices if preferred. (I haven't decided whether to use SMB or NFS with the MySQL system yet lol
.)
I can't directly comment on the DS418j, or any QNAP NAS boxes either as I've never owned them. You'll have the exact same access to their information as I do from reading online reviews & viewing their specs etc. However, I would also agree with
@Skynet 's comments that the DS418j is slightly lacking of available RAM & you really don't want to be short on memory when it comes to a reliable NAS!! Ultimately, the J version is an entry level 4 bay NAS so I avoided them & spent the extra on the standard DS418 model instead. It is a little pricier but you definitely get what you pay for
. The DS418 has a better CPU than the DS418j as well.
Yes, I use SHR with the two DS418's that are running & the new/third one will also use SHR too. (They all have the
BTRFS file system as well which I'd also advise using
. You can configure the NAS to have multiple volumes in the SHR array as well if you wish but I just set each NAS up to have one large volume, (I really don't need multiple volumes for general home use.)) SHR is incredibly easy to configure & it's obviously a lot more flexible than a standard RAID array as well. In fact, the DS418 automatically handles a lot of the configuration for you once you choose to use SHR, it's ready to use straight away & you can even start moving data onto them whilst it's still building the SHR volume(s) too
. Having said that, it's best to configure the extra security features & built in firewall on the DS418 ASAP. Some of the more advanced features can be useful too but the beauty is that you can learn about many of them & apply them as you go or as required. You don't need to know everything about them before you begin which is especially useful to first time NAS users or if you're familiarising yourself with Synology's DSM OS for the first time
.
I use my NAS boxes exactly for the purpose you describe needing yours for & the DS418's are perfect in that role. I have no complaints about the boxes themselves or Synology's DSM OS. The boxes are incredibly easy to build & configure, & the DSM software is exceptional. In the entire time I've been running my DS418's I've
NEVER had a single crash, lock up or random shut down, they are incredibly stable indeed. The DSM software is regularly updated & it has some great features. It's ideal for both beginners/basic users or advanced users too.
The DS418's are certainly a lot more capable than what I actually use mine for too !! Importantly, the NAS's also work fine with my various MINIX devices, as well as other Android & Windows systems. (I can't comment on their performance with Mac/iOS, I don't use any Apple products.)
Each of my DS418's is populated with 4x 8TB WD RED HDD's which gives me approximately 21TB usable space per NAS
. Read/write speeds are also very good, I've had no problems there either. The WD's also perform well in the DS418 too. I've configured my NAS's to email me with routine monthly reports with various information, (disk health reports, S.M.A.R.T. checks/fault tolerance, remaining space etc.), or they'll email me if they detect a problem which saves me having to login & micro-manage, also very useful features
. (You can even have the info sent as a SMS text to your cellphone as well
.)
The fact that I've purchased 3 x DS418's & that I haven't switched to a different model or another manufacturer is testament to how good they really are. If I wasn't happy in any way at all with the first DS418 I would have got something different for two & three instead. However, they've been great
. It's also saved me the additional hassle of having to learn & use another different NAS & OS as well. All three are configured identically, I just use some different packages/apps on each NAS as required.
I would definitely recommend the DS418 if the price & their specs are what you're looking for, & right for you
. I would highly recommend the WD Reds too. (I know it's a fair chunk of cash upfront, but purchase the largest HDD's you can possibly afford to populate the NAS as well
!!! They can fill up surprisingly rapidly lol
.)
Happy hunting
.
