Synology DS207 2-Bay NAS Server

[Rob Williams]

While there are many NAS products available, there are none that we've crossed that have matched the feature-set of Synology's DS207. There are too many features to mention in a small intro, so read on to learn more about the product we had a difficult time finding a fault in.

You can read the full review here and discuss it here.

Great Review! Could you guys compare this to the QNAP TS-201 or TS-209?

[Greg King]

We are actually working with QNAP to get one or the other, perhaps even both of the products you are asking about. I can say this however, we will be posting our thoughts on the DS107e, the single drive version of the DS207 that we talked about today.

I will shoot off another email to QNAP and see if we can accomodate your request and compare their products to the Synology we have in our lab now.

Also, we are testing the Thecus N1200, a single drive NAS with a built in switch as well. With that, and our retesting of the Thecus N2100 that we reviewed a few months ago, we should be able to give you a decent comparison of not only performance, but of features as well.

Oh, by the way, thank you for your compliments as well! Feel free to come back anytime.

That's great to hear. I've been trying to decide between the Synology DS207 and the QNAP TS-201. I like the interface better on the DS207 and the fact that it has MySQL support but I really like the fact that the TS-201 has TwonkyMedia bundled in with it. I really want to be able to stream to my XBox 360. Now with the TS-209 it may have the best of both worlds and have faster hardware. I can't wait to read the reviews.

[Greg King]

While I haven't spent any time with the QNAP that you are talking about, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Synology releasing another software/firmware giving the DS207 (or any of their products for that matter) the multimedia capabilities that you like in the QNAP. With that said, I also wouldn't make a decision based solely on a hope that one company will eventually release a upgraded firmware that may or may not enable the feature that your wanting.

One good thing about Synology and their devices is that they are so robust (and to be fair, QNAP looks just as solid) and feature rich. There is a online following of home brew programs for the DiskStations like the SSODS project that allows Slim Server to be installed on the DS line of products. It could be that someone is working on a TwonkyMedia type program for the Synology hardware... who knows.

Anyway, I hope this helps you out. Please drop in when you feel like it. The DS107 review will be up next week and hopefully I can get with QNAP again and work out something with them.

I've read the reviews on three different RAIDable NAS boxes (Thecus N2100,
Synology DS207, and D-Link DNS-323) here and I have a question about all of them.

If one of the drives fails can you just throw a new drive in to replace the failed one and the device will rebuild the new disk?

There was mention of NOT being able to do this in the Synology review on page 6 in the cons
"Ability to change existing volumes without rebuilding the drives is unavailable".

I'm guessing this means that I have to copy everything off the still OK drive, insert the new drive, then copy all the data back?

Also, are there any problems mounting these devices on Linux machines?

[pythagoras]

With regards to Synology devices

If one of the drives fails can you just throw a new drive in to replace the failed one and the device will rebuild the new disk?
Yes, you can, assuming you are using a RAID-1, or RAID-5 volume. With RAID-0, if one disk crashes, all data will be lost

There was mention of NOT being able to do this in the Synology review on page 6 in the cons
"Ability to change existing volumes without rebuilding the drives is unavailable".
I'm guessing this means that I have to copy everything off the still OK drive, insert the new drive, then copy all the data back?
At this time, Synology products support the following RAID-volume manipulation

Currently Supported
1-drive Non-RAID --> 2-drive RAID1

Under development for release in H1 of 2008
3-drive RAID5 --> 4-drive RAID5

Currently Unsupported, but maybe supported in the future
2-drive RAID1 --> 3-drive RAID5
RAID0 -->...????

Currently supported HDD Level Expansion
2-Drive xGB RAID1 --> 2-Drive yGB RAID1
3-Drive xGB RAID5 --> 3-Drive yGB RAID5
4-Drive xGB RAID5 --> 4-Drive yGB RAID5


Also, are there any problems mounting these devices on Linux machines?
You can mount Synology devices to Linux using the Samba protocol

Hi all,

I'm considering buying a NAS mainly for backup purpose but would be also interesting in all the cool features provided by this Synology.
Comparing it to the latest QNAP NAS (ts-109 or ts-209), it seems Synology has a greater community on the internet and therefore would be a very good choice.
On the other hand, QNAP provides a cool "remote replication" feature which seems to allow you to remote mirror a disk to another QNAP one on another site.

Do you know if such feature exists or is planned for Synology ?

Thanks

[Rob Williams]

Originally Posted by pythagoras

Also, are there any problems mounting these devices on Linux machines?
You can mount Synology devices to Linux using the Samba protocol

Do you know if Synology devices can retain symlinks? I have been backing up to another NAS box that is unable to do so, but it's kind of important when backing up an entire Linux PC.

[pythagoras]

On the other hand, QNAP provides a cool "remote replication" feature which seems to allow you to remote mirror a disk to another QNAP one on another site.
Yes, Synology devices do support "remote replication" to another network server, please look at this link to learn more about Synology's Network Backup

Rob Williams said "Do you know if Synology devices can retain symlinks? I have been backing up to another NAS box that is unable to do so, but it's kind of important when backing up an entire Linux PC."
Unfortunately, Synology devices do not support symlinks due to security reasons

How noisy (quiet?) is this device. I am trying to decide between the DS207 and the Qnap ts-209 and the quietest of the two will get my $$

It would be nice to have a db measurement when the device is idle (fan is on but the hard drives are not spinning) which is going to be the state that the device will be most of the time.

thx

I really liked your reviews on The Synology products.
You mentioned that you were going to review the qnap products.
How are those reviews coming.
I am looking to buy one in the near future.
Would like to see your review first.

[Greg King]

Originally Posted by frny

How noisy (quiet?) is this device. I am trying to decide between the DS207 and the Qnap ts-209 and the quietest of the two will get my $$

It would be nice to have a db measurement when the device is idle (fan is on but the hard drives are not spinning) which is going to be the state that the device will be most of the time.

thx

We are currently finishing up our evaluation of the QNAP 109 Pro. Unfortunately, we do not have the 209 in for testing at the moment but should in the near future. I would check with Small Net Builder. I know they have worked with both and might be able to help you more. Sorry.

[Merlin]

Just got my NAS today along with the Hitachi 1 TB drive from Tigerdirect.
Got it all set up on my lunch break, now I'm back home looking at all the new features after the firmware upgade.
This is so Awesome.
LOL....I'll be busy with this for a while.
So many posibilities.
I'll have to brush up on my html and get a website up.

That was such a great review that made the choice for me.
Thanks for putting the time into so many venues.

One of my top purchases....

Merlin