Four-bay SOHO NAS runs Linux

By Eric Brown
2009-11-23

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Synology America Corp. is shipping a four-bay network-attached storage (NAS) device, offering up to 8TB sharable RAID storage for home and small business users. The Linux-based DS410j is equipped with an 800MHz processor, a gigabit Ethernet port, two USB ports, and version 2.2 of Synology's DNLA-compliant Disk Station Manager software.

The DS410j appears to be the SOHO alternative to the DS409 (pictured at right) announced in June, which targets small to medium-sized (SMB) businesses. Although similarly equipped with four bays for up to 8TB, plus a gigabit Ethernet port and dual USB 2.0 ports, the DS410j is driven by an unnamed 800MHz processor while the DS409 runs a 1.2GHz Marvell 88F6281 "Kirkwood" system-on-chip, and offers twice the memory offered by the DS410j. The DS409 also provides a separate eSATA port not found on the newer model.

Earlier Synology models have used Freescale MPC8241 PowerQUICC III SoCs, or for the high-end models, the Marvell 5281 "Orion" SoCs based on the Feroceon architecture. All of Synology's NAS devices run on embedded Linux.

The DS410j is equipped with 128MB of 16-bit DDR RAM, and supports up to four 3.5-inch SATA II or 2.5-inch SATA or SSD (solid-state drive) storage drives, says Synology. Supported RAID configurations are said to include RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 5+Spare, and RAID 6.

Synology DS410J, front and back

The 9.1 x 6.6 x 7.2 inch device offers dual fans and has a noise level of 23dB(A), says Synology. Power consumption is claimed to be 42.9 Watts during use and 16 Watts while hibernating. The DS410j also offers a scheduled power on/off feature, said to both conserve power and extend hard drive life.

Synology DS410J, detail

The DS410j ships with Synology’s Disk Station Manager 2.2 software, which supports Linux, Mac, and Windows desktops, and enables automated backup features, remote file sharing, and multi-media streaming, says the company. The software includes a DNLA-compliant media server, the Photo Station 3 photo management application, and a built-in PHP + MySQL Web Station, which enables remote web-based sharing of photos and other content.

Synology’s Disk Station Manager 2.2
(Click to enlarge)

Disk Station Manager 2.2 also includes Surveillance Station 3, which lets users set up a surveillance station for up to five connected IP cameras. In addition, the software is now said to support Apple’s Time Machine, as well as two iPhone Applications: DS audio and DS photo.

Specifications and features listed for the Synology DS410j include:

Processor -- 800MHz
Memory -- 128MB 16-bit DDR RAM
Storage -- up to 8TB via 4 x 3.5-inch SATA II or 2.5-inch SATA/SSD drives
RAID support -- JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 5+Spare, RAID 6
Networking -- 1 x gigabit Ethernet port
USB -- 2 x USB 2.0 ports
Networking protocols -- CIFS, AFP (3.1), FTP, NFS, Telnet/SSH
Major applications (Disk Station Manager 2.2):
- DLNA/UPnP Media Server
- Backup (network, local, desktop, Time Machine)
- Security (firewall, auto-block, FTP over SSL/TLS, encryption)
- Surveillance Station 3
- Photo Station 3
- File Station 2
- Audio Station
- Web Station
- PHP/MySQL
- Download Station 2
- iTunes Server
- iPhone applications (DS photo; DS audio)
Noise level -- 23dB(A)
Power supply -- 100V to 240V AC input; 50Hz to 60Hz, single-phase
Power consumption -- 42.9 W (access); 16 W (hibernation)
Dimensions -- 9.1 x 6.6 x 7.2 inches (230 x 168 x 184mm)
Weight -- 4.9 lbs (2.23 k)
Operating temperature -- 40 to 95 deg. F (5 to 35 deg. C)
Operating system -- Embedded Linux (supports Linux, Mac, Windows desktops)

Availability

The DS410j is available now in both diskless and pre-installed (2TB and 4TB) configurations in Canada, and in pre-installed versions in the U.S. Pricing was not listed. More information may be found here.

More information on Synology's Linux distribution may be found here.

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