The biggest challenge for IT managers today is to find a reliable centralized storage solution which is able to provide highly stable file storage and sharing. It is also important to set up a solid data backup system to protect the valuable digital assets against the risk of data loss. Now, QNAP TS-409 Pro Turbo NAS offers the most reliable solution with these powerful features and provides value-added benefits by minimizing the maintenance cost for IT departments of modern business.
High performance and advanced RAID redundancy
QNAP TS-409 Pro is a 4-bay, hot-swappable, Linux embedded All-in-one NAS (Network Attached Storage) Server specifically designed for business users who need fast performance, mass storage, and useful server features. Adopting 500MHz CPU and 256MB DDRII large-sized memory, it fully enhances the performance and breaks through the deficiencies of other traditional NAS models.
Advanced RAID configurations for non-stop service are also supported. RAID 5 is a widely adopted configuration for highly economic data protection that allows one drive failure with the system running. RAID 6 allows the failure of maximum two drives to offer business a more advanced data protection.
Multi-functional All-in-one NAS Server
TS-409 Pro supports multiple file sharing protocols for users to share files across Linux, Unix, Mac, and Windows platforms. Abundant valuable server functions including File Server, FTP Server, and Printer Server, etc., are supported to satisfy the business needs. Meanwhile, Windows ADS (Active Directory Service) is supported to help create an easy-to-access environment
A solution for present and future
The flexible RAID Expansion and Migration features lower the total cost of ownership. With Online RAID Capacity Expansion, users can select to purchase the most cost-effective hard drives for initial server setup and upgrade to larger ones in the future. All the stored data will be kept and seamlessly moved to the newly installed hard drives without turning off the server. With Online RAID Level Migration, users can start from one drive firstly and add more to upgrade the RAID level in the future with the data retained.
Easy setup, low-cost maintenance
TS-409 Pro adopts silent fan and power-saving design which is excellent for long-term operation and deployment in small business environment without server room. The hot-swap design is supported for replacing failed hard drive of a RAID configuration without turning off the server to ensure non-stop services and minimize maintenance cost and effort. Besides, the HDD S.M.A.R.T. provides complete information of the hard drive status to prevent potential physical drive failure. The comprehensive log system summarizes the detail data access records and connection status to server administrator. All error and warning messages can also be sent via e-mail alerts for ease of maintenance.
High Performance, High Reliability, Disaster-proof NAS for Business
The Most Advanced RAID Management with Hot-swap Design
To ensure the data security, TS-409 Pro offers advanced disk configurations for RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 5 + Spare, Single, and JBOD. Meanwhile, TS-409 Pro supports hot-swap design which offers the non-stop and easy-to-manage service. When HDD failure occurs, the administrator can be alerted by e-mail alarm and LED indication. The failed drive can be replaced by hot swapping without turning off the server. The intelligent data rebuilding features allow users to the new drive without suffering from any system downtime.
Online RAID Capacity Expansion and Online RAID Level Migration
TS-409 Pro supports online RAID capacity expansion and online RAID level migration.
| With Online RAID Capacity Expansion, users can select to purchase the most cost-effective hard drives for initial server setup and upgrade to larger ones in the future. All the stored data will be kept and seamlessly moved to the newly installed hard drives. There is no need to turn off the server during the process. |
| With Online RAID Level Migration, users can start from one drive firstly and add more drive members to upgrade the RAID level in the future with the data retained. There is no need to turn off the server during the process. |
S.M.A.R.T & Advanced HDD Health Scanning (HHS)
Comprehensive Event Log System
The Most Complete Backup Solutions
Data backup may sound time and effort-consuming for most users. QNAP’s Turbo NAS now brings you the enterprise-class technology to make backup extremely simple and efficient! The intelligent automatic backup software, NetBak Replicator, is provided for users to perform real-time synchronization or schedule backup from multiple PCs to TS-409 Pro. Furthermore, the data in TS-409 Pro can also be backed up to external FAT format hard drive. TS-409 Pro also works well with other backup software, e.g. Acronis True Image, CA BrightStor ARCserver Backup, and EMC Retrospect.
Support Windows ADS
Sharing files across Windows, Mac, Linux, and Unix
Secure data storage, access, and sharing
Data stored on TS-409 Pro is well protected: Server manager can create user ID and password, and define the authority and quota of each user. - IP filter control: Users can allow or deny specified IP connections to TS-409 Pro.
- SSL Security (HTTPS): TS-409 Pro can be accessed and configured by web browser securely.
- Remote login your TS-409 Pro by SSH (secure shell) or Telnet connection.
- Secure FTP: Share and transmit your data over SSL/TLS (Explicit) encryption. – – – -Passive FTP port range setup is also supported.
- Smart FTP policy control: The maximum number of all FTP connections and a single account can be configured.
- Encrypted remote replication: Data on TS-409 Pro can be backed up to another QNAP NAS product over the Internet securely.
| File Server The principle purpose of file server is for data storage and sharing. Data security and access management are the major concerns of most users. TS-409 Pro allows server manager to create user ID and password, and define the authority and quota for each user. Thus, personal data stored on TS-409 Pro is well protected. |
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| FTP Server Having troubles with sending large files by e-mail due to the limited capacity? You can establish your own FTP server by using TS-409 Pro. You can manage the access authority of the FTP server and share your files with your friends or customers easily in a few steps. |
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| Encrypted Remote Replication Encrypted remote replication provides high level of data protection. Files can be backed up from TS-409 Pro to other QNAP NAS products in remote locations. Advanced options including data compression, block-level incremental backup, and data synchronization are supported to optimize the bandwidth and time for data backup. |
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| Web Server with Built-in phpMyAdmin With the built-in phpMyAdmin, Joomla! and dual support of MySQL and SQLite, SMB & SOHO users can easily set up their own web server. With the editable php.ini support, there is no need of going through all the hassles of setting up a web server. You can either develop programs by yourself or download a variety of open-sourced applications, such as online shops, forums, blogs, etc., over the Internet. |
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| MySQL Server TS-409 Pro is the most affordable choice as a standalone database server for system integrators. It can be flexibly applied in various deployments such as a database server of another web server in remote site or as an additional backup database server to achieve system redundancy. |
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| Printer Server You can share your printer device over the network by simply connecting USB printers to TS-409 Pro’s USB port (Max. 3 sets) and enabling the printer sharing function. |
UPS Support
The key function of UPS is to provide the power for a period of time during power failure. TS-409 Pro supports both APC and MGE UPS devices which help users store the data in time and avoid critical data loss when power outage occurs during data transfer.
Share Folder Management
Server Managers can hide or show certain folders in the directories for some security reasons while creating the folders for the first time.
One touch USB auto copy
When a USB device such as digital camera, digital camcorder, or pen drive is connected to the front panel USB port, data in the USB device can be backed up to TS-409 Pro, or data in TS-409 Pro can be backed up to external USB device automatically by simply pressing the USB copy button. In the meantime, an external storage device can be connected to TS-409 Pro via USB port for alternative data backup.
Web File Manager
TS-409 Pro provides Web File Manager for you to easily download, upload, and manage the files on the server by web browser.
Network Recycle Bin
Built-in DDNS support
TS-409 Pro supports dynamic DNS (DDNS). You can register a unique domain name from a DDNS service provider and assign it to your Turbo NAS. There is no more need to remember a lengthy IP address!
Included in the box is the TS-409 Pro unit itself, a power cable (with power brick), a black network cable, a packet of hard drive mounting screws, a quick-install guide and installation CD. The power brick is by “FSP Group” and can supply 8 amps of power at 12 volts (or 96 watts of power), which is more than enough to run four hard drives and RISC-based processor.
The front of the unit has a black mesh door that swings open to reveal the hot-swappable goodness that lay inside. Underneath this door is a status panel that has a reset button, single USB connector, several status LEDs (showing server status, each hard drive’s status, and network usage), and a power button. The power button is similar to ATX-style computers in that you must press and hold it to power down, but it takes close to 10 seconds while the server powers down gracefully.
The back of the unit shows off the unit’s simple connectivity. There is a sinlge power input jack, a reset button (accessible via a paperclip hole), gigabit network jack, two USB 2.0 ports, and a hole to phyiscally lock the unit with any standard laptop protection kit. The back of the unit also has a thermally controlled exhaust fan, which speeds up or slows down based on internal heat.
Opening the unit we can see that this unit has a complex yet compact motherboard with four SATA ports. The case is built rather well, and the machining is impecable, which is even more amazing since the inside is never meant to be user-serviceable. A custom 4-bay drive cage hovers above the motherboard, and the back of the cage sits the SATA connectors. Four SATA cables are nearly routed to this connection point, each of them clearly labeled. On the opposite side of the cage is the power connectors for each drive, which are also clearly labeled 1 through 4.
The motherboard itself uses a Marvell 88F5BF01 C500500Mhz SoC (System on a Chip) processor, and does not require a heatsink (althrough there are holes on the motherboard to accomodate one). QNAP has also chosen to use two high-quality Hynix DDR2 memory chips (for a total of 256MB), which are soldered directly on the board. Next to this is an 8MB flash memory chip, which is what allows the device to be upgraded. I could not find any information on the new chip, so it is unclear how much of a performance difference exists between the TS-409 and the TS-109 (which uses a 500Mhz Marvell 88F5182-A2 C500 chip).
The most complicated part about installation is choosing which array you want. If you’ve already plopped down six Benjamins for this unit, then you either have several existing drives you want to use, or have purchased some brand new blank drives. Even though the TS-409 supports data migration without data loss, the drives must be initialized first, so you should start with blank drives.
So, the array you choose will probably depend on how many spare drives you have available. This unit has 4 drive bays, meaing that you can have
- 2x RAID 0 or 1 arrays
- 1x RAID 0 or 1 array + 2 single volumes (or 2-disk JBOD)
- 4x single volumes
- 1x RAID 5 + single volume
- 1x RAID 5 with hot spare
- 1x RAID 6
- any mix of JBOD and single volumes
Even though there are 4 drive bays, the unit does not support RAID 10 (1+0, 0+1, whatever…). You can mix and match whatever suits your needs, as long as you have drives available.
Physical installation of your drives is rather simple. All four drive trays are secured with thumbscrews, but there really isn’t enough room for your thumb to grab hold, so you really need a phillips-head screwdriver to pull the drive trays out. Once removed, you simply place your drive in the tray and secure screws to the underside of the hard drive (with SATA connectors facing the rear, of course). Then you simply slide the tray back into the server and tighten the thumbscrews back.
You can pre-install as many drives as you want, but you cannot initialize an array until you have the minimum number of drives installed for that array. The TS-409 has routines in firmware that allow you to connect to it and initialize drives, but the server isn’t fully functional until it partitions, formats, and installs the OS to them. Since this NAS runs on Linux, the unit creates several hidden partitions for the OS and swap file, so you will lose about 1GB from each of your drives. The main data partition is formatted in Linux EXT3 format, so there’s no hot-plugging a drive into a Windows machine for easy data copying.
Once your drives are installed, press the power button and the NAS will go through a boot-up procedure that takes about 30 seconds. Once the second beep is heard, then the device is ready for configuration. Just for kicks and giggles, I installed a hard drive previously formatted from the QNAP TS-109 Pro, but the TS-409 Pro wouldn’t accept it until it had been wiped clean.
QNAP includes a nifty program on the installation CD called the “QNAP finder”, which allows you to connect to the device for initial setup. Once you select your device, you are brought to web browser for configuration (thankfully all administration of the NAS is handled through a web interface with AJAX support). By default, the initial account and password is “admin” (this is included in firmware, so if you start from scratch you can always get in).
You can go through a wizard that configures your drives, and you are presented with different RAID options depending on the drives you have installed. For example, if you have only two drives installed you can create a single volume, a spanned volume (JBOD), RAID 0 or RAID 1 arrays. If you have three drives then you can create any of these or a RAID 5 array.
You can have as many volumes as you want, but keep in mind that the server has certain “default” shares that only work on the first array. For example, the TwonkyMedia and other media servers only work with the “Qmultimedia” share, which cannot be renamed or moved. There is a “Qusb” share that is intended as a repository when you dump data from a USB drive, and it will only copy to that folder. You can create as many other shared resources as you want on any drive, but the default system shares only work on the primary array.
So, once you’ve selected the array(s) you’re going to use, the wizard initializes the disks, which involves creating several system partitions, copying the OS, setting up default shares and other configuration tasks. Initialization can take several minutes, especially if you have created a large array with multiple disks. In a RAID 1 scenario, it can take hours to finish “synchronizing” but you can start writing data almost immediately.
The web interface is divided into 9 main sections, each with their own cryptic icon. The sections are broken out below.
Home
A splash page with direct links to all the other categories’ subsections
Quick Configuration
This 5-step wizard walks you through configuring your server, which is usually done during first install.
System Settings
Here is where you configure your server’s network name, Date & Time (it can automatically synchronize with an atomic clock), configure an external SMTP server (for administrative alerts), and view your system settings.
Network Settings
This section is where all network configuration settings are modified. This is also where you enable or disable network services such as Apple Networking, FTP and Web servers. TCP/IP Configuration is where you modify your server’s static or dynamic IP addresses. Microsoft Networking allows you to add the TS-409 Pro as a member of your Domain or Workgroup, and even support WINS (if anyone still uses that).
You can configure a Web File Manager so that you can access all files on the server via the Internet through a web browser. The Multimedia Station is where you can enable the server’s multimedia capabilities. You can use Multimedia Station from any device with a standard web browser (like the Sony PSP or another computer), or you can enable the UPnP MediaServer, which allows devices like the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 to connect to and stream your media files. You can even enable an iTunes service to share your media files for clients using iTunes.
One of the niftier features of the server is the Download Station. This download manager application is similar to GetRight, as it allows you to queue up files for automatic download, and supports HTTP, FTP, and BitTorrents. By default, all downloaded files end up in the Qdownloads share, but you can change this to any share you like. This is great for those who download large files in big chunks (like a RARed high-definition movie) as you can let your server download all night without your computer being on. Unfortunately, transferring several gigabytes of downloads to your main PC is rather painful… and since the network is so slow you really can’t unZip them on the server. The Download Station had a serious bug in the TS-109 in which all Zip files were corrupted, which required a Zip repair tool before you could even begin extraction. Fortunately, this new version works perfectly.
When you enable the Web Server you can create dynamic websites using PHP and MySQL. It even comes with the popular Joomla Content Management system. It’s not really setup to support multiple websites, virtual directories, or any other advanced features, but is good enough for light duty work. Once enabled, all you have to do is plop your files in the Qweb share, which becomes the website’s root. If you are hosting your website via cable or DSL, then you can enable the DDNS Service, which updates your website’s IP address if it ever changes.
Device Configuration
This is where you configure the SATA Disks, manage your RAID arrays, configure attached USB drives and printers
User Management
This area allows you to create new users, manage passwords, manage access to pre-defined network shares, and configure new network shares. You can even define a quota for all users, or individual users.
Network Share Management
This section allows you to manage the default network shares (Qusb, Qmultimedia, etc) and create new ones. Unfortunately, you cannot rename the default network shares, so if you want the web server to actually pick up the files, you are stuck with the Qweb directory. All of the configuration data is stored on the primary volume, so if you change your RAID around then you’ll have to redo these network changes.
System Tools
This section allows you to customize the server and configure back-end stuff. You can define the threshold for email alerts, perform a soft boot, configure standby mode, configure a USB-based UPS, view hard disk SMART information, update the system firmware, configure the “USB one-touch copy button”, change the interface’s logo, configure automatic backup to a local or remote disk, set an IP filter, configure remote login, and configure the Network Recycle Bin.
The Network Recycle Bin is one of the niftiest features an NAS can have. As many Windows users have probably noticed, when you delete files on a network drive, they bypass the protection that Windows’ “recycle bin” offers. Enabling a Network Recycle Bin ensures that no users can accidentally delete a file… instead the file is moved to the hidden recycle bin on the server. There is no threshold before being flushed, so you must manually login to the server and clean out the Network Recycle Bin to recover any space.
System Logs
This area shows changes to the server, important activity, and current status (such as online users, CPU usage and drive temperature). Using this tool is was easy to see how effective the exhaust fan is… my hard drives never got warmer than 91 degrees, keeping them safe and happy.
Device Configuration
This area is where you define your actual disk arrays. The screen shows you all installed Physical Disks, and how the are currently configured. You can create new arrays by clicking on one of the “New Disk Volume Configuration” icons, and the system will show you the options available to you. If you created a RAID 0 array but really wanted a RAID 1 array, then this option will not be available until you free up your existing array.
Thankfully the web interface supports AJAX, meaning that the page shows you the drive’s state in real time without a page refresh. When the drive is formatting, you get real-time feedback, rather than having to refresh the page to check the status. This feature becomes even more crucial if you migrate an array, where checking status is mandatory.
The RAID Management Tool is where you can upgrade your RAID arrays. Unfortunately, your options are very, very limited. When you click on this section you are presented with all of the options available for your current array, and there really aren’t any unless you’re running RAID 5. You should be able to upgrade a Single Volume to a Linear Disk Volume (JBOD), or add a drive to an existing JBOD volume, but these options are not available… perhaps in a future firmware update.
As it stands, the only upgrade path you have is upgrade RAID 1 to RAID 5, upgrade RAID 5 to RAID 6, or add a spare to RAID 5. You can upgrade the capacity of a RAID 5 or 6 array, but this is a very lengthy process of:
- removing the HDD #1 and plugging in a higher capacity drive
- wait for the data and parity information to replicate across the new drive
- remove drive #2 and insert higher capacity drive #2
- wait for the data and parity information to replicate across drive 2
- remove drive #3 and insert higher capacity drive #3
- wait for the data and parity information to replicate across drive 3
- the server will then resize the volume
This is what the drives partitions look like. Unless you can read EXT3 then you’re hosed.
This process can take tens of hours to complete, and there is the possibility of something screwing up. The whole purpose of a RAID array is that your data is online, even when you’re doing system maintenance. While this is technically true, all services will be painfully slow while the migration is taking place. It would actually be much quicker to backup your data, rebuild a new larger array and copy data back… well, it would be if the device had decent network speeds
Since the unit is Linux I found that I could telnet and login to the unit and copy files to an attached USB drive without touching the network. Oh, and don’t even think about trying to connect a drive to a Windows machine… once Windows boots it writes a flag to the drive and it cannot be read by the TS-409 without re-initialization. You plug it up to a Windows machine and you’re looking at a time-consuming and frustrating recovery scenario.
Features that would be considered standard are absent from this version of the TS-409. For example, you cannot add another drive to a JBOD array (something even a consumer version of Windows can do). You also cannot upgrade a RAID 0 or 1 to a larger RAID 0 or 1 (something that any professional RAID card supports).
When configuring an enterprise server, the type of RAID array you select must be carefully chosen depending on your application. Selecting the right RAID type for your needs can easily take up another article or two, but it usually comes down to balancing performance over redundancy.
The QNAP TS-409 Pro supports many different RAID types, but overall performance can actually be slower when using a more complicated RAID configuration. The most “expensive” RAID array (in terms of processing power) is RAID 5 and 6, as parity must be calculated in real time and written to the drives. All of this calculation takes place in software, meaning that much of the power of the unit’s onboard processor is taken up with disk calculations.
To test the unit, we configured the NAS with several different RAID volumes and then copied 1.5 Gigabytes to and from the array, measuring the time taken for the copy. Testing was performed both at 100Mbit and 1Gbit using a D-link green Gigabit switch. The TS-409 Pro supports jumbo frames up to 9000 byte sizes, so this was enabled on the server and client for Gigabit tests.
Clearly the fastest write performance comes when writing to a single volume (just a single hard drive). Since all other array types require more CPU intervention, it appears that overall network throughput is greatly dependant on the TS-409’s CPU.
We get some inconsistant results, however. For example, Raid 5’s write performance is faster than Raid 1, even though Raid 5 requires alot more horsepower to calculate. Read performance is slightly higher on anything better than a single volume. Since read performance is virtually the same regardless of the array you choose, don’t choose an array based on dogmatic theories (“raid 1 is faster than raid 0 (or vice versa)” or “raid 5 is better for multiple users”)… instead choose an array on what gives you the best redundancy/capacity ratio for your needs.
The point to be taken here is that write performance is inconsistent based on the server’s workload, and read performance is basically the same no matter what you do. In terms of the QNAP TS-409, forget about the performance aspect when choosing your RAID. Performance doesn’t differ that much between the different configurations – they’re ALL slow.
While these neat little graphs show you how the unit compares with itself, actual network usage can be frustrating. If you have a Gigabit connection, then these speeds mean that you’ll only get between 7 and 10 percent network usage, translating into severely long copy times.
The QNAP TS-409 Pro NAS packs a lot of professional features into a compact little unit. White it may seem rather expensive at first, you must consider that It consolodates several different network appliances into one, thereby saving you money. Not only do you get a file server with tons of RAID configurations, you get a web server, FTP server, print server, backup server, download manager, database server, and flexible media server. The TS-409 Pro is also highly compatible with any network, as it supports AppleTalk, Microsoft domains, and NFS.
This sounds like a no-brainer until you actually compare the performance of a NAS appliance to a computer. The appliance has a Linux kernel and a relatively fast 500Mhz processor and DDR2 memory, but the fact remains that its processing power is similar to that of the first generation of Pentium processors over 10 years ago. Everything is run in software, so running a RAID array steals away processing power from the other services.
The RAID migration features of the TS-409 Pro sound like a dream come true, as well, until you run into its limitations. The array is controlled completely by software, meaning that RAID migration can take betwen 15 to 24 hours, depending on the size of the array. All parity calculations are handled in software, too, so read and write performance can vary depending on your selected RAID type.
This unit touts features that tempt you to store terabytes of media, but even at best it takes a long time to transfer lots of data. The inclusion of TwonkyMedia and iTunes servers means that the TS-409 is intended as a full-blown Media Server, but the device’s limited performance speaks contrary to this claim. Once you actually get terabytes of media installed, the server can easily stream MP3s and even high-definition movies to several clients without any problem… it’s GETTING the data on the server that takes forever.
Compared to other NAS appliances, the QNAP TS-409 Pro has better than average network and server performance. NAS appliances are really only suited to small office files with low-bandwidth, light-duty traffic, which is perfect for a small or home office (SOHO).
I know I beat up on the TS-409 Pro in this review, but that is based on performance comparisons with a full-blown server. If you’re in the market for an NAS appliance, then the QNAP TS-409 Pro is one of the better ones you can get. It has a ton of features and RAID migration capability, sips electricity, and is relatively maintenance-free once configured.
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