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Synology ships DX510 NAS expansion unit

I reviewed the DiskStation DS710+ recently, saying it was the first dual-bay NAS server to get scalable storage when coupled with an expansion unit. That unit is now available for around $500.

Synology announced Monday the Synology DX510, a five-bay expansion unit that can be used with either the DS710+ or the DS1010+ DiskStation NAS servers. According to Synology, the DX510 unit can increase the capacity of supported NAS servers up to an additional 10TB.

This means the RAID volume on the main DiskStation can be expanded directly without having to reformat the existing hard drives. If users choose to use the DX510 as a separate volume, the expansion unit will function as a backup destination.

The Synology DX510 is about 2.5 times the size of the DS710+ and connects to the Synology DiskStations via a custom-designed eSATA cable. Synology claims that this proprietary cable ensures a reliable connection and maximum throughput. The cap speeds between the NAS server and the expansion unit are that of the SATA 2 standard: 3Gbps. … Read more

Synology announces affordable four-bay NAS server

NAS servers from Synology generally share two things in common: great performance and hefty price tags. The DS710+, for example, is one of the fastest dual-bay NAS devices on the market and costs around $550 without any storage included.

On Thursday, the company surprised us when it announced the DS410 DiskStation, a four-bay NAS server that costs just around $500.

Like all the latest servers from Synology, the DS410 is based on version 2.3 of the state-of-the-art DiskStation Manager firmware. It will share a similar vast set of features as the DS710+ and the DS209+, with a few differences. … Read more

HP software links MediaSmart NAS servers, TiVo

Owners of the TiVo digital video recorder and a Windows Home Server-based NAS server from HP, I have some good news.

HP announced Wednesday the free HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo. This is a software application that lets the TiVo DVR use the storage of HP MediaSmart servers, such as HP MediaSmart Server EX495, to storage and manage TV recordings.

More specifically, according to HP, the software allows TiVo owners to:

Transfer shows from a TiVo DVR to a HP MediaSmart Server and back to a TiVo DVR. Manage TiVo recordings stored on a HP MediaSmart Server. Watch TiVo DVR … Read more

Synology releases DiskStation Manager 2.3 NAS firmware

If you have owned an NAS server from Synology, such as the DiskStation DS710+, DS209+, or DS409slim, you probably know and appreciate the server's excellent Web interface. That interface is called DiskStation Manager, and it just got even better.

Synology announced Monday another major upgrade to all of its NAS servers via the latest revision of the DiskStation Manager, version 2.3. This new update adds a long list of new features and enhancements including:

Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR): Synology's proprietary RAID setup allows users to add new hard drives, or replace the existing ones. Synology claims that … Read more

Intel expands Atom to home servers

Intel's Atom chip is moving up in the world, from Netbooks to home and small-office servers.

The chipmaker on Thursday launched its first Atom processor optimized for the SOHO (small office/home office) market. Intel's new platform marries the Atom D410 single-core or D510 dual-core chip, along with its 82801IR I/O Controller, to power small servers and storage devices made by LaCie, LG Electronics, and other manufacturers.

The new Atom chips use 50 percent less power and offer better performance than older Atoms, according to Intel, helping them drive more demanding SOHO servers and NAS (network-attached storage) … Read more

Isilon back from near death

Last week, Isilon, which designs and sells clustered storage systems and software for digital content, announced the integration of STEC's solid-state disk modules to its S- and X-Series or scale-out network-attached storage (NAS) platforms built on SAS and SATA disk arrays. The announcement was doubly significant.

First, its marks the appearance of SSD implemented as storage for metadata within an NAS platform as opposed to application data. In other words, the Isilon announcement is not an example of tiered storage for scalable NAS. Rather, SSD is used to store file system metadata--data that describes the application data and as … Read more

Synology intros first scalable two-bay NAS server

So, you just cannot make up your mind about what kind of RAID configuration you need and how many hard drives your NAS server should have. Synology, the vendor of multiple CNET Editors' Choice-winning NAS servers, has a solution for you.

The company announced Friday its first scalable NAS server, the DiskStation DS710+. The new NAS server starts out with only two bays for two SATA hard drives, but later on can be scaled up to have seven bays. The NAS server is designed to support multiple traditional RAID configurations.

Synology claims that the DS710+ will also come with Synology … Read more

Promise releases fuss-free NAS server

LAS VEGAS--Network-attached storage servers have always been among the harder products to install and use. Most of them require at least some know-how of computers and networking setup. This might change, however, with what Promise has to offer.

The company released at CES the new SmartStor ZERO NS2600, which it claims is the first no-muss, no-fuss NAS server. According to Promise, all you need to do is plug the server in, power it on, and install the included software and the rest is taken care of. The software will map an open network share, allowing instant access for data backup … Read more

Buffalo refreshes its LinkStation Duo NAS server

LAS VEGAS--Buffalo Technology announced Friday at CES a refresh of its popular LinkStation Duo NAS server, which is designed for the home or small business environments.

The new NAS server has a new, sleek look with two front access bays that allow for user to change and swap out hard drives. Buffalo makes it very easy for users, as the hard drives can be installed without any tools and don't require trays. Instead, all you have to do is just insert the drive into the bay and close the latch that's designed to hold it firmly in place. … Read more