Synology DS918+

[HEXUS]

Powerful storage for a small business or home enthusiast.

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[Darkedge]

I'd say hands down beaten by the Qnap.. plus at least Qnap talk to other people and support them, Synology third party support is woeful.

[peterb]

Interesting comparison - in terms of performance, its hard to judge given the different disks used - but the power consumption of the Synology seems far higher than the nearest equivalent QNAP and that may be significant for a device that would be expected to run 24x7. Again that could be down to the different disks, but double the on load power consumption seems to be odd.

[Zak33]

Interesting comparison - in terms of performance, its hard to judge given the different disks used - but the power consumption of the Synology seems far higher than the nearest equivalent QNAP and that may be significant for a device that would be expected to run 24x7. Again that could be down to the different disks, but double the on load power consumption seems to be odd.

yes the new hard drives the review team are using are much higher power use than the previous models. The older WD red drives were 4gig and low power use but the new Seagate Ironwolf models in use now are 8gig and use more power.
the Drobo review used the older drives but had 5 of them.

A user can choose the type of power vs speed use they need.

[peterb]

A user can choose the type of power vs speed use they need.

True, but for comparison/review purposes you need a standard configuration to compare like with like - doesn't matter what the drive is (or how many) just so long as they are the same! (ideally two configurations so you can calculate the power consumption of the basic unit alone - eg power consumption with one and two drives.

[jimborae]

In other news I have recently found out that Synology have terrible support model. I recently needed to have the firmware updated on my DS612+ NAS. The only way to get this done was for their support agents to remotely access my device and perform the firmware upgrade. However in order for them to do this I had to divulge to them my username & password for the device & my synology account!!!!!!!!!!!!! This didn't seem legit so I questioned this via another channel and was assured that this was the only way to get the firmware upgrade done.

In the end after much deliberation I agreed and watched while it was done, then change all user account passwords, wiped the disks and started all over again and restored data from a previous copy. Massive PIA and surely a very poor user experience.

[badass]

In other news I have recently found out that Synology have terrible support model. I recently needed to have the firmware updated on my DS612+ NAS. The only way to get this done was for their support agents to remotely access my device and perform the firmware upgrade. However in order for them to do this I had to divulge to them my username & password for the device & my synology account!!!!!!!!!!!!! This didn't seem legit so I questioned this via another channel and was assured that this was the only way to get the firmware upgrade done.

In the end after much deliberation I agreed and watched while it was done, then change all user account passwords, wiped the disks and started all over again and restored data from a previous copy. Massive PIA and surely a very poor user experience.

W.......T......F.........
If this is true for their support the chances of me ever buying one are zero.
I would also suggest that anyone saying they make devices suitable for SMB usage needs to have sense slapped into them.

[badass]

Heh
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sy...hrome&ie=UTF-8


IIRC it took Synology nearly a year to fix a bug where files would disappear irrecoverably. They blamed a bug in Linux IIRC and said there was nothing they could do about it until the bug was fixed in the kernel. The ever helpful Linux suicide bombers of the internet would step into threads where poeple complained the bug wasn't fixed. Those one dimensional nutjobs were telling them to quit whining and that they should assist with the patching of the kernel if it was important. Completely missing the point that someone who buys a COTS NAS shouldn't ever have to care about the underlying OS.

In fact those types are probably the reason that I don't use Linux that much. Every time I research something the "guides" clearly haven't checked to see if someone that hasn't fixed the problem before understands it. The other constant thing I found was threads with the same problems with lots of ever helpful individuals just replying RTFM or similar. It's sort of like having lots of mini Linus Torvalds' posting randomly on threads.

[jimborae]

W.......T......F.........
If this is true for their support the chances of me ever buying one are zero.
I would also suggest that anyone saying they make devices suitable for SMB usage needs to have sense slapped into them.

Ok below is a direct copy from the support ticket on the Synology Support System, I assure you that this genuine but the formatting is all wrong as I can only copy & paste. Note their statement at the end!

"2018-09-12 11:40:45
Please can you help to provide remote access so we can understand how to resolve this for you. Your data and system settings will not be modified during the investigation.

We need to access your device to perform system maintenance.
Please launch Support Center > Support Services on your DSM or SRM, and then tick the checkbox Enable remote access and copy Support identification key.

Support identification key
*

******************************************34fz
Administrator Account Name
*

*
Account Password
*

********

Other Information
Things you should know about remote access to your device:

We understand your concerns for providing us the key data of your device. Synology support teams are committed to safeguarding and respecting your data security and privacy. It is our policy to ensure that none of your personal files are ever copied or transferred to our servers. Please read our Privacy Statement"

[peterb]

I think I would have disconnected my data disks before thinking about allowing that....

[Saracen]

I think I would have disconnected my data disks before thinking about allowing that....

Amen to that.

I have been hovering on the edge of a Synology NAS for a while, but if that is their idea of customer service, then Synology just got crossed off the shortlist.

No way,,and I mean NO WAY ON EARTH would I allow any external person such access (without, as suggested, removing data disks first, with the hassle and effort that requires.

Disgraceful ....regardless of whatever their privacy policy says.

[Output]

I'd been considering the possibility of getting a NAS at some point in the future too, thanks for the warning jimborae.

I have to agree with Saracen on Synology being crossed off the shortlist. I think I might look towards a DIY NAS instead.

Admittedly a DIY NAS was tempting before I read this anyway, as it means you have more control over the specs (especially CPU) and can probably build it cheaper than a regular NAS too, but this has pushed me even more into that direction if I decide to take the leap.

[peterb]

Playing devils advocate, the big plus of a ready built and customised NAS box is the user interface - which is supposed to be very good for Synology and will work out of the box.

But any Linux box will work as a NAS (or server!) but might take a bit of setting up/customisation.

Freenas might be worth a look, but any distribution with something like Webmin will allow you to do a fair bit of setting up through a web interface and take a lot of the CLI stuff away - once it is installed.

[badass]

Ok below is a direct copy from the support ticket on the Synology Support System, I assure you that this genuine but the formatting is all wrong as I can only copy & paste. Note their statement at the end!

"2018-09-12 11:40:45
Please can you help to provide remote access so we can understand how to resolve this for you. Your data and system settings will not be modified during the investigation.

We need to access your device to perform system maintenance.
Please launch Support Center > Support Services on your DSM or SRM, and then tick the checkbox Enable remote access and copy Support identification key.

Support identification key
*

******************************************34fz
Administrator Account Name
*

*
Account Password
*

********

Other Information
Things you should know about remote access to your device:

We understand your concerns for providing us the key data of your device. Synology support teams are committed to safeguarding and respecting your data security and privacy. It is our policy to ensure that none of your personal files are ever copied or transferred to our servers. Please read our Privacy Statement"

Although it looks like I do, I don't doubt your statements. What your statement has done for me is removed any danger of any temptation of me ever buying a Synology NAS. Regardless of cost or performance.

[Spreadie]

Playing devils advocate, the big plus of a ready built and customised NAS box is the user interface - which is supposed to be very good for Synology and will work out of the box.

But any Linux box will work as a NAS (or server!) but might take a bit of setting up/customisation.

Freenas might be worth a look, but any distribution with something like Webmin will allow you to do a fair bit of setting up through a web interface and take a lot of the CLI stuff away - once it is installed.

A little late to the party, I know, but the Synology DSM software is (quasi) open-source - you can build your own server and run the DSM package via XPEnology, which treats your server like a four bay Synology NAS.

I ran mine for years like that and, it's true, DSM is a pleasure to use - but I have a QNAP box for NAS duties now and a home server based on the In Win MS-04.