QNAP TS-419P
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QNAP TS-419P Review Recently released from QNAP the TS-419P is the new addition to their four slot NAS family. Read on to see if it will fit your storage needs. |
Introduction
We recently took a look at the TS-219P NAS from QNAP and found it to be a good unit at that price point. Today, we are going to take its big brother, the TS-419P , for a spin to see how it compares.
Hardware Stuff
Similar to the TS-219P, the packaging for the QNAP TS-419P is covered with information about features and stats. There is no blank brown box here.
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| Packaging front | Packaging back |
The NAS itself looks very similar to the TS-219P but with the addition of two more drive bays for a total of four, and an LCD panel for a digital readout of the NAS status. To navigate information on the LCD screen there are Enter and Select buttons.
The front of the TS-419P has four LED status indicators for STATUS, LAN, USB and eSATA. There is also a power button as well as a USB port encircled by a Copy button. Pushing the Copy button with a USB drive attached will automatically copy the contents of the USB drive into a predefined folder called QUSB. This makes it very easy for a user to copy MP3s or photos onto the NAS for safe keeping.
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| TS-419P front | TS-419P back |
The rear of the TS-419P has a 90mm fan, 2x eSATA, 2x LAN, 3x USB, reset button and power input. As with the smaller TS-219P unit, the fan on the rear is powerful enough to keep the drives nice and cool while still remaining extremely quiet. I have been running this unit on the shelf next to me for a couple of weeks now and do not notice the fan noise unless I put my ear right next to it. While this is not a quantitative analysis I would feel comfortable putting this unit directly on top of my entertainment center and not need to worry about noise. According to QNAP the operating sound level is 35.1dB during operation.
The TS-419P is necessarily larger than the TS-219P due to the additional two drive bays but still maintains a small footprint with overall dimensions of 177(H) x 180(W) x 235(D) mm. The bare unit weighs in at just over 6.5 lbs with no drives installed. Of course, a fully populated unit will be a bit heavier.
The TS-419P uses the same drive sled mechanics as the TS-219P reviewed earlier . The drives screw into the bottom of the sled with four screws without any rubber isolators but no drive noise appears to be transferred into the rest of the system. Once attached to the sleds, the frames are inserted into the NAS using the latches on the front. When closed, these latches hold the drive sleds in place to keep them from moving. Locking the mechanism keeps the lever in place preventing you from removing the drive. In order to reduce confusion when swapping out drives, each sled is marked with HDD1, HDD2, etc and there is a sticker on the top of the unit that indicates the order of the drives in the NAS.
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| Drive sleds | Drive sleds in NAS |
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| Sled bottom with screws | |
Specs and Features
Hardware:
| CPU | Marvell 6281 1.2GHz |
| DRAM | 512MB DDRII RAM |
| Flash Memory | 16MB |
| HDD |
4 x 3.5" or 2.5” SATA I/II HDD
NOTE: |
| HDD Tray | 4 x hot-swappable and lockable tray |
| LAN Port | 2 x Gigabit RJ-45 Ethernet port |
| LED Indicators | Status, LAN, USB, eSATA, HDD 1, HDD 2, HDD 3, HDD 4 |
| USB |
4 x USB 2.0 port (Front: 1; Back: 3) Supports USB printer, disk, pen drive, USB hub, and USB UPS, etc. |
| eSATA | 2 x eSATA port (Back) |
| Buttons | Power button, USB one-touch-backup button, reset button |
| LCD panel | Mono-LCD display with backlight and buttons for configuration |
| Alarm Buzzer | System warning |
| Form Factor | Tower |
| Dimensions |
177(H) x 180(W) x 235(D) mm |
| Weight | Net weight: 3 Kg (6.61 lbs) Gross weight: 4.6 Kg (10.14 lbs) |
| Sound Level (dB) |
W/o HDD installed: 33 dB |
| Power Consumption (W) | Sleep mode: 11W In operation: 26W (with 4 x 500GB HDD installed) |
| Temperature | 0~40ËšC/ 32~104°F |
| Humidity | 0~95% R.H. |
| Power Supply | Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz Output: 12V DC, 10A, 120W |
| Secure Design | K-lock security slot for theft prevention |
| Fan | 1 x quiet cooling fan (9 cm, 12V DC) |
Features:
The following is a list of the features found in the TS-419P as described by QNAP. Many of these features were recently discussed in our review of the TS-219P .
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QNAP TS-419P Turbo NAS is the 4-bay, 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA HDD network-attached storage server with
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iSCSI applications dedicated to SMB, SOHO and home users. As a storage centre for mass data backup, management and sharing, the TS-419P Turbo NAS supports excellent hardware design, outstanding performance, high system reliability, and numerous powerful software applications.
Excellent industrial design and hardware specifications
The low-powered TS-419P Turbo NAS adopts Marvell 1.2 GHz CPU and 512MB DDRII RAM and is able to maintain superior performance in an intensive data access environment. The NAS supports four hot-swappable SATA hard drives, two Gigabit LAN ports for multi-IP settings, failover, and load-balancing, four USB ports and two eSATA ports for external storage backup, and is also equipped with an LCD panel for convenient system status checking.
Superior performance and abundant server applications
The TS-419P Turbo NAS supports cross-platform services across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX. Enhanced industry-leading features are also provided, e.g. EXT3 and EXT4 file systems, built-in iSCSI target service (max 8 iSCSI targets), virtual disk drive (VDD) by built-in iSCSI initiator for storage expansion, RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 6/ 5+spare, single and JBOD disk configurations, online RAID capacity expansion, online RAID level migration, RAID recovery, policy-based IP blocking, instant SMS alert notification, schedule power on/ off, and 4 IP cameras (optional purchase) for network surveillance.
Maximize the enjoyment of your home multimedia centre
The built-in UPnP/ DLNA media server (with TwonkyMedia enabled) of the Turbo NAS supports a wide range of DLNA media players such as Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming consoles and works well with NFS-supported High-Definition (HD) digital media players for HD video streaming. By installing the DLNA/ UPnP application on your iPhone or iPod touch, you can access the Turbo NAS on the local network and play the multimedia contents, e.g. videos, music, and photos on the server. In addition, the high-speed PC-less Download Station with the unique QGet utility enables you to manage the BT/ FTP/ HTTP download tasks remotely over the local network or the Internet.
Brand new user Interface available
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Advanced RAID Management with Hot-swap Design
The NAS offers advanced RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 5 + Spare, Single, and JBOD disk configurations. It also supports hot-swap design that a failed drive can be replaced by hot swapping without turning off the server. Besides, the best-in-class RAID on the NAS brings users a higher level of data security by allowing one more hard drive failure than other NAS of the same level.
Online RAID Capacity Expansion
Online RAID Capacity Migration
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The storage capacity of a RAID configuration can be expanded by replacing the hard drives with larger ones. All the 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.
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You can upgrade the disk configuration to higher RAID level with the data retained. There is no need to turn off the server during the process.
Virtual Disk Drive (VDD) adds flexibility to storage expansion along with ease of management
The unique "Virtual Disk Drive" adds flexibility to expand the capacity of NAS. By using the built-in iSCSI initiator, the NAS can connect to other iSCSI targets on the network and turn them into virtual disks, which become multiple single volumes on the NAS. Up to 8 virtual disks can be stacked. The NAS serves as the storage stack chaining master. The user only needs to connect to this single entry (QNAP NAS) and is able to reach and use all the iSCSI target storages on the network.
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Built-in iSCSI Target Service
The TS-419P can act as a NAS and iSCSI target server at the same time. It provides a cost-efficient iSCSI solution to set up an IP-SAN. You can make use of the built-in iSCSI target service to add up to 8 iSCSI devices. Different iSCSI Target LUNs (Logical Unit Number) can be defined as storage expansion or backup destination of the existing application servers, such as database servers and mail servers.
Furthermore, the "Virtual Space Allocation" (Thin Provisioning) feature is provided which allows you to flexibly allocate the capacity of iSCSI LUN (Logical Unit Number). When the physical storage capacity of the volume is going to be full, you can easily expand the storage capacity by "Online RAID Capacity Expansion", or adjust/ remove the current unused volume space according to the demands.
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S.M.A.R.T & Advanced HDD Health Scanning (HHS)
The NAS supports Hard Disk Drive S.M.A.R.T (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) for monitoring the hard drive status. Moreover, the NAS is embedded with HHS Technology which supports disk checking and bad blocks scanning.
UPS Support
The NAS supports the majority of USB UPS devices (usbhid-ups supported) which enables the users to store the data in time and avoid critical data loss when power outage occurs during data transfer.
Complete Backup Solution
QNAP Backup Software – NetBak Replicator
The backup software, NetBak Replicator, is provided for the NAS users to perform real-time synchronization or schedule backup from multiple PCs to the NAS.
3rd Party Backup Software Ready
The NAS works well with other backup software, e.g. Acronis True Image, CA BrightStor ARCserve Backup, EMC Retrospect, Symantec Backup Exec, and LaCie Silverkeeper.
Encrypted Remote Replication
The data on the NAS can be backed up to or from another Turbo NAS over the network securely.
One Touch USB Auto Copy
The one touch button can be configured to trigger instant data backup from the external USB device to the NAS or the other way round (applies to the USB device connected to the front USB port of the NAS only).
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Cross-platform Data Sharing and Storage Centre
Sharing Files across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX
The NAS is designed for users to share the files across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX environment.
Support Windows AD
The Windows AD feature enables server manager to import user accounts from AD domain to NAS to reduce the time and effort for account setup, and users can use the same set of login name and password.
Web File Manager
The NAS provides Web File Manager for you to easily download, upload, and manage the files on the server by web browser.
Ease of User and Share Folder Management
The NAS supports batch creation of users and share folders to save the time and effort of the server manager in account and folder creation. For the security of Windows network environment, server managers can hide or show network share folders.
Power Management
Hard Disk Standby
You can configure the hard disks to enter standby mode if there is no disk access within the specified period.
Schedule Power on/ off
The flexible schedule power on/off feature is now provided on the NAS for IT administrators to manage the NAS server’s up time according to the working hours. You can set the time for automatic system power on, power off, or restart on any days of the week.
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Secure data storage, access, and sharing
- Comprehensive event logs: Detailed logs of file-level data access to the NAS via samba, FTP, AFP, HTTP, HTTPS, Telnet, and SSH, and networking services accessed by online users are all recorded.
- SSL security (HTTPS): The NAS can be accessed and configured by web browser securely.
- Remote login to the NAS by SSH (secure shell) or Telnet connection is supported.
- Secure FTP: The data can be transmitted with SSL/TLS (explicit) encryption. Passive FTP port range setup is also supported.
- Write-only access right on FTP server: The third party partners are allowed to upload data to the NAS but not able to read or edit the data on FTP server.
Policy-based Automatic IP Blocking
To prevent the NAS from malicious attacks, the server manager can create an IP filter policy to allow, deny, or auto-block the IP address or network domain which attempts to connect to the NAS via SSH/ Telnet/ HTTP(S)/ FTP/ samba/ AFP.
Powerful All-in-one Server Features
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You can create the user ID and password, and define the access right and storage quota of each user on the NAS. |
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You can establish your own FTP server using the NAS and share the files conveniently with others. |
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Backup Server
The automatic backup software, NetBak Replicator, is provided for you |
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Remote Replication The data on the NAS can be backed up to or from another Turbo NAS or Rsync server over the network. |
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The NAS supports Joomla!, MySQL, SQLite and editable php.ini. |
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MySQL Server
The NAS can be flexibly applied in various deployments such as a |
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Printer Server The NAS supports network printer sharing function (max 3 USB printers). |
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UPnP Media Server (with built-in TwonkyMedia Server)
The NAS is a perfect media storage centre and it works well with DLNA |
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You can share you photos, video, or music over the network by the Multimedia Station of the NAS. |
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The NAS supports PC-less BitTorrent, FTP, and HTTP download. TCP/ UDP, |
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You can stream the mp3 music on the NAS to the computers on the home |
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The Surveillance Station enables you to configure multiple IP-based |
The most comprehensive support for numerous brands of IP cameras
The Surveillance Station of QNAP NAS supports all the leading network camera brands such as AXIS, D-Link, IPUX, LevelOne, Linksys, Panasonic and Vivotek etc. By using particular models, users can use two-way video and audio monitoring and recording, and smart PTZ control to control the monitoring direction via the web interface. Each of the supported cameras has been put through stringent tests with the NAS series in QNAP’s laboratory to guarantee 100% compatibility and reliability with all these camera brands.
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Live audio and video monitoring, recording and playback over the Internet
- High quality video recording in MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG format
- Real-time monitoring and recording for up to 30 fps per channel
- Live 2-way audio supported for monitoring and voice broadcasting
- Easy installation and management from remote location
Powerful System Management Tools
Smart Fan
The fan rotation speed is automatically adjusted according to the server’s temperature. You can also define the system temperatures to trigger high speed or low speed rotation of the fan. By manually setting the fan rotation speed, the fan will rotate at the defined speed continuously.
Instant SMS/ Email Alert
You can configure the SMTP server and SMSC server settings on the NAS in order to receive instant system warning or error messages by email or SMS.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)
Enable SNMP service on the NAS to collect the information, warning or error of the NAS and send to max 3 SNMP servers for centralized management and real-time monitoring of your NAS.
SSL Secure Certificate
The administrator can upload a secure certificate and an RSA private key in X.509PEM format issued by a trusted provider in order to allow the users to access the NAS by secure SSL login.
Syslog Settings
All the system event logs and connection logs can be saved to a remote syslog server.
Network Recycle Bin
The files deleted from the network shares of the NAS will be moved to a particular recycle bin folder. You can restore your data anytime in case of unintended file deletion.
Comprehensive Event Log System
The logs of connections to the NAS via samba, FTP, AFP, HTTP, HTTPS, Telnet, and SSH, and networking services accessed by online users are all recorded.
Detailed System Information
You can view the system status, e.g., CPU usage, total memory, free memory, packets received, packets sent, error packets, system up time, CPU temperature, system temperature, HDD temperature, and system fan speed.
DDNS Support
You can register a unique domain name from a DDNS service provider and assign it to your NAS. Your users can access the NAS by the domain name instead of the IP address.
Excellent Hardware Expansion
The TS-419P supports 4 USB 2.0 and 2 eSATA ports. You can connect external storage devices to the NAS for data backup or storage capacity expansion.
Software Expansion and Website Management
QPKG Software Package Platform
The QPKG software package platform enables the users to maximize the usage of the NAS by installing additional software packages developed from the users and community worldwide. This can be done by simple "download & install" clicking without going through any complicated process.
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Installation and Use
Setup:
Installation of the QNAP TS-419P was literally a ten minute process. First, connect the power and network cable to the unit. Then, connect the other end of the network cable to your switch or router. Next, use the QNAP software to find the newly attached NAS. Modify settings as necessary although the defaults will work OK for most people to get up and running with. Finally, map the NAS to a drive letter and start copying files.
It really is that easy. As with most things however, there are additional settings that can be tweaked and features that can be enabled to better meet your needs. Some examples include Linux NFS support for sharing files with a Linux network, and the Download and Multimedia Stations. The Download station allows you to setup http, ftp or BitTorrent downloads directly to your NAS and the Multimedia Station allows you to share your multimedia with other people (on your internal or external network) with user accounts that you setup to control who can see what. It could be an easy way to make your shows available outside of your home when combined with the built in ability to use DDNS.
User Interface:
The web interface used by QNAP has received a much needed facelift. As you click on the icons in the background of the initial web page, they rotate into the foreground. It is a very stylish look. Within the administration portion of the UI the layout remains similar to what it was before but the look and feel of it has been improved nicely. The overall flow of the configuration pages seems much easier to navigate.
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| Main page | Administrator page |
Test Setup and Results
Test Setup and Results:
Many of the value added features of the QNAP series of NASs have been covered in our review of the TS-219P . With this in mind, instead of repeating ourselves this review will cover only the NAS functionality itself in a home environment. The unit came with four 750GB Western Digital Caviar Black hard drives in a RAID5 configuration. Given that this is being reviewed from a Digital Lifestyle perspective, the unit was tested with a large number of small file transfers (i.e. backing up digital photos or MP3s) as well as with individual and groups of large files (i.e. backing up TV/movie recordings). Each test was performed by transferring a group of files three times and averaging the times.
Writes to NAS:
| No. of Files | Total data size (MB) | Elapsed Time (min:sec) | Transfer Rate (MB/s) |
| 294 | 606 | 0:36 | 16.8 |
| 84 | 45597 | 36:24 | 20.9 |
Reads from NAS:
| No. of Files | Total data size (MB) | Elapsed Time (min:sec) | Transfer Rate (MB/s) |
| 294 | 606 | 0:26 | 23.3 |
| 84 | 45597 | 8:13 | 24.1 |
Power Consumption:
| Idle | 40W |
| File Copy | 43W |
Conclusion
If you read our review of the QNAP TS-219P you will know that it is a good NAS unit. The TS-419P reviewed today shares all the same features but also increases the storage capacity to four drives instead of two while also adding an LCD to the front. If you are looking for more storage for your home theater environment this is a good solution. It’s more than capable of streaming HD content to and from your HTPC without causing any buffering. And with a max storage capacity of 8TB it’s hard to go wrong. After using the review unit for a couple of
weeks I have seen nothing but stability from it. It runs silently
and uses very little power. With the addition of the other features
that QNAP has designed into their units which are accessible via a nice looking,
easy to use interface, the TS-419P offering is a very good product.
Its size and looks allow it to fit into almost any setting and QNAP has
suggested a reasonable price for what you get @ $599. All in all, if
this unit fits your needs you will not have any regrets.