The numerous free apps that expand the functions of the NAS stand out in particular. In particular, there are apps for backing up PCs to the NAS, syncing or backing up cloud storage. They can also be used as e-mail servers, virus scanners, to provide virtual computers, to set up a private cloud or for streaming apps for your own network, chat servers, web-based web interfaces and much, much more.
Synology NAS as a powerful home server or for SMEs
The apps for Synology are available free of charge. Professional services for companies sometimes require licensing when a certain number of users is exceeded, but this is the exception rather than the rule. A list of most apps can be found on Synology’s “Additional Packages” page.
In addition to the standard packages from Synology, there is also a very active community that also offers free additional packages. Above all, many services and extensions based on Linux are available here. Synology’s DSM (Disk Station Manager) operating system is also based on Linux. However, users have no points of contact with this, the complete administration takes place in the web interface.
For example, experienced users can also deploy virtual servers on a Synology NAS and even complete servers or Active Directory domain controllers. Docker containers can also be used. In short: NAS systems from Synology offer comprehensive options for providing shares or archiving data and also the option of expanding the functions of the NAS with apps.
Which NAS is the right one?
Synology offers a wide variety of NAS systems, ranging from entry-level to professional and enterprise. When buying, you should first consider what the NAS is intended for. Especially as a home server or for SMEs, a Synology NAS system can provide comprehensive services and thus significantly reduce costs because less hardware and licenses are required.
If that’s the case, a first look at Synology’s online package center will help. Here you can see which Synology NAS systems are running a specific app. Performance-hungry apps such as Synology Virtual Machine Manager naturally require more powerful NAS systems. In the online package center, you can see which NAS systems support the app under “Models used” for each app.
NAS for home, SMB or for more complex environments?
Synology offers entry-level NAS systems and NAS systems for more complex environments, which are of course a bit more expensive, but support faster processors and more bays.
It is important to plan the required storage space. Care should be taken here to plan a NAS that has enough slots in the NAS housing so that at least two, preferably more, hard drives can be installed. This allows buyers to use a RAID system to avoid data loss caused by a hard drive failure.
Leverage Synology NAS Advisor
Synology provides a wizard on its website to help you choose a NAS system. Before buying a NAS from Amazon or any other online shop, it makes sense to do more research. NAS Advisor is available on Synology’s website.
Synology NAS Advisor is available free of charge and without registration. After a few questions have been answered, the assistant already shows a few NAS systems, so that the future selection is somewhat limited. However, the selection can be further restricted at any time with the assistant.
Fine-tuning: Bays, SSD, RAM and Flash support
However, interested parties should give some more thought to the features of the NAS. In addition to the number of slots that are available, there are also slots for flash memory. First of all, it is important to know that not all slots have to be used immediately, but it does not hurt to have some available as a reserve. This means that the storage space can be expanded at any time and there are options to set up additional storage pools on the NAS, for example to migrate data.
Flash memory slots are used as temporary storage. This significantly accelerates user access and is particularly useful if users want to use additional apps in addition to storing data. These slots do not have to be used immediately, but are available if required.
In addition, there is support for SSD in the NAS. Read and write access is significantly faster when using SSDs than when using conventional HDDs. Of course, this increases the investment costs for the NAS, so that it only makes sense to use it if this performance is actually required. Examples of this are use in companies, the operation of additional apps and use in performance-hungry environments such as video editing or image processing. Together with flash memory as a cache, access to the NAS can be extremely accelerated.
If enough data carriers are still used, it is also possible to use effective RAID systems, for example for RAID 5. This maximizes performance and protects against data carrier failure.
Memory also plays an important role. Here it should be ensured that at least 8 GB should be used when using additional apps, and significantly more when using VMs on the NAS. Here you have to make sure that the NAS still has free slots to expand the memory.
Network interfaces are important
It is clear that a network storage device must have sufficient and fast network interfaces. In companies where several users work with the system, it makes sense to use devices that have several interfaces. This allows the data traffic in the network to be divided and better adapted for different apps.
Synology NAS Advisor can still filter network adapters after displaying the result via “Click here to select more features”. Here, either the “4 ports” or “2 ports” option should be used for “Network”. Single-port NAS devices don’t always make sense for businesses and high-performance environments.
Some NAS systems allow a network adapter to be integrated via a PCIe slot. The NAS consultant also offers this filter option.
Which NAS systems do we recommend?
The Synology Diskstation DS1522+ certainly offers one of the best price-performance ratios. If you need more power, you can rely on a DS1823xs+. The Synology DS1522+ has enough slots, 8 GB of RAM (expandable to 32 GB), allows the use of HDDs and SSDs and offers various expansion options. The NAS costs just under 720 euros (plus data carrier), but it also offers a lot.
For environments with higher performance requirements, a DS 1823xs+ can also be used as a NAS server. In addition to numerous slots, slots for flash memory are also available here. The NAS costs around 2000 euros (plus the costs for data carriers and flash memory), which speaks particularly well for use by companies.
Inexpensive entry-level devices such as the DS220j offer a good start with at least two slots. Again, many apps are supported and the data storage features are sufficient for small businesses and home servers. This device is priced at around 450 euros, including data carrier and a storage capacity of 4 TB if a RAID 1 is used, which is recommended.
Conclusion
Synology NAS systems offer a diverse range of options and functions that make them powerful home servers or suitable servers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Of particular note are the numerous free apps that can be used to expand the functions of the NAS. The web interface is outstanding and allows for easy management with no touch points with the underlying Linux operating system.
When choosing the right NAS system, it is important to consider the intended use. Synology offers different models for different needs, ranging from entry-level NAS devices to high-performance systems for complex environments. Synology’s Free NAS Advisor helps you choose by recommending suitable models based on a few questions.
When fine-tuning the NAS equipment, care should be taken to ensure that there are enough slots for hard drives in order to be able to use RAID systems and avoid data loss. The use of flash memory as a cache and SSDs can significantly speed up access times, but is particularly useful in performance-hungry environments. The choice of network interfaces depends on the number of users and the bandwidth required.
Recommended models are the Synology DS 1522+ for a solid price-performance ratio with sufficient equipment, the DS 1823xs+ for demanding environments and use in companies, as well as the inexpensive entry-level device DS 220j with two slots. Overall, Synology NAS systems offer a wide range of features and expansion options that make them a recommended solution for home servers, SMBs and companies. Careful selection of the right model and equipment is crucial in order to optimally meet individual requirements.