【NAS Recommendation 2023】How to choose NAS | Notes | FAQs 2022-11-17 When the capacity of cell phones and computers is not enough, we will find ways to increase the storage space, such as using external hard drives and public cloud services, such as Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive and so on. Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a cloud storage service that has started to emerge in recent years. Next, we will explain the basic knowledge of NAS and the points to note when purchasing NAS. Click here to see all NAS products What is NAS Specifications to look for when purchasing a NAS Number of hard drive slots Central Processing Unit RAM Internet Connection Port SSD expansion slot Frequently Asked Questions Who Needs NAS Should I choose DAS or NAS? Does it include hard drives in a new NAS ? Recommendation 1. What is NAS？ Cloud storage services are used for computing and storage via remote computer servers connected to the Internet, and are divided into public and private clouds. Public clouds are built by companies that specialize in providing cloud services, such as the common iCloud, Google Drive, and so on. To build your own private cloud, purchasing a Network Attached Storage (NAS) is the most direct way. A NAS is a mini-computer with many hard drives and a built-in operating system that has the ability to run applications without connecting to a computer, and can provide data access directly over the Internet through a built-in network interface . In addition, with network sharing, NAS can provide simultaneous access to multiple computers at once, even if the computers are separated from the NAS, they can still be accessed directly over the Internet. 2. Specifications to look for when purchasing a NAS i. Number of hard drive slots Bay refers to the hard drive slots in a NAS, and each slot can have one hard drive installed. The core function of NAS is to store data. Therefore, when purchasing a NAS, the maximum storage capacity should be the primary consideration. NAS models are usually labeled with the number of bays, such as Synology DiskStation DS220J 2-Bay which means 2 hard drive slots, and Synology DiskStation DS1821 8-Bay which has 8 hard drive slots. The more hard drive slots means the more capacity NAS can expand, and the net capacity of NAS is the number of hard drive slots multiplied by the maximum capacity of the hard drive. For example, Synology DiskStation DS1821 8-Bay with 10TB hard drive has a maximum net capacity of 80TB. However, the net capacity of NAS is not equal to the maximum capacity we can really use, because the storage space of NAS is affected by RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), a security feature of NAS that combines multiple hard drives to work in a group, which can speed up the reading and writing of hard drives and prevent data damage due to the failure of one of them. Although enabling RAID mode will reduce some storage space, it can protect the data security. If you are worried that the NAS storage space is not enough to meet your needs, you can use the online "RAID calculator" to calculate the experimental capacity of the NAS before purchasing, and then choose the right configuration for your needs. ii. Central Processing Unit Since NAS is a mini-computer, it has a similar structure to a computer. The CPU of NAS is for data backup, share, and enable various software, so the CPU performance will directly affect the NAS operation speed. When NAS is doing file sharing, synchronization and backup at the same time, the faster the CPU is, the better the speed efficiency performance will be. iii. RAM As a mini computer, NAS needs RAM as temporary storage space for running system. Nowadays, the computer will have more than 2GB RAM, so for general home use, a NAS with 2GB or 4GB RAM is sufficient. If you are a small business with a large number of users accessing the NAS at the same time, you can choose a NAS with higher RAM, and some NAS can add memory expansion slots for users to upgrade themselves, which is more suitable for multiple users. iv. Internet Connection Port（LAN Port） NAS mainly uses wired network connection, even if the read speed of NAS is fast, it still depends on the speed of your network. Some NAS in the market now have dual LAN ports, so you can use the built-in smart merge function to combine the two network lines, and the NAS can double the external transmission bandwidth. However, you should also pay attention to the maximum transmission speed of the Router. The larger the file size, the higher the transfer speed requirement. If possible, it is recommended to upgrade to a router that supports faster speed. Some advanced NAS models can add 10GbE network cards to increase the transmission speed. However, there are few NAS models with built-in 10GbE network jacks on the market today, and they mainly rely on PCI-E expansion slots to install expansion cards. Although the speed of 10GbE can eliminate the limitation of transmission speed, the 10GbE card and the PCI-E expansion slot are the same as the NAS. However, 10GbE network cards and PCI-E expansion cards are not cheap, so if you are not using it for multiple users, a NAS with dual LAN ports would be a better choice. v. SSD expansion slot The access speed of NAS depends not only on the network port speed, but also on the access efficiency of the hard disk itself. The M.2 SSD can be added to increase the data transfer speed. 3. Frequently Asked Questions i. Who Needs NAS？ If a user needs to backup a large amount of data (more than 100GB), the easiest way is to backup to an external hard drive, but external hard drives are more inconvenient to use and cannot be accessed at any time, so it is more convenient to access or backup directly through the network. In addition, if it is a small or medium-sized business, NAS is more convenient for different users to access files at the same time. ii. Should I choose DAS or NAS?？ DAS (Direct Attached Storage) and NAS have similar function, but each has its own features: NAS focuses on on-the-go file sharing, storage and private cloud services, while DAS emphasizes large capacity storage and high speed transfer, NAS is suitable for home and SMBs that need to share data on-the-go, while DAS is more suitable for work that needs high speed transfer and large capacity storage of audio and video media. iii. Does it include hard drives in a new NAS ?？ Purchasing a NAS does not include hard drives, so you need to buy them by yourself. However, it is important to note that it is better to choose NAS-specific hardware because NAS is a never shuts down device, so the stability of the hard drive is very important. In addition to high stability, NAS hard drives also have more protection, testing and recovery solutions to support users' use. 4. Recommendation Synology DiskStation DS220J 2-Bay NAS DS220j is an entry-level 2-bay NAS designed for home and personal users to store and share photos, videos, and documents. The private cloud solution is powered by the award-winning DiskStation Manager (DSM) OS, providing an intuitive user interface and safe data protection approaches for easy digital asset backups from computers and mobile devices at no additional cost. Synology DiskStation DS720+ 2-Bay NAS Synology DS720+ is a compact network-attached storage solution to streamline data and multimedia management. Two built-in M.2 SSD slots and Synology SSD Cache technology allow you to boost system I/O and application performance. Scalable storage design lets you start small and expand storage capacity with Synology DX517 as your data grows. Synology DiskStation DS920+ 4-Bay NAS Synology DS920+ is an ideal network-attached storage solution to streamline data management and productivity. Two built-in M.2 SSD slots and Synology SSD Cache technology allow you to boost system I/O and application performance. Scalable storage design lets you start small and expand storage capacity with Synology DX517 as your data grows. (Image Source: Internet) The above information is for reference only Click here to see all NAS products
