Synology DiskStation DS211+ Review

1. Introduction2. Synology DiskStation DS211+3. The DiskManager 3.0 Operating System4. Testing Methodology and Performance5. Acoustics, Power Consumption and Power Drain6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Synology have been riding high in 2010, releasing some of the finest NAS systems ever to hit the consumer market. We use several of these devices in the KitGuru offices for our network file sharing and have found them to be both extremely reliable and fast.

Last month we looked at the Synology DS211, a fantastic performing mainstream unit which easily earned our highest award, and today we are looking at the DS211+ which has just been released today.

What is the difference between the DS211 and the DS211+ ? Many people seem to be confused with the Synology naming conventions, but it is surprisingly easy to break down.

“+” series = performance range.
standard series (no digit) = mixture of performance and storage.
“j” series = entry level consumer, concerned about capacity but not performance.

DS = Diskstation
First Digit = number of bays
Second numbers = year for the release

Therefore we know that the DS211+ is a member of the performance series, it has two drive bays and was created for the year 2011.

Product Highlights:

• High performance, over 100 MB/s read speed
• Windows® ACL Support
• Complete Backup Solutions
• 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption Engine
• Hot Swappable Hard Drives
• Cool and Quiet Design

This is the first DiskStation we have received from Synology which ships in a full colour black box.

Inside, the bundle is comprehensive. A power adapter, lan cable, fitting screws for both 3.5 inch and 2.5 inch drives (spares are also generously included in case a few get lost). Literature, a quick start flyer and software disc with guides and device specific .pat DSM 3.0 code are also supplied.

The DS211+ is an attractively designed product with a reflective glass panel on the front, covering the drive bays. Unlike the more expensive models in the Synology range, the chassis is not metal, but plastic.

The plastic panel is removed with a gentle tug and underneath are two drive bays which slide out with a press of the respective button above. To the right are several LED indicators for power, lan and hard drive activity. There is also an SD slot underneath with a USB 2.0 port and a quick copy and power button at the bottom.

On the rear there are two USB 2.0 ports, a LAN connector, eSATA connector and a reset button and power connector at the very bottom. The fan is a high quality 92mm YS Tech FD129225LS-N, which is a very low noise model requiring only 0.10A.

The two drive holders are plastic, to keep down the cost. They do feel reasonably strong however.

Inside the motherboard is behind a solid cover with a daughtercard extending outwards, bolted to a metal bar inside for strength. We could not open the chassis as it was sealed. We do know however that there is a 1.6ghz CPU inside with 512MB of ram running at 1066mhz. This is twice the amount of memory that is installed in the mainstream DS211 model.

Today we are using two brand new 2TB HD204UI drives from Samsung – otherwise known as the ECOGREEN F4. This will give us the maximum amount of storage that the DS211+ can handle – 4TB. These are Eco-friendly drives, offering low noise (Noiseguard) and low power consumption with a 32MB buffer onboard.

Synology supply screws for both 3.5inch and 2.5 inch drives and it only take a few minutes to connect both drives.

Both drives slide back in and ‘click' into the daughtercard inside. The shiny plastic cover can then be replaced. This is a more elegant approach than the DS211, which requires disassembly of the outer chassis.

All our Synology reviews feature information on the DiskManager 3.0 Operating System and there is a very good reason for that. It is the best NAS operating system on the market – fully multitasking capable, allowing the end user to switch painlessly between applications and currently running tasks. While it runs better on the higher end Synology NAS systems with more memory, it still runs well on the low end NAS systems with 256MB of ram or less.

Generally when setting up a NAS system we need to find the IP via a router and start a configuration via the web browser interface. Synology however have their own dedicated networking software called ‘Synology Assistant' which locates all the Synology devices on the active network, and displays a variety of useful information. It is worth pointing out that every NAS system on the network requires a unique server name, otherwise problems can occur.

Configuration requires the .pat data file which can normally be downloaded directly from the Synology download center. In this case however as the product was not yet released it was not listed. The .pat file is supplied on the disc.

Installation takes around 10 minutes from start to finish, so it is a good time to make a cup of tea and read the literature on the disc.

After inital installation is completed, access to the DSM 3.0 interface software is granted and the NAS can be configured.

A step by step guide is presented, offering Raid 0, Raid 0, JBOD and later if desired there is a RAID Migration option from Basic to Raid 1.

Be aware that if error checking is enabled then the formatting process can take a very long time. Ideal if you have an older drive you aren't sure about, but if the drives are new then save time and use the quick format option.

There are many panels in DSM 3.0 which allow the user to check the status of the drives, with SMART information and temperature readouts available.

Synology offer full Jumbo Frame support, always a good thing to see included. We always use 9k settings for maximum performance with our gigabit switches.

The next step to networked goodness, is the configuration of a shared folder, which again is handled by an intuitive user interface panel. DSM 3.0 software can handle a maximum of 2048 user accounts, 256 user groups and 256 shared folders with a total of 256 concurrent connections over AFP, FTP or SAMBA. It is extremely capable. Macintosh users also get full cross platform support – with options even for Time Machine.

Immediately, this shared folder will appear within your network, accessible by any computer.

Synology currently also are offering support for specific Wireless dongles, an updated list of which you can find on their website.

DSM 3.0 has a tremendous level of support for many applications and networking protocols. The Media Server for instance is DNLA certified, and offers support for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

The WebStation offers a virtual hosting system for up to 30 websites, as well as PHP and MySQL support.

Here is a list of some of the media support.

DLNA/UPnP Media Server

• Supported Audio Format: AAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, Ogg, Vorbis, PCM, WAV, WMA, WMA VBR, WMA PRO, WMA Lossless
• Supported Video Format: 3GP, 3G2, ASF, AVI, DAT, DivX, DVR-MS, ISO, M2T, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MTS, MOV, QT, SWF, TP, TRP, TS, VOB, WMV, XviD, RV30, RV40, AC3, AMR, WMA3
• Supported Image Format: BMP, JPG (jpe, jpeg), GIF, ICO, PNG, PSD, TIF (tiff), UFO, RAW (arw, srf, sr2, dcr, k25, kdc, cr2, crw, nef, mrw, ptx, pef, raf, 3fr, erf, mef, mos, orf, rw2, dng, x3f)
• Supported Subtitles Format: srt, psb, smi, ass, ssa, sub, idx, ifo

Photo Station:

• Supported Image Format: BMP, JPG (jpe, jpeg), GIF, RAW (arw, srf, sr2, dcr, k25, kdc, cr2, crw, nef, mrw, ptx, pef, raf, 3fr, erf, mef, mos, orf, rw2, dng, x3f)
• Supported Video Format: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DAT, DivX, FLV, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, QT, WMV, XviD, RM, RMVB, VOB, RV30, RV40, AC3, AMR, WMA3

Download Station:

• Supported Download Protocols: BT/HTTP/FTP/NZB/eMule
• Custom BitTorrent Port Range
• BitTorrent / eMule Bandwidth Control

Audio Station

• Supported Audio Format: (USB Mode) AAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, WMA VBR; (Streaming Mode)MP3, M4A, M4B
• Supported Playlist Format: M3U, WPL
• Internet Radio: SHOUTcast, RadioioDLNA

Tunes Server

• Supported Audio Format8: MP3, M4A, M4P, WAV, AIF
• Supported Video Format: M4V, MOV, MP4
• Supported Playlist Format: M3U, WPL

Print Server

• Max Printer #: 2
• Supported Protocols: LPR, CIFS, AppleTalk

Synology Packages

• Mail Station
• Squeezebox Server
• Webalizer
• phpMyAdmin
• Time Backup

iPhone and Android Applications

• DS photo+
• DS audio
• DS cam

We are testing the Synology DS211+ within our gigabit network which is pretty much as good as you will get for a home or small office environment. It is a mixed network with several 1GBit switches for ultimate performance.

Reference Test PC:
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 @ 4ghz
Storage: Kingston 128GB SSD V+ Series
Motherboard: Asus Rampage II Gene
Graphics: Geforce GTX285 2GB
Memory: Corsair Dominator 1600mhz @2000mhz
Network: 2x Belkin 16 Port Gigabit Switches
Operating System: Windows 7 64 Bit Ultimate

Firstly we perform a native network test to ascertain pure data throughput. Jumbo Frames have been set to 9k.

Throughput is off to a good start, scoring slightly higher than the DS210+ and just shy of the DS710.

Our performance testing averaged at 54 MB/s, a little less than the DS210+ which was surprising.

Read performance is extremely impressive at 108 MB/s, just 4MB/s less than the DS710.

Next we created a folder of files, 500mb/s in size with a variety of data , from small database documents to larger jpgs and bmps. We expect to pay a slight penalty as we are using Jumbo frames set to 9k, however performance should still be good.

Mixed transfer shows high levels of performance, especially with reading from the drive to fast sources. It is worth mentioning that memory use hovers normally around 8 percent (of 512mb) when reading or writing to the DS211+ which bodes well for a multitasking environment. The DS211 by comparison requires around 15% of its total 256MB.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components.

Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise was measured from half a meter away.

The YS Tech fan is a quiet performer and only spins up with the system is heavily loaded with file transfers. It will not be audible under the majority of real world environments.

We measured power from the socket with 2 x 2TB Samsung HD204UI drives installed.

When idle, the DS211+ is only consuming 13 watts of power which is a figure many people will be pleased to see. When under load it only rises to 29 watts, lower than the DS411j we recently tested with 2x1TB Samsung drives installed.

The single YSTECH fan is a capable choice in this particular chassis, maintaining an average temperature of 29c for both 2TB drives. Other drives may average slightly higher results but we are confident this cooling system is more than adequate.

We have been reviewing the full range of Synology products all year, and it ends for us on a high. The DiskStation DS211+ has proved to be a low cost, high performance NAS box, targeting both the discerning enthusiast user and small business marketplace.

As with all of their performance range, the DS211+ is able to deliver stunning levels of bandwidth, both when reading and writing data across a gigabit enabled network.

Within the lower end sector compromises are always made, such as a plastic fascia and plastic drive bays, but the build quality leaves us with no concerns. Synology engineering quality is always without fault.

The DiskManager 3.0 Operating System is a joy to use and offers an intuitive, responsive interface with superb multitasking capabilities. Something that no other manufacturer in this sector can offer.

Power consumption is low and noise levels are unobtrustive, ensuring that once the Synology DS211+ is configured it can be left at location, without the need for regular interaction. When this product is released later today, it will be priced around £300 inc vat, which means it is worthy, yet again, of our highest award.

Kitguru says: An excellent all round product with extremely high levels of performance.

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