Synology是NAS(网络附加存储(Network Attached Storage))解决方案的知名品牌。(brand name)最近,我们收到了他们的 DiskStation DS418 4-bay NAS进行测试。这是一个精心打造的设备,具有出色的模块化软件。默认情况下,当您第一次打开它时,它仅包含NAS的基本功能。但是,您可以将其扩展为您想要的任何东西,从个人云存储解决方案(cloud storage solution)到多媒体服务器(multimedia server),或用于监控系统(surveillance system)的存储解决方案。如果您想了解更多关于Synology DiskStation DS418的信息,请阅读我们的评论:
Synology DiskStation DS418:适合谁?
Synology DiskStation DS418是以下用户的绝佳选择:
- 需要NAS用于监控系统或系统备份的小型企业
- 想要构建云存储服务的家庭用户和小型企业(storage service)
- 想要创建基于家庭的多媒体存储(multimedia storage)和流媒体平台的用户
- 希望在其硬件上托管 Web 应用程序、网站或 Web 服务的 IT 专业人员
优点和缺点
Synology DiskStation DS418有很多优点:
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- 模块化、定期更新、易用的优秀软件平台(software platform)
- 出色的应用生态系统(app ecosystem),可让您将NAS转换为您想要的任何东西
- 易于(Easy)安装和更换存储驱动器
- 坚固的硬件规格
- 两个 USB 3.0 和两个以太网端口
- 支持链接聚合
还有一个缺点需要考虑:
- 它不对媒体文件进行硬件转码。这意味着DS418不运行Plex 媒体服务器(Plex Media Server)。您需要购买更昂贵的DS418play才能使用此功能。
判决
我们喜欢测试Synology DiskStation DS418。它是一个构建良好的NAS(网络附加存储(Network Attached Storage))解决方案,具有一流的软件和良好的硬件。它设法为人们购买NAS时的几乎所有需求提供解决方案。几乎没有什么是它做不到的。我们将它推荐给家庭用户、IT 专业人员和从创建网络附加存储解决方案中受益的小型企业。
为Synology DiskStation DS418 开箱(Synology DiskStation DS418)
Synology产品的包装简陋,DiskStation DS418也不例外。这款NAS装在一个简单的纸板箱中(cardboard box),上面有两个贴纸。一张显示设备的正面图片,并简要概述其基本功能,而第二张贴纸显示DiskStation DS418上的所有端口,并提供有关硬件规格(hardware specs)和包装内容的详细信息刚刚收到。
在包装内,您可以找到以下物品:DiskStation DS418 设备(DiskStation DS418 unit)、电源适配器(power adapter)、两条CAT.5e 网(CAT.5e LAN)线、两个用于锁定驱动器托盘的钥匙、一包螺丝(用于安装 2.5 英寸存储驱动器 - SSD 或 HDD(SSD or HDD) )、快速安装指南(installation guide)、保修以及包含有关免费试用Synology C2 Backup(Synology's C2 Backup)服务的详细信息的传单。
Synology 对其产品的包装采用简朴的方法。拆箱体验很乏味,但您确实获得了 DiskStation DS418 所需的所有配件。(Synology has a spartan approach to their product's packaging. The unboxing experience is dull, but you do get all the accessories you need for DiskStation DS418.)
硬件规格和设计
Synology 在分享其产品的完整规格方面做得非常好,因此在本次评测中,我们仅讨论我们认为最有趣的部分。DiskStation DS418搭载 64 位四核Realtek RTD1296 处理器(Realtek RTD1296 processor),运行频率为 1.4 GHz,内存为 2 GB DDR4(RAM DDR4)。
Synology DiskStation DS418有四个驱动器托架,您可以在其中插入 3.5" 或 2.5" 硬盘或SSD(SSDs)。驱动器托盘允许免工具安装 3.5 英寸驱动器,这使得驱动器的安装快速而轻松。不过,2.5寸的硬盘是必须要拧进去的。如果你想知道这个NAS(NAS)兼容哪些存储硬盘,请到这个页面(this page)。所有驱动器均可热插拔。
在Synology DiskStation DS418的正面,有一个USB 3.0端口、显示每个磁盘驱动器状态的(disk drive)LED(LEDs)和电源(Power)按钮。
在NAS的背面,有两个大型通风机,当传输大量数据时会产生噪音,并且存储驱动器会发热。然而,在空闲时,噪音水平(noise level)约为 20.9 dB(A)。在背面,您还可以找到两个支持链路聚合和故障转移(link aggregation and failover)的 1 Gbps以太网(Ethernet)端口,以及另一个USB 3.0端口。
DiskStation DS418使用时的耗电量(power consumption)约为26.5W,闲置时则低至 8.8W。您的存储驱动器可用于您希望的任何RAID 配置,从(RAID configuration)RAID 0到RAID 10,您还可以使用Synology 的混合 RAID(Synology's Hybrid RAID)配置。在支持的文件系统方面,列表很长,包括从NTFS到EXT4的所有内容。仅当您从Synology的Package Center单独购买许可证时,exFAT 才可用,许可证价格为 3.99 美元。
Synology DiskStation DS418的高度、宽度和深度为 6.5 x 7.8 x 8.7 英寸或 166 x 199 x 223 毫米。它的重量也略高于 5 磅或 2.28 公斤,内部没有任何硬盘。
DiskStation DS418的设计非常实用。重点是确保轻松插入存储驱动器、将它们锁定到位、打开NAS、使用其端口以及有效地冷却机箱内的所有东西。没有像您在网状WiFi系统或某些无线路由器等其他网络设备上看到的漂亮外观。但是,我们确信大多数有兴趣购买NAS的用户,并不会以“好看”作为选择标准(selection criterion)。
如果您想阅读此产品的完整规格,请访问此页面:DiskStation DS418 规格(DiskStation DS418 Specs)。
设置和使用Synology DiskStation DS418
在使用Synology DiskStation DS418之前,您必须选择并购买您插入的硬盘或SSD驱动器。在本次评测中,我们使用了四个相同的Seagate Skyhawk驱动器,每个驱动器的容量为 4 TB(TBs)。该系列专为满足监控系统和网络(network video)录像机的需求而设计。您可以在此PDF 文档中查看(PDF document)希捷 Skyhawk 系列(Seagate Skyhawk line-up)的规格。
安装驱动器既快速又简单。如前所述,您不必拧入 3.5 英寸驱动器。我们将硬盘锁定到位,将Synology DiskStation DS418连接到电源线和无线路由器(wireless router),然后将其打开。
我们使用Windows 10 PC上的网络浏览器设置(web browser)DiskStation DS418 。设置向导(setup wizard)从创建管理员帐户(administrator account)开始。然后,它询问我们希望如何执行更新。我们选择在最新版本的Synology DiskStation (Synology)Manager(DiskStation Manager) ( DSM ) 可用时自动安装它。查看更新历史(updates history),您可以很容易地看到Synology在其软件平台上投入巨资,并定期提供更新和新功能。
然后系统会询问您是否要创建一个QuickConnect ID ,即使您在旅途中也可以使用它来远程控制您的NAS和其他Synology设备。(Synology)一个很棒的安全功能(security feature)是Synology允许用户使用两步验证来保护他们的NAS 和帐户。(NAS and accounts)更多的制造商应该复制这种方法。
然后,安装向导(setup wizard)会询问您是否要为您的NAS安装标准推荐的软件包,这些软件包提供了大多数家庭用户想要的基本功能。您也可以跳过此步骤,稍后再详细配置您的NAS。
在设置向导(setup wizard)结束时,您会被要求接受服务条款和隐私声明(privacy statement),并且会向您介绍处理此NAS工作原理的(NAS)DiskStation Manager (DSM)软件。DSM看起来很漂亮,它被很好地组织成模块和逻辑部分。该软件平台(software platform)是Linux的定制版本,旨在用作高度可定制的操作系统(operating system),内置一流的安全性和高级个性化(personalization built-in)。
对于DSM,Synology提供模块化方法。完成快速设置向导(setup wizard)后,NAS只需安装最少的软件即可工作。没有捆绑的附加功能,这确保了优化的资源管理(resource management)以及开箱即用的最佳性能。要将您的NAS变成您需要的样子,请使用套件中心(Package Center)查找并安装您需要的应用程序。将Package Center视为NAS的Google Play 商店(Google Play Store)。这家商店有许多应用程序,可满足各种特殊需求。
以下是您可以使用DiskStation DS418执行的一些操作:
- 私有云存储服务(cloud storage service)- 您可以访问所有平台的应用程序,并且可以创建您的Dropbox 或 OneDrive(Dropbox or OneDrive)版本。
- 多媒体(Multimedia)服务器 - 您可以将DS418设置为存储和下载图片、音乐和视频(music and videos),然后使用它将您的内容流式传输到网络中的设备。
- 视频监控(Video surveillance)- 如果您的小型企业或私人财产需要使用监控摄像头监控多个区域,您可以使用DS418存储他们的视频片段(video footage),并在需要时访问它。
- 备份(Backup)服务器 - 您可以将DS418设置为自动创建所有连接到网络的 PC 的备份。
- Web服务器 - 您可以安装Apache、PHP和WordPress、Drupal 或 Joomla(Drupal or Joomla)等内容管理(Content Management) 系统(Systems),并托管您自己的网站。您甚至可以安装Magento并创建您的电子商务平台。
- 基于 Web 的协作平台(collaboration platform)——您可以构建类似 Slack 的聊天服务(chat service)、团队日历(team calendar)和办公生产力应用程序(office productivity apps),用于团队协作(team collaboration)。
可能性有很多,这只是您可以使用DiskStation DS418做的事情的一小部分。其他软件包可以帮助您将NAS变成VPN 服务器(VPN server)、电子邮件服务器、Wiki 应用程序(Wiki application)等。
说到多媒体服务器(multimedia server),DiskStation DS418有一个明显的限制:它使用的ARM 处理器(ARM processor)不会对媒体文件进行硬件转码。这意味着它不运行Plex 媒体服务器(Plex Media Server)。如果您想要此功能,您应该购买Synology DiskStation DS418play,它的外观和工作方式相同,但使用的是Intel Celeron J3355 双核(Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core)处理器,而不是Realtek RTD1296。英特尔处理器(Intel processor)进行硬件转码,并允许您的NAS变成Plex 媒体服务器(Plex Media Server),或运行我们测试的模型不可用的虚拟化解决方案。
我们喜欢使用的一项功能是链接聚合(link aggregation)。我们有一个功能强大的无线路由器(wireless router)提供此功能,并且在Synology DiskStation DS418上进行设置很容易。正如您在下面看到的,您可以使用此功能进行负载平衡,通过动态(load balancing)链路聚合(link aggregation)获得最大可能的速度,或支持故障转移。
用户文档(user documentation)做得很好,并且易于访问。在帮助(Help)模块中,您可以获得有关DSM中的功能的信息、教程链接和常见问题,以及展示NAS潜力的视频教程链接,以及如何设置它,具体取决于什么你想做。
我们是 Synology DiskStation DS418 可用的 DSM 平台的忠实拥护者。设置和配置这个 NAS 是愉快和舒适的。模块化软件非常出色且易于使用,用户文档足以在需要时为您提供帮助。(We are big fans of the DSM platform available for the Synology DiskStation DS418. Setting up this NAS, and configuring it was pleasant and comfortable. The modular software is excellent and easy to use, and the user documentation is good enough to help you when required.)
Synology DiskStation DS418传输数据的速度有多快?
可以在Synology DiskStation DS418等NAS上进行许多测试,具体取决于您打算如何使用它:多媒体服务器(multimedia server)、云服务器(cloud server)、备份服务器(backup server)等。但是,无论您如何配置DS418,您几乎可以保证做一件事:通过网络将数据传输到 NAS 和从NAS传输数据。为了展示这种情况下的速度潜力(speed potential),我们从台式计算机(desktop computer)向DS418进行了多次数据传输,然后再返回。起初,我们使用一根网线(network cable)将NAS连接到无线路由器(wireless router),然后是两条网线(network cable),并启用链路聚合(link aggregation),看看潜在的速度提升(speed increase)。
当连接一根 1 Gbps 以太网网(Gbps Ethernet network)线,将Seagate Skyhawk 4TB硬盘插入DS418时,我们测得(DS418)下载速度(download speed)为880 Mbps ,上传速度为840 Mbps。当切换到两条以太网(Ethernet)电缆并打开链路聚合时,我们注意到下载速度小幅增加,高达 896 Mbps,下载速度为 864 Mbps。
然后我们在Synology DiskStation DS418(Synology DiskStation DS418)中安装了金士顿 UV500 SSD(Kingston UV500 SSD)驱动器,并重复了相同的测量。正如您在下面看到的,打开链路聚合后,您将获得最小的速度优势(speed benefit)。
对于大多数用户来说,这些都是令人满意的速度。但是,在您获得的最大速度方面,链路聚合(link aggregation)并没有带来显着的改进。当多个客户端想要同时访问来自NAS的数据时,(NAS)链路聚合(Link aggregation)很有用,用于负载平衡和故障转移(load balancing and failover)。
Synology DiskStation DS418 提供的性能没有什么可抱怨的。对速度最有意义的影响将由您安装在 NAS 内的硬盘或 SSD 产生。如果您希望获得最高性能,您还应该投资于快速存储。(There is nothing to complain about in the performance offered by the Synology DiskStation DS418. The most meaningful impact on speed is going to be generated by the hard disks or SSDs that you install inside the NAS. If you desire maximum performance, you should also invest in fast storage.)
您对Synology DiskStation DS418有何看法?
现在您了解了我们对Synology DiskStation DS418 网络附加存储解决方案(Synology DiskStation DS418 Network Attached Storage solution)、其功能和限制的看法。在这篇评论(review share)的最后,与我们分享您对DS418的看法。如果您已经拥有一台,请不要犹豫与其他可能对此模型感兴趣的读者分享您的经验。在下面发表评论(Comment),让我们讨论。
Reviewing Synology DiskStation DS418: Modular and well built!
Synologу is quite the brand name when it comes to NAS (Network Attached Storаge) solutionѕ. Recently, we received theіr DiskStation DS418 4-bay NAS for testing. It is a well-built device, with exсellent modular software. By default, when you turn it on thе first time, it includes onlу the bare-bones featurеs of a NAS. However, you can extend іt to be anything you wish, from a personal cloud storagе solutiоn to a multimedia server, or a storage solution for a surveillance system. If you want to know mоre about Synоlogy DiskStation DS418, read our review:
Synology DiskStation DS418: Who is it good for?
Synology DiskStation DS418 is an excellent choice for the following users:
- Small businesses that need a NAS for surveillance systems or system backups
- Home users and small businesses who want to build their cloud storage service
- Users who want to create their home-based multimedia storage and streaming platform
- IT professionals who want to host web apps, websites, or web services on their hardware
Pros and cons
There are many positives about Synology DiskStation DS418:
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- The excellent software platform that is modular, regularly updated, and easy to use
- Excellent app ecosystem that allows you to transform the NAS into anything you wish
- Easy to install and swap storage drives
- Solid hardware specs
- Two USB 3.0 and two Ethernet ports
- Support for link-aggregation
There is one downside to consider as well:
- It does not hardware transcode media files. This means that DS418 does not run the Plex Media Server. You need to buy the more expensive DS418play for this feature.
Verdict
We enjoyed testing Synology DiskStation DS418. It is a well built NAS (Network Attached Storage) solution, with top-notch software, and good hardware. It manages to provide solutions for almost all the needs people have when buying a NAS. There is almost nothing that it cannot do. We recommend it to home users, IT professionals, and small businesses that benefit from creating their network attached storage solutions.
Unboxing the Synology DiskStation DS418
The packaging of Synology products is spartan, and DiskStation DS418 is no exception to this rule. This NAS comes in a simple cardboard box, with two stickers on it. One shows a picture of the device from the front, and gives you a brief overview of its essential features, while the second sticker shows all the ports on the DiskStation DS418, and gives details about the hardware specs, and the contents of the package you just received.
Inside the package, you find the following items: the DiskStation DS418 unit, the power adapter, two CAT.5e LAN cables, two keys to lock the drive trays, a pack of screws (for mounting 2.5-inch storage drives - SSD or HDD), the quick installation guide, the warranty, and a leaflet with details about the free trial of Synology's C2 Backup service.
Synology has a spartan approach to their product's packaging. The unboxing experience is dull, but you do get all the accessories you need for DiskStation DS418.
Hardware specifications and design
Synology does a really good job at sharing the complete specifications of their product, so in this review, we discuss only the bits that we considered the most interesting. DiskStation DS418 is powered by a 64-bit quad-core Realtek RTD1296 processor, running at 1.4 GHz, and 2 GB of RAM DDR4.
Synology DiskStation DS418 has four drive bays, in which you can plug in 3.5" or 2.5" hard disks or SSDs. The drive trays allow for tool-less installation of 3.5-inch drives, and that makes the installation of drives quick and hassle-free. However, the 2.5-inch drives have to be screwed in. If you want to know what storage drives are compatible with this NAS, go to this page. All drives are hot-swappable.
On the front of the Synology DiskStation DS418, there is one USB 3.0 port, alongside LEDs that show the status of each disk drive, and the Power button.
On the back of the NAS, there are two large ventilators, that can get noisy when lots of data is transferred, and the storage drives heat up. However, when idle, the noise level is around 20.9 dB(A). On the back, you also find two Ethernet ports at 1 Gbps with support for link aggregation and failover, and another USB 3.0 port.
The power consumption of DiskStation DS418 is around 26.5W when used and as little as 8.8W when idle. Your storage drives can be used in any RAID configuration you wish, from RAID 0 to RAID 10, and you can also use Synology's Hybrid RAID configuration. In terms of supported file systems, the list is long and includes everything from NTFS to EXT4. exFAT is available only if you purchase a license, separately, from Synology's Package Center, which costs $3.99.
Synology DiskStation DS418 is 6.5 x 7.8 x 8.7 inches or 166 x 199 x 223 mm in height, width, and depth. It also weighs a little over 5 pounds, or 2.28 kg, without any hard disks inside.
The design of the DiskStation DS418 is strictly utilitarian. The focus is on making sure that it is easy to plug in your storage drives, lock them into place, turn on the NAS, use its ports, and efficiently cool everything inside the chassis. There is no focus on beautiful looks like you see with other network devices like mesh WiFi systems or some wireless routers. However, we are sure that most users who are interested in purchasing a NAS, do not use "pleasant looks" as a selection criterion.
If you would like to read the complete specifications of this product, go to this page: DiskStation DS418 Specs.
Setting up and using the Synology DiskStation DS418
Before using the Synology DiskStation DS418, you must choose and buy the hard disks or the SSD drives that you plug in. For this review, we used four identical Seagate Skyhawk drives, with a capacity of 4 TBs each. This series is specialized to cater to the needs of surveillance systems, and network video recorders. You can see the specs of the Seagate Skyhawk line-up in this PDF document.
Installing the drives was quick, and easy. As mentioned earlier, you do not have to screw in 3.5-inch drives. We locked the hard disk into place, connected the Synology DiskStation DS418 to the powerline, and to the wireless router, and turned it on.
We set the DiskStation DS418 using a web browser on a Windows 10 PC. The setup wizard started with the creation of the administrator account. Then, it asked how we want updates to be performed. We chose to install the latest version of Synology's DiskStation Manager (DSM) automatically, as it becomes available. Looking at the updates history, you can easily see that Synology invests heavily in its software platforms, and delivers updates and new features regularly.
You are then asked whether you want to create a QuickConnect ID that you can use to remote control your NAS and other Synology devices even when you are traveling. A great security feature is that Synology allows users to protect their NAS and accounts using two-step verification. More manufacturers should copy this approach.
The setup wizard then asks whether you want to install the standard recommended packages for your NAS, which offer the basic features that most home users would want. You can also skip this step, and configure your NAS in detail, later.
At the end of the setup wizard, you are asked to accept the terms of service, and the privacy statement, and you are given a tour of the DiskStation Manager (DSM) software that handles how this NAS works. The DSM looks beautiful, and it is well organized into modules, and logical sections. This software platform is a custom version of Linux, that is built to serve as a highly customizable operating system, with top-notch security and advanced personalization built-in.
For the DSM, Synology offers a modular approach. After you go through the quick setup wizard, the NAS works with minimal software installed. There are no bundled extras, and this ensures optimized resource management and the fact that you get the best possible performance out of the box. To turn your NAS into what you need it to become, use the Package Center to find and install the apps you need. Think of the Package Center as the Google Play Store for your NAS. This store has many apps, for all kinds of specialized needs.
Here are some of the things that you can do with your DiskStation DS418:
- Private cloud storage service - you get access to apps for all platforms, and you can create your version of Dropbox or OneDrive.
- Multimedia server - you can set the DS418 to store and download pictures, music and videos, and then use it to stream your content to the devices that are part of your network.
- Video surveillance - if you have a small business or a private property that needs to monitor several areas with surveillance cameras, you can use the DS418 to store their video footage, and access it whenever it is needed.
- Backup server - you can set DS418 to automatically create backups of all the PCs that are connected to the network.
- Web server - you can install Apache, PHP, and Content Management Systems like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla, and host your own websites. You can even install Magento and create your e-commerce platform.
- Web-based collaboration platform - you can build a Slack-like chat service, team calendar, and office productivity apps, for team collaboration.
The possibilities are many, and this is only a short list of the things you can do with DiskStation DS418. Other packages can help turn your NAS into a VPN server, e-mail server, Wiki application, and more.
When it comes to being a multimedia server, DiskStation DS418 has a significant limitation: it uses an ARM processor that does not hardware transcode media files. This means that it does not run the Plex Media Server. If you want this feature, you should buy Synology DiskStation DS418play, which looks and works the same but uses an Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core processor, instead of Realtek RTD1296. The Intel processor does hardware transcoding and allows your NAS to turn into a Plex Media Server, or run virtualization solutions that are not available for the model that we tested.
One feature we enjoyed using is link aggregation. We have a powerful wireless router that offers this feature, and setting it up on Synology DiskStation DS418 was easy. As you can see below, you can use this feature for load balancing, obtaining the maximum possible speed with dynamic link aggregation, or failover support.
The user documentation is well done, and easy to access. In the Help module, you get information about the features found in the DSM, links to tutorials, and frequently asked questions, as well as links to video tutorials that showcase the potential of your NAS, and how to set it up, depending on what you want to do.
We are big fans of the DSM platform available for the Synology DiskStation DS418. Setting up this NAS, and configuring it was pleasant and comfortable. The modular software is excellent and easy to use, and the user documentation is good enough to help you when required.
How fast is Synology DiskStation DS418 at transferring data?
Many tests can be done on a NAS like Synology DiskStation DS418, depending on how you plan to use it: multimedia server, cloud server, backup server, and so on. However, no matter how you configure the DS418, there is one thing that you are almost guaranteed to do: transferring data to and from the NAS, through the network. To show the speed potential in this situation, we made several data transfers from a desktop computer to the DS418, and back. At first, we used one network cable to connect the NAS to the wireless router, and then two network cables, and enabled link aggregation, to see the potential speed increase.
When connected with one 1 Gbps Ethernet network cable, with Seagate Skyhawk 4TB drives plugged inside the DS418, we measured 880 Mbps for the download speed, and 840 Mbps for the upload. When switching to two Ethernet cables, and link aggregation turned on, we noticed a small increase up to 896 Mbps for the download, and 864 Mbps for the download.
We then installed Kingston UV500 SSD drives inside Synology DiskStation DS418, and repeated the same measurements. As you can see below, with link aggregation turned on, you get a minimal speed benefit.
These are all satisfying speeds, for most users. However, the link aggregation did not deliver significant improvements when it comes to the maximum speed you get. Link aggregation is useful when multiple clients want to access data from the NAS at the same time, for load balancing and failover.
There is nothing to complain about in the performance offered by the Synology DiskStation DS418. The most meaningful impact on speed is going to be generated by the hard disks or SSDs that you install inside the NAS. If you desire maximum performance, you should also invest in fast storage.
What is your opinion of the Synology DiskStation DS418?
Now you know our opinion about the Synology DiskStation DS418 Network Attached Storage solution, its features, and limitations. At the end of this review share with us your opinion about the DS418. If you already own one, do not hesitate to share your experience with other readers who might be interested in this model. Comment below and let's discuss.