We’ve considered some twin-disk NAS
enclosure of Synology before, and DiskStation DS212j is the latest product in
an absolutely successful product line. It appearance is much more elegant,
fabulous than its predecessor - DS211j, with the easily noticeable
change is the lack of USB port in the front. Unfortunately, USB3 haven’t been
equipped in the cheaper NAS enclosure off Synology, but it is still useful for
us to use USB to copy files from USB sticks or memory card readers.
You can buy NAS as an enclosure and provide
it as your own disks, or another more expensive alternative option is
ready-fitted disks. It is quite simple to install disks – just take the outer
shell off and slide the disks into its suitable positions. Besides, DS212j also
takes the advantages of adding a 92mm fan, which is much quieter than that of
other models.
Full description about the interface
Synology
Diskstation DS212J dual-bay NAS drive interface
The way how to set up the DS212j is just a
piece of cake, although you have to wait approximately 10 minutes for it to
format your disks. The DSM interface of Synology bears some resemblance with
Linux desktop, with an interface controlled by icon and ability of opening
several windows at the same time; therefore, the setting up steps for main
features such as RAID, shared folders and media streaming serves is not
difficult at all, and towards features you are unable to identify in the menu,
the searching is convenient for you to use.
In reality, all features of DS212j require
the minimum changes to let them work. Tools like Download Center, which can be
used to download files over FTP and BitTorrent independently with the PC, are
definitely available after a few clicks.
DS212j hasn’t been equipped with more
distinguished features than its predecessor, with 1.2GHz processor and 256MB
RAM, both are too modest for the premium models of Synology. However, the DSM
interface is quick response, even in case it runs several tasks at once. While
reading and recording larger files with NAS devices, RAID 0 configured disks
outperformed RAID 1, achieved the average result as 62MB/s in comparison with
40MB/s. Besides, if you use the RAID 0 configuration, all your data will be
lost if it fails, while RAID 1 provides you a full backup data on the second
disk. Nevertheless, NAS devices perform slower with small files, achieving
11MB/s in RAID 0 and nearly 10MB/s in RAID 1.
This disk performs much faster than DS212j
in reading and recording larger files but achieves less than 3MB/s in dealing
with small files. However, in general, the efficiency will be obviously
improved, and even with the small files, its performance is nearly to meet the
maximum Ethernet connection at 100Mbit/s.
Shared tactics
It is quite easy for us to share folders,
printer and external disk station across the network. DS212j also supports
iSCSI, which is widely used to map shared disks such as a local one; then this
will absolutely useful for programs like Windows Media Center, which may
encounter problems with shared folders on network. DLNA and UPnP media
streaming support are also equipped and work quite well, while NAS devices can
work as an iTunes server.
DS212j is such a perfect, powerful and
easy-to-use device. In comparison with its predecessor, it performs with small
files a little bit slower and we also miss its front USB port, but much faster
data streaming towards the larger files and a quieter fan keep it balance.
DSM
4.0: here you’ll find the Control Panel, the packages window and the little
“start menu” on the top, which shows the installed packges.
Summary
Comments:
Synology negotiates with the latest NAS enclosure, but in general it is still a
Best Buy.
Network enclosure storage 3½in twin-disk, Ethernet 10/100/1000Mbit/s, 3 USB2 ports, UPnP
media, iTunes, printer server, USB, web, FTP server, 2 year RTB warranty,
165x100x225mm.
Power consumption: 11W idle, 24W active.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/network-storage/1289776/synology-diskstation-ds212j
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Ratings
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Price
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$205
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Website
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www.ebuyer.com
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