Synology DiskStation DS211+ Review

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

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