Date Of Review : 4th February 2010

Manufactured By : Thecus [http://www.Thecus.com]

Price As Supplied : £489.95 + VAT Diskless

Supplied By : ExpertsInStorage.com [http://www.ExpertsInStorage.com]

Firmware Version As Tested : 3.01.00.4

Thecus have always had the reputation for providing solutions with bags of performance. However in the past the administration interface was far behind the competition, not as slick and no where near as user friendly. So with the launch of the Thecus N5500 with an all new Ajax interface, have Thecus finally managed to achieve both feats in one package. Certainly we was very impressed with the new Ajax interface. It really shows what Thecus can do when they really put their minds and their very capable R&D team together. It has always been a major criticism of earlier products, the old administration interface although functional looked dated. Well welcome to the new age, and what an improvement.

Take a look for yourself at the all new Thecus Ajax interface. If you are an existing Thecus customer, are have used the old Thecus administration interface, be warned this improvement may shock you!

You can download a high quality MP4 format video directly from here.

Well, we hope you enjoyed the video.. such a huge leap in functionality and user experience. We think Thecus have been taking a very close look at the QNAP interface, looks very familiar to us. Anyway so its plain to see that the new Ajax interface is a winner. So now back to the hardware itself.

The Thecus N5500 is a very similar design to the Thecus N5200B Pro that it upgrades. The only visible difference is the introduction of a front door that covers the drive bays. Other than that they are practically identical. The Thecus N5500 is fitted with an Intel® Celeron™ M 1.86GHz processor together with 1GB DDRII memory and Dual 128MB redundant DOM modules. The introduction of Dual DOM modules is also a first, and this means that the OS that actually runs within the unit itself is protected by a mirror copy. This dual DOM design should in theory eliminate any issues of units not booting due to a power off during firmware upgrade for example, as if anything should happen to the OS during the firmware upgrade, you have the option of booting from the other DOM module. Very clever we think.

The Thecus N5500 also supports JBOD and multiple RAID configurations, RAID 0,1,5,6 & 10 are supported. You can also have more than one RAID volume within the unit. Add the fact that the unit also supports Snapshot and you can instantly see that from a data protection point of view Thecus have everything covered. For those who need iSCSI the Thecus also supports this from within the standard firmware, and also allows for four units to be stacked together to form one big volume. Multiple file systems can also be selected, these include EXT3, XFS and ZFS.

Rather than QPKG’s such as QNAP have for their units expansion, Thecus have modules. These modules allow for additional features to be easily added to the standard unit should you wish to do so. Currently there are modules available for MySQL, IP Cameras and also Web Server. The modules available are not nearly as vast as that which QNAP have to offer.

So how does the Thecus N5500 measure up when it come to performance? First as a straight NAS device, Windows share under Vista.

The Thecus N5500 NAS test results showed ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 9.4 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 95.6 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 68.3 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 9.5 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 117.0 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 87.2 MB/s

The Thecus N5500 confirmed itself as a very high performance NAS device, with both high results in Write & Read. It showed a consistent level as well, with virtually no low spots.

How about the Thecus N5500 iSCSI Performance?

The Thecus N5500 iSCSI test results showed ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 5.4 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 106.4 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 77.7 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 5.8 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 116.9 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 82.2 MB/s

The Thecus N5500 iSCSI came in much as expected after its NAS results, confirming that this is one unit that deserves its high performance billing.

StorageReviews.co.uk / ExpertsInStorage.com Conclusion

The new AJAX administration interface combined with the Thecus N5500 results in a rather compelling and difficult solution not to choose if your in the market for a 5 bay high performance solution. Clearly the results we achieved show the unit to be well within most users needs for data transfer. The price point is also very attractive, at under £500 + VAT it would have to be considered a bargain.

The team @ ExpertsInStorage.com think that the Thecus N5500 deserves to be a big selling product in the UK. Its a great solution and Thecus are at last showing the world that not only can they engineer products that are built to last, but that the applications and administration interfaces have not been overlooked or forgotten. The only caveat is that Thecus are playing catch up when it comes to external modules and expandability, such as the level of plugins that QNAP already offer. However it is clear that Thecus are now moving forward, at pace and they are certainly a brand to watch in 2010.

The StorageReviews.co.uk & ExpertsInStorage.com Team Award The Thecus N5500 A Score Of 9.

Date Of Review : 29th January 2010

Manufactured By : QNAP [http://www.QNAP.com]

Price As Supplied : £339.95 + VAT Diskless

Supplied By : ExpertsInStorage.com [http://www.ExpertsInStorage.com]

Firmware Version As Tested : 3.2.0 Build 1221T

Its very hard to tell any difference between the QNAP TS-239 Pro II and its bigger brother, at least in specification the QNAP TS-259 Pro. That’s simply because the only difference is within the units, it being the processor. The QNAP TS-259 pro boasts an Intel Atom D510 1.66GHz (Dual-Core) whilst the QNAP TS-239 Pro II has a Intel Atom D410 1.66GHz (Single-Core) fitted. As you can see when you compare both products side by side this really is the only difference.

The firmware is the same on both units, therefore they also have an identical feature set. QNAP don’t advertise the fact that the QNAP TS-239 Pro II is also VMware certified, you can only assume that they would rather sell the QNAP TS-259 Pro into the VMware marketplace.

So basically its a simple cut and paste when it comes to the QNAP TS-239 Pro II hardware from the QNAP TS-259 Pro. The QNAP TS-239 Pro II hardware is a two bay device that accommodates two 2.5″ or two 3.5″ SATA hard drives, currently with a maximum storage capacity of 4TB. It supports RAID the default setting is RAID 1, thus all data on drive 1 is automatically mirrored onto drive 2, protecting your data. The device uses the same disk caddy mechanism for both 2.5″ and 3.5″ drive types, the difference being the placement of the drive screw locations on the caddy. For the purpose of the review we used 2 x Seagate 500GB ES hard drives in a mirrored RAID 1 configuration. Installation of the hard drives is quick and easy, as they have a hot swap design, so easily accessible. The rear of the unit does not disappoint when it comes to expansion possibilities, with 4 x USB ports plus 2 x eSATA connections, not forgetting the dual gigabit ethernet connections.

Given the fact that both the QNAP TS-239 Pro II and the QNAP TS-259 Pro have the same firmware we will use the same version of video to demonstrate the user interface as the QNAP TS-259 Pro.

You can download a high quality MP4 format video directly from here.

After our first review we were contacted by a MAC user asking if we could show the procedure for integrating a QNAP NAS solution via iSCSI onto an iMAC. Well we are happy to oblige. First you need to enable the iSCSI service on the QNAP NAS as well as create an iSCSI Target & LUN. Sounds daunting well it isn’t, it couldn’t be easier.

Once that is configured you then need an iSCSI initiator to connect to the new QNAP iSCSI target. The one we use is Global San iSCSI from studionetworksolutions.com.

Once connected your iMAC should immediately recognise the fact that a hard drive has been installed. If it doesn’t don’t panic, simply launch Disk Utility which can be found under Applications/Utilities. You now need to configure the new hard drive, partition and format.

Once complete you will have what appears to be a locally attached hard drive, when in fact it is located on a remote QNAP TS-239 Pro II NAS. iSCSI is as easy as that to configure and use.

Well we have already said that the QNAP NAS TS-239 Pro is practically identical to the TS-259 Pro, but can the same be said when it comes to the performance figures? Lets get on with the testing..

First as a straight NAS device, Windows share under Vista.

Our QNAP TS-239 Pro II NAS test results showed ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 3.6 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 90.0 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 57.4 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 3.8 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 113.5 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 70.8 MB/s

Compare those results to the QNAP TS-259 Pro NAS test results ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 3.7 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 98.2 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 63.2 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 3.7 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 115.4 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 79.4 MB/s

So if you do a direct comparison between the two models when testing NAS performance you can see roughly 10% difference. The QNAP TS-239 Pro II is around 10% slower than the QNAP TS-259 Pro on both Read & Write transfers.

How about the QNAP TS-239 Pro II iSCSI Performance?

The QNAP TS-239 Pro II iSCSI test results showed ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 2.1 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 80.4 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 50.3 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 3.5 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 118.8 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 73.9 MB/s

Compare those results to the QNAP TS-259 Pro iSCSI test results ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 1.9 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 80.2 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 53.0 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 3.6 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 118.8 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 76.0 MB/s

The iSCSI transfer results when compared were much closer to call, the QNAP TS-259 only just edging ahead of the QNAP TS-239 Pro II.

StorageReviews.co.uk / ExpertsInStorage.com Conclusion

Reviewing the QNAP TS-239 Pro II so close to the initial QNAP TS-259 Pro proved to be very interesting. Given the very close performance figures of both units, the question arose of which one would we buy. On this we were split. For the extra money some said the QNAP TS-259 Pro, as you may as well get the best there is, rather than try and save a few pounds, but equally there were those that said they would rather save the money and opt for the QNAP TS-239 Pro II.

However the old adage that you get what you pay for remains true when you compare either the QNAP TS-239 Pro II or QNAP TS-259 Pro. They are not the cheapest options for any NAS solution, however anything this good never is. If you are looking for a unit that literally can do everything, then a QNAP solution remains well worth looking at.

From the very slick QNAP interface to the numerous applications and features. QNAP really are the market leaders when it comes to NAS / iSCSI solutions. Other manufacturers always seem to be playing catch up with QNAP. QNAP develop new features, others follow, we think that will be the case with the TS-239 Pro II and the QNAP TS-259 Pro.

The team @ ExpertsInStorage.com are split over which unit they would purchase. We expect the sales of both models to be equally split. However one thing that is the same is the ExpertsInStorage.com awarded score.

The StorageReviews.co.uk & ExpertsInStorage.com Team Award The QNAP TS-239 Pro II A Score Of 9.

Date Of Review : 25th January 2010

Manufactured By : QNAP [http://www.QNAP.com]

Price As Supplied : £374.95 + VAT Diskless

Supplied By : ExpertsInStorage.com [http://www.ExpertsInStorage.com]

Firmware Version As Tested : 3.2.0 Build 1221T

QNAP really have raised the bar when it comes to the release of their new range of business and enterprise class iSCSI NAS solutions. They advertise the new TS X59 Pro range as the VMware ready, supporting both 2.5″ and 3.5″ SATA HD drive formats, and also includes an Intel® Atom™ Processor D510 1.66GHz (Dual-Core) fitted with 1GB DDRII RAM. Certainly the hardware specification is very impressive for a 2 bay device. Combine that with the fact that QNAP have made a name for themselves with some very slick built in software and firmware features and we should be looking at a winning combination.

QNAP have now also produced a MAC Friendly presentation, available for download on YouTube..

We think video presentations like this that QNAP make the effort to make all further enhance QNAP products and support. For all you MAC users take a look at the video, it shows exactly what you can do on a MAC.

Now back to the QNAP TS-259 Pro hardware. It’s a two bay device that accommodates two 2.5″ or two 3.5″ SATA hard drives, currently with a maximum storage capacity of 4TB. It supports RAID the default setting is RAID 1, thus all data on drive 1 is automatically mirrored onto drive 2, protecting your data. The device uses the same disk caddy mechanism for both 2.5″ and 3.5″ drive types, the difference being the placement of the drive screw locations on the caddy. For the purpose of the review we used 2 x Seagate 500GB ES hard drives in a mirrored RAID 1 configuration. Installation of the hard drives is quick and easy, as they have a hot swap design, so easily accessible. The rear of the unit does not disappoint when it comes to expansion possibilities, with 4 x USB ports plus 2 x eSATA connections, not forgetting the dual gigabit ethernet connections.

QNAP have revamped their user interface as well, with the introduction of version 3 firmware. To give you an idea of exactly how many options there are on the QNAP TS-259 Pro solution take a look at the following YouTube video presentation we have created.

You can download a high quality MP4 format video directly from here.

If you watch the video presentation of the administration interface you will instantly see that the QNAP TS-259 Pro is not a unit that is lacking in features, if anything given the vast number of settings now located within the unit, it could be suggested that the unit could do with a two menu system, a simple setup menu together with an expanded expert for those that really need to be able to control everything. We are used to the QNAP menu system having worked through every single evolution of it, however even we would have to admit that the vast number of options now selectable can confuse the novice user, with even the experienced NAS user looking for the manual.

Even given the vast user selectable options that the firmware provides, QNAP did not stop there. They have allowed an ever growing community of “QNAP Modders” to flourish and these users have helped expand even further the number of applications that can be added via the QPKG interface. The most popular QPKG is SSOTS, a package that allows the unit to be utilised with the Logitech Squeezebox. Installation of these additional packages is quick and easy. How easy, well we created a YouTube video to show you.

You can download a high quality MP4 format video directly from here.

QNAP have not been slow to ensure that their products are also compatible with VMware. QNAP have produced the following guides on VMware integration which you may find helpful.

	How to use QNAP NAS as a VMWare datastore using NFS
	How to use QNAP NAS as a VMWare datastore using iSCSI

Quite simply the QNAP TS-259 Pro NAS has just so many features we could go on & on. Lets just say its so feature packed you will probably never utilize everything this unit can do. We haven’t mentioned the fact that it can also act as a surveillance centre, supporting two IP cameras. Is there anything this box can’t do?

Now on to its performance figures.

First we tested it with Atto Disk Benchmark as a pure NAS device under Windows Vista, with a simple shared drive configured.

Our NAS test results showed ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 3.7 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 98.2 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 63.2 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 3.7 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 115.4 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 79.4 MB/s

So with an average Write transfer of 63.2 MB/s and average Read transfer of 79.4 MB/s it certainly is not a slow coach. The performance figures were as we had hoped, given after all QNAP were aiming this product directly at the Business / Enterprise class marketplace. It confirmed that it had the horse power to make best use of the numerous features that it possessed.

Next we tested the iSCSI performance.

Our iSCSI test results showed ;

Minimum Write Throughput : 1.9 MB/s
Maximimum Write Throughput : 80.2 MB/s
Average Write Throughput : 53.0 MB/s

Minimum Read Throughput : 3.6 MB/s
Maximum Read Throughput : 118.8 MB/s
Average Read Throughput : 76.0 MB/s

The iSCSI performance figures were also very good, with an average Write transfer of 53.0 MB/s and average Read transfer of 76.0 MB/s if you need a 2 bay unit that can handle iSCSI data transfers quickly then the QNAP TS-259 Pro certainly passes that test.

StorageReviews.co.uk / ExpertsInStorage.com Conclusion

The old adage that you get what you pay for is certainly true when it comes to the QNAP TS-259 Pro. Sure its not the cheapest NAS, however anything this good never is. If you are looking for a unit that literally can do everything, then a QNAP solution is well worth looking at.

From the very slick QNAP interface to the numerous applications and features. QNAP really are the market leaders when it comes to NAS / iSCSI solutions. Other manufacturers always seem to be playing catch up with QNAP. QNAP develop new features, others follow, we think that will be the case with the TS-259 Pro.

QNAP have developed a unique product in the marketplace, a high performance enterprise class 2 bay NAS / iSCSI solution that lives up to all expectations. If you need this sort of capacity matched by both features and performance the QNAP TS-259 Pro is your solution.

The StorageReviews.co.uk & ExpertsInStorage.com Team Award The QNAP TS-259 Pro A Score Of 9.