Reviewed by Barry Little - September 30, 2008

Manufacturer: QNAP Systems, Inc.

Model: TS-509 Pro

Price: Get the latest price at Mwave.com

With competition heating up in the SOHO and business NAS server markets, manufactures are going all-out to insure their products stand out from each other. Case in point: QNAP has recently released a new flagship model with just about everything a business or home power-user could want, and then some. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS to see just how it stacks up as the ultimate NAS server for home and business use.

Network Attached Storage—NAS for short—come in a wide range of configurations and price points. Some are more suited to the home market. Some are home and office hybrids. Others are designed for business use with features and price tags to match. All have one thing in common. They offer the convenience and security of managing and safeguarding data for networked computers whether it’s multiple PCs/Macs and laptops at home, or multiple systems in mid-sized or large businesses. Another role the NAS is well suited for, is serving and sharing digital media collections over home networks to computers, game consoles and home entertainment centers. The QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS is a top-of-the line NAS server with enough power and features for work or play in almost any business or home environment.

About QNAP

QNAP Systems, INC. (QNAP) is a devoted and dominant provider of Internet Appliance products. With solid and integrated expertise on the Linux embedded platform, QNAP has delivered more than 30 models of network storage and surveillance products in the past 5 years. These products provide consumers with storage, backup, surveillance and many other professional applications that constitute the core competency of QNAP. Today, QNAP continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning servers. For example, TS-101 was honored “the best choice of Computex” and QBack-25 honored the 1st place by Chip Magazine. To keep the proud and success, QNAP is dedicated to providing top quality products and best support for customers.

What Makes QNAP NAS Different?

TS-509 Pro Product Features

Advanced RAID redundancy with expandability and upgradeability

Advanced RAID configurations, RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 6/ 5+Spare and JBOD are all supported. With Online RAID Capacity Expansion, users can select to purchase the most cost-effective hard drives for initial server setup and upgrade to larger ones in the future. With Online RAID Level Migration, users can start from one drive firstly and add more to upgrade the RAID level in the future with the data retained.

 

Easy setup, low-cost maintenance

The handy LCD display on the TS-509 Pro provides a speedy and easy approach for IT administrators to initialize the NAS and set up the RAID configuration without using any computer. The system information and settings are also displayed for easy management. The schedule power on/off feature is available on the TS-509 Pro for IT administrators to flexibly manage the NAS server's up time according to the working hours. Also, the smart Wake on LAN is supported for convenient remote wakeup of the NAS in the local network.

 

Superior Performance

NetBench is a benchmark program that measures the performance of a file server in handling file I/O requests. It is a useful indicator of the performance of NAS device/ file server when it is simultaneously accessed by multiple users. The test results show that TS-509 Pro delivers superior performance (over 300Mbps when serving 16 clients), under single disk configuration. The throughput of other NAS brands of the same level only reaches a half or less than that of QNAP TS-509 Pro. It reflects the TS-509 Pro's capability as the best file server solution in a business environment.

 

DOM Architecture with Embedded Fail-safe Dual OS

All the OS and applications are embedded on the DOM. The TS-509 Pro allows system booting without accessing the physical disk sectors and that prevents unsuccessful system startup caused by bad block sectors or file errors on the hard drives. Two operating systems are built on the DOM for system booting alternatively upon every system startup. When one fails, the other one will be used to boot up instead, and the failed OS is recoverable from the other healthy OS.

 

Advanced RAID Management with Hot-swap Design

The NAS offers advanced RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 5 + Spare, Single, and JBOD disk configurations. It also supports hot-swap design that a failed drive can be replaced by hot swapping without turning off the server. Besides, the best-in-class RAID on the NAS brings users a higher level of data security by allowing one more hard drive failure than other NAS of the same level.

 

Online RAID Capacity Expansion

The storage capacity of a RAID configuration can be expanded by replacing the hard drives with larger ones. All the data will be kept and seamlessly moved to the newly installed hard drives. There is no need to turn off the server during the process.

 

Online RAID Level Migration

Users can upgrade the disk configuration to higher RAID level with the data retained. There is no need to turn off the server during the process.

 

Touch-N-Go PC-less Installation

You can use the handy LCD to finish the first time installation in 3 simple steps. The NAS will automatically complete the hard disk formatting and RAID building.

 

Schedule Power on/ off

The flexible schedule power on/off feature is provided on the NAS for users to manage the NAS server's up time according to the working hours. You can set the time for automatic system power on, power off, or restart on any days of the week.

 

Dual Gigabit LAN Ports for More Deployment Options

 

Network Failover

Failover allows the NAS to sustain the failure of one network port to provide continuous services.

 

Load-Balancing

Bandwidth aggregation is supported to boost the file transfer speed (works with managed Ethernet switch with 802.3ad configured).

 

Multi-IP Setting

The NAS can be deployed with two different IP settings for sharing among different workgroups in two different subnets.

 

S.M.A.R.T. & Advanced HDD Health Scanning (HHS)

The NAS supports Hard Disk Drive S.M.A.R.T (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) for monitoring the hard drive status. Moreover, the NAS is embedded with HHS Technology which supports disk checking and bad blocks scanning.

 

Comprehensive Event Logs

Logs of connections to the NAS via samba, FTP, AFP, HTTP, HTTPS, Telnet, and SSH, and networking services accessed by online users are all recorded.

 

Sharing files across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX

The NAS is specially designed for different users to share the files across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX environment.

 

Support Windows AD

The Windows AD (Active Directory) feature enables server manager to import user accounts from AD domain to NAS to reduce the time and effort for account setup, and users can use the same set of login name and password.

 

Secure Data Storage, Access, and Sharing

IP filter control: Users can allow or deny specified IP connections to the NAS.

SSL Security (HTTPS): The NAS can be accessed and configured by web browser securely.

Remote login to the NAS by SSH (secure shell) or Telnet connection.

Secure FTP: Share and transmit your data over SSL/TLS (Explicit) encryption. Passive FTP port range setup is also supported.

Smart FTP policy control: The maximum number of all FTP connections and a single account can be configured.

 Encrypted remote replication: Data on the NAS can be backed up to another QNAP NAS product over the Internet securely.

 

Ease of User and Share Folder Management

The NAS supports batch creation of users and share folders to save the time and effort of the server manager in account and folder creation. For the security of Windows network environment, server managers can hide or show network share folders.

File Server

The NAS allows server manager to create user ID and password, and define the authority and quota for each user.

 

FTP Server

You can establish your own FTP server, manage the access authority of the FTP server, and share your files with others easily in a few steps.

 

Encrypted Remote Replication

Encrypted remote replication provides high level of data protection. Files can be backed up from the NAS to other QNAP NAS products in remote locations.

 

Web Server with Built-in phpMyAdmin

With the built-in phpMyAdmin, Joomla!, editable php.ini, MySQL and SQLite, you can easily set up your web server and other online applications such as online shops, forums, and blogs.

 

MySQL Server

The NAS is can be configured as a standalone database server for system integrators. It can be applied in various deployments such as a database server of another web server in remote site or an additional backup database server.

 

Printer Server

The NAS supports network printer sharing function (max 3 sets).

 

UPS Support

The NAS supports both APC and MGE UPS devices which help users store the data in time and avoid critical data loss when power outage occurs during data transfer.

 

Network Recycle Bin

The files deleted from the network shares of the NAS will be moved to a particular recycle bin folder. You can restore your data anytime in case of unintended file deletion.

 

Software Expansion via QPKG Platform

The QPKG software package platform enables the users to maximize the usage of Turbo NAS by installing additional software packages developed from the users and community worldwide. This can be done by simple "download & install" clicking without going through any complicated process.

Packaging

The QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS comes in a heavy-duty cardboard box with QNAP’s keep-it-simple glossy black finish and foldout carrying handle, noticeably larger and heavier than the TS-409 Pro I reviewed back in March of this year. The lists of features offered by this NAS along with more than a few charts and diagrams are borderline overpowering on both the box’s design and your senses, which will undoubtedly soften some the “you get what you pay for” sticker-shock of the unit.

In spite of the somewhat stiff price tag, SATA hard disk drives are not included. As always, I recommend that whether you are planning to add drives that you already have, or are planning on buying new ones, head over to the QNAP website and check the Hard Drive Compatibility List for the TS-509 Pro before you buy it. Drives that are not on the list stand a 50/50 chance of either working just fine or causing you some unexpected grief. Chances are, if you’re ready to invest in a NAS—especially a flagship model like the TS-509 Pro—then you probably aren’t the type of person willing to cut corners or take chances with your data.

QNAP doesn’t cut corners or take chances either, when it comes to ensuring that your new, expensive NAS isn’t DOA on arrival due to shipping damage. Open the box and you’ll find the TS-509 Pro is sealed in a thick, plastic bag  suspended between two high-density “dura-foam” protectors that also compartmentalizes the accessories box to keep it secure. We’re not talking about that crappy,  thin wall stuff that easily breaks and sheds those annoying, static-clingy foam-flakes that you typically find “protecting” most electronics and computer gear. This foam is thick, extremely flexible and has what could best be described as a plastic-like finish. As a result, it does a much better job of absorbing the usual shipping-related bumping and jarring that reduces the potential of unseating delicate electrical components and overall damage. I should point out that while some companies use the cheap stuff even for their high-end products to save money, QNAP is one of the few that uses these high-quality protectors throughout their entire product line.

Inside the accessories box is a multilingual Quick Installation Guide, a TS-509 Pro Companion CD that contains the necessary software and full documentation in Adobe Acrobat format. Screws to mount the hard drives to the NAS unit’s hot-swap drive trays and a pair of keys to lock them; the Power Cord and a Gigabit-ready CAT5e Ethernet Cable for connecting the TS-509 Pro to your network.

Overall, I rate the packaging to be more than satisfactory in conveying the TS-509 Pro’s world-class list of features, while providing good protection for the product within.

The QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo Station

There are desktop tower NAS units. And there’s the TS-509 Pro. Weighing 14.11 lbs. minus hard drives, with a footprint of 261.1 x 188.5 x 261.1mm—10.28 x 7.42 x 10.28” for folks on this side of the pond—the TS-509 Pro is one big honkin’ NAS that easily dwarfs other desktop tower units . The faceplate is made of thick, tough plastic with a glossy black finish. Unless you had seen the photo of the unit on the box, you’d never know that there was an LCD display between the QNAP logo and the Enter and Select touch buttons. Not only can you toggle-through and display some basic info on the TS-509 Pro’s configuration and status, but the LCD has one particular, incredibly cool function that we’ll go into shortly.

Part of the reason for its size, is that the QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS supports up to five SATA hard drives for storage, as opposed to four typically found in other NAS servers in its class. The grille to the left and at the bottom of the drive bays are not cosmetic, but provide additional cooling to the drive cage. There are no filters, so you’ll need to give the NAS a good blowing-out with a can of compressed air a couple times a year—more if the NAS is operated in a particularly dusty environment.

The hot-swap drive trays are identical to the ones found on the QNAP TS-409U. The trays ship in the unlocked position, but can be secured inside the bay with the included keys. The ventilated release latches are heavy-duty plastic, but the lock and hinges are steel. Plenty rugged under normal use, you shouldn’t have a problem unless you don’t know your own strength and forcefully over-extend the latch when you open it. Between the Power and QNAP’s One Touch Copy Button, are the Status, HDD, LAN and USB LEDs with a lone USB 2.0 port at the very bottom for facilitating the One Touch Copy Button. Both buttons are made of heavy simulated chrome/aluminum plated plastic and have good tactile feedback with their respective symbols engraved on the face. It might look like it at a glance, but neither button lights up when activated (though that would be a cool touch).

The cover, like the case, is made of steel devoid of any ventilation holes or slots, and has a semi-gloss metallic gray enamel finish that should easily stand up to all but the most blatant negligence and abuse. The front panel is another story. Like any shiny plastic, it will easily draw dust, fingerprints, scuffs and scratches. A microfiber cloth dampened with cool water, a can of Dust-Off and some caution are your best friends here. Underneath are four large rubber feet that will keep the TS-509 Pro firmly planted on any surface. Once you install the hard drives, given the unit’s already hefty weight, that probably won’t be much of a problem anyway.

Things really get interesting once we move around the back. The TS-509 Pro is cooled by a 120mm fan, which can turn slower while moving more air and operate with less noise than a smaller, faster turning fan. There’s a standard power connector rather than one of those AC adaptor and separate power cord arrangements. The TS-509 Pro’s power supply is also cooled by a small fan, and we’ll see later on whether or not this affects the noise level of the NAS. Moving to the right, you’ll find a slot for a Kensington Lock in the event that you need to physically secure the TS-509 Pro. Just above it to the right, is the Reset Button which can only be pressed by inserting a paper clip in the hole, and will restore the following defaults to the NAS:

- System admin password: admin

- Network Settings/ TCP/IP Configuration: Obtain IP address settings automatically via DHCP

- Network Settings/ TCP/IP Configuration: Disable Jumbo Frame

- Network Setting/ System Port Management: 8080 (system service port)

- System Tools/ IP Filter: Allow all connections

The real point of interest are the cluster of ports next to the exhaust fan. QNAP has added an eSATA port to the TS-509 Pro. With it, you can take advantage of the faster-than-USB connection for improved throughput performance, when using an external SATA drive with eSATA support.

It gets even better when it comes to LAN connectivity. The QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS is equipped with dual Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. This gives you the flexibility of failover, load balancing (provided a managed 802.3ad-ready switch is used), and LAN segmenting you won’t get with a NAS server that only has a single LAN port. Beneath each LAN port, you’ll also find two USB 2.0 ports for a total of four—three can be used to connect USB printers that can be networked through the TS-509 Pro’s built-in print server.

There’s also an RS-232 Serial Port and a DB-9 Analog VGA Port. QNAP reportedly will be using the RS-232 port for UPS communications in a future firmware upgrade. The VGA port marked “Reserved” is for connecting a monitor to the TS-509 Pro. When used with a USB mouse and keyboard, you can operate the NAS in Console Maintenance Mode. Unless you are being instructed by QNAP technical support to do so, have the need to do so and know exactly what you are doing, it’s probably a good idea not to go poking around in there…