NAS QNAP TS-469 Pro Review

Contemporary network storage units have already undergone the evolution era, and nowadays new emerging models do not differ so much from their predecessors. This basically touches upon external integration and major functional. Still, hardware and software layout is constantly changing, offering more advanced, more efficient, and more comprehensive facilities. QNAP has recently launched a series of four-disk stations, with TS-469 Pro model leading the series.

Design and Integration

NAS QNAP TS-469 Pro is based on a steel frame. The casing is made of dark aluminum, while the frontal panel is made of black plastic. The larger part of this panel features a bay for the HDD installation; HDD bay consists of metallic frames and external plastic straps. Right above the bay there is a block of two-array indicators, two control panels and eight LED lights signifying the work of each hard drive, general device status, network connection, USB connection, and eSATA connection.

The integration of the rear panel resembles dozens of other storages and contains a couple of eSATA ports, two gigabit network interfaces, a couple of USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI and VGA outputs, PSU input with 40 mm fan, and a grid of the main 92 mm fan. It should be mentioned that currently the integrated video outputs are utilized only for diagnostic purposes, however in the future those outputs can be used for video supervisory and video player purposes.

QNAP delivers its TS-469 Pro with a traditional set of accessories which are helpful for successful start of NAS utilization. Hence, the list of accessories boasts a power cable, a set of screws for HDD fixture (for 3.5- and 2.5-inch drives), two keys, two network patch-cords, and CD with dedicated software and user's guide. Software package involves such applications as Qget for the downloads monitoring, Qfinder for the search of NAS within the network, MyCloudNASConnect for the realization of cloud synchronization service, NetBack Replicator for backup activity, and some other essential programs.

Layout

This model is based on x86 platform with Intel Atom D2700 CPU that features two cores. It supports up to four currents and operates at 2.13 GHz frequency. RAM volume equals to 1GB but there is a chance of adding one more DDR3 module of 1GB or 2GB capacity. SODIMM slot is located on the external part of PCB. Firmware image is embraced by Apacer 512 MB flash-drive which facilitates the system startup.

The integrated Intel ICH10R chipset provides for the operation of eSATA and USB 2.0 ports. Two Marvell 88SE9125 controllers with SATA 6 Gb/sec support are responsible for the drives' operation. Other major specifications of TS-469 Pro:
— USB 3.0 controller uses Etron Tech chip;
— network adapters: a couple of Intel 82574L chips;
— the availability of two additional circuit boards for the clipboard element activity;
— PSU: Delta Electronics DPS-250AB-44D with 40 mm fan, efficiency – 240W;
— cooling system: 92 mm fan with 4-contact connection type and regulated working mode.

Basic Facilities

Model QNAP TS-469 Pro features adapters which can work as two separate controllers for the connection to two different networks, or can be combined into a single unit for the security of reliability when operating in different modes. Those adapters are known to support WOL, VLAN, Jumbo, IPv6 modes and DHCP/DDNS clients. Support of UPnP and Bonjour protocols facilitate the service search. The possibility to work with disk arrays is considered to be the most significant one. This device supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD array levels, while the number of arrays is limited only by the number of drives.

TS-469 Pro is quite interesting by a set of supported data access protocols: FTP, AFP, CIFS, WebDAV, etc. FTP server features passive mode operation, anonymous access, Unicode encoding, limitation of connections, and a range of other facilities. Support of iSCSI protocol, as well as iSNS, CHAP, Data Digest, Header Digest options, is quite useful when working within virtual environment.