Perfect NAS? Part 2 - NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo
I have already raised the issue of storing gigabytes of information in my reviews. Well, if I helped someone to decide on the choice of network storage ... but if not - here is another interesting device. That for sure $)
Detailed photo review, traffic.
Manufacturer's Site :: Drives :: Device Page
')
Acquaintance with this device began long before writing this review. It so happened that I, in addition to my e-books, did not mind looking through various paper publications, such as Iron , Chip and Upgrade (and even managed to fall in love with the Russian C'T , but the crisis did its dirty job). So, in these media about ReadyNas Duo wrote more than once. And Chip, in addition to reviews, even offered his readers a couple of times to compete for the glorious prize, which will be discussed today in my review.
By the way, I really like contests (I often win something), but I couldn’t manage to win this server. By the way, in the pictures he always seemed to me a huge chest, but in reality it is a very small device the size of a loaf of bread :) In general, three or two times.
Inside a small box (on which there were illustrative schemes of possible use of the contents) were:
- NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo network storage;
- Mains wire and power adapter;
- Patch cord length 1.6m;
- Screws for disks;
- Disk with drivers;
- Booklets.
There was also a bag of powder, but I have not tried it yet. Externally it looks like silica gel.
A more complete name of the device model is NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo RND2150 , which, apparently, can be labeled as:
RND = ReadyNAS Duo (oily oil), and 2150 - that the device is designed for two (2) disks and inside it there is already one (1) disk with a capacity of 500 gigabytes. Climbed on the site and my guesses were confirmed - it is easy to guess that inside the models RND2110, RND2175 and other RND6610. My RND2150 is the youngest model in the series, but oh well.
Get out the "loaf" on the table, now we will have dinner)
The first thing to notice is the weight of the device. Net - about 2 kg, with a disk - a little more. Gross weight, perhaps, all three kilograms. However, I am not surprised. for the device that just got out is cold, which means it is metal :) I liked the rectangular design — strict lines, high-quality materials — all together inspire some kind of subconscious trust. The dimensions (in mm) are 222 x 142 x 101.
On the front side there is a large grid with a manufacturer's nameplate, below - the name of the model (strangely, without numbers). To the left of the grid is the power button (without a signature), three indicator points (act, 1, 2 - apparently, the status as a whole and each disk separately). Still a little lower - a USB 2.0 port with a Backup button - we already passed somewhere ... well, you can insert a USB flash drive, press a button and all the content will be inside the black box.
The grid-gate can be easily reclined (it is on a magnetic latch) - behind it there are hard disks. And they are not just located, but in special metal removable cassettes. To get the disc, you need to press the round button at the bottom of the cassette - the handle will rise, pulling which the whole structure crawls out. I haven’t seen anything like this in my reviews (well, that's right, everything was without a hot plug) - but this is not a new phenomenon in the world of NAS and servers as a whole.
One disk (Seagate DB35.3 500GB, buffer 8mb; in the first cassette, numbering from the top) is already there - pull it out to see what's inside. :)
More intimate details of the internal structure can be found on IXBT.
The disks change easily enough - the cassette is pulled out, the disk is inserted, fixed with a cross-head screwdriver for 4 screws (supplied in excess) and ready. As you might have guessed, the device supports hot swapping.
There is absolutely nothing on the top of the device.
On the sides - the company name and ventilation holes. 4 vertical strips of 5 columns of 17 lines each - a total of 340 holes :)
Bottom - a sticker with information and 4 rubber feet on the screws, so that the device is stationary. Also, I think it will positively affect the noise at work.
On the remaining side of the device is a 60mm cooler, an anti-theft Kensington lock connector, a reset hole, 1 network port, and two more USB ports. Accordingly, all this needs something to feed - there is a connector for power. All functional elements are signed - you will not be confused.
I insert the power cord into the server, connect the adapter to the outlet. "Chick" and the connector is also in place. Turn on.
The buzz is not weak, but for 20 seconds. After that, the device becomes much quieter and after 20 seconds it becomes almost inaudible (comparable to the volume of the discs). What is it? Probably a cooler with automatic adjustment of the rotation of the blades) and at least three speeds.
What was pleasantly liked was the indication. When turned on, a sufficiently bright blue LED lights up (in the power button), a little later it starts to pulsate and later stops blinking, becoming moderately bright.
Indicators of the same activity and hard drives are made with tiny dots that "burn" in green. This is how it should be!
Running a little ahead, I will say - in the admin there is a function of “detecting” the device and disks - apparently, in case the devices have a whole data center. By pressing the button on the desired device (or disk on it), the corresponding display is called up. Funny.
It is) I first started to study the device with the English firmware, which was on the disk that came with the device. But then he remembered that he had often taken for himself as a rule to first go to the official website and download the latest versions of the software from there. So I went to the site and noticed a new version. I downloaded, reshooted - pleased. There are a lot of changes in this version, the main one for me was the presence of the Russian language.
About the update process. I downloaded the file RAIDiator-4.1.5 (this is the name of the firmware), which weighs about 60 megabytes. In the administration panel (it is called FrontView ) I load the file, wait a few minutes until it is updated, reboot the device - hurray, native letters.
So. To get started, you can use the program RAIDar - install and run. An animated image of the radar appears, which is looking for a connected NAS device (Whose rocket is it? NASA, and a hundred?). Immediately after detection, a new program window opens in which certain information is displayed. I want to say a very convenient monitoring tool! The devices are visible (with the model name), their MAC, IP, names, statuses in general (and each disk in particular + cooler status and, if available, UPS), firmware version. Below are the buttons Setup (drive admin panel), Browse (open storage in the file browser), Rescan (re-search for devices on the network), Locate (make it flash with indicators).
I am surprised that the admin / admin couple didn’t fit, just like admin / password - once again convinced that you must first read the documentation. Start by default with admin / netgear1 , with which I went (via a secure HTTPS connection). The first impression of the interface is “I have already seen it somewhere” (perhaps I’m talking about all sorts of foreign products from companies like Norton and OnTrack - these rounded controls are very specific for those places). But it ceases to be evident in a couple of minutes.
The main page itself contains information about the device (which is partially missing in RAIDar) - server name, model, serial number, exact firmware version, IP, amount of memory (with timings, hex; SODIMM memory and its initial 256MB, but the size can be increased to 1GB - remove the side panel and put the bar larger) and information about the sections. On the left is the menu, below is the status line with information about the location on the disks, the speed of rotation of the cooler and. etc.
I think it’s not necessary to show screenshots of all the tabs with the settings, so again I’ll have to take my word for it. On the left is the main menu of 9 items:
1. Network - setting the IP address (manually or from DHCP), mask, gateway, MTU, Jumbo Frames, host name, workgroup.
2. Security - here the administrator password is set, and quite competently - with a repeated password, a hint, and a mail for recovery. The password, by the way, can be reset by factory settings or by flashing. Also in this menu item, settings for user groups are set (quotas, creating a name folder for each user, the ability to change the password; there is a network basket), as well as these same users can be created here. Judging by the method of organizing the output of user lists, it implies the support of a large number of them.
3. Services - contains several submenus. The first is the standard file services, where you can enable or disable the following protocols - CIFS, NFS, AFP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, RSync.
On the second tab are located streaming services - SqueezeCenter, iTunes Streaming Server, UPnP AV, Home Media Streaming Server.
On the third - plug-ins. From the BitTorrent client and ReadyNAS photo service available so far.
The torrent client is quite good - you can feed it links or a file - the tasks will immediately appear in the same window where you can view the information (without reloading the page).
From the settings - ports, speed limit, led settings.
On the photo service a little later.
4. Tom - oddly enough, it contains volume settings. Also on a separate tab, you can specify how to be if an external USB device appears in the system — where to copy and on whose behalf.
5. Shared resources - shared folders-resources are configured here, a very flexible system (for each resource, you can set your own settings for different protocols).
6. Backup - you can set a backup task and view reports on their performance. The reservation tool itself is very flexible in terms of settings!
7. Printers - if desired, the drive can be a print server. I did not try to connect my printer.
8. System - set the time (you can synchronize with time servers), notifications. With notifications, by the way, they did well - you can specify up to three mailboxes where custom alerts will be sent (disk failure, lack of space, temperature problems, ups, cooler). Also available are some system performance settings, power options and shutdowns.
9. State - you can view information about the disks (model, volume, temperature, state) and SMART state. And also - very detailed logies on the main actions in the admin panel and with the device as a whole.
Now, as promised, a couple of words about the photo service. To be honest, I did not really figure it out, but still.
First you need to download a special program from the site ( ReadyNAS Photos , about 20 MB) and get an account in the same place. Next - we activate the service in the admin panel, install the software, launch the shortcut from the desktop. A window opens, login and after that we get the opportunity to add your server and upload any photos. Which, as I understand it, can be shared and they will be visible from the Internet on the site services. Everything would be fine, but only I didn’t do it to the final result :(
But it turned out just to upload photos, create a photo album - everything is simple, unobtrusive and moderately nice.
Speed ​​indicators this time helped measure the program Intel NAS Performance Toolkit (NASPT). The indicators are as follows:
The temperature even after long work with files did not exceed 45 degrees.
It's time to summarize. Once again I look at the buzzing master of gigabytes:
pros
- Strict appearance, not a sleek metal case, no vibrations;
- Ability to "hot swap hard drives; "Smart" cooler; the ability of robots through UPS;
- Unobtrusive display, 3 USB ports (2.0) for connecting external devices and the ability to create backup in 1 click;
- Good speed and temperature indicators;
- Ability to work simultaneously with Windows, Mac and Linux;
- Spin Down function (to reduce power consumption and noise level);
- The possibility of flashing, flexible and functional administration panel in Russian; built-in BitTorrent client;
- Price (option RND2000, without disks costs about 10-11 thousand rubles, for comparison - Synology DS209 + without disks costs about 18 thousand).
Minuses
- High noise level at maximum fan speed;
- Minor bugs in the Russification (fixable);
The patient reader, who came to this paragraph, probably already without my clues realized that he had read a review of a very successful product.
My previous article about Synology's NAS, which I called “ideal,” wrote to me that they say try NETGEAR - surely your concept of an ideal NAS will change.
I tried) To say that I rethought everything - it means to lie ... yes, I fell in love with the ExtJS admin panel) But to say that NETGEAR has hit the face in the face - it is unfair to offend a great device. If we take into account that we talked about NAS, and NAS is, first of all, network storage, then ReadyNAS Duo showed itself to the full and I have no serious complaints in this regard. Although, of course, something could be added. And with the advent of firmware, which, by the way, come out with an enviable constancy, the device acquires more and more functionality.
Thanks to the hot-swapping function, the ability to work on a schedule and through the UPS, as well as having a tick next to “ Compatible with 1C: Enterprise ”, the device can be used not only by home users (network hardeners), but also by small enterprises. Zhelezyaka proved herself well, and the price-quality ratio just fits the side and says “ Well buy it, huh?” ";)
Successes!
Detailed photo review, traffic.
Manufacturer's Site :: Drives :: Device Page
')
Acquaintance with this device began long before writing this review. It so happened that I, in addition to my e-books, did not mind looking through various paper publications, such as Iron , Chip and Upgrade (and even managed to fall in love with the Russian C'T , but the crisis did its dirty job). So, in these media about ReadyNas Duo wrote more than once. And Chip, in addition to reviews, even offered his readers a couple of times to compete for the glorious prize, which will be discussed today in my review.
By the way, I really like contests (I often win something), but I couldn’t manage to win this server. By the way, in the pictures he always seemed to me a huge chest, but in reality it is a very small device the size of a loaf of bread :) In general, three or two times.
Equipment
Inside a small box (on which there were illustrative schemes of possible use of the contents) were:
- NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo network storage;
- Mains wire and power adapter;
- Patch cord length 1.6m;
- Screws for disks;
- Disk with drivers;
- Booklets.
There was also a bag of powder, but I have not tried it yet. Externally it looks like silica gel.
A more complete name of the device model is NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo RND2150 , which, apparently, can be labeled as:
RND = ReadyNAS Duo (oily oil), and 2150 - that the device is designed for two (2) disks and inside it there is already one (1) disk with a capacity of 500 gigabytes. Climbed on the site and my guesses were confirmed - it is easy to guess that inside the models RND2110, RND2175 and other RND6610. My RND2150 is the youngest model in the series, but oh well.
Get out the "loaf" on the table, now we will have dinner)
Appearance
The first thing to notice is the weight of the device. Net - about 2 kg, with a disk - a little more. Gross weight, perhaps, all three kilograms. However, I am not surprised. for the device that just got out is cold, which means it is metal :) I liked the rectangular design — strict lines, high-quality materials — all together inspire some kind of subconscious trust. The dimensions (in mm) are 222 x 142 x 101.
On the front side there is a large grid with a manufacturer's nameplate, below - the name of the model (strangely, without numbers). To the left of the grid is the power button (without a signature), three indicator points (act, 1, 2 - apparently, the status as a whole and each disk separately). Still a little lower - a USB 2.0 port with a Backup button - we already passed somewhere ... well, you can insert a USB flash drive, press a button and all the content will be inside the black box.
The grid-gate can be easily reclined (it is on a magnetic latch) - behind it there are hard disks. And they are not just located, but in special metal removable cassettes. To get the disc, you need to press the round button at the bottom of the cassette - the handle will rise, pulling which the whole structure crawls out. I haven’t seen anything like this in my reviews (well, that's right, everything was without a hot plug) - but this is not a new phenomenon in the world of NAS and servers as a whole.
One disk (Seagate DB35.3 500GB, buffer 8mb; in the first cassette, numbering from the top) is already there - pull it out to see what's inside. :)
More intimate details of the internal structure can be found on IXBT.
The disks change easily enough - the cassette is pulled out, the disk is inserted, fixed with a cross-head screwdriver for 4 screws (supplied in excess) and ready. As you might have guessed, the device supports hot swapping.
There is absolutely nothing on the top of the device.
On the sides - the company name and ventilation holes. 4 vertical strips of 5 columns of 17 lines each - a total of 340 holes :)
Bottom - a sticker with information and 4 rubber feet on the screws, so that the device is stationary. Also, I think it will positively affect the noise at work.
On the remaining side of the device is a 60mm cooler, an anti-theft Kensington lock connector, a reset hole, 1 network port, and two more USB ports. Accordingly, all this needs something to feed - there is a connector for power. All functional elements are signed - you will not be confused.
Turn on and work
I insert the power cord into the server, connect the adapter to the outlet. "Chick" and the connector is also in place. Turn on.
The buzz is not weak, but for 20 seconds. After that, the device becomes much quieter and after 20 seconds it becomes almost inaudible (comparable to the volume of the discs). What is it? Probably a cooler with automatic adjustment of the rotation of the blades) and at least three speeds.
What was pleasantly liked was the indication. When turned on, a sufficiently bright blue LED lights up (in the power button), a little later it starts to pulsate and later stops blinking, becoming moderately bright.
Indicators of the same activity and hard drives are made with tiny dots that "burn" in green. This is how it should be!
Running a little ahead, I will say - in the admin there is a function of “detecting” the device and disks - apparently, in case the devices have a whole data center. By pressing the button on the desired device (or disk on it), the corresponding display is called up. Funny.
Software
It is) I first started to study the device with the English firmware, which was on the disk that came with the device. But then he remembered that he had often taken for himself as a rule to first go to the official website and download the latest versions of the software from there. So I went to the site and noticed a new version. I downloaded, reshooted - pleased. There are a lot of changes in this version, the main one for me was the presence of the Russian language.
About the update process. I downloaded the file RAIDiator-4.1.5 (this is the name of the firmware), which weighs about 60 megabytes. In the administration panel (it is called FrontView ) I load the file, wait a few minutes until it is updated, reboot the device - hurray, native letters.
So. To get started, you can use the program RAIDar - install and run. An animated image of the radar appears, which is looking for a connected NAS device (Whose rocket is it? NASA, and a hundred?). Immediately after detection, a new program window opens in which certain information is displayed. I want to say a very convenient monitoring tool! The devices are visible (with the model name), their MAC, IP, names, statuses in general (and each disk in particular + cooler status and, if available, UPS), firmware version. Below are the buttons Setup (drive admin panel), Browse (open storage in the file browser), Rescan (re-search for devices on the network), Locate (make it flash with indicators).
I am surprised that the admin / admin couple didn’t fit, just like admin / password - once again convinced that you must first read the documentation. Start by default with admin / netgear1 , with which I went (via a secure HTTPS connection). The first impression of the interface is “I have already seen it somewhere” (perhaps I’m talking about all sorts of foreign products from companies like Norton and OnTrack - these rounded controls are very specific for those places). But it ceases to be evident in a couple of minutes.
The main page itself contains information about the device (which is partially missing in RAIDar) - server name, model, serial number, exact firmware version, IP, amount of memory (with timings, hex; SODIMM memory and its initial 256MB, but the size can be increased to 1GB - remove the side panel and put the bar larger) and information about the sections. On the left is the menu, below is the status line with information about the location on the disks, the speed of rotation of the cooler and. etc.
I think it’s not necessary to show screenshots of all the tabs with the settings, so again I’ll have to take my word for it. On the left is the main menu of 9 items:
1. Network - setting the IP address (manually or from DHCP), mask, gateway, MTU, Jumbo Frames, host name, workgroup.
2. Security - here the administrator password is set, and quite competently - with a repeated password, a hint, and a mail for recovery. The password, by the way, can be reset by factory settings or by flashing. Also in this menu item, settings for user groups are set (quotas, creating a name folder for each user, the ability to change the password; there is a network basket), as well as these same users can be created here. Judging by the method of organizing the output of user lists, it implies the support of a large number of them.
3. Services - contains several submenus. The first is the standard file services, where you can enable or disable the following protocols - CIFS, NFS, AFP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, RSync.
On the second tab are located streaming services - SqueezeCenter, iTunes Streaming Server, UPnP AV, Home Media Streaming Server.
On the third - plug-ins. From the BitTorrent client and ReadyNAS photo service available so far.
The torrent client is quite good - you can feed it links or a file - the tasks will immediately appear in the same window where you can view the information (without reloading the page).
From the settings - ports, speed limit, led settings.
On the photo service a little later.
4. Tom - oddly enough, it contains volume settings. Also on a separate tab, you can specify how to be if an external USB device appears in the system — where to copy and on whose behalf.
5. Shared resources - shared folders-resources are configured here, a very flexible system (for each resource, you can set your own settings for different protocols).
6. Backup - you can set a backup task and view reports on their performance. The reservation tool itself is very flexible in terms of settings!
7. Printers - if desired, the drive can be a print server. I did not try to connect my printer.
8. System - set the time (you can synchronize with time servers), notifications. With notifications, by the way, they did well - you can specify up to three mailboxes where custom alerts will be sent (disk failure, lack of space, temperature problems, ups, cooler). Also available are some system performance settings, power options and shutdowns.
9. State - you can view information about the disks (model, volume, temperature, state) and SMART state. And also - very detailed logies on the main actions in the admin panel and with the device as a whole.
Now, as promised, a couple of words about the photo service. To be honest, I did not really figure it out, but still.
First you need to download a special program from the site ( ReadyNAS Photos , about 20 MB) and get an account in the same place. Next - we activate the service in the admin panel, install the software, launch the shortcut from the desktop. A window opens, login and after that we get the opportunity to add your server and upload any photos. Which, as I understand it, can be shared and they will be visible from the Internet on the site services. Everything would be fine, but only I didn’t do it to the final result :(
But it turned out just to upload photos, create a photo album - everything is simple, unobtrusive and moderately nice.
Speed ​​indicators this time helped measure the program Intel NAS Performance Toolkit (NASPT). The indicators are as follows:
The temperature even after long work with files did not exceed 45 degrees.
Check weighing
It's time to summarize. Once again I look at the buzzing master of gigabytes:
pros
- Strict appearance, not a sleek metal case, no vibrations;
- Ability to "hot swap hard drives; "Smart" cooler; the ability of robots through UPS;
- Unobtrusive display, 3 USB ports (2.0) for connecting external devices and the ability to create backup in 1 click;
- Good speed and temperature indicators;
- Ability to work simultaneously with Windows, Mac and Linux;
- Spin Down function (to reduce power consumption and noise level);
- The possibility of flashing, flexible and functional administration panel in Russian; built-in BitTorrent client;
- Price (option RND2000, without disks costs about 10-11 thousand rubles, for comparison - Synology DS209 + without disks costs about 18 thousand).
Minuses
- High noise level at maximum fan speed;
- Minor bugs in the Russification (fixable);
Total
The patient reader, who came to this paragraph, probably already without my clues realized that he had read a review of a very successful product.
My previous article about Synology's NAS, which I called “ideal,” wrote to me that they say try NETGEAR - surely your concept of an ideal NAS will change.
I tried) To say that I rethought everything - it means to lie ... yes, I fell in love with the ExtJS admin panel) But to say that NETGEAR has hit the face in the face - it is unfair to offend a great device. If we take into account that we talked about NAS, and NAS is, first of all, network storage, then ReadyNAS Duo showed itself to the full and I have no serious complaints in this regard. Although, of course, something could be added. And with the advent of firmware, which, by the way, come out with an enviable constancy, the device acquires more and more functionality.
Thanks to the hot-swapping function, the ability to work on a schedule and through the UPS, as well as having a tick next to “ Compatible with 1C: Enterprise ”, the device can be used not only by home users (network hardeners), but also by small enterprises. Zhelezyaka proved herself well, and the price-quality ratio just fits the side and says “ Well buy it, huh?” ";)
Successes!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/60850/
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