Synology announces the DS1621xs+, a high-end network attached storage device

AppleInsider · September 10, 2020 6:42PM

Expand your network storage to up to 96 terabytes with ultra-fast read and write speeds with Synology's new DS1621xs+ network-attached storage device.

Synology announces the DS1621xs NAS device

The DS1621xs+ was designed to meet the growing need of at-home workers. The small size fits in well in nearly any workspace, and the quad-core Xeon processor, user-upgradeable ECC memory, and onboard 10-gigabit Ethernet paired with two Gigabit Ethernet ports provide high-performance data storage, container solutions like Docker, and file management.

It boasts 3.1Gbps read and 1.8 Gbps write speeds, making it a perfect solution for power users or larger data sets from multiple users. A pair of M.2 slots provide for fast caching.

Beyond the PCI-E x8 slot internal to the device, three USB 3.1 type A ports allow for external expansion.

Nearly all modern networking protocols are supported by the device. Time Machine backups to the unit are possible, and configurable with a web-based interface.

Inside the DS1621xs+ are six internal 3.5-inch bays, which allow for up to 96 terabytes of storage. Should users need more space, it can expand to 256 terabytes of storage by adding on two additional DX517 expansion units for a total of 16 bays.

The DS1621xs+ is available from B&H Photo for $1599.99 with no drives, and is expected to ship within two weeks.

AppleInsider has previously reviewed a Synology NAS -- the DS-1618+ -- and gave it a 4 out of 5, praising its impressive power to price ratio.

razorpit · September 10, 2020 7:40PM

Any one using Synology devices to backup Office 365 implementations with the included Active Backup for Office 365 software?

rob53 · September 10, 2020 10:24PM

So six slots, probably using RAID, while the two NVMe blades are for buffering making it very similar to a better Fusion drive. The write speed looks like a single NVMe drive while the read speed might be a combination of RAID 0 over six drives along with an NVMe drive. I totally understand using HDDs for longer term storage along with the faster NVMe drives for immediate writing. I checked the website and it didn't really document any speeds. A bigger question is whether 10Gb ethernet can really handle speeds like this. This also means at-home workers need the most powerful Macs to even get 10Gb ethernet. I would like to see Thunderbolt3/4 amplifiers to extend the distances between workers and NAS. If this is only for one or two workers, are there any storage systems that run on Thunderbolt that can be share between multiple users?

polymnia · September 11, 2020 12:05AM

rob53 said:

So six slots, probably using RAID, while the two NVMe blades are for buffering making it very similar to a better Fusion drive. The write speed looks like a single NVMe drive while the read speed might be a combination of RAID 0 over six drives along with an NVMe drive. I totally understand using HDDs for longer term storage along with the faster NVMe drives for immediate writing. I checked the website and it didn't really document any speeds. A bigger question is whether 10Gb ethernet can really handle speeds like this. This also means at-home workers need the most powerful Macs to even get 10Gb ethernet. I would like to see Thunderbolt3/4 amplifiers to extend the distances between workers and NAS. If this is only for one or two workers, are there any storage systems that run on Thunderbolt that can be share between multiple users?

Seems pretty clear 10GbE could be saturated by Demanding users. It’s still far superior to the prior 1GbE networking.

If max storage performance is the goal, NAS isn't your solution. But for a workgroup, local and/or remote, NAS is quite compelling.

sflocal · September 11, 2020 12:50AM

I get that it is a NAS drive, but if this were a Thunderbolt3 system, it would really kick some glutes. What a bummer.

polymnia · September 11, 2020 1:01AM

sflocal said:

I get that it is a NAS drive, but if this were a Thunderbolt3 system, it would really kick some glutes. What a bummer.

I think Promise is what you are looking for. Connect the Promise RAID device to a host Mac, then network via Thunderbolt to another Mac.

I assume this is not a terribly robust system since Thunderbolt isn't a common networking connection. Not sure how well it would scale up to more than 2 Macs. Can you just continue to daisy chain Macs until you run out of thunderbolt cables & Macs?

polymnia · September 11, 2020 1:13AM

Full disclosure, I own an older Diskstation (DS1812+) and even though I am defending the Diskstation's lack of bandwidth, it is exactly that lack of bandwidth that has kept if from being a front-line storage device for my photo retouching workflow. It just isn't fast enough. It has worked nicely for stashing dormant project archives and it is a great host for my Plex and iTunes media.

I'm happy to see the 10GbE & SSD cache drives move down from the expensive Rackstation line to the more budget-friendly Diskstation line. I would love to use a NAS device for primary project storage, freeing my primary Mac workstation from hosting this storage. It would be easier to access project files using my MacBook Pro when I'm away from my desk, not to mention being able to remote into the Diskstation remotely.

FileMakerFeller · September 11, 2020 2:38AM

The thing that caught my eye was "quad-core Xeon" - it seems as though Synology think the device is suited for workgroups large enough to be constantly hammering the thing.

Still looks cool.

sflocal · September 11, 2020 7:03AM

polymnia said:

sflocal said:

I get that it is a NAS drive, but if this were a Thunderbolt3 system, it would really kick some glutes. What a bummer.

I think Promise is what you are looking for. Connect the Promise RAID device to a host Mac, then network via Thunderbolt to another Mac.

I assume this is not a terribly robust system since Thunderbolt isn't a common networking connection. Not sure how well it would scale up to more than 2 Macs. Can you just continue to daisy chain Macs until you run out of thunderbolt cables & Macs?

I own two promise thunderbolt 2 arrays. The R6 and R8. They work great,

JIB3851 · September 11, 2020 7:52AM

razorpit said:

Any one using Synology devices to backup Office 365 implementations with the included Active Backup for Office 365 software?

Yes, I use it for a couple of local charities that I help support their IT. It's a brilliant solution for on-prem cloud backup of the whole M365 stack.

bsbeamer · September 11, 2020 4:22PM

More of these announcements need to include even theoretical maximum read/write speeds when configured with SSD or HDD. For anyone that cares about those details, look here: https://www.synology.com/en-us/products/performance#sa_and_xs_plus

polymnia · September 12, 2020 1:38AM

sflocal said:

polymnia said:

sflocal said:

I get that it is a NAS drive, but if this were a Thunderbolt3 system, it would really kick some glutes. What a bummer.

I think Promise is what you are looking for. Connect the Promise RAID device to a host Mac, then network via Thunderbolt to another Mac.

I assume this is not a terribly robust system since Thunderbolt isn't a common networking connection. Not sure how well it would scale up to more than 2 Macs. Can you just continue to daisy chain Macs until you run out of thunderbolt cables & Macs?

I own two promise thunderbolt 2 arrays. The R6 and R8. They work great,

I’ve got the 4 Bay Pegasus TB 3 on my desk at the main photo retouching Mac. It is amazing. Not cheap, but there is a reason they command a premium price.

ITAscender · September 12, 2020 12:26PM

Looks like I purchased my Synology NAS a month early. I recently purchased the Synology 1618+ with 4 8Tb Iron Wolf drives and 32Gb or ram. The problem with the 1618+ is that I have to choose between the 10Gb or NVMe as there is only one slot available. The new 1621XS+ would have been exactly what I was looking for. However the 1618+ has 4 RJ45 ports and I use all 4 using the Layer 2 port channel functionality from my switch and the bonding function of the Synology. I had already configured the switch to use system MTU of 9000. I think what most people do not understand is that 10Gb port on either the 1618+ (adapter card) or the 1621XS+ would normally be used as the single uplink to a network switch, and not to a singe device although this is also possible. I'm currently using the 1618+ as DNS server, Radius server, storage, Plex, and I'm using the Virtual Machine Manager to run a Linux VM hosting OpenDCIM. I'm running Zabbix on a Raspberry Pi and am using that to verify interface utilization along with the information from the port channel information directly from the switch along with the Resource Monitor on the Synology and so far I'm satisfied with the use of the 4 bonded interfaces. My testing included Plex playback, TimeMachine backup (253Gb) via 1Gb wired interface on my Macbook Pro, along with a backup of my Linux server (438Gb) via 1Gb interface at the same time with all the aforementioned Synology services running.
The backups finished in about an hour and fifteen minutes and I did not notice any buffering during the Plex playback. The utilization of the 4 bonded interfaces never crossed 60%. The interfaces on the Macbook Pro and Linux server were of course saturated. At least for the moment I do not need to make the choice between the 10Gb or NVMe.

Mike Wuerthele · September 13, 2020 12:09PM

ITAscender said:

Looks like I purchased my Synology NAS a month early. I recently purchased the Synology 1618+ with 4 8Tb Iron Wolf drives and 32Gb or ram. The problem with the 1618+ is that I have to choose between the 10Gb or NVMe as there is only one slot available. The new 1621XS+ would have been exactly what I was looking for. However the 1618+ has 4 RJ45 ports and I use all 4 using the Layer 2 port channel functionality from my switch and the bonding function of the Synology. I had already configured the switch to use system MTU of 9000. I think what most people do not understand is that 10Gb port on either the 1618+ (adapter card) or the 1621XS+ would normally be used as the single uplink to a network switch, and not to a singe device although this is also possible. I'm currently using the 1618+ as DNS server, Radius server, storage, Plex, and I'm using the Virtual Machine Manager to run a Linux VM hosting OpenDCIM. I'm running Zabbix on a Raspberry Pi and am using that to verify interface utilization along with the information from the port channel information directly from the switch along with the Resource Monitor on the Synology and so far I'm satisfied with the use of the 4 bonded interfaces. My testing included Plex playback, TimeMachine backup (253Gb) via 1Gb wired interface on my Macbook Pro, along with a backup of my Linux server (438Gb) via 1Gb interface at the same time with all the aforementioned Synology services running.
The backups finished in about an hour and fifteen minutes and I did not notice any buffering during the Plex playback. The utilization of the 4 bonded interfaces never crossed 60%. The interfaces on the Macbook Pro and Linux server were of course saturated. At least for the moment I do not need to make the choice between the 10Gb or NVMe.

Synology has a new PCI-e card with 10-gig and two M.2 slots. I’ll link it up here shortly.

Edit: https://www.amazon.com/Synology-Ethernet-Adapter-E10M20-T1-RJ-45/dp/B089RHK7CF

Synology announces the DS1621xs+, a high-end network attached storage device

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