Networking Gear by stefan @ 2016-06-13
DS416slim NAS from Synology or the baby-NAS as we’d like to call it is incredibly compact for a 4-bay unit (even if we are discussing about 2.5’’ drives), is incorporating an active cooling system, while the back trays can be installed or removed in a snap. The fan can be easy removed for cleaning or replacement and the manufacturer did not omit to include extra USB 3.0 ports for expansion, both in the front and back.
At first we would like to thank Synology for offering a sample of their DS416slim 4-bay NAS Server for testing and reviewing.
"Founded in 2000, Synology is a young and energetic company dedicated to developing high-performance, reliable, versatile, and environmentally-friendly Network Attached Storage (NAS) products. Our goal is to deliver user-friendly solutions and solid customer service to satisfy the needs of businesses, home offices, individual users and families."
High-performance and encryption engine
DS416slim boasts a dual-core CPU with a dedicated encryption engine and 512MB of DDR3 RAM. With link aggregation enabled, DS416slim delivers up to 194.21 MB/s in reading and 77.91 MB/s in writing. Reading through a single Gigabit LAN speed goes up to 112.14 MB/s.
Dual LAN with failover and Link Aggregation support
Equipped with dual LAN ports, DS416slim ensures continual network service in case one LAN connection fails, decreasing the risk of network downtime. Link Aggregation takes advantage of the dual LAN ports to enhance connection speeds beyond the limits of a single cable or port.
Painless disk installation and fast fan replacement
With the detachable fan module, DS416slim makes fan replacement or cleaning easier than ever. At the same time, the snap-in drive tray design allows for fast and neat disk installation. This makes it easy to keep DS416slim clean and running perfectly all the time.
Ultra-compact yet functional
DS416slim weighs less than 700 grams and can be be easily transported to serve as a local file and backup servers during off-site assignments. Despite its incredibly compact form factor, it can host up to 8TB of raw data and features two USB 3.0 ports for fast backup from external drives.
Award winning OS - DiskStation Manager
Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) is a sleek, browser-based operating system running on every DiskStation and RackStation, which makes managing your Synology NAS a breeze. Featuring an intuitive user interface, DSM makes accessing and sharing your data smarter and simpler. Synology's Package Center lets you download and install useful add-on packages designed specifically for individual or business needs, meaning you can enjoy more entertainment in your life or better productivity at work.
Connect your data quickly and easily
Synology aims to provide you the most convenient way to enjoy all services on DS416slim. With Synology QuickConnect, you don't have to deal with difficult DDNS setup. QuickConnect frees you from complicated router configuration and port-forwarding, so your entertainment and work files can be accessed on any computer, laptop, or mobile devices instantly without extra charge. Learn more
Ultimate file center
File Station is a fast and secure feature for sharing and managing your files stored on DS416slim. Just drag-n-drop and upload data from Mac or PC. Advanced filters make it easy to search for documents, photos, or videos. With built-in FTP or email clients, DS416slim lets you organize and share files through an advanced web application effortlessly. You can even share files and folders with others by simply sending a link. Files can be reached on mobile devices via the companion mobile app DS file. HTTPS, SSL/TLS encryption, and link expiry dates also ensure file sharing over the Internet is highly secure.
The most compatible sharing
Enjoy seamless files sharing across Windows®, Mac®, and Linux® platforms as DS416slim offers comprehensive network protocol support including FTP, SMB2, AFP, NFS and WebDAV. With Windows AD and LDAP integration, DS416slim can fit effortlessly into any existing network environment - there is no need for IT administrators to maintain two sets of credentials. You also won't worry about missing files with the Recycle Bin feature which is supported on AFP, CIFS, File Station, and WebDAV. All files deleted in a shared folder will be automatically moved into the Recycle Bin.
Backup data in multiple ways
Synology DS416slim can serve as a centralized backup target. Whether you are a Windows or Mac user, you can back up everything on your computer directly to Synology NAS using Cloud Station Backup. Whenever you modify a file, the changes are backed up to DS416slim automatically. Mac users also enjoy native Apple® Time Machine support. You can also back up data from your DS416slim to another DiskStation, rsync servers, external drives, or even Amazon® S3, Glacier cloud service, Microsoft Azure, SFR, and hicloud. Synology Hyper Backup allows you to schedule backup tasks and restore the server to any particular point in time, while minimizing storage consumption and processing time by saving only the specific data block that has been changed between versions.
Your files anywhere with cloud service
DS416slim brings you comprehensive cloud service. Cloud Station lets you sync files among DiskStations and multiple devices, including Windows PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, as well as Windows mobile devices, whereas 2-way sync allows file synchronization among different DiskStations. With Cloud Sync, you can even sync your DiskStation with Amazon Cloud Drive, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Baidu Cloud, and many more — establish your hybrid cloud to enjoy more storage flexibility and prevent data loss.
Enjoy multimedia library
DS416slim provides you a central platform to organize, backup, and share photos, music, and video collections. Featuring a streamlined and sleek interface, Synology packages — Photo Station, Audio Station and Video Station — let you build a seamless entertainment hub effortlessly. Since everything is saved on DS416slim, you can enjoy more customizable content arrangement, and no worries about extra monthly fees for storage capacity. Better yet, your digital collections can be shared with others via a simple link.
Stream content to your TV
DS416slim is highly compatible with other devices, letting you manage and enjoy digital content with the devices you already have: computers, mobile devices, TVs, DLNA devices, and stereos. Synology offers the latest support for TV streaming, including Samsung TV, Roku players, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast, meaning you can stream digital content stored on DS416slim to your widescreen TV effortlessly.
Get mobility with our apps
Synology develops versatile mobile apps — MailPlus, DS note, DS audio, DS video, DS photo, DS cloud, DS file, DS download and DS cam — allowing you to access and manage the contents of your DS416slim with smartphones and tablets. QuickConnect brings an easier network experience as it eliminates complicated router configuration or port forwarding. With Synology mobile apps, your multimedia collection and work files are always on the go.
Eco-friendly NAS server
All Synology NAS is designed with energy efficiency in mind. DS416slim only consumes 11.63W in HDD Hibernation and 17.17W in access*. With special fan and the smart airflow design, the DS416slim keeps the system running cool 24/7, while its noise dampening design makes it quieter than PC counterparts. Synology acknowledges the responsibility as a global citizen, so all Synology products are produced with RoHS compliant parts and packed with recyclable packing materials.
Synology has sent to our test labs another NAS, but it is not in the format we have been used with before: this time we are talking about a super-compact 4-bay unit measuring 120 mm x 105 mm x 142 mm which sports a total weight of 0.66 kg. At its core we will find the Marvell Armada 385 00F68280 32-bit dual-core 1GHz processor which is a low-power component, along with 512MP of DDR3 meaning that we won’t be able to run lot of processes at once.
Considering the device dimensions, the packaging is also smaller, but preserves the same exterior design as we have seen with other NASes from Synology:
Some product functions are also listed on the sides:
A secondary sticker is available for us in order to check the main product interfaces, but also the hardware specifications:
After removing the top cover of the packaging, we will end up seeing the accessory box:
The bottom layer retains the main product:
Let’s take a closer look at each and every component:
First we do have the bundle box, which seems no different than the one we get to have with the bigger NASes:
Besides the documentation, we will also get a set of stickers which represent the drive bay numbering:
As the hardware bundle, we do get the power adapter, mounting screws, but also two LAN cables:
The adapter is quite compact and similar to the one we have seen with Wi-Fi routers:
It was manufactured by EDACPOWER ELEC. And is rated on the output as 12V , 2.5A:
The manufacturer has also included a plastic base we can place the device on, for preventing foreign objects from entering the bottom ventilation:
The DS416slim unit looks super-cute and is definitely the smallest 4-bay NAS we have worked with so far; thanks to this feature, we will be able to fit it in many locations:
Its top cover is a bit raised and does also help with ventilation:
In the front, Synology has placed the LAN activity LEDs, along with a separate LED for each HDD/SSD bay. Ultimately, we do also have an USB 3.0 port handy:
On the left side of the unit we will get to see the manufacturer logo along with some additional interfaces:
The top right area is occupied by the Status LED:
Further down we’ve got the Power LED along with the Power button:
On the right side of the NAS we’ve got another Synology logo:
Since the frontal area of the NAS is not removable, the unit can be filled up with drives from the back; thanks to the plastic tray mechanism, the 2.5’’ drives are super-easy to remove-install right away:
In the vicinity of the trays we’ve got an extra USB 3.0 port, the two Gigabit LAN ports, a Reset button but also one DC-IN 12V port:
Despite the diminutive size of the unit, Synology did not omit to include a Kensington lock port:
On the bottom area of the unit we’ve got a surprise! The fan compartment is removable and we can easily use it for cleaning or fan replacement; here we will also get a sticker with the device power rating:
As we have mentioned before, the drive trays are super-easy to remove for drive installation:
With all plastic drive trays removed, we will be able to take a look at the internal daughter-board, which sports the SATA Data + Power connectors:
In the center of the motherboard, the unit does have the Marvell processor, which is only cooled by a thin aluminum passive heatsink:
The drive trays do feature a brand new design:
On their bottom we can better observe the pre-drilled mounting holes along with a cut-out in order to keep the drive PCB cool during operation:
We will use our trusty SSDs for testing purposes on this baby-NAS:
Right after installing the drives, connecting it to our network and powering it on, we can use the Web Assistant Wizard for setting the unit up:
We have two possibilities of proceeding with the firmware installation: by going the automatic route or also by uploading a firmware file ourselves:
The Wizard will then inform us that the data on the drives will be completely erased:
The installation will then begin and the interface will show us the total progress:
An administrator account must be created next:
If all went well, we will receive a message; further steps are required:
The Wizard will then inform us that an automatic task can be created for DSM update:
QuickConnect function can be also enabled from the next section, which allows the administrators or users to connect to it without router port forwarding:
The usual applications can be easily installed from the setup procedure:
This is apparently all!
We will then be redirected to the main DSM interface in order to check the configuration:
For testing purposes, we will first go to the Storage Manager section and check out the volumes; our intention is to create a RAID0 setup so we will erase the pre-made SHR volume:
We will then create a folder which we will use for performance testing of the unit:
DSM clearly sports one of the most advanced NAS OS GUIs around and at the same time it is incredibly easy to use; after connecting to the server, we will be prompted to login:
The interface resembles the one of a desktop operating system and features the usual, easy to access desktop icons, widgets, notifications and additional commands on the top right corner:
A search function is available for us to navigate easily to a specified section:
The top left button pulls down the curtain with the application drawer; from here we will be able to drag and drop the most used applications on the desktop:
First we will discuss about the Control Panel, which is handy for performing different server configurations; we have different sub-sections available like File Sharing, Connectivity, System or Applications:
Shared Folder menu does show us the current shared folders and also the volumes they are created on. From here we will be also able to create new ones and establish permissions:
File Services area permits us to enable the services we need, depending on the platforms we are using. Rsync protocol for file syncing is also available here:
A menu for defining new users follows:
Same goes for creating groups:
The server can be joined to an existing domain, but we can also work with LDAP or SSO Client:
QuickConnect feature we have mentioned in the introduction has its own sub-menu available for configuration:
External access options are available for us to set up in the following menu:
Next we have the Network configuration menu, which also implies working with Traffic Control, defining static routes or working with miscellaneous DSM settings:
DHCP server can be enabled for each LAN interface:
Wireless and Bluetooth interfaces can be also customized if compatible dongles are connected to the USB ports:
Security has a separate menu available which also includes Firewall options and other miscellaneous settings:
Info Center is the place to go for checking our different live information regarding the system functionality:
The DSM OS theme can be fully customized from the next menu:
Regional Options include time settings, system language options but also we can work with the NTP service:
Indexing service is available for us to configure next:
Notifications can be sent out multiple ways via email, SMS, Push and so on:
With Task Scheduler we can define various tasks and we can already see the pre-defined one which was made by the initialization Wizard:
Hardware & Power menu is available for us to customize Power Recovery options, Beep Control, choose the speed of the included fan, adjust the Power Schedule, HDD Hibernation options and more:
External devices will be listed in a separate section for configuration:
Update & Restore menu allows us to perform an automatic or manual system update, backup the current configuration for later restore, but also reset to factory defaults:
Privileges area allows us to set certain permissions for the installed applications:
Same goes for the Application Portal area:
Shared folder synchronization to another destination server can be taken care of here:
Lastly, we do have a separate menu for the Terminal & SNMP services:
The well-known File Service menu is very robust and permits working with the files on the server:
Multiple actions can be performed when right-clicking on a specific file:
DSM Help allows us to learn the functions of the Synology DSM in order to use it at maximum capacity; video tutorials are also available for us to watch:
Package Center is the place to go for installing, updating or work with the current modules, which enhance the functionality of the server:
Resource Monitor provides live information regarding the system resources consumption, running processes, connected users and more:
Storage Manager allows the user to create new volumes, disk groups, check out the health of the drives, perform secure erases, work with ISCSI LUN/Target, set a Hot Spare and more:
Log Center is also available in order to check out what is happening “under the hood” and which accounts do log in to the server:
Security Advisor is a helper application which tells us if the system is properly optimized:
Support Center module helps creating tickets to send to the team in order to fix the issue we are encountering right away!
An antivirus is also available for scanning the files present on the server drives:
After the audio files have been indexed, they will be shown inside the Audio Station files in an organized manner for easy playback:
Internet Radio is also provided via Shoutcast:
Cloud Station Server allows the user to synchronize files via a wide range of devices:
Download Station is there for us when we need to perform download tasks and works perfectly with torrent downloads (via drag-and-drop); considering the very low power consumption and almost inaudible noise of the 2.5’’ drives, these features do make the DS416slim an ideal seedbox:
DS416slim can be also used as an email server and the module is very easy to install:
We could log in to Roundcube GUI right away:
Media Server allows us to stream multimedia content to different devices:
Note Station allows us to create small documents:
Photo Station 6 will index the contents inside the “photo” folder and display the results accordingly; we will be also able to create new albums, watch slideshows, check out photo details and more:
Video Station has been completely revamped and we might say that it looks like a lot like Plex now (Plex is also available as standalone module); after the files have been indexed they will be shown with additional information picked up from Internet:
Playback can be performed right away:
Next we could remind of iTunes server:
We do also have a Text Editor available when needed:
CPU : Intel I5 4690K Retail
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard : BIOSTAR GAMING Z97X
RAM : GeIL EVO CORSA 16GB 2400MHz C11
(2GB Exceleram DDR1333 for NASPT compatibility)
Video : HIS 280X
Power Supply : Cooler Master 850W
SSD : OCZ Vertex 4 256GB
Case: Cooler Master ATCS840
To test the NAS performances, the DS416slim NAS was populated with one OCZ Vertex 4 SSD along with one KingFast SLC E-Drive in RAID 0, formatted with a single volume and the NAS was connected directly to the computer, to avoid any limitations by implying additional hardware like a router. The first simple test was performed by loading the test file onto a RAM drive and then it was copied to the NAS, on its shared folder. The speed was recorded with Total Commander:
The second test was to copy the same file back to the computer; for eliminating any HDD speed limitations, the file was copied back to the RAM drive:
For performing a more advanced test, the Intel NAS Performance Toolkit was used, for performing 5 different test runs. Here are the results:
As extras, we have also included ATTO Disk Benchmark and Anvil:
We have performed the same benchmarks but this time with an encrypted folder:
DS416slim NAS from Synology or the baby-NAS as we’d like to call it is incredibly compact for a 4-bay unit (even if we are discussing about 2.5’’ drives), is incorporating an active cooling system, while the back trays can be installed or removed in a snap. The fan can be easy removed for cleaning or replacement and the manufacturer did not omit to include extra USB 3.0 ports for expansion, both in the front and back.
By using a low-powered Marvel Armada 385 88F6820 CPU along with only 512MB of DDR3 memory, we can’t expect this combination to break any speed records; this model was mainly thought as an entry-level model which could be successfully used at home or in very small companies for backup purposes, streaming multimedia content while providing a maximum single volume size of 16TB.
Despite its positioning on the market, the fully-featured DSM is here to assist us and provides a lot of value to this small server with its easy to install modules.
In our performance tests it did perform really well when transferring files while using a non-encrypted folder, but with encryption on the performance has dropped quite a bit.
As cons we would like to note that the fan can be heard at times a bit compared to larger units, while the memory quantity of only 512MB can limit us in terms of running many application modules at once.
The DS416slim without drives can be found online for about 304 Euros, a decent value considering that we are dealing with a reliable Synology unit which does have the latest DSM version preinstalled and all this in a really, really tiny chassis!
We would like to thank again to Synology for making this review possible!