QNAP TS-670 6-bay SMB NAS Review

Storage/NAS by stefan @ 2013-11-18

In this review we will take a look on the powerful TS-670 NAS server from QNAP, which sports a Intel Celeron G550 at 2.6Ghz, 2GB of DDR3 SODIMM, but also 4 LAN interfaces which support Link Aggregation. While these specifications would recommend the product to be utilized only in enterprise environments, the NAS does not lose the multimedia functions by providing all necessary interfaces in order to use it as an entertainment system.

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Product Features

Simple, Secure, Scalable and Reliable Storage

 

QNAP TS-670, featuring the easy-to-use QTS 4.0 operating system, is a secure, scalable, and reliable NAS solution designed for mission-critical business applications and fast growing data storage needs. The TS-670 delivers high performance with persistent throughput, providing a comprehensive storage solution that includes the following features:

 

Sleek Linux kernel with multi-window and multi-tasking GUI

Advanced scale-up storage with flexible storage management

SSD caching to boost IOPS

Centralized data storage and file sharing

Comprehensive data backup and disaster recovery solutions

Military-grade data security

iSCSI/IP-SAN storage with VMware®, Citrix®, and Microsoft® Hyper-V® virtualization support

Private cloud with large storage capacity and Dropbox-style data synchronization

Additional SMB-ready features including VPN server, web server, RADIUS server, and more

Comprehensive surveillance solution with 24/7 security

IP surveillance storage for AXIS Camera Companion, Mobotix and other VMS

 

Business apps all in one place

 

The QTS 4.0 provides various applications to meet business needs such as storage management, file sharing, virtualization applications, and more. All of the services and applications frequently used in business environments are organized on the desktop for quick access.

 

Ultra-high performance

 

The TS-670 delivers ultra-high performance achieving speeds of up to 450MB/s read and up to 423MB/s write*. It is powered by a Dual-Core Intel® 2.6 GHz Processor and 2GB DDR3 RAM (expandable to 16GB with factory pre-configured options), and features 4 Gigabit LAN ports (two onboard LAN ports plus one dual-port GbE PCI-Express NIC) to maximize system bandwidth.

 

Flexible 10GbE network expansion

 

The pre-installed dual-port GbE PCI-E NIC can be replaced with an optional 10GbE adapter to deliver lightning-fast data throughput for IOPS demanding applications.

 

Seamless storage expansion with scale-up solution

 

The TS-670 supports online capacity expansion by connecting multiple QNAP RAID expansion enclosures to meet the needs of growing business data. With the QNAP scale-up solution, raw storage capacity can be expanded to hundreds of Terabytes gradually. It is especially useful for large data applications, such as data archiving, virtualization, TV broadcast storage, and surveillance video storage.

 

Intelligent Storage Manager

 

The TS-670 Storage Manager provides a secure and flexible way to manage volumes. This next-generation volume management offers powerful features such as storage pooling with multiple RAID group protection, thin provisioned volumes with Space Reclaim, block-level iSCSI LUN and online capacity expansion. The QTS Storage Manager neatly presents tools and options for managing system storage to simplify the process of NAS capacity expansion and QNAP RAID expansion enclosure management.

 

The Storage Manager provides enhanced features to secure important business data, including RAID Hot Spare and Global Hot Spare drives, SMART data migration, Time-Limited Error Recovery & Error Recovery Control, and advanced RAID read error recovery technology.

 

The SSD caching (minimum 4GB RAM required) can greatly boost IOPS performance of volumes to increase operational efficiency, especially for high- transaction workloads, and allows the best of both cost and performance by combining SSDs with HDDs.

 

Cross-platform file sharing, centralized data storage

 

The TS-670 supports SMB/CIFS, NFS, and AFP protocols for file sharing across Windows, Mac and Linux/UNIX networks. Data, logs and ISO image of CDs and DVDs can be centrally stored in the NAS and protected by an integrated antivirus solution. The Windows AD and LDAP services enable system administrators to configure user permissions by using existing Windows AD servers, LDAP servers or NAS build-in LDAP services.

 

Well-rounded backup solutions to secure data

 

QNAP Netbak Replicator supports real-time and scheduled data backup on Windows including Outlook email archiving. The USB port on the front panel of the TS-670 features a one-touch-copy function for you to instantly back up data on external drives to the TS-670 with just one click, or back up data on the TS-670 to the external drives alternatively. Apple Time Machine is also supported to provide Mac OS X users with an effortless solution to back up data to the TS-670. A wide range of third-party backup software such as Acronis True Image and Symantec Backup Exec are also supported.

 

Disaster recovery solutions bring peace of mind

 

The TS-670 offers various data recovery options. RTRR (Real-Time Remote Replication) supports real time or scheduled data backup to remote Turbo NAS or FTP servers and synchronizes files to remote folders from local folders with better backup efficiency and reduced backup time. The TS-670 also supports rsync protocol to back up data to remote servers on a scheduled basis. Data can also be backed up to and restored from a range of cloud storage services, including Amazon® S3, ElephantDrive®, Symform®, Dropbox® and Google® Drive.

 

Data security

 

In an open network environment, business data may be exposed in a potential hack. The TS-670 provides numerous security options, such as encrypted access, IP blocking, and other protective features. IT administrators can also control the access rights of each user to different folders, preventing unauthorized access to important files. The TS-670 is validated with military-grade FIPS 140-2 AES 256-bit encryption, preventing unauthorized users to access data even if the hard drives or entire system were stolen.

 

iSCSI/IP-SAN storage

 

The iSCSI feature provides businesses with an affordable IP-SAN (Storage Area Network) alternative. The QNAP IP-SAN is an excellent solution for IOPS-intensive (Input/Output Operations Per Second) applications such as databases and OLTP (On-Line Transaction Processing). With the optional 10GbE network interface card, the TS-670 offers high-speed 10GbE connectivity to eliminate I/O bottlenecks and boost the total throughput and IOPS.

 

Storage for comprehensive virtualization applications

 

The TS-670 is VMware® Ready™, Citrix® Ready™, compatible with Microsoft® Hyper-V™ certification and Windows Server 2012, enabling flexible deployment and management for virtualization needs. The TS-670 supports VMware VAAI and Microsoft ODX to increase performance by offloading ESXi server loading, and supports QNAP vSphere Client plug-in and QNAP SMI-S provider to provide enhanced operational efficiency in managing virtualization applications.

 

Most affordable solution for video editing storage

 

Digital film & video production produces a significant amount of data that requires high-performance RAID storage with sustainable throughput to meet the demands of high-definition video editing. The TS-670 fulfills these storage & video editing needs with 4 Gigabit LAN ports and the optional high-speed 10GbE network interface. Digital videos can be quickly stored and edited on the Turbo NAS directly over the network.

 

HIPAA Compliant Storage Solution

 

While medical data (e.g ePHI) constantly increases, IT administrators are required to develop a strategy of strong storage platforms within their medical organizations. The TS-670 meets the electronic requirements of HIPAA for storing PHI data by providing a base to protect the confidentiality and security of individually identifiable health information.

 

Private cloud storage

 

The TS-670 offers businesses a total solution for creating private cloud storage. The exclusive myQNAPcloud allows you to establish VPN connections for secure data transfer over the Internet. The Qfile mobile app enables remote access to the files on the TS-670 anytime, anywhere, while the Qmanager mobile app allows for easy remote management & monitoring of your TS-670 .

 

Dropbox-style file synchronization across computers and mobile devices

 

With Qsync, your TS-670 is turned into a safe data center for file synchronization. Any file uploaded to the TS-670 will be made available for all linked devices, such as computers, laptops and mobile devices. Qsync is especially useful for frequent travelers in managing files and ensuring that different devices have the most up-to-date files. Qsync provides multiple ways of file synchronization and group file sharing, greatly enhancing the flexibility of team projects and collaboration.

 

Additional SMB-ready features

 

Supporting a wide range of business applications, the TS-670 provides a cost-effective solution for multiple tasks.

 

Install-on-demand apps to extend NAS functionality

 

The TS-670 has a built-in App Center that provides various install-on-demand apps developed by QNAP and third-party developers, including tools for backup/sync, business, content management, communications, download, entertainment, and much more. It is also a centralized location for managing & updating installed apps. In addition, QNAP’s development platform embraces the open-source spirit to enable developers to create their own apps, adding potentially limitless opportunities for the TS-670.

 

Comprehensive surveillance solution providing 24/7 security

 

The TS-670‘s Surveillance Station Pro offers a professional surveillance solution with the user-friendly NVR (network video recorder) management interface, a wide range of over 1,200 compatible IP camera models, and expandable IP camera channel licenses. It supports real-time monitoring, video and audio recording and playback with a wide range of customizable settings. You can also install the VMobile app on your iOS® or Android™ devices to manage the monitoring of cameras anytime, anywhere, for total surveillance of your monitored environment.

 

IP surveillance storage for AXIS Camera Companion, Mobotix and other VMS

 

The TS-670 provides a reliable storage solution for video management software (VMS) recordings from different network camera vendors. The TS-670 is an ideal storage solution providing high compatibility with AXIS Camera Companion, the video management software (VMS) for Axis network cameras, to offer a reliable and powerful network surveillance system. The TS-670 works well with AXIS Camera Companion to support one-click folder creation and network camera recording. AXIS cameras can easily stream video recordings to the TS-670 for instant playback and archiving for business environments such as retail stores, hotels, and small offices.

 

Reliable iSCSI target for surveillance video storage

 

The most frequently encountered challenge in deploying IP surveillance is how to set up or expand the storage capacity. The TS-670 supports reliable and high performance iSCSI target. Windows or Linux based VMS server can easily connect to the TS-670 through iSCSI to expand the storage capacity. It is an ideal solution for IP surveillance recording and archiving.

 

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