JustPlainOrchids Blog

Last Friday I got the final components needed to complete my NAS (Network Attached Server) to replace my old one that died 2 weeks or so ago.   I went with (a bit pricey) Qnap TS-659 Pro II NAS. It came with 6 (empty) drive bays, 1 GB RAM, USB 2.0 (x4) and 3.0 (x2) connections, gigabit LAN connections (x2) and eSATA connections (x2). There's even a port labeled as VGA, but the manual says it is "reserved" (whatever that means).   I haven't tried to connect a VGA monitor.

So that's the basic, now let's pimp this thing to the max.

The first thing I did was pop an old 1 TB drive in (if it was needed) so I could update the firmware to support 3 TB drives.   Next I put in my 3 TB drives.  I have five 3 TB Seagate ST33000651AS drives (should have been 6, but one drive has problems) and have it set up as RAID 5 for now (so almost 12 TB available on the NAS).   

NOTE: The sixth drive was not seen as a ST33000651AS 3TB drive. It was seen as a ST_M13FQBL 380+ GB drive.  Some earlier 2 TB drives from Seagate reported the same drive ID and drive size.   The fix was a firmware update.  Unfortunately, Seagate doesn't have one available on line yet for this drive.  The good news is TigerDirect will exchange it for a new one, but due to some mediocre customer service, the replacement will not be shipped until they receive the defective one.  So I wait another week or more for the sixth 3 TB drive.

The next thing I did was add 2 GB of RAM. If you get RAM from QNAP, it runs something like $159. I got mine from Buy.com as they had the cheapest on the day I ordered (around $14 per SODIMM). The RAM I got was Kingston KVR1333D3S8S9/2g (2GB PC3 - 10500 CL9 204 - Pin SODIMM. Qnap says the max RAM is 3 GB, but I took a chance and ordered 2 of the 2 GB SODIMMs. Without the additional RAM, it shows up as having the correct amount of RAM (1 GB as shipped). I added the first SODIMM to the secondary memory slot and turned on the NAS. For 20 minutes it flashed that the system was booting. My first thought was that the RAM was not compatible. I took the SODIMM out and on a hunch reinstalled it (being very careful about chip placement). I fired it up and it worked.   The new amount of RAM was 3 GB. So now I know the RAM works so I decided to change out the original 1 GB SODIMM for the second 2 GB SODIMM. Several online forum posts had said 3 GB was the max, yet others swore that 4 GB worked. I figured what the hell...give it a shot since it was only $14.  So I put the second 2 GB SODIMM in and fired it up. SUCCESS!!! I checked the system and it's showing that I have 4 GB of RAM now.  I am a happy camper.

It is seen on my network by both Windows and Linux PCs.  So As for features, this baby is loaded.  I can move files around without any problem.  Also included are various server options such as FTP server, web server, printer server, personal cloud, web file manager, USB web cam support, online file manager, built in antivirus software, media server for both iPod/iPad and Android devices, etc.   To be honest, there are a lot of features that I won't use right now, but I might in the future.   The personal cloud is pretty neat as well.  I may hook up my color laser to it just to see how it fares as a printer server.  If I don't like it, I just put it back like it was.  I also will be exploring the different plug ins that can be downloaded for this unit.  There's even a plug in to turn the thing into an e-commerce server (definitely NOT on my list of things to do).

It has nothing to do with the NAS, but Buddy is feeling so much better that he's already back to eating his regular food.  He got caught stealing food from Paco's bowl this AM.  There have been no adverse "events" on the carpet so I'll give him more of the oatmeal and soft boiled eggs and after that he can have a little regular food.