RS1221+

[Enquiries]

Hi Guys,

Was wondering if you could help me please. I've been concerned that I've been running a DS920+ now for a number of years without any real backups beyond RAID5 so have just acquired 8 x 16TB Ironwolf Pro drives from ServerPartDeals while in the USA.

With the intention of putting them into a RS1221+ and backup to the existing DS920+ albeit without backing up the entire new capacity.

It seems the Synology is now very old and is due a refresh as well as limited, 1GBE etc...

Is it unwise to look at something like a Terramaster U8-500 Plus and stick a couple of boot NVMEs in it and run TrueNAS or Unraid? Or am I asking for trouble?

[ed]

Thanks for reaching out! Congratulations on the new drives—8 x 16TB IronWolf Pro drives are a solid choice for storage with reliability in mind. Let’s dive into your setup and explore your options:

Current Setup & Concerns:
Running the DS920+ as your primary NAS with RAID5 is solid but does lack redundancy for your backup. Expanding your storage and ensuring robust backups is definitely a good move.
The RS1221+ is a dependable rackmount NAS with good expansion capabilities, but you’re right—it’s aging, with limited performance and 1GbE being potential bottlenecks, especially with 128TB in mind.
Alternative Setup:
Looking into a solution like the Terramaster U8-500 Plus with TrueNAS or Unraid is a great idea for more flexibility and performance. Here are the considerations for that route:

Advantages:
Cost-Effective: For ~£1500, you could get significantly more customization and better hardware than Synology's comparable options.
Performance: TrueNAS or Unraid allows for advanced configurations, ZFS for redundancy, and robust data integrity.
Scalability: The ability to add NVMe boot drives and even cache SSDs (depending on the setup) gives you flexibility that Synology doesn’t.
Challenges:
Complexity: TrueNAS and Unraid are less plug-and-play compared to Synology’s DSM. You may need to spend more time configuring and managing the system.
Reliability: Synology offers a polished ecosystem with comprehensive apps and support. Terramaster hardware is improving, but it doesn’t yet match Synology’s level of refinement.
Recommendations:
If you’re comfortable with a more DIY approach:

Terramaster U8-500 Plus with TrueNAS/Unraid is a strong contender. Pair it with NVMe drives for boot and caching to maximize performance, and ensure you have backups for configuration files.
For a budget-friendly yet reliable alternative, you might consider building a custom NAS using server-grade components for TrueNAS, giving you maximum flexibility.
If you prefer a simpler, more polished experience:

Stick with Synology, but look into newer models like the RS2423+ or DS1823xs+, which offer better performance, expansion, and support for 10GbE.
Backup Strategy:
Regardless of the setup, ensuring your data is backed up is critical. Consider using the DS920+ as a secondary backup target, but don’t aim to fill its capacity. Instead, focus on backing up critical files and snapshots. Cloud backup could also complement your setup for extra redundancy.