Introduction
QNAP unveiled the TS-X79 range and finally commenced shipping of the rack-mount TS-879U-RP version as well as the TS-EC879U-RP, additionally the 12-bay rack-mount models are the TS-1279U-RP based on the same platform and TS-EC1279-UP is based on the Xeon processor family. We have already reviewed the TS-879PRO and felt it was appropriate to continue with the rack mount version TS-879U-RP.
Editor's Note: click the photos below for larger images
Figure 1: QNAP TS-879U-RP at a glance
Figure 2: QNAP TS-879U-RP Dimensions
The most prominent added feature that stands out for us is the 10GbE optional support following fast on the heels of Thecus, who adopted this technology last year. This signals the advent of the 10GbE standard adoption getting closer to reality rather than mere fiction. QNAP has selected and timed this well, as the 10GbE adoption has commenced and will continue to gather pace in the next 8-14 months as newer and more cost effective switches and routers become available.
The TS-879U-RP is believed to be a direct replacement for the successful TS-809U-RP model and we have been duly informed by various QNAP resellers that the demise of the TS-809U-RP has indeed transpired. The TS-879U-RP system will become a highly sought after model within the TS-809U-RP domain and will be further accentuated by the additional features that will be enticing and appealing to large organizations that are downsizing as replacements for traditionally expensive Virtual servers and entry level SAN solutions. The advent of IP SAN and the availability of virtual client support (VMware, Hyper V and more), coupled with the ease of setting up replication for disaster recovery makes these devices ideal for any storage deployment.
Figure 3: QNAP TS-879U-RP Processor
The QNAP TS-879U-RP runs a Linux variant operating system which has recently been aptly renamed QNAP Storage Manager (QSM) currently at revision 3.5 as used in our benchmark, The QSM can be invoked through a web browser using the IP address displayed on the LCD panel or using the QNAP wizard that will find the NAS for you on your network. Internally, the Intel Dual Core i3-2102 is based on the 32nm 'Sandy Bridge' architecture and is a 3.3GHz dual-core processor with Hyper-Threading. There is 2GB DDR3 RAM and is expandable to 4GB as specified by QNAP. We were able to increase the memory to 8GB and did not experience any issues when tested again with this upgraded memory configuration.
Figure 4: QNAP TS-879U-RP Memory Slots
NOTE: The system has two memory slots. One is already populated with 2GB RAM and is cable tied to ensure its travels well and does not "pop" out! If you wanted to upgrade to 4GB RAM we would strongly recommend removing the first one, and adding a pair of 2GB RAM modules from the same manufacturer with the exact specification. This will go a long way to eliminate any compatibility issues that may occur with having differing specifications and manufacturers. If you are going to buy already upgraded please ensure you specify this requirement.
The street price packed with 24TB is currently at $4,561.00 from leading QNAP reseller eAegis, LLC.
The Inside Story
The QNAP TS-879U-RP supports the new SATA 6Gb/s specification, adding that oomph for HDD bandwidth, with one less possible bottleneck. Do not get overzealous that the 6Gb/s will make a huge impact as tests have shown little difference in increase when it comes to RAID and NAS based usage. Do not be hoodwinked by the baseless argument that the difference will have a critical impact on an increase in performance. QNAP does provide a comprehensive list of hard disk drives currently supported on their compatibility list. Using a non compatible drive may cause QNAP to possibly refuse to help or warrant the product as they would be within their rights to do so.
NOTE: Using non-compatible drives can have a serious impact on reliability. Some of the symptoms include hard disks showing up as faulty in differing ports without any particular pattern. If you replace the drive then others show up as faulty. Other symptoms are more serious, you constantly keep losing files as if they were never saved, is this familiar? Beware, you have been warned. Do not take this issue in stride, address it now.
Figure 5: QNAP TS-879U-RP Expansion Slots
Connectivity is impressive with 2 x RJ45 (Ethernet) ports with optional dual-port 10GbE and 1Gb network cards supported, (that is either or) and the unit has two expansion slots available. USB 3.0 has been allowed for configured as 2 x ports at the back, USB 2.0 support is still maintained with 4 x ports at the back. We were hoping to see 4 x USB 3.0, as that would have provided support for many other peripherals. Allowance for eSATA is made too, with a couple of ports at the back.
Figure 6: QNAP TS-879U-RP Connectivity
The Display is still LCD; however we would have liked to have seen the OLED design creeping into QNAP design. The display is clear and provides all the relevant HDD, RAID monitoring and connectivity information you would need, including setting up your RAID from first boot, and not having to go through its software. The outer shell is very much in the same design mode as the previous TS-809U-RP and is nearly identical to the TS-859U-RP.
Open, Set, RAID and Store
The packaging is standard QNAP style, meticulously packed with detail. Unpacking and removing the unit, to installing all eight drives took us less than twenty minutes. The drive caddies are installed and are of a totally new design, getting our vote of confidence. They are designed with a spring loaded switch, easy to use and the caddies glide in without much effort. The only thing we were a little disappointed with was the screws to secure the 3.5” drives are no longer at the bottom of the tray but to the side; this is a little finicky but not the end of the world.
Editor's Note: click the photos below for larger images
Figure 8: QNAP TS-879U-RP Installing Drives
If you are installing drives, please take the necessary steps for using anti-static precaution in case you accidentally touch the bare HDD controller located at the back of the drive. Everything needed to install drives is provided, and the process is not difficult, it just needs care and attention when handling the drives. We do advise all our readers to consider buying units ready assembled and tested by resellers who are specialists in the storage arena, who also carry out the required testing and burn in process. The important word here is "tested"; if the units are not tested with the hard drives installed to an accepted level to ensure a very low risk of Dead on Arrival (DOA), then don’t buy it with drives installed. Of course this comes at a small price premium and is most prudent when purchasing systems with this functionality.
Once booted for the first time, you have the opportunity to set RAID via the display panel, something QNAP have been doing for a while now. This is all that is required and you may walk away until it’s done.
The RAID levels supported are impressive and more than sufficient. Single disk, RAID 0 (Disk Striping), RAID 1 (Disk Mirroring), RAID 5, RAID 5+ Hot spare, RAID 6, RAID 10, and JBOD (Linear Disk Volume). The RAIDs 5, 6, and 10, can all be configured with a Spare as well. In this model QNAP only supports software RAID. The IP address can be left as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) for the unit to determine an automatic configuration protocol on the network, enabling locating the NAS on your network without having to mess about with settings.
Prominent Features
It seems QNAP has totally revamped its Management Software as it has announced recently, the version is 3.5 and it has been renamed QNAP Storage Manager (QSM), and has subtle differences from its previous version, including the addition of a few new features that are discussed later. We have shared a few salient features that make the QNAP TS-879U-RP stand out from the crowd.
SPECIAL NOTE: In this special section WhichNAS has taken the liberty to scope and use some of the information provided by QNAP on their Website, we didn’t have the luxury of time to test these features and as such this must be viewed as using information provided directly by QNAP and not challenged by WhichNAS. We have not had the demo unit for long, and wanted this review to be published quickly so as to enable users to make learned decisions. Images were courtesy of QNAP website.
NAS + iSCSI/IP-SAN Solution for Server Virtualization
With increasing virtualization of IT resources, the need for high performance storage is more essential than ever. The TS-879U-RP offers class-leading system architecture matched with 10 GbE networking performance designed to meet the needs of demanding server virtualization, such as VMware®, Citrix®, and Windows® Hyper-V. 10 GbE network speeds greatly increase the agility of data transmission in a virtualized environment intensifying NFS and iSCSI connection performance.
Figure 9: QNAP TS-879U-RP 10GbE
Many organizations are switching over to SMB based solutions for their virtualization needs, and they commence to downsize, and small businesses are moving up to virtualization as a solution to their growth and meeting budgetary requirements. QNAP is cognizant of this and is meeting these needs by providing support for demanding server virtualization, such as VMware®, Citrix®, and Windows® Hyper-V.
New Hardware Add-On Accentuates Performance
QNAP has finally provided support for the 10GbE network standard, and allowed for external 10GbE card support mainly Intel based, and also provided the ability to add more 1GbE ports using its proprietary card. It’s a choice of either or, you may install a 10GbE or 1GbE upgrade but not both. This is a tremendous boost for future compatibility and leverages to aggregate and boost network performance. Adding to Network Bandwidth was only half the story, with 2 x eSATA ports the transfer rate of data to external sources is eased, as is with the addition of the new USB 3.0 standard ports and according to the company, the external hard disk drives support units with EXT3, EXT4, NTFS, and HFS+ file systems ensure compatibility with Windows, Mac® OS X, and Linux operating systems.
Figure 10: QNAP TS-879U-RP LAN Expansion Capabilities
QNAP Adds Antivirus – Unique Feature
QNAP has for the first time in this SMB sector, added a feature that has often depended on being behind the router. Antivirus software is normally installed on servers and/or workstations, thus eliminating the need to have ported to NAS devices. Despite this, we do not see any harm to have it on NAS devices, except if it has a major impact on performance, as this is likely and one needs to examine this fact. Lack of time on our part prevented us to carry out this test. QNAP has documented its argument for having the Antivirus integral of the system and can be found here.
Backup, FTP, Add-ons and Remote Replication
QNAP quotes providing Business backup solutions with QNAP QBack / NetBak replicator which supports real-time and scheduled data backup from Windows PCs, Apple Time Machine backup from Mac OS, and third party backup software such as Acronis True Image, and Symantec Backup Exec. We are not sure why it emphasizes "business" and not all users, as professional home users will find this useful as well.
Figure 11: QNAP TS-879U-RP Backup
QNAP has further provided more business based features for Disaster Recovery Solutions, as it takes the form of Real-time Remote Replication (RTRR) which allows real-time or scheduled data replication between two TS-879U-RP devices and/or to any remote QNAP NAS, and FTP servers, or an external drive. Other options include the iSCSI LUN Backup and Restore that has now adopted snapshot technology, allowing point-in-time data backup, to any devices available at the time, for both remote and local devices. Cloud Storage Backup support for the TS-879PRO is in the form of Amazon S3 and Elephant Drive that support several backup modes including real-time, scheduled backup, and versioning control, allowing data to be restored from any point of time.
Figure 12: QNAP TS-879U-RP Disaster Recovery Solutions
NOTE: We would like to take this opportunity to thank QNAP for providing the TS-879U-RP for this review.
Performance
The QNAP TS-879U-RP will establish itself very quickly as a new breed of NAS appliances that has finally enveloped and embraced the Enterprise user as the performance, quality, and price ratios are all in Sync. This is no small feat as the TS-879U-RP is only the tip of the iceberg and will be followed by a 10-bay and 12-bay desktop and rack mount versions. The unit with its specification should perform well, and as far as compatibility is concerned, we encountered no errors during our testing routine.
Test Environment
QNAP TS-879U-RP installed with 3TB Seagate Barracuda XT drives
Firmware Revision: QSM 3.5
RAID LEVEL TESTED: RAID 5
Network
HP ProCurve 1810G-24 Managed Switch
Test Method
We use a Real-World testing utility as well as a realistic Drag & Drop procedure as depicted in everyday normal operations.
Our tests are carried out with a combination of reads and writes, we do not separate the two, both are combined to produce an overall result that depicts the actual performance of the device tested.
This category is one of the most demanding from a file size perspective as the smallest size file is 2GB and the largest being 30GB.
A combination of demanding Video, Audio and Images files are combined to make this the most challenging category of them all.
The Office category is mainly for business users who may compare the typically used business applications, consisting of spreadsheets, databases, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, and email management. We have also combined Photoshop based images that are used to cut and paste within a document to make up a 30 page mailer as well as Visio templates used for presentation within a PowerPoint file that exceeds 15GB file size.
Our Third category is a combination of files from the previous two categories to initiate copying, backing up, deleting all content and then restoring from a backup made within the RAID array.
| QNAP TS-879U-RP Read/Write Comparative Performance | |
| Video/Audio/Images | 100.75 |
| Office Productivity | 77.60 |
| Copy, Backup and Restore | 94.36 |
Figure 13: MB/s Read/Write Performance Test Results
| QNAP TS-879U-RP | |
| MB/s Overall | 90.90 |
Figure 14: Overall Read/Write Test Performance
Overall Conclusion
The QNAP TS-879U-RP proved it has the finesse and turn of performance to aptly replace the TS-809U-RP undoubtedly. The added option of having dual 10GbE and 1GbE ports this system is designed with high network and performance bandwidth clearly written all over it. QNAP has fused the needs of business storage needs and bleeding edge technology in the form of ‘sandy bridge’ tremendously well with the refinement and addition of new features. This has leveraged the QNAP TS-879U-RP to the next level with the offering of a three year warranty for the new product range. The QNAP TS-879U-RP is bound to be on any serious storage buyers list with a performance ratio that is the best we have seen in our labs to date, albeit by a slim margin, but the features are unsurpassed at this time. QNAP will undeniably become the company to watch in the NAS arena for the remainder of this year this year and for 2012.
The best street price we found for a QNAP TS-879U-RP 24TB is currently at $4561.00
