Synology DS409slim

The DS409slim is the smallest NAS system that we've tested so far, but that doesn't mean, of course, that it's the least powerful. 

On the inside is a 1.2 GHz processor and 128 MB of RAM, with a 60 mm fan to keep the four 2.5'' drive bays cool.  The Taiwanese manufacturer hasn't forgotten about style either, with an impeccably-finished case, apart from the glossy plastic, which it's very easy to smear with greasy fingerprints.  Even if you don't like the design, it's small and quiet enough for you to put it out of sight somewhere.

Interface


Because NAS systems are a lot more than simply networked hard drives, it's important to have an easy-to-use interface to control them.  The one on the D409slim has lots of features but is still intuitive, and remains acceptable to users with all levels of experience.


And to make sure everybody can get the most out of it, a number of wizards are available to guide you.

File Sharing

Support for CIFS/SMB, AFP and NFS protocols means that you can move files around your network, whether you're using Windows, Mac OS or a Linux distribution.  The DS409slim can also act as an FTP server, giving you secure access to your files from any computer with an Internet connection.  If you don't have an FTP client to hand, you can also connect to your NAS using a web browser.

Other Features

As well as working as a file server, the DS09 offers several other useful features.  It can run a web server with PHP and SQL, for instance, which is perfect for hosting your own website.

If you connect a printer to one of its USB ports, it can also act as a network print server, which is great if you only have one printer but several computers.


Synology includes Audio Station and Photo Station 3 software with the DS209.  These tools allow you to share music, photos and videos with several users in the form of a blog that's accessible over the Internet.  Along with that, there's a fully-blown multimedia server that covers music, photos and videos, which gives DLNA-compatible devices the ability to launch a photo or video slideshow of the content on your DS209 over the network.

As well as a Gigabit Ethernet connection, there are also two USB ports and an eSATA port.  That means you can connect external hard drives that you would like to back up, or to serve as extra storage space if your NAS system is beginning to get too full.

To finish with the features on the DS209, it also includes Emule and BitTorrent clients, so you can keep on using these peer-to-peer services without needing to leave your computer switched on.

Speeds over CIFS/SMB and FTP

We talked earlier about different ways of accessing the content on this system.  However, they're not all as efficient as each other.

Synology DS409Slim   Synology DS209
Reading RAID 0 Writing RAID 0 Reading RAID 5 Writing RAID 5

Using a Gigabet Ethernet connection, for instance, it will take you 51 seconds to copy 1 GB of data, and 36 seconds to read it back.

Synology DS409Slim   Synology DS209
Reading RAID 0 Ecriture RAID 0 Reading RAID 5 Writing RAID 5

Rates are faster over FTP: writing the same 1 GB of data will take 47 seconds, and just 28 seconds to read.

Synology DS409Slim   Synology DS209
Reading USB Writing USB Reading eSATA Writing eSATA

Strangely, we found the speeds over eSATA and USB to be remarkably similar--and not in a good way.  For reading data, speeds never climb above 9.1 MB/s, while writing ran at 11.7 MB/s over USB and only 13.6 MB/s for eSATA.  If you've seen our hard drive reviews recently, you'll know that even the worst models do better than that.  Results like these provoke serious doubts about the quality of the hardware that Synology is using to control the drives.

Noise and energy consumption

Small fans are often quite loud, but the one fitted on this NAS system certainly wasn't noisy, even if it wasn't the quietest we've ever seen either.  Synology has installed an effective cooling system, which keeps the disks below 41 °C, with a perfectly safe average temperature of 38.2 °C.

On the other hand, the DS409slim uses a lot of energy for such a small device.  There are four hard drives to power, of course, which means its consumption rises from 15 W while on standby to 24 W while accessing all four drives.