Synology launches faster, cheaper DS215j

November 25, 2014 | 12:28

Tags: #diskstation-manager #dsm #marvell-armada #nas #network-attached-storage #network-storage #sata #two-bay-nas

Companies: #arm #synology

Network storage specialist Synology has announced the immediate availability of the DiskStation DS215j, an upgraded entry-level two-bay NAS which boasts improved performance over its predecessor.

Designed for home and small office use, the DS215j is powered by a Marvell Armada 375 dual-core ARM processor running at 800MHz. While the chip lacks the grunt of the processors found in its more expensive brethren, it's hardly a slowcoach: the company claims speeds of 111.41MB/s read and 87.49MB/s write over the network, a near-20% gain on the write performance of its predecessor the DS213j. The processor is backed by 512MB of DDR3 memory, while its two non-hotswap drive bays support up to 6TB hard drives on a SATA 3.0Gb/s connection.

The rear of the DS215j shows more improvements: while the overall design is unchanged from the last release, the dual USB 2.0 ports have been replaced with a single USB 2.0 and a USB 3.0 port - making it easier to add high-speed external storage to the drive. Unsurprisingly, the overall dimensions - 165mm x 100mm x 225.5mm - are no different to the DS213j which it replaces.

While the DS215j runs the same Linux-based Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) software as any other drive in the company's range, the lower-end models do come with some restrictions: no more than 128 concurrent CIFS/AFP/FTP connections are supported, no more than 256 shared folders and groups can be created, and no more than 1,024 user accounts can be registered on the system - though if you're planning to exceed any of these values, the DS215j is likely the wrong choice of hardware in the first place.

The DS215j launches today priced at £138 including VAT, representing the final pleasant surprise: that's £24 cheaper than the launch price of the DS213j it replaces. The company has also confirmed that it is to release the latest DSM 5.1 software for its older X10-series NAS models, which had previously been limited to earlier releases. More details are available on the official product page.
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