Synology announces the DS1621xs+, a high-end network attached storage device

Expand your network storage to up to 96 terabytes with ultra-fast read and write speeds with Synology's new DS1621xs+ network-attached storage device.

The DS1621xs+ was designed to meet the growing need of at-home workers. The small size fits in well in nearly any workspace, and the quad-core Xeon processor, user-upgradeable ECC memory, and onboard 10-gigabit Ethernet paired with two Gigabit Ethernet ports provide high-performance data storage, container solutions like Docker, and file management.

It boasts 3.1Gbps read and 1.8 Gbps write speeds, making it a perfect solution for power users or larger data sets from multiple users. A pair of M.2 slots provide for fast caching.

Beyond the PCI-E x8 slot internal to the device, three USB 3.1 type A ports allow for external expansion.

Nearly all modern networking protocols are supported by the device. Time Machine backups to the unit are possible, and configurable with a web-based interface.

Inside the DS1621xs+ are six internal 3.5-inch bays, which allow for up to 96 terabytes of storage. Should users need more space, it can expand to 256 terabytes of storage by adding on two additional DX517 expansion units for a total of 16 bays.

The DS1621xs+ is available from B&H Photo for $1599.99 with no drives, and is expected to ship within two weeks.

AppleInsider has previously reviewed a Synology NAS — the DS-1618+ — and gave it a 4 out of 5, praising its impressive power to price ratio.

13 Comments

razorpit 17 Years · 1793 comments

About 4 years ago

Any one using Synology devices to backup Office 365 implementations with the included Active Backup for Office 365 software?

rob53 13 Years · 3314 comments

So six slots, probably using RAID, while the two NVMe blades are for buffering making it very similar to a better Fusion drive. The write speed looks like a single NVMe drive while the read speed might be a combination of RAID 0 over six drives along with an NVMe drive. I totally understand using HDDs for longer term storage along with the faster NVMe drives for immediate writing. I checked the website and it didn't really document any speeds. A bigger question is whether 10Gb ethernet can really handle speeds like this. This also means at-home workers need the most powerful Macs to even get 10Gb ethernet. I would like to see Thunderbolt3/4 amplifiers to extend the distances between workers and NAS. If this is only for one or two workers, are there any storage systems that run on Thunderbolt that can be share between multiple users?

polymnia 15 Years · 1080 comments

rob53 said:

So six slots, probably using RAID, while the two NVMe blades are for buffering making it very similar to a better Fusion drive. The write speed looks like a single NVMe drive while the read speed might be a combination of RAID 0 over six drives along with an NVMe drive. I totally understand using HDDs for longer term storage along with the faster NVMe drives for immediate writing. I checked the website and it didn't really document any speeds. A bigger question is whether 10Gb ethernet can really handle speeds like this. This also means at-home workers need the most powerful Macs to even get 10Gb ethernet. I would like to see Thunderbolt3/4 amplifiers to extend the distances between workers and NAS. If this is only for one or two workers, are there any storage systems that run on Thunderbolt that can be share between multiple users?

Seems pretty clear 10GbE could be saturated by Demanding users. It’s still far superior to the prior 1GbE networking.

If max storage performance is the goal, NAS isn't your solution. But for a workgroup, local and/or remote, NAS is quite compelling.

sflocal 16 Years · 6138 comments

I get that it is a NAS drive, but if this were a Thunderbolt3 system, it would really kick some glutes. What a bummer.

sflocal said:

I get that it is a NAS drive, but if this were a Thunderbolt3 system, it would really kick some glutes. What a bummer.

I think Promise is what you are looking for. Connect the Promise RAID device to a host Mac, then network via Thunderbolt to another Mac.

I assume this is not a terribly robust system since Thunderbolt isn't a common networking connection. Not sure how well it would scale up to more than 2 Macs. Can you just continue to daisy chain Macs until you run out of thunderbolt cables & Macs?