Hello everybody!
Watch this video for a brief overview of a NAS storage system, QNAP TS-412.
I’ll cover the main functions provided by this model and explore its basic configuration.
This NAS server (QNAP TS-412) is the version with four drive bays.
There are over 50 similar models in the QNAP product range, and it takes a while to decide
which one you really need to buy.
This small-sized low-end NAS server is a good choice for a small office or home-based storage
system.
QNAP TS-412 specifications The design is quite good and functional.
On the front panel, you can find 4 convenient drive bays for hot-swapping your disks, the
LED indicator array to display the server status, the power button, and another button
next to the USB drive - it is designed to enable quick backup of data from an external
device plugged into that port, or onto such device.
On the back panel, there are two eSATA ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, three USB ports
and a power connector.
The hidden reset button can be located in the upper corner.
With this server, you’ll be able to store all your data in one place; synchronize all
your devices - computers, tablets, phones - with the single storage system; accumulate
large amounts of photos, videos and music, and share it with your friends; watch movies
or home videos, manage the server both from your computer and your phone.
The list of integrated features can be extended by using more than 80 different apps.
This NAS system supports work with a single drive, several drives combined into a JBOD
or disk arrays like RAID0/1/1+0/5 and 6, as well as iSCSI protocol.
The current drive status is monitored with the S.M.A.R.T.
technology.
Also, you can configure a regular disk checkup, temperature monitoring and other things.
System setup (first start) The initial setup for this model is pretty
simple, and it enables you to install the system without using the CD.
Just visit the website start.qnap.com and follow the directions to set up your new system.
The automatic setup is a convenient option that lets you configure a NAS with recommended
settings in a quick and easy way.
All the settings can be modified at a later time.
For initial setup, download and install one of the special utilities for device identification
- for example, Qfinder.
The utility will help you identify the server’s IP address.
After that, type the IP address into the address bar of your browser, or
select the identified device and click here to login.
The program warns you that the server is not initialized yet, and suggests that you do
it; click Yes to agree.
After that, you will be redirected automatically to the QNAP quick setup page.
Click Start to download the latest firmware.
Wait until the server is initialized and the new firmware is installed.
You can change the system language if necessary, by clicking the button in the upper right
corner.
To continue with initialization, start the Smart Installation Guide.
In the next page, give the NAS name, administrator’s password, and click Next.
After that, set the date and time, Configure the network settings, obtain an IP address
automatically or specify a static IP address.
In the next page, you can enable the cross-platform file transfer service if you’re planning
to use this storage system to exchange files between devices running different operating
systems.
Now it’s time to select the disk configuration.
If more than one disk is available, a RAID storage system can be created.
In the last page, review the settings and click Apply to save them.
A window appears with a warning that all the data on this disk will be erased.
Click Confirm to agree.
Wait until the settings are applied.
That’s the end of initial setup.
Click on this button and start managing your network storage system.
Click on the Login button, type the username and password.
Here are the features you can access: Create your personal multimedia world - by
using Photo Station to back up your pictures, or using Music Station to build your music
library.
Also, you can manage and share your videos with Video Station, configure Download Station,
and set up the DLNA media server to stream multimedia files to TVs and consoles.
Try the VPN service to connect to over 7o server locations around the world, and configure
your own cloud storage.
There is an easy way to sync files between multiple devices: just drag the files to a
folder, and they will appear on every device connected to Turbo-NAS.
In the App Center, there are all kinds of other services, and you will certainly find
one or two that can be very useful for your purposes.
If you download a special mobile app, you’ll be able to manage the services from your phone
as well!
Managing the server from PC and phone Download the Qmanager app to manage your server
from your smartphone.
Use it to access the server from anywhere in the world as long as there is an Internet
connection.
This app is available for both Android and iPhone.
It features a convenient Resource Monitor to display the system status and disk condition,
the CPU and system memory load, the amount of free and used disk space, and other information.
With this app, you can access Backup Station to back up your data and use other convenient
features like reset, update, shutdown and search.
View System logs to see all events and important warnings, and the connection log.
Enable or disable System Tools.
Install any applications listed as available.
Your private cloud: configuration and use The private cloud is probably one of the most
important features of the storage server.
To enjoy all of its benefits, you need to install and launch the special app, myQNAPcloud.
You don’t have to configure your router to set up a cloud store - QNAP will do it
automatically.
Just click “Get Started” here, and then “Start.”
If you don’t have a QNAPcloud account yet, you can create it in a single click by using
this link.
Fill in the form and sign up, then type your email address and the password to your QNAPcloud
account and click Next.
Type the device name, check the boxes for the services you need, and click Next, and
the device will be registered.
When the registration is successful, click “Finish.”
As soon as applications are installed, you can connect to the server from any device
with an Internet connection using the global IP address.
Just copy the link and paste it into a browser, type the name and password, and log in.
Now you can manage the server without having to be in the same network with it, and you
can upload data from virtually anywhere in the world.
Sync between devices To synchronize data, open the FileStation
app, select a corresponding folder from the list, or create a new one by clicking on the
icon “Create folder.”
Then click “Upload,” select the files or folder you want to upload, give the path
to this folder or file, select it, then click “Open” and OK.
When the upload is complete, it will appear in the selected folder and will be available
to all users of this server.
Also, you can share uploaded photos or videos by clicking the Share icon.
You can choose between sending them by email, uploading to a social network, creating a
share link, or sending them to a particular NAS user.
To add more functions, you can create a “Remote mount.”
The remote mount service lets you use a unified interface to manage files stored on local,
external and remote devices, as well as on cloud services.
It supports Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and various network protocols like CIFS/SMB,
FTP.
To connect to cloud services, download the Connect to Cloud Drive app from the App Center.
Extra options and extended functionality With all that, QNAP TS-412 lets you do much
more than just store files and manage access to them.
Its basic firmware provides about two dozen extra services, and quite a lot of them are
available for download from the QPKG center as ready-to-use software packages.
For example: iTunes Server lets you organize a network media library to play music from
the Multimedia folder on the server.
DLNA Media Server allows you to stream multimedia content to DLNA devices, Apple TV and Chromecast.
Multimedia Management helps you to manage all Media Library settings.
With Web Server, you can use your NAS for working with websites, including those using
Joomla!, PHP and MySQL/SQLite, and creating interactive websites.
LDAP Server provides access to various network drives.
SQL Server lets you manage the server with the special tool, phpMyAdmin, and save program
files to a shared folder lik Web or Qweb NAS.
Syslog Server helps you store logs from network devices and view received system notifications.
The Antivirus option can be used to set up scan, removal and quarantine settings, as
well as notifications about files infected with viruses or other elements that may be
dangerous for normal operation of your device.
RADIUS Server is the option to provide centralized management of authentication, authorization
and reporting on any computers trying to access the network and use the network services.
TFTP Server helps you to access network device management and remote network booting and
use the server as the storage for system images or recovery files.
Backup Station is the tool to set up the network storage as the server for backup, remote replication,
cloud backup or external backup.
Download Station is the web application that allows you to download files from the network
with the help of BitTorrent protocols, Magnet links and others (HTTP/HTTPS, FTP/FTPS, Xunlei,
FlashGet, qqdl and Baidu Cloud), and get subscribed to RSS channels.
Photo Station is actually a network-based photo gallery to help you organize photos
and videos stored on the server, and share them with others on the Internet.
You can just drag the photos to virtual galleries, and it saves a lot of time you would otherwise
have to spend on copying and transferring files.
Music Station is there for playing music files stored on your NAS server, listening to radio
stations online, and sharing music with others.
All music files are arranged by categories.
Your NAS server includes an integrated VPN service that allows users to access the storage
and other local resources over the Internet.
Conclusion This NAS model is a multifunctional server
suitable for creating a large-volume storage system, and it can be a good choice for using
at home or in a small office.
Thanks to a wide range of supported network protocols, it can be used with almost any
operating system.
This is a network-attached storage, which is at the same time powerful and easy to use,
and it can perfectly meet your expectations in terms of storage, backup and remote data
access, as well as come in handy for all kinds of entertainment purposes at home.
With your own cloud infrastructure, you will always be able to access your files and manage
what is happening to them and when.
That is all for now!
Hopefully, this video was useful.
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Thank you for watching.
Good luck.