Administration


The administration of this NAS is one area where I was not only impressed but extremely impressed with the 409 Pro Turbo. Once the NAS is up and running any computer with network access can control this NAS. No additional software is needed, only a web browser. For added security, SSL can be enabled with just the click of the mouse (though IE7 will complain about invalid certificates). This main page is the main “jump off” page that allows you to administer not only the NAS itself but any of the myriad features that come standard with this unit. It really is the ease of use and not just the amount of features available that help distinguish this NAS from its competitors.


As you can see the administration page is grouped into main subsections. As the name suggests the “Quick Configuration” is just that. It will let you rerun the wizard that you used to initially set up the NAS. The same goes for the system setup section. All of this allows you to customize the 409 Pro Turbo’s basic settings to your heart's content.


Network Settings


This is where the majority of the “12-in-one server” features are listed. Everything from setting up the NAS to act as a Web server, SQL server, or even be accessabilty for Unix and Apple operating systems is found here. The only problem with this subsection is the shear mind boggling options it has and this is almost a case of information overload. Luckily, you do not need to touch any of these settings unless you are interested in using one of the advanced features.


TCP/IP Configuration


The first subsection is the “TCP/IP Configuration” page, where you can tell the NAS where to go to find obtain the IP address, hard set the IP address or as an added bonus even setup the NAS itself to act as a DHCP server. This is especially nice since while 10/100/1000 switches are cheap, gigabit routers are not. If your network infrastructure can handle Jumbo frames, this NAS not only supports them but you can even select the size of the Jumbo frames to enhance compatibility. This is nice as Jumbo frames are not a ratified standard and thus different companies use different sizes.


Microsoft Networking


The next subsection deals with Microsoft Networking. This is where you can tell the NAS how to interact with Microsoft-based operating systems. You can even set this NAS up as a member of a domain, stand alone server, domain master, WINS server or even point it to a WINS server you already have set up. The only potential negative to having access to all these powerful configurations is the ease in which you can make a mistake. For example if you set this NAS to be a Domain Master, you better make sure that there are no other Domain Masters as they do NOT (at the very least) play nice with one another by default. Once again the old adage “if you don’t know what something does…DON’T TOUCH IT” is in full effect with this section.


Apple Networking


If you are an Apple user, the next small section is certainly of interest to you. This “section” only has one option but it is a powerful one. The power to enable Apple Talk file service and point it to a specific zone gives (in theory) this NAS the ability to interact as seamlessly with Apple computer as it does with Microsoft based ones. Of course, as this is such a small segment of the computer world, people who are serious enough about their MAC’s to buy non-Apple products (like this NAS) know that some tinkering may be required and this is par for the course.


NFS Service


This next section is for the Linux crowd, since the 409 is a custom embed Linux appliance its ability to interact with Linux systems should be a given. However, a quick perusal of QNAP’s help forum shows that past models did have some quirks when using NFS. Luckily it appears QNAP has worked out the “kinks” on this model. And I am glad to report that when using a popular newer version of Linux I was able to easily mount this NAS as a network drive, with no more than usual amount of hassle that Linux requires.


Web File Manager


The next small section is “Web File Manager” and as the name suggests it allows you complete access to all the folders and files located on the NAS. Just as you can rename, move, delete, create, view, edit and do everything else in Microsoft's file manger, you can do it here via the webpage. If you are so inclined you can even seamlessly change over from a http-based file manger to FTP by pressing the FTP button. It a very slick, easy to use feature and an extremely fast way to quickly copy a few files from the NAS to a computer without setting up a network share.


FTP Service


The FTP setup page is complete and loaded with features not network junky can do without. Not only does the 409 Pro Turbo allow you to setup FTP quota and speed limits you can even hard set it for a SSL/TLS security. The only downside to enabling this extra level of security is that speeds did significantly fall in testing. Instead of being limited to the speed of you internet connection (or the NAS’s max speed if using FTP for intranet transfers over gigabit Ethernet) you are limited to speed of the 409’s “Pro Turbo” processor. In testing speeds dropped from 30+mb/s to less than 3mb/sec.


Multimedia Station



The Multimedia section is a great idea but it lacks a certain amount of polish. It is not a bad program it is just that the interface is a little less refined as the other programs available. For all intents and purposes it is a photo viewer that is a few years out of date.


On the positive side the UPnP station uses Twonkymedia so while the multimedia station may have its rough unpolished quirks QNAP certainly got more right that wrong with multimedia interactions.


iTunes Service


Just as the multimedia station is for pictures and the media server is for A/V, the iTunes server is for music. When enabled it seamless work in iTunes allowing all people and computers on the same subnet the ability to stream music to their computer. This is so simple and easy to use that it makes sharing your music over the network an intuitive procedure that anyone should be able to implement. The only down side is that you have to use Apple’s iTunes. This is not a bad thing if you own an iPod, but if you bought a different mp3 player installing iTunes just so you can use your new NAS as a music server may rub you the wrong way.


Download Station


The Download station is probably the one area that QNAP fails to fully follow through with an idea. Just as with the TS-109 Pro that we reviewed awhile back, the idea behind it is ingenious it’s just the execution that leaves a lot to be desired. For all intents and purposes you can set up your NAS to download multiple torrents and/or multiple http/ftp files without the intervention with or guidance by a computer. You can quiet literally set them up on the NAS, make sure they are running and then turn off your computer and go to bed. When you wake up in the morning hopefully they will be completed.


What makes a good feature and not a great feature is two sticking points. The first is that you cannot really configure or “tweak” the bit torrent client settings, so speeds do suffer to some extent. This is a minor annoyance and unless you really need to baby a certain download to get it ASAP it works very well. The big annoyance that was so conspicuous by its absence is lack of a scheduler. A download is either “on” or “off” there are no “wait 3 hours and then download” options available.

To a certain extent the inclusion of QGet (a software based version of the download station that can be run locally off any computer) does minimize the download station quirks. With QGet you can manually add files one at a time for the NAS to download. This of course only minimizes the download station's limitations and does not fully alleviate them. At best you can consider QGet either a great time saver or at worst a nice little bonus that makes the 409 Pro Turbo an even more user friendly appliance.


Web server


Unlike previous versions, this NAS had built-in php administration (via PHP myAdmin) that makes this web server into a fully-featured server. One simply has to tell the NAS what port to listen to for web page requests on (default is 80). Yet, for Intranet webpages you can use a custom port, allowing network attached people to access this “web site” while still being able to access the world wide web. While this is an interesting little feature I would be hesitant about using this NAS as a web server and a network file server. My concerns are not about its ability to multitask, which it does very well; rather, it has to do with a person's or company's internet plan. Unless you have guaranteed 99% uptime, using you normal business level internet connection is not advisable. Nothing says “unprofessional” like an unreachable web site. Overall, for testing a website before it goes “live” on a real web server or just for hosting a simple intraweb-based corporate site this NAS’s web server feature should be good enough for the majority of its intended customers.


DDnS


As the help file associated with DDNS states “The DDNS (Dynamic DNS) service allows users from the Internet to connect to the servers on your local network using a domain name rather than an IP address. To use this service, you must first apply an account from a free DDNS server”. Basicaly all you have to do is sign up for a free account online, tell the NAS what name DDNS “knows” it by and then you can remotely login to the NAS and access your files. Basically this option makes the 409 Pro Turbo into a poor man's WAFS or a Wide Area File System via the internet. Being “on the road” and still have access to one's files is always a handy feature.


SQL server


As with previous models, the 409 Pro Turbo can easily become a MySQL server. Unlike previous models which had no way of setting up administration of the database, this model not only allows you to administer it via “phpMyAdmin database management system” but also shows you how to download and install SQLiteManager on the NAS. QNAP has obviously listened to its customers regarding this glaring omission on TS 109 Pro and took steps to correct it.


System Port Management & View Network Settings



These two sections allow you to change the default port for logging into administer the NAS and allows you to see exactly what your NAS network settings are set too.

In many ways the most important part is the second tab in the View Network Settings page. This tab gives you a complete overview on what services are setup and what “server” features are enabled. It’s a quick yet very detailed way of knowing exactly how your NAS is configured.