Today Synology released two new RackStation models. Although Synology has its roots as a company providing desktop NAS units, the vision of the company clearly extends well beyond that. The Synology RackStation RS818+ & RS818RP+ are 4-bay 1U units that we expect to sip power while providing a centralized backup solution.
Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+ Specs
We wanted to quickly discuss some of the key specs of the Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+. First, the form factor since that often dictates what we see connecting the platform. The Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+ are 1U units with 4x 3.5″ bays in front.
The next item we wanted to look at is the CPU since that is what drives a lot of the platform. In the Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+, we find an Intel Atom C2538 which is a quad-core 2.4GHz part. Frankly, we are a bit surprised to see the Atom C2538 make an appearance here since it was originally launched in Q3 2013 and the replacement Intel Atom C3000 series has been out for about five months.
Still, for this class of device, the Intel Atom C2538 is going to be sufficient. Using the older chip means that we find 4x 1GbE from the Intel SoC. Unlike with the Intel Atom C3000 series which can have built-in 10GbE MACs, the Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+ will have to use an external card for 10GbE and is limited to second-gen PCIe rather than PCIe 3.0.
With the Atom C2000 series, DDR3 was the primary RAM option and the Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+ come with 2GB of RAM installed with the ability to expand to 16GB in 2x 8GB for 16GB. Synology has an excellent software suite so running applications on one of these servers may have you upgrading RAM.
The primary difference between the Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+ is the power supply setup. The RP+ has redundant PSUs:
Rounding out the rear I/O there are two USB 3.0 ports, a console port, and an eSATA expansion port that can be used to connect up to 8 drives in an expansion chassis.
“Synology RS818+ and RS818RP+ come with 2GB of RAM installed with the ability to expand to 16GB in 2x 16GB”
Looks like a typo on the RAM there.
Synology website advises he below.
Memory Expandable up to 16 GB (8 GB x 2)