UGREEN Unveils Its First Network-Attached Storage Solutions

[btarunr]

Ugreen, a leading innovator in consumer electronics, is excited to announce the launch of its inaugural Network Attached Storage (NAS) series. The launch is scheduled for March 26 on the popular crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter.com. This campaign is specifically aimed at users in the United States and Germany. As a special incentive, UGREEN is offering an early bird discount of 40%, with prices commencing at just USD $239.99. Visit Kickstarter.com to be among the first to experience UGREEN's innovative NASync series.

UGREEN NASync series is a versatile range designed to cater to a variety of use scenarios. The NASync DXP2800 and NASync DXP4800 and DXP4800 Plus are tailored for personal and home users. For power users and business solutions, UGREEN offers the NASync DXP6800 Pro and NASync DXP8800 Plus. Lastly, the NASync DXP480T Plus is specifically designed to meet the needs of creative and media professionals.

Know more about the Kickstarter campaign here.



These models are all powered by the 12th Gen Intel Processor and feature up to Intel Core i7 Processor. Specifically for business and professional users, models such as the NASync DXP6800 Pro, DXP8800 Plus, and DXP480T Plus are equipped with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor. This leads to enhanced responsiveness, efficient data processing, and seamless multi-tasking. Furthermore, the advantage of seamless multimedia processing and transcoding significantly improves the media file playback experience.

Additionally, the NASync DXP6800 Pro, DXP8800 Plus, and DXP480T Plus are all equipped with dual Thunderbolt 4 Ports. These ports can be connected to a variety of storage devices, such as mobile hard drives and disk array cabinets, enabling high-speed data transmission. Impressively, the transmission rate for a single port can reach up to 40 Gbps.

It's also noteworthy that both the NASync DXP6800 Pro and DXP8800 Plus models come equipped with dual 10GbE network ports. These two high-speed 10GbE network ports can be combined to provide a total bandwidth of 20GbE, allowing for theoretical download speeds of up to 2500 MB/s. Furthermore, the load between the two port links can be dynamically adjusted and balanced, enhancing the overall transmission efficiency.

Every model in the UGREEN NASync series is equipped with an expandable 8 GB DDR5 Memory. DDR5 is a significant technological advancement over DDR4, with its performance and transmission capabilities far surpassing its predecessor. In fact, DDR5 operates at speeds 2—3 times faster than DDR4, providing a substantial performance boost. The 8 GB DDR5-4800 memory offers the latest in processing speeds, leading to significant improvements in software and system performance. For models like NASync 4800 Plus, DXP6800 Pro, DXP8800 Plus and NASync DXP480T Plus, with the capacity to expand memory up to 64 GB, even the most resource-intensive software becomes manageable, and multi-tasking is more efficient than ever. Importantly, it accelerates data processing, which is particularly advantageous for tasks such as AI recognition and video transcoding.

The UGREEN NASync series, unlike cloud drives, securely stores substantial amounts of personal data on local devices. This approach significantly reduces the risks of information leakage and surveillance, providing users with control and peace of mind. With its professional data security features, such as multiple layers of protection and high-strength encryption, the series ensures the safety and privacy of user data.

The series prioritizes data security during transmission by employing secure protocols like SSL/TLS. It uses robust SHA256 encryption, a standard in the financial and communications sectors, to safeguard user account information and password confidentiality. The app's built-in Security Manager offers real-time protection and conducts scheduled virus scans to ensure data security.

Price and Availability
UGREEN is offering a Super Early Bird Discount of 40% off on the products. Here are the details:



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[zmeul]

as far as I understand, they use a custom kernel based on Debian, and that's a red flag
why not use vanilla Debian!?

 

[Chaitanya]

So upside of using Intel CPUs is thunderbolt ports but would be interested to see how much of powerhogs these NAS end up being due to the choice of CPU. Also good to see SD card slot(hopefully its UHS-II) on many of these NAS boxes which certainly are useful for quick offloading of cards along with 10Gbps NICs offered out of the box.

 

[TheLostSwede]

So upside of using Intel CPUs is thunderbolt ports but would be interested to see how much of powerhogs these NAS end up being due to the choice of CPU. Also good to see SD card slot(hopefully its UHS-II) on many of these NAS boxes which certainly are useful for quick offloading of cards along with 10Gbps NICs offered out of the box.

I'm working on a review of the DXP4800 Plus and so far I haven't managed to make it pull more than 60 W from the wall socket.

as far as I understand, they use a custom kernel based on Debian, and that's a red flag
why not use vanilla Debian!?

The one I got is on Kernel 6.1.x, which is a SLTS kernel which is supported until 2033, although I hope they will move to newer kernels faster than that and it's not exactly the latest release either.

Operating System: Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
          Kernel: Linux 6.1.27

 

[simlariver]

NAS are a product space that need more players. The best thing would be the ability to install your own OS. I have zero trust for these chinese OEM but they can make affordable hardware.

 

[TheLostSwede]

NAS are a product space that need more players. The best thing would be the ability to install your own OS. I have zero trust for these chinese OEM but they can make affordable hardware.

I tried to convince a company I worked with in Taiwan to do a DIY NAS, but unfortunately he didn't believe in the business concept.

It might be possible to install a custom OS on the higher-end models here, but it's not officially supported.
The OS on these devices is fairly lightweight at the moment.

 

[Dragokar]

From what I read so far the hardware is very good, but the software lacks behind in features and usability.

 

[Chaitanya]

I'm working on a review of the DXP4800 Plus and so far I haven't managed to make it pull more than 60 W from the wall socket.

Thats the one running on Pentium CPU so not surprising but for 6 and 8 bay units spec sheet say its i5 CPU(unspecified if its mobile H series or desktop class as those CPUs are quite power hungry). For the review would like to know where the OS is installed(I remember Asustor uses part of storage(either SSD or HDD) to install the OS) and how well the SSD cache works.

 

[TinyRK]

Thats the one running on Pentium CPU so not surprising but for 6 and 8 bay units spec sheet say its i5 CPU(unspecified if its mobile H series or desktop class as those CPUs are quite power hungry). For the review would like to know where the OS is installed(I remember Asustor uses part of storage(either SSD or HDD) to install the OS) and how well the SSD cache works.

The DXP6800 Pro, 8800 and DXP480T will use an Intel Core i5-1235u ; 1,30 GHz, 10 Cores w/ 12 Thread(s)

 

[simlariver]

I tried to convince a company I worked with in Taiwan to do a DIY NAS, but unfortunately he didn't believe in the business concept.

It might be possible to install a custom OS on the higher-end models here, but it's not officially supported.
The OS on these devices is fairly lightweight at the moment.

This is surprising, the oem whitebox routers are constantly OOS on aliexpress. People use them for PFSense or OPNsense. I would expect the same to happen with innexpensive NAS hardware. Lots of people want a DIY NAS but don't want to deal with big boxes and high power usage.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Thats the one running on Pentium CPU so not surprising but for 6 and 8 bay units spec sheet say its i5 CPU(unspecified if its mobile H series or desktop class as those CPUs are quite power hungry). For the review would like to know where the OS is installed(I remember Asustor uses part of storage(either SSD or HDD) to install the OS) and how well the SSD cache works.

They're using the Core i5-1235U, so technically the same thermal envelope, but obviously not the same power draw. As it's a NAS, it will also depend a lot on the drives used and how many drives you install/use.

As I mentioned above, it's installed on a discrete SSD on the DXP4800 Plus and above, eMMC on the two more basic SKUs.

This is surprising, the oem whitebox routers are constantly OOS on aliexpress. People use them for PFSense or OPNsense. I would expect the same to happen with innexpensive NAS hardware. Lots of people want a DIY NAS but don't want to deal with big boxes and high power usage.

Not the same thing though and we were looking at using an Arm based SoC, which turned out to be nigh on impossible. the goal was to make something very affordable, but none of the companies we approached were interested, despite already supplying the more well known brands with suitable hardware, as well as the likes of Banana Pi, Orange Pi etc.
Going with Intel or AMD would've made it too costly, at least back then, as this is about five years ago.

From what I read so far the hardware is very good, but the software lacks behind in features and usability.

Features, yes, usability, not so much. They released a major update just a few days ago, so I guess that could be why I guess.

 

[Dragokar]

Features, yes, usability, not so much. They released a major update just a few days ago, so I guess that could be why I guess.

We will see in the long run.

 

[TheLostSwede]

We will see in the long run.

I doubt there will ever be a feature parity, QNAP and Synology are too far ahead of everyone else, even though Asustor has tried to catch up.
But do we need feature parity or are most people happy with something that does 50% of what those companies offer?
I mean, even back when I used to work for QNAP, I didn't see a use for much of the features/software on offer.
Yes, there's always niche cases, but then there is a solution already out there.
Not trying to say that Ugreen has come up with the best piece of kit out there, but the hardware seems to be solid and the Kickstarter pricing is really a great deal, as long as you're aware of the limitations.
Docker support is coming in a couple of months time apparently and that will make the hardware a lot more useful.
Ugreen is going to have to keep on top of things though and deliver regular software/OS updates for these products to win any market share though.
What I will say is that it's an impressive range of launch hardware from a company that hasn't made a single NAS to date.

 

[Dragokar]

Well sorry for the late reply but I am currently with my family and they have priority.

For me it is simple, I would like to have Qnap Style hardware but with Synology Software......I want a dead simple network storage without any streaming but with easy ways to access and manage the whole thing. This is where Qnap lost me and Synology did not fully got me.......but it is like chasing the golden egg or in German: "Die eierlegende Wollmilchsau" i dont know If there is an english expression for it xD

 

[DaemonForce]

I keep seeing this device all over my YT recommended this week. Nice little box with some good features but mostly doesn't interest me.

I tried to convince a company I worked with in Taiwan to do a DIY NAS, but unfortunately he didn't believe in the business concept.

Really? They don't understand the concept of managing and protecting YOUR DATA?
Cut your losses dude. That is a very special form of damage and NOT fixable.

 

[trsttte]

Really? They don't understand the concept of managing and protecting YOUR DATA?

It's not about that, DIY pcs could already be considered a niche, a DIY NAS with the current push for "easy to use" and "always available" cloud subscriptions would be even more so. Small run SFF cases still do ok though they cost a fortune but it's reasonable to see how a company didn't want to spend time and money on a product that would be difficult to move

 

[DaemonForce]

Well that's terrible. I spend a LOT of time on this sort of topic so if I ever get interested in creating my own lineup, it will probably happen with several cute minimalist 2-bay and 4-bay devices that have options like:
A low powered quad core, out of box virtualization/containerization features, dedicated M.2 boot, USB-C boot option, M.2 r/w cache volume
1.0/2.5GbE RJ-45, 10GbE SFP, Serial/TTL comm, sata RAID 0/1 options
Possible single open PCI-E x4 or x8 expansion

All while a single 80mm or 120mm fan goes BRRRRRR.

That's really all I need out of a NAS and for longevity, it would be the last NAS we would ever need. At least until personal data gets serious in ~20 years.
I'm not a RAID guy, will daily Windows Server Core or Nanoserver for high availability services and could probably obsolete display out with a Serial/TTL.

When it comes to high availability data and backups, you would honestly be really surprised how less is more. I really mean that.
Sure stick with sata 6gbps for the main connections but when it comes to networking, software and everything else, you want that box to be as dumb as possible. It's one of the reasons Synology and other junk has left me scratching my head wondering why anyone would buy their products. Netgear has more than likely made better stuff since I never heard anything about them and this Ugreen product is being reviewed everywhere at the moment, which is enough to make anyone nervous. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[TinyRK]

Supposedly they will allow 3rd party OS installations, so that's huge IMO.

 

[Blue4130]

They've been making NAS boxes for 2 years now in the East. Look for the DH2100

 

[DaemonForce]

The DH2100 looks like an ordinary network storage device appropriate for daily backups or something out of the way like a seedbox. The rear has a USB, 1GbE and power jack and that's all. When it comes to net apps, having front connections are useful but I try not to rely on anything that has accessories plugged into them for anything other than power distribution. This thing is basically a step above my Athlon 64 box.

I could get by with Windows Nanoserver on a 8GB eMMC but that's about it. For anything Windows Core it's better to boot from a USB chipdisk and then use the local eMMC as scratch for web pages, SQL and torrent tables. Something just happened to one of my favorite streamers in the middle of looking this up that reminds me of the issue with network storage devices that are only connected over 1GbE. All of my stuff is connected through a dumb XB3 modem and when it reboots, so do the router tables. All the connections drop and that's a single point of failure for iSCSI, which isn't good. I was lucky enough to find a 2x10GbE SFP card that allows direct communication with my workstation to stop this annoying behavior but in the end I finally make use of 8x PCI-E g2 lanes from an eMachines and 4x PCI-E g4 lanes from my workstation just to have what the outside world sees as an extreme luxury.

The fact that Ugreen addressed this typical situation with a dual 10GbE connection tells me that we're in a weird paradigm shift where 10GbE equipped motherboards are either the norm or the gross oversight of not choosing such a board when some X570 boards offered 2.5GbE means that I've created a more permanent path by going DAC over 10GbE SFP. A net appliance doesn't need this type of connection, it just needs the additional networking hardware to offer a direct connection to a workstation or server computer.

 

[unwind-protect]

Are they using ZFS?

Or mdraid and a conventional filesystem on top?