This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:21:01
The video covers comprehensive guidance on selecting hard drives for NAS (Network Attached Storage) systems, with a particular focus on Synology NAS. The speaker categorizes drives into shucked (inexpensive, repurposed external drives), NAS-specific (designed for NAS environments, such as WD Red and Seagate IronWolf lines), and Synology-branded drives (optimized for Synology systems through a Toshiba partnership). Shucked drives are noted for their cost-effectiveness but potential reliability issues, especially for business environments where NAS-specific drives with features like vibration sensors are preferable.
A significant portion of the video advises against using Western Digital SMR (Shingle Magnetic Recording) drives for NAS due to performance concerns and recommends CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drives instead, specifically endorsing Seagate's IronWolf, IronWolf Pro, and Exos lines for their reliability and suitability for various user needs. The Exos drives are recommended for their durability and cost-effectiveness despite higher noise levels and power consumption.
The speaker also highlights the benefits of Synology-branded drives for ensuring compatibility and performance, particularly in enterprise settings where reliability is paramount. Issues around firmware updates and supply chain challenges are discussed, advising businesses to maintain spare drives. Recommendations on drive speeds suggest slower 5600 RPM drives for home users due to minimal performance differences but lower costs.
Overall, the video emphasizes the careful selection of hard drives based on specific needs, brand consistency in RAID setups, and the importance of understanding drive specifications and compatibility, especially in business-critical environments.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses choosing the right hard drive for a Synology NAS system, though the advice broadly applies to other NAS brands as well. The speaker emphasizes caution with Synology-branded hard drives, preferring other brands unless using Synology hardware. Initially, from personal experience, Seagate IronWolf drives were chosen based on research and continued to be a reliable recommendation even after receiving free drives from various companies.
The video identifies three categories of drives:
1. **Shucked Drives**: Inexpensive external drives removed from their enclosures, offering a cost-effective storage solution.
2. **NAS-Specific Drives**: This includes popular drives like WD Red or Red Pro and Seagate IronWolf or IronWolf Pro, designed for NAS environments.
3. **Synology Branded Drives**: Made through a partnership with Toshiba, featuring custom firmware to ensure compatibility and optimized performance with Synology systems.
The speaker hints at further details on these categories, particularly starting with shucked drives.
00:03:00
In this segment, the presenter discusses the cost-saving strategy of using Western Digital Easy Store cases instead of NAS-branded hard drives, which can be significantly cheaper. The presenter describes the process of removing the hard drive from the case to use it directly in a Synology system, noting that these drives often contain high-quality drives like Western Digital Red or Seagate options. It’s explained that the price difference is due to a process called binning, where drives not meeting certain specs are sold at lower prices in external enclosures for non-commercial use. These drives don’t undergo individual failure testing but are tested in batches to ensure quality control. Some drives might come from batches that had more defects than usual, but they are generally fine for less critical use cases.
00:06:00
In this segment, the speaker discusses the reliability and suitability of different types of hard drives, particularly focusing on shucked drives and NAS drives. Shucked drives, which are internal drives removed from external enclosures, are noted for being more affordable but potentially less reliable, making them less suitable for business use due to higher failure rates and lack of warranties. The speaker advises thorough testing of these drives before using them.
The importance of vibration sensors in NAS drives is highlighted, explaining that these sensors prevent harmful vibrations caused by harmonics from identical rotation speeds in multiple drives. This feature is crucial for maintaining drive longevity, especially in systems with more than two bays.
The speaker also outlines the different classes of NAS drives offered by major brands like Seagate and Western Digital, naming specific product lines such as Ironwolf, Ironwolf Pro, and Seagate Exos for Seagate, and WD Reds, WD Red Pros, and WD Golds for Western Digital. The speaker hints at other considerations for choosing between these brands.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the controversy surrounding Western Digital’s practice of shipping SMR (Shingle Magnetic Recording) drives in NAS (Network Attached Storage) boxes without informing customers. The technology, while efficient in terms of storage capacity, presents significant performance issues in a NAS setup due to its need to rewrite large portions of the disk, which greatly increases latency and can slow down the entire RAID pool. This issue is particularly problematic for ZFS systems, where it can lead to crashes and prolonged rebuild times. The speaker criticizes Western Digital for the lack of transparency and explains that while SMR drives might be acceptable for external hard drives, they are unsuitable for NAS environments. Consequently, the speaker advises against purchasing Western Digital drives for NAS setups and prefers Seagate, which has not engaged in similar practices.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the importance of choosing the right type of hard drive for NAS (Network Attached Storage) setups, highlighting the disadvantages of SMR drives and recommending CMR drives for reliability. They particularly emphasize opting for Seagate rather than Western Digital, detailing three Seagate NAS drive options: IronWolf, IronWolf Pro, and Exos. IronWolf drives are deemed suitable for most consumers, whereas IronWolf Pro offers better warranties and data recovery, making them preferable for business environments. Exos drives, while louder and drawing more power, provide longer run times and are generally cheaper. The speaker strongly advises ensuring the purchase of SATA Exos drives over SAS drives for compatibility with most NAS devices. They conclude by noting the current challenges in hard drive supply due to COVID-19, cryptocurrency, and supply chain issues.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses recommendations for selecting hard drives, emphasizing the importance of consistency in brand choice when using RAID to avoid potential issues. They advise monitoring different pricing and availability, which can fluctuate significantly. The speaker advocates for Synology hard drives, especially for businesses, due to their optimized compatibility with Synology NAS systems, which can enhance performance for multiple users. They also address the higher price of Synology drives but argue that they ensure reliability and compatibility, which is critical for enterprise units. The speaker acknowledges a case where a third-party NAS drive, despite being on the compatibility list, did not function due to a firmware update issue, reinforcing the preference for Synology drives to avoid such problems.
00:18:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses issues associated with NAS drives, focusing on a problematic firmware upgrade that led to significant compatibility issues for a user, necessitating the return of equipment. The speaker explains Synology’s stance on ensuring compatibility to prevent such problems, emphasizing the importance of using Synology-recommended drives, particularly in business environments.
Additionally, the speaker highlights the ongoing supply chain issues that can complicate acquiring specific drives, advising businesses to keep spare drives on hand. The video also addresses the choice between 5600 RPM and 7200 RPM drives, noting that while 7200 RPM drives offer better performance, they are louder and consume more power. The recommendation for home users is to opt for 5600 RPM drives if they are cheaper, as the performance difference is minimal for typical usage scenarios. The segment concludes with a prompt for viewers to suggest tutorial topics in the comments.