Question 1

Did this NAS come with a Windows install? I only see Mac OS listed in the Amazon specs, but know this product supports both systems.

Accepted Answer

This NAS does not come with a Windows Install or a MAC OS install.  It is running linux as the base OS.  That said, this NAS has support for Windows file sharing and MAC OS file sharing.  So essentially you can setup either Windows or MAC to access files on this device.I hope that helpsRick

Question 2

I want to use this to keep my data safe and backed up with less headache. Can and how would you recover data from the drives if the unit itself fails?

Accepted Answer

In my case, my unit failed and Synology sent me an exact replacement (which has been working fine) and, once the exact replacement arrived, I simply inserted the drives into it and fired it up and all was good, even the configuration.  If you're asking whether you can get to the data from the unit's drives itself if you don't have replacement hardware, I myself have not looked in to that.  Though, I have the unit perform an automated nightly backup to an external drive.

Question 3

Can you add larger drives to this unit and have it auto rebuild the raid? I am trying to decide between this and the  Drobo.

Accepted Answer

Yes, it can do that. You have to start the rebuild process but from there, it rebuilds with no further input. Synology Hybrid RAID (similar to RAID1) will use the space most efficiently and allows expansion by adding larger drives.

Question 4

I already have a DS411, which is underpowered and doesn't have USB 3. Can I just move the HDDs in my DS411 to this and be done?

Accepted Answer

Sounds like a question for Synology tech support.  I would bet that you would have to be running the same version of DSM on both units first.  But then you could run into problems if they were configured differently.Regardless of what Synology tech support says, I would DEFINITELY backup my data to another system, before just popping my DS411 drives into the new unit.Good luck!  Let us know what they say!

ASIN	B00FWUQY5I
Brand	Synology
Computer Memory Type	DDR3 SDRAM
Customer Reviews	3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars (333)
Date First Available	October 5, 2013
Hard Drive	16 TB Portable
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	No
Item Dimensions LxWxH	12 x 10 x 10 inches
Item Weight	4.63 pounds
Item model number	DS414
Manufacturer	Synology America
Number of Processors	2
Number of USB 2.0 Ports	1
Product Dimensions	12 x 10 x 10 inches
RAM	1024 MB

Synology DiskStation 4-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage (DS414)

Description

Specifications

Reviews

Common Questions