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Yeah, that was my thoughts exactly. I have a synology ds212j, but im considering making my own xpenology, so that i can use Plex with transcoding capabilities. I can manage without ddns (i have static ip, and my own domain anyways). The only thing i would consider, (which seems to use Synology Quickconnect) is the Cloud solution for remote backup, for my family. But there is problably tons of ways to do that.. And i haven't really had any good results with Quickconnect service, actually i dont even bother using it in my current setup...

I'm with you.... The effort that has gone into making XPEnology is appreciated. The interesting thing (at least for me) is that this has been an interesting jumping point - or gateway to Synology products. After playing with it for a while, I've upgraded my parents from a D-Link NAS to a "real" Synology 2-bay device. I've also worked with a few friends, and recommended Synology devices on their networks. I've also started to look at some of the real Synology devices for home use - to replace my XPEnology box. Considering the "value" I place on my data - I'm not opposed to spending money on a supported platform. For my "data" NAS - there is a very good chance that I'll go this way within the next 6 months. For my secondary NAS (that I use for Plex and transcoding) - I wish that Synology would release something with a bit more horsepower. I suppose that this is where there is a decision point: A larger NAS that can support multiple RAID volumes, and an external PMS box might be the better way to go. (If a bit cost prohibitive) LOL - have to love first world problems.

Hi, created account to post here, works just fine on the ASRock N3150-ITX board, use the same advice given in the J1900 thread. Did not play with advanced stuff, as I am new to this but so far it's excellent(2x 320gb hdd's in Raid 1 and extra 3TB hdd, no raid). USB Key tested in the black I/O usb ports as well as front panel usb 2.0 on the case. DSM: 5.2-5565 Update 2 I added also an Intel PRO/1000 CT NIC as the onboard Realtek adapter did not deliver consistent speeds. Memory used: 1x KVR16LS11/8 Plex on local network works also ok, did not try transcoding yet. cat /proc/cpuinfo [spoiler=] =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= PuTTY log 2015.07.19 16:36:06 =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= login as: root root@192.168.1.204's password: BusyBox v1.16.1 (2015-05-11 02:57:09 CST) built-in shell (ash) Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands. NAS> cat /proc/vpuinfo cpuinfo processor : 0 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 76 model name : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3150 @ 1.60GHz stepping : 3 microcode : 0x33c cpu MHz : 1601.000 cache size : 1024 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 4 core id : 0 cpu cores : 4 apicid : 0 initial apicid : 0 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 11 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm sse4_1 sse4_2 movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes rdrand lahf_lm 3dnowprefetch ida arat epb dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid tsc_adjust smep erms bogomips : 3198.45 clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: processor : 1 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 76 model name : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3150 @ 1.60GHz stepping : 3 microcode : 0x33c cpu MHz : 1601.000 cache size : 1024 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 4 core id : 1 cpu cores : 4 apicid : 2 initial apicid : 2 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 11 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm sse4_1 sse4_2 movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes rdrand lahf_lm 3dnowprefetch ida arat epb dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid tsc_adjust smep erms bogomips : 3198.45 clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: processor : 2 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 76 model name : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3150 @ 1.60GHz stepping : 3 microcode : 0x33c cpu MHz : 1601.000 cache size : 1024 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 4 core id : 2 cpu cores : 4 apicid : 4 initial apicid : 4 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 11 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm sse4_1 sse4_2 movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes rdrand lahf_lm 3dnowprefetch ida arat epb dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid tsc_adjust smep erms bogomips : 3198.45 clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: processor : 3 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 76 model name : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3150 @ 1.60GHz stepping : 3 microcode : 0x33c cpu MHz : 1601.000 cache size : 1024 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 4 core id : 3 cpu cores : 4 apicid : 6 initial apicid : 6 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 11 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm sse4_1 sse4_2 movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes rdrand lahf_lm 3dnowprefetch ida arat epb dtherm tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid tsc_adjust smep erms bogomips : 3198.45 clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: NAS> exit I hope this answers your question.

Hi, somethink change in this ? Can I use GPU for transcoding audio and video in XPEnology ??? I thinking about buy some GPU to my n40l server but i dont know if this do the job. thx Brumia

I've got an N54L which I'll be using nanoboot on to run the latest possible DSM. At the moment I'm using it with gnoboot and an older version of DSM 5.0, and with Plex I'm maxing out when transcoding things for iOS devices, and it seems to be doing it even when playing to a device I know can play that file natively (not sure if Plex is transcoding EVERYTHING?) Anyway, I was wondering if I could add a GPU such as a Radeon 5450/6450 or nVidia card that would aid with the transcoding? And make it much easier when I need to work with the BIOS etc as none of my monitors have VGA and I had to borrow one to get it all setup. I guess it's not just down to the drivers being added as DSM/Plex for DSM would also need to know to use the GPU? I couldn't find much with a search at all, I know it would work using Windows Server but I'm liking DSM and the SHR system over something like FreeNAS. Cheers for any help and thanks to everyone who's helped make this all work so well.

Hi everyone, i was just wondering if the xpenology software (current version) is able to transcode to my I-devices like iPad, iPhone and Macbook...compared to an original synology server? I just saw this on the Synology website about Transcoding https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/faq/577 ...and i saw that the DS3615xs machine (which i have the current xpenology bootimage for) is stated as an Group 1 - Type 2 machine, which will not transcode either MKV, MP4, MOV, M4V files..nor either transcode to full 1080P, but "only" 720P..but the Type 1 machines will do it all almost?? Can someone more experienced explain me actually why? /Leon

Doesn't seem to work for me. It just keeps loading infinitely. That chart is specifically for the Synology Video station app that, I think, uses the hardware acceleration on the real Synology devices. However, Plex Media server can transcode most of the content without the hardware acceleration.While I mostly use my Plex for streaming videos from server to pc and tv. Transcoding to my Android phone seems to work fine. The difference between Plex and Video station is that you might get heavy cpu load during transcoding on Plex. If your processor is Atom, then it might choke completely.On the other hand, If its i3-i7,xeon, then it should be fine. After some testing, I came to the conclusion that Plex also supports hardware acceleration for certain video formats.

Hi everyone, i was just wondering if the xpenology software (current version) is able to transcode to my I-devices like iPad, iPhone and Macbook...compared to an original synology server? I just saw this on the Synology website about Transcoding https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/faq/577 ...and i saw that the DS3615xs machine (which i have the current xpenology bootimage for) is stated as an Group 1 - Type 2 machine, which will not transcode either MKV, MP4, MOV, M4V files..nor either transcode to full 1080P, but "only" 720P..but the Type 1 machines will do it all almost?? Can someone more experienced explain me actually why? /Leon

If you only need Plex then why not use Ubuntu or Debian? I run Plex on 5.2 XPEnoboot inside ESXI. So far it being running smoothly. However, I only watch either on PC or TV, so there is probably not that much transcoding going on. Oh I did have to install SPK from official Plex website, the one from Synology repo is not working properly.

I'm with DasMoritz on this - my Gen 8 is sitting 5 feet away from me in my office and it's quiet enough that I cant hear it during regular daily use. It's not silent - I can hear it if I concentrate on it - but it's not an issue I would even consider going through ESXI, VM's and extra RAM and so forth for! Note - The fan *is* bloody deafening when the thing boots but it then drops back to quiet mode as DSM loads. The fan speed will vary too - I've had it at full load transcoding films via Plex for a few hours and it's definitely gotten a little nosier. No idea what % speeds the fan is running at - but I've no need to find out as it's just not an issue for me. HTH

depends on what you do with your NAS. If you use Plex, and transcoding, more CPU power is better. DSM doesn't really use more memory, at least with the things I do with it.

So a little background... I currently have a Synology ds1812+ that is serving me well, but due to some media transcoding needs I am going to have, I want something much more powerful while keeping the Synology software. I have quite a few newbie questions that I don't seem to be able to find a post that directly answers. I have probably just missed it in the flood of information I am trying to take in, so if that is the case, I apologize. I am quite open as to what hardware to purchase, and that is one of the questions. All I know is that I would like a 12 or more drive hot swappable rack mount enclosure. The rest is pretty open. This would be a bare metal install. So some of the questions: 1. First and foremost, I have about 12TB of data on my current 1812+ that I want to migrate over. Can the WD red 4TB drives that I have currently in a single raid 5 on my 1812+ be used to install DSM on this new hardware without erasing them? Is this reliable or risky? I don't have the data backed up elsewhere and can't think of a cost effective way to back this up beforehand. 2. What is the difference in some of the images or methods? GNoboot, XPEnoboot, etc? Why use one over the other? 3. Is there a current hardware list kept somewhere so I don't have to worry about drivers? I assume its 4. Once this is up and running, can I get updates from Synology when the update files are released, or do I need to wait for someone to hack them in some manner to make them work? 5. It looks like many of the links on here with images are for much older DSM versions. Is there a "most current" link, and why would someone choose to use an older one? (i.e why keep the threads for those links open if they shouldn't be used by noobs?) I may do a trial install on a laptop I have lying around just to get a feel for how things go. Thanks for any help to get me started!

1. There are four 3.5" bays and one spot for an optical or 2.5" drive 2. You use USB as a boot drive 3. Depends, direct play your only limited by the throughput of your network, transcoding it will do 1 x 1080p stream, two would be pushing it.

I hav. 4gb op board. Running smooth incl full transcoding for plex. Power with 4 hdd is 90 watt laptop charcher

I hav. 4gb op board. Running smooth incl full transcoding for plex. Power with 4 hdd is 90 watt laptop charcher

Hello, I'm new here and i have an XPenology in a hold HP Pavillon CoreDuo with 3Gb of RAM. This one is working well but reset the bios at every reboot I've been searching and don't find the solution in this forum. To get this PC working under XPenology, i have burn the bootable iso to a CD-Rom and left this CD all the time in the PC ( the reset bios, make the boot to CD by defaut). It's working, but not perfect I've decidied to by a new motherboard and there is my needs : - Sharing files - DLNA, i've got RaspBerry with XBMC, don't plan to use "transcoding" with Plex. - Vidéo Station - Photos, with synology - A little bit of php/mysql - And maybe Minecraft for the kids The questions are : - AMD or Intel ? Intel : - ASRock Q1900M : http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00165901.html - ASRock Q2900M : http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00172128.html - ASRock Q2900-ITX : http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00172130.html AMD: - ASRock QC5000-ITX : http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00174924.html To the motherboard i plan to add, 2*2Go or 2*4Go of RAM. I think the QC500 are sufficient, but what about the Q2900M ? Thanks in advance for all your advices and feedbacks ! Sorry for my bad english ...

Hi all, I'm new to all this so please take it a little easy on me. I setup a DIY NAS with 12 HHDs. Volume 1: 3x2TB JBOD Volume 2: 9x3TB SHR 1 Specs: - AMD AM2 CPU 4core - AMD AM2+ Mainboard - 4 GB DDR2 - Gigabit LAN - 550W PSU Recently i noticed that the system is a little slow for my needs. (PLEX live video transcoding) Here is my question: Is it possible to change the hardware (CPU, MoBo, RAM) without having to re-install everything or at least without losing the data? Thanks for your advice.

Hi Guys, I'am planning to make a XPenology on this particular hardware (need Plex transcoding, 4 disk, low consumption). Kind of benjistark has. Box: Fractal Design NODE 304 Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-H97N-WIFI CPU: Intel® Core™ i3-4130T 2.9GHz RAM: 4G DDR3 1600 My question is as it should not consume that much, Can I use a power supply like Seasonic G-360 80PLUS Gold ? Also for this MB: - Can we use an invisible USB module to boot? Like this, I will not use an external USB port. - Do we need a USB 3 or USB 2 should be enough to boot? Thanks for your help.

I think video transcoding is something only the 'Play' versions of Synology NAS's are able to do and as Xpenology is based on the DSM from a 3614/15xs, which don't have the video transcoding options, this will most likely not be possible.

It all depends on what you want out of your hardware, or knowing what you want, and using capable hardware. example; My NAS is more of a mini-server for me. I use performance, but low power Intel CPUs. (Type T w/ 45W), and supporting hardware that is all compatible with VTd (direct IO), to pass through LSI controller for XPEnology raid array... this way DSM has direct access to hard drives, and they are only for DSM. My NAS is file storage, and Plex server that is capable of transcoding any media without breaking a sweat.. and handles all my media (NZBget, Sonarr, couchpotato, ect). It's also VPN access to my LAN from my mobile phone Then I have other VM's on the same machine; Windows 8.1 for Windows Media Center (to watch cable TV via cablecard and Xbox 360... you don't need to activate it to use it for WMC extender/server). I also have a linux VM for just playing around with linux, capable of compiling android source, ect, ect. Storage looks like this: 128GB SSD for my VM's. All physical hard drives for DSM array. DSM iSCSI LUNs to give additional storage to my other VMs (like WMC's live TV buffer, and DVR'd shows).

Guten Abend, ich habe mich nach mehreren Jahren als Synology Nutzer dazu entschlossen nun selber einen Server zu bauen, da meine Anforderungen mittlerweile deutlich gewachsen sind. Die neuen QNAPs sind durchaus dazu in der Lage, meinen Anforderungen gerecht zu werden (vor allem QvPC und die Virtualisierungsstation). Allerdings bewegen sich die Preise in astronomischen Höhen. Also die Hardware ist zum Teil schon bestellt, bei der Wahl des richtigen Betriebssystems bin ich jedoch noch nicht sicher. Meine Anforderungen sind: - 24/7 Betrieb (wollte ein Raid 5 mit 4x6TB WD RED aufbauen, Filesystem ebenfalls noch unklar) - Webserver für mehrere Webseiten (Upload von 40 Mbit/s vorhanden) - HTPC - Medienserver und -Player (Ausgabe über HDM direkt an den TV) + Streaming an andere Clients (eventuell auch Transcoding für Zugriff über das Internet) - Backups von diversen Clients - Verwaltung aller anfallenden Dateien (bei mir vor allem sehr viele Fotos, Musik und Videos) - Virtualisierung von Windows 8.1 oder Server 2012, vielleicht später auch noch eine Linux Distribution Zur Auswahl stehen meiner Meinung nach - FreeNAS - OpenMediaVault - Xpenology - natives Windows Server 2012 Kann ich mit Xpenology diesen Anforderungen gerecht werden? Ich denke jetzt im speziellen an die Virtualisierung. Kann ich Windows virtualisieren, sodass dies auch auf alle Freigaben und Dateien auf den Festplatten zugreifen kann? Des Weiteren kam mir die Idee, vielleicht später noch eine SSD einzubauen und für den Webserver zu nutzen, sodass dieser 24/7 online ist, die HDDs jedoch bei längerer Nichtbenutzung in den Standby gehen? Danke für eure Hilfe!

Does PLEX support hardware transcoding at all?. Would adding a GPU help? I didn't take into consideration to only upgrade the CPU since there not many AM3 CPUs considerably faster. And the TDP for some is 125W.

The transcoding is done by your CPU. I think your CPU does not support hardware transcoding for the format that you are using in PLEX. So your CPU is soft-transcoding it which results in slow/bad video. Can you tell us which CPU and mainboard you are running? Most likely to resolve this you need to upgrade your CPU. Some AM2+ mainboards have a BIOS update available to make it possible to run a AM3 processor in it. Check your mainboard manufactuers website to see if it does. It can save you money in that way by upgrading only the CPU.

I did read the question and answered it giving an honest unbiased opinion with real world use cases based on my experience and thought process, which can only come from explaining my situation. That way the OP can make an informed decision based on his real world situation. Leaving a high performance machine on 24/7 when you don't need all that raw power all the time may not be a good choice for some people and electricity isn't going to be getting any cheaper any time soon. If people are using their NAS as a NAS is generally intended to be used then pure horse power isn't the priority most people tend to go for a balance of economy and performance. Your "personal" opinion seems to be coming from a very narrow view point and while I agree with some of your points as I have stated there are reasons why they may not be applicable to everyone. I agree the Gen8 is a better number cruncher only a fool would think other wise, but that comes at a cost and that cost is around 20W which is significant if you don't need that sort of processing power. A file server doesn't need that much power although people running encryption or compression would see a benefit. The Gen8 isn't as flexible when it comes to modifications it's very limited on space for hard drive mods etc. that may well be a consideration for some people while it clearly isn't a concern to you personally at this moment in time. ILO is a luxury not a necessity unless you are living in a server farm or some remote location. The reality for the rest of us is we use our NAS devices in our domestic environments you know normal houses or apartments etc. Many of us have access to a TV or monitor capable of connecting to computer. I imagine most people are smart enough to either carry a monitor to their NAS or NAS to monitor whichever is most convenient as and when they need to. If that's not an option then they can always edit the grub menu assuming they have brains enough to use a text editor which the average people are capable of in my experience. So ILO is anything but a must have feature unless you're very lazy or way to dumb to work without it. And I totally agree with you my machines are low powered in every sense of the word! And I'm neither ashamed or embarrassed by that fact, it doesn't make my dick any bigger or smaller than yours, and the thing that matters is what you do with it and whether all parties involved are satisfied. I have had no complaints about the quality of my file shares nor the size of my dick so all is well in my little world! I don't disagree with you in the least bit on the points you have made and my only point is that choosing which NAS you want to live with isn't just a matter of buying a unit with a powerful CPU. Plenty of memory can be a major advantage over CPU grunt in many instances which involve regular file transactions and not transcoding. If people want a Media Centre device they aren't looking at the same things as people wanting a traditional NAS experience there is a very important distinction between the two use cases! I and many others expect our NAS to be a NAS and our media players to be media players, we don't necessarily want to compromise in either respect by building a machine that is neither one thing or the other. I have tones of machines that can play media directly from the file servers...I don't need a dedicated media box and that is the case for other people as strange as that may seem to you! I totally disagree that buying a Gen8 is the best options for everyone even if the price of the units were exactly the same. The fact of the matter is they both perform differently and lend themselves to different applications. It's also a fact that you can't add two more 3.5 drives in a Gen8 and for some people myself included that's an issue that can't be worked round unless you install 2.5's. USB 3 and additional NIC's can be added to a Gen7 and the average home user can live without ILO. Some people may need two expansion slots and the built in external eSATA port? The reality is all the units can be better or worse when it comes to individual needs and wants! It's not a pissing competition it's being realistic based on real world applications in order to tick the most boxes to achieve what you require from a NAS/Media machine. I repeat I do not disagree with much of what you have said although I totally disagree with the importance you seem to give to the inclusion of ILO in a domestic environment. I have no idea what the licensing deal is in that respect either from what I have read it seemed to me that you do not get access to all the ILO features without buying a licence. I'm more than happy to be corrected on that if my understanding is incorrect which you seem to be indicating. From what I have read there are inn fact limitations associated with the free licence for Gen8 Microserver owners and here is one post that seems to confirm that iLO licence for G8 Microserver. I'm guessing based on what you have said and what they say on that thread that you have access via iLO for 25min's when using the free package. I also assume from what you have said that the free license feature set is usable for the average user in a home environment? It would also seem to be correct to state that iLO does involve an additional cost if you want the full features available via iLO? Which in my experience tends to mean that all the nice stuff to have is locked away by the vendor, and the limited free portion is a crippled basic utility that acts as a carrot/gateway to your wallet. I'm sure people with a genuine interest can weed out the chaff form the contributions we have made to the thread! And I accept that not everyone will see things from the same perspective as me, and not everyone's requirements match mine. But there maybe a tiny minority of crazy people out there that want their NAS to simply be just that call us old fashioned if you like. Hopefully our points of view have been of some benefit to the OP which is the whole point of a forum after all. If the Gen8 turns out to be the best fit for him then that's cool with me - it's a great little box if it ticks the boxes for him. It's also good to know that the Gen8 works well for you and what you have said has been useful to me...so thanks for that.

You seems to have low needs and you can't reed the question. The guy need to transcode video. The N54L is not a good choice. For a file server there's no problem but if you ask more to your server like Plex it's good enough but considering the price difference, the 1610T is a better choice. If he need more power, he can upgrade to a xeon. If you look at the quality build, there's a huge difference between G7 and G8. I really don't care about your needs and nobody cares here. rs6mra ask a question and I answer it. You only write about you and you are not the subject here. Considering the rs6mra's needs, the G7 is NOT a good choice at all. When the Gen8 was twice more expensive it was a good value but now it's not anymore. Access to a monitor? You kidding right? A server has never a monitor attached in. If it is, it's simply a desktop computer. And ILO is free when you stay on boot process. You can get one free licence as you want so it's not a problem for a non professional user. It should be interesting that you separate your need and other's when someone asking for advice. You have poor installation, great for you but everyone hasn't your simple needs. And transcoding is really not in your needs...