QuTS hero operating system, optimized for enterprises
QuTS hero NAS – the preferred choice for highly reliable ZFS storage solutions
The ZFS-based QuTS hero operating system not only prioritizes data integrity and security but also offers advantages in optimizing SSD applications that other file systems cannot match. QuTS hero NAS provides a variety of storage solutions that fully utilize the benefits of ZFS, including a rich selection of HDD+SSD hybrid storage models, assisting enterprises in seamlessly integrating them into their IT infrastructure.
Why QuTS hero NAS?
QuTS hero NAS boasts a comprehensive product line, meeting storage requirements from small to large enterprises.
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High Performance
Multicore processors provide efficient computing power for handling heavy data workloads in enterprises. Various models also come with dedicated SSD slots, a key factor in boosting performance.
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High Reliability
Data integrity is of utmost importance. The ZFS file system prioritizes data security and system stability above all else.
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High return on investment
Powerful real-time data reduction technology maximizes storage space efficiency. Multiple SSD optimization techniques enhance SSD durability, providing a cost-effective storage solution.
3 types of QuTS hero NAS
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All-flash NAS
Break through performance bottlenecks and achieve low latency. Combines powerful ZFS data deduplication capabilities with QNAP's SSD optimization technologies to enhance SSD performance and extend its lifespan.
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Hybrid storage with HDDs and SSDs
A hybrid storage architecture optimized specifically for ZFS applications, allowing you to add SSDs to increase cache capacity without sacrificing storage space in HDD bays.
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High-capacity HDD storage
ZFS offers a highly reliable storage solution that can seamlessly integrate JBODs for expanding capacity up to petabyte-scale storage, meeting the demands of explosive data growth and management, while ensuring the proper protection of critical business data.
Core functions of ZFS,
optimizing enterprise operational efficiency and IT infrastructure
Ensure data integrity and prevent data corruption
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The unique RAID-Z logical disk management of ZFS
It has a more robust fault tolerance compared to RAID configurations in other file systems. It supports Triple Parity, providing three levels of redundant fault protection, and Triple Mirror, offering up to three levels of data mirroring protection – significantly enhancing the level of data protection. In addition, users can flexibly expand ZFS RAID-Z capacity with a single hard drive.
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Automatic data checksum
ZFS has self-healing capabilities to prevent silent data corruption. It conducts checksum verification for all data blocks and automatically repairs any detected errors, ensuring data integrity and accuracy.
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WORM (Write Once, Read Many)
By enabling WORM, written data cannot be overwritten, modified, or deleted. This ensures the integrity and immutability of archived data for a specified period, making it suitable for specific use cases and compliance retention policies.
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Proactive damage prevention
When the health of a hard drive reaches a critical threshold, the system promptly migrates data to a spare disk and seamlessly integrates it into the existing RAID. This eliminates the need for time-consuming RAID rebuilds that can take days or even weeks, resulting in a more stable and secure system operation.
Maximize the use of memory and SSDs to achieve higher read and write caching performance
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Multi-tiered caching for both read and write
Besides main memory read caching (L1 ARC) and SSD read caching (L2 ARC), ZFS supports ZFS Intent Log (ZIL). Data is initially written to the ZIL storage space before being collectively written to disk, significantly reducing latency and noticeably improving performance. ZIL also features power failure protection to safeguard unwritten data from corruption in the event of an unexpected power outage.
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Layered read and write caching space
By creating a Dedicated ZIL – SLOG, the ZIL and read cache (L2 ARC) data are stored separately in different SSDs. This dedicated space handles write and read loads separately, not only improving the overall system performance but also benefiting the utilization and lifespan of SSDs.
Efficient data deduplication and compression algorithms
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Inline data deduplication
Removes repeated data before writing it to disk, leading to substantial savings in storage space and maintaining optimal disk capacity.
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Inline compression
Shrinks large files to smaller sizes, helping to reduce the actual I/O load on backend storage and achieve accelerated access. In VDI environments, this can significantly streamline virtual desktop operating system files, making them more cache-friendly and boosting operational performance.
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Inline compaction
Merges small data into the same block space, assembling fragmented data into complete blocks to significantly improve space utilization. This is particularly beneficial in scenarios with high data redundancy or frequent access to small-sized data (such as transaction logs for banks or business websites), where the benefits of improving SSD space utilization are particularly evident.
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Large folder space
A single ZFS shared folder space supports up to 5 PB, helping enterprises overcome challenges in massive data storage for current big data analytics, edge computing, AI applications, and more.
Enhance performance and extend SSD lifespan
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Reduce random write behavior
QNAP's proprietary Write Coalescing algorithm organizes scattered and random data into sequential order, consolidating write blocks to minimize read and write operations. As a result, the system significantly reduces random write behavior on SSDs, not only enhancing the write performance of an all-flash configuration but also contributing to the durability and lifespan of SSDs.
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Restore SSD performance
As SSD data is written over time, its performance may decline. You can enable SSD TRIM, allowing the system to inform the SSD about which data blocks are no longer in use and can be safely erased. This effectively prevents the slowdown in write speed associated with new data.
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QNAP's exclusive QSAL (QNAP SSD Antiwear Leveling) patented algorithm
Automatically adjusts data writing behavior for SSD RAID configurations, thereby spreading the lifespan of multiple SSDs to prevent simultaneous reaching of the write limit in SSD RAID. This helps avoid RAID crashes and data loss.
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Enhance SSD write performance and durability
In addition to the default reserved space provided by the disk manufacturer, you can flexibly set additional over-provisioning space for SSDs (Software-defined SSD Extra Over-provisioning) ranging from 1% to 60%, based on application requirements. This helps prevent slowdowns in write speed while improving stability and disk lifespan.
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Ensure storage pool write performance
Storage pool over-provisioning allows you to flexibly reserve a specific proportion of space within the storage pool. This enables new data to be written in a complete, contiguous large block, preventing fragmentation and ensuring optimal write performance when the storage pool is nearly full. For write-intensive workloads with high performance requirements (such as SQL logs, backups, surveillance, and medical imaging), setting a higher storage pool over-provisioning can significantly maintain performance levels.
When big blocks are written to hard drives
When small blocks are written to SSD
Virtualization for optimizing IT resources
Cost-effective virtualization storage
Compatible with VMware® vSphere™, Microsoft® Hyper-V®, and Citrix® XenServer™ virtualization platforms, it also supports iSCSI/NFC/Fibre Channel protocols, providing enterprises with high-capacity virtualization storage.
Improved iSCSI read performance by socket zero-copy
In high-speed data transmission, iSCSI performance is possibly affected by CPU overhead. Socket zero-copy technology significantly offloads CPU resources, thus improving read performance for iSCSI LUN.
iSCSI Read Performance (25GbE x5)
Tested in QNAP Labs. Figures may vary by environment.
Test Environment:
NAS: TS-h2490FU (AMD EPYC 7302P 16-core), Samsung 970 EVO SSD x12, Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx NIC, 25GbE x5
Client: Intel Xeon E-2124 3.3 GHz x3, Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx NIC, 25GbE total 5 connections
Running enterprise virtual machine applications
Virtualization Station allows you to run virtual machines on your QNAP NAS. With features such as virtual machine live migration, dynamic memory allocation, hardware acceleration, and high availability (HA)(Coming soon), flexibility and service stability are greatly enhanced.
Deploying the runtime and storage environment for containerized applications
QNAP NAS is the only NAS brand that supports three core container technologies - LXD, Docker®, and Kata Container. Using Container Station, you can quickly enable microservices, and select and download applications from around the world via Docker® Hub/LXD image servers.
Enhance cybersecurity and safeguard enterprise privacy
Rapid VPN network deployment
Organizations can run QuWAN SD-WAN services on the NAS to quickly establish a Mesh VPN for remote offices or employees. This facilitates easy access for corporate employees to join the company's internal network system. QuWAN enables the swift implementation of enterprise networks while ensuring security and stability.
Defend against malicious software
Use Malware Remover to regularly scan the NAS, and stay up-to-date with the latest definitions of malicious software. In the event of an attack, it promptly removes infected files to help enhance the security level of the NAS.
Establish a host-based firewall
Utilize QuFirewall to configure firewall allow/deny rules for the NAS to filter specific packets. It supports GeoIP functionality, allowing/blocking access from specific countries’ IP addresses to enhance network security.
Proactively monitor NAS system status and file activities
Security Center actively analyzes and monitors NAS system status, file activities, and potential network security threats. It conducts security risk assessments to assist you in taking immediate protective measures, preventing data loss and addressing security vulnerabilities.
Enhanced SMB 3 signing and encrypted file transmission
QuTS hero supports AES-NI hardware acceleration to increase data signing and encryption/decryption efficiency over SMB 3.0 (Server Message Block). This ensures the protection of important data while maintaining high system performance.
Supports AES-128-GMAC for SMB signing acceleration
It greatly increases data signing efficiency over SMB 3.1.1 and enhances the CPU utilization of the NAS system. (Only applicable in Windows Server 2022 and Windows 11 clients)
The more RAM, the higher ZFS performance
Recommended configuration for QuTS hero NAS
We recommend you to follow these steps to acquire optimal storage efficiency and performance for QuTS hero.
QuTS hero or QTS?
Make your choice based on this information.
Explore more QuTS hero features
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Optimal Storage with Boosted Performance
A robust and reliable storage, serving as the ultimate support for enterprise IT.
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Data Protection and Security
Enterprise-grade storage solution designed for data security.
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Implement QuTS hero NAS now
With robust hardware, powerful performance, SSD acceleration, and PCIe expansion, QuTS hero NAS meets the stringent and diverse requirements of enterprise environments with high stability and efficiency.