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The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => D-Link Storage => DNS-323 => Topic started by: stevied26 on November 09, 2010, 08:59:47 AM

Title: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: stevied26 on November 09, 2010, 08:59:47 AM
I have a DNS 323 and it's been working fine for over a year now. Just waiting for something to go wrong or the thing to brick it.

With all the 'bad press' (usual from forums) and slow network speeds especially during file transfer I was thinking about getting a second NAS.

Can anyone suggest an suitable alternative that is of similar price but with better functionality and speed. The synology NAS range seems to get a good press.

Thoughts/ opinions?

Thanks
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: amunoz_tico on November 09, 2010, 09:24:11 AM
Dear friend,

I don't sure if a DNS-323's user can help you with this request.

There are a lot of products in the market, some of them with more features but more expensive.  Try to evaluate products from Iomega, Cisco, Netgear, Buffalo, Western Digital, QNAP, etc.

Go to Amazon and search for NAS =
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_hi_4?rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A!493964%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A1292110011%2Cn%3A13436301&bbn=13436301&ie=UTF8&qid=1289323302


Also, go to Google and search a review for the NAS that you want.

Regards!
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: gunrunnerjohn on November 09, 2010, 10:41:50 AM
I'd look at the Synology DS210j, three times the speed and a similar price, $200 at many places.  Here it is, shipped free: http://www.amazon.com/Synology-DiskStation-Diskless-Attached-DS210j/dp/B002XQ3C0E
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: Biscotte on November 09, 2010, 11:07:21 AM
(Six and a half posts a day) GRJ said:
I'd look at the Synology DS210j, three times the speed and a similar price, $200 at many places. 

From comments like the above, I bought a Synology DS210j
If you do the same:
 - Get used to pass-wording everything
 - Unbelievably obscure interface
 - Guess the name of firmware update area
 - Six ways of mirroring your drives
 - Two ways to not mirror your drives - one of which involves setting up your directories in the cranky interface - no other way
(and by the way my son is looking for a well paid IT programming job .  .  .  probably need not apply(?)).
 - no volume one and volume two
 - have to take it to bits with a screwdriver to change or to upgrade discs
 - NO SPEED DIFFERENCE on my gigabit set up

Stick with the DNS-323

Biscotte
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: gunrunnerjohn on November 09, 2010, 11:10:39 AM
If you're getting no difference in speed, you have a SERIOUS network problem, it's not the Synology box.  ::)

Since you're so unhappy with it, I'll be glad to make you an offer for 50% of the purchase price.
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: Biscotte on November 09, 2010, 11:26:36 AM
GRJ - Oh self acclaimed font of all knowledge

 - I had noticed your obsession with speed.  I'll stick with Fordem advice ta very much. 
 - 50 percent - yawn! Is that on top of the ten percent for recommending this kit?

And go troll the synology site


Advice - stick with the DNS-323

Biscotte
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: gunrunnerjohn on November 09, 2010, 11:29:32 AM
I doubt you actually own this box anyway. ;)
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: Biscotte on November 09, 2010, 12:22:22 PM
(http://file:///q:/IMG_2183.JPG)
(http://\\MUSICA\Volume_1\IMG_2183.JPG)

If i knew how, i would post a screen dump of the overpriced door stop

Or attach a photo

B






Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: stevied26 on November 09, 2010, 12:39:00 PM
DNS is fine but severly limited on speed especially when transferring files.

I just don't like the feeling of 'when' not 'if' for the final breakdown. true this could happen to many of the systems but seems the norm for the dns.
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: shadowsports on November 09, 2010, 01:46:45 PM
Based on what's out there, the Synology is a great box for it's price point.   ;D

Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: gunrunnerjohn on November 09, 2010, 04:18:45 PM
(http://file:///q:/IMG_2183.JPG)
(http://\\MUSICA\Volume_1\IMG_2183.JPG)

If i knew how, i would post a screen dump of the overpriced door stop
The purchase offer is still open. :D
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: chriso on November 09, 2010, 09:44:54 PM
I'm sure DLink is happy to hear from a dissatisfied Synology customer.   ;)
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: tfiveash on November 11, 2010, 11:16:45 PM
(Six and a half posts a day) GRJ said:
I'd look at the Synology DS210j, three times the speed and a similar price, $200 at many places. 

From comments like the above, I bought a Synology DS210j
If you do the same:
 - Get used to pass-wording everything
 - Unbelievably obscure interface
 - Guess the name of firmware update area
 - Six ways of mirroring your drives
 - Two ways to not mirror your drives - one of which involves setting up your directories in the cranky interface - no other way
(and by the way my son is looking for a well paid IT programming job .  .  .  probably need not apply(?)).
 - no volume one and volume two
 - have to take it to bits with a screwdriver to change or to upgrade discs
 - NO SPEED DIFFERENCE on my gigabit set up

Stick with the DNS-323

Biscotte


Seriously! I own them both and the Synology is far superior. Sure it is a little more to setup but it is called flexability.  You bet I like the password setup. I have users that can access only one directory and others that can access a lot. By the way you don't have to setup any passwords if you don't want to. I use the automatic backup through the USB and Esata every night on mine. Can you do that with your DNS-323? I think not you can't even get the printer to work through it. I have the ISCSI working between our offices and that is not even available on the DNS-323.  Also, when was the last time we got a genuine update from Dlink to fix the problems they have. Having to put in four screws to hold in the hard drives is no big deal. I have not removed any drives from my DNS-321 or DNS-323 since I put them in so the ease of removal really does not help me.

If you are looking for a simple unit and don't care if some of the features work then stick with the DNS-323 but if you want features and flexability then go with the Synology. If you cannot see that then maybe you need to stick with the DNS-323.
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: userzweig on November 12, 2010, 01:37:03 PM
Can you just take the drives out of the dns-323 (non-raid, just 2 drives setup) and put them in the synology?  One of my dns-323 drive bays is behaving badly (any disk in bay 1 fails scan, but passes in bay 2, and I am probably out of warranty at 18 months of service), so I'd like to get something that would be easy to switch to.
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: Buhric on November 12, 2010, 01:45:04 PM
Advice - stick with the DNS-323

I have the D-Link DNS-323 and the Synology DS-210+
Both boxes are plugged in a D-Link gigabit switch (DGS-1008D)
My main computer is also plugged into that same switch...
that switch in plugged to a Linksys WRT610N router

I don;t have jumbo packets activated on my computer
speed wise the Synology is at least 4x faster,
transfering a file from my PC to the DNS, it does about 12MB/s, in the synology its arround 60MB/s

Password wise, on the DNS if you password protect 1 folder, no "guest" can access any unprotected folder...
to access them, they need an account on the DNS, not so with the Synology....

Regarding the "Volume", The DNS-323 will create a volume# by default, if not in raid and automaticaly share it
The Synology does not create them by default, but you can manualy create a volume per disk,
then create folder in them via Windows, don't need to use the Interface....
The interface is used to create shares... same has the DNS-323, to create Shares you need to use D-Links Interface....

Why guess anything... the places are cleary indicated.... Control Panel... DMS Update

Has for using screws, well it works with any size of hard drives.... in my Synology I have half height Seagate drives.... so they are loose inside the DNS... and I need to put a paper wedge to keep them from vibrating / ratling the DNS....
With the Synology, yes its more "hard" to change the drives... but honestly, are you changing the drives that often ? I have the DNS-323 for about 2.5 year... it still has the same drives I put inside when I bought it...
The Synology, had it for now 4-5 months...

I moved all my daily files to the Synology to have faster access to them....
the DNS-323 now contains backups and Application "Installation packages"
So I used it once in a while.... when I'm re-installing a computer... or doing a backup of my computer...


So don't get me wrong... I love my DNS-323, but its to slow for what I do.... I dont want to wait 3 minutes for a file to transfer when it can be done in 20 seconds...
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: gunrunnerjohn on November 12, 2010, 03:11:29 PM
I'm still trying to buy that unwanted Synology NAS. :D
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: Elpinnen on February 07, 2011, 04:50:48 AM
This is wy my next box will be a Synology...


Password wise, on the DNS if you password protect 1 folder, no "guest" can access any unprotected folder...
to access them, they need an account on the DNS, not so with the Synology....

Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: enigmab17 on February 07, 2011, 05:05:36 AM
Don't know about Alternatives really...in all honesty I love my DNS-323's.

They are currently acting as my media server and a backup server for the media server, and currently they have done most of what I have asked of them with no modding required.

In a few months will be getting another 2, basically going to have 2 data drives and 2 backups, so my hope is my 2 new ones will act as my primary nas and my 2 dns-323 will sit in the background as a backup device when required.

Synology stuff intrigues me however comes off as a little too expensive, personally going to wait for this 325 to come out and see what the reviews are like before I make any hard decisions. :)
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: MJBURNS on February 08, 2011, 05:20:03 PM
Reading this thread is amusing, but it's pretty much an exercise in intellectual masturbation. If both units have gigabit interfaces, there must be a bottle neck elsewhere in their respective systems to explain the speed difference. Do these units have any significant RAM in them to buffer data transfers? The one odd thing I find about these cheap NAS systems is the lack of a RAM slot. My cheap HP printer had a slot that allowed me to load it with 512MB of RAM for $50. I hacked my gen 1 Tivo almost a decade ago and put 512MB in it to speed it up. Using a few gig of RAM in a NAS for buffering would seem like a cheap way to speed the network interactions considerably.
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: MJBURNS on February 08, 2011, 05:36:51 PM
OK, I'll bite. The previous post I had to edit a zillion times because the forum kept staring out (***) every time I used the two words "h-a-l-f g-i-g" or "h-a-l-f g-i-g-a-b-y-t-e" (obviously without the hyphens). It finally took it when I used "512MB". What the hell is that about?!?!?
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: McPillager on February 09, 2011, 08:51:10 AM
For what it worths, I have to say DNS-323 is stable and trustworthy. It works wonderfully, so far. I know it may not be a rocket speed device but I have tried others and trust me values such as safety, feature list, interface, responsiveness and robustness are more important than speed.

BTW, my problem is that the 2 x 1.5TB disks are almost full and I'll need to expand soon. Any ideas on how to do it effortlessly without putting my data in danger, of course?  :)
Title: Re: Alternative to DNS 323??
Post by: Cliff on February 09, 2011, 11:13:44 AM
I also went through this decision tree. I looked at the synology but ended up getting the QNap TS-219P
http://www.qnap.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=122 (http://www.qnap.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=122). I think the synology is a good choice as well.

What helped me pick the QNap was the inclusion of an eSata port. Also, now that I have this box and have worked with it I am still extremely pleased with it. One nice feature which I use is an automatic incremental backup to another QNap across the internet. Off-site backup issue solved.

Good luck