Stronger, Newer, and More Exceptional! TerraMaster's 423 Series Welcomes a Brand-new Upgrade

[TMroy]

Since the release of the 423 series TNAS based on the x.86 platform by TerraMaster in March 2022, 22 months have passed. As an upgrade to the 421/221 series, the 423 series is equipped with an Intel Celeron N5105/5095 CPU, 4GB DDR4 memory, two 2.5GB network ports, two M.2 NVMe sockets, and runs on the new generation TOS 5 operating system. With its outstanding performance and cost-effectiveness, the 423 series quickly became a star product in TerraMaster's TNAS product line, with cumulative global shipments exceeding 100,000 units.



Now, nearly two years later, TerraMaster has introduced the upgrade to the 423 series: the 424 series. The brand-new 424 series adopts the Intel 12th Generation CPU Alder Lake N95, 8GB DDR5 memory, two 2.5GB network ports, two M.2 NVMe sockets, and adds a USB Type-C host interface and a USB Type-A interface, achieving a 40% improvement in overall performance compared to the previous generation. It's worth mentioning that a more powerful version, the 424 Pro, has also been launched, equipped with an Intel Core i3 CPU and up to 32GB DDR5 memory, catering to the needs of individuals and business users who demand higher performance. The 424 series will come with the new generation TOS 5.1 operating system and can be smoothly upgraded to the TerraMaster TOS 6 operating system in the future.



TOS 6 represents a new chapter in TerraMaster's operating system, demonstrating outstanding improvements in performance, usability, and aesthetic design compared to its predecessor. Currently, TOS 6 is in the insider preview phase, and we plan to release its beta version to the public shortly, inviting everyone to experience this brand-new operating system together."



In terms of exterior design, the 424 series incorporates TerraMaster's brand-new design concept, undergoing substantial optimizations based on user requirements. Not only does the overall appearance appear more sleek and elegant, but the installation of hard drives has also been simplified. Moreover, considering users' needs to replace memory and install M.2 NVMe SSDs, a removable sliding cover has been specially designed, allowing for easy installation by simply unscrewing two screws. Significant improvements have also been made in noise reduction, with optimized internal structural design and added measures to suppress noise diffusion, resulting in a significant enhancement of active noise reduction performance in the new generation of products, achieving a 50% reduction in overall noise levels compared to the previous generation.

The 424 series comprises three models: F2-424 (2-bay), F4-424 (4-bay), and F4-424 Pro (4-bay), catering to the demands of home users, SOHO, and small businesses for high-performance NAS.

The 424 series will be available for purchase in China, the United States, and select European markets soon and will soon be fully launched in other markets. Stay tuned!

https://www.terra-master.com/global/pro ... 4-pro.html
https://www.terra-master.com/global/pro ... 4-148.html

[Kanuki]

Here is the idea for your F5-424 Pro or Fx_425

- At least 2 or 3 slots of M.2 NVMe slots

- Give user the ability to choose where to install the TOS
either on the NVMe SSD pool or HDD pool if they have at
least 2 x NVMe SSDs installed.

- The balance NVMe SSD usable capacity will be configured
as caching tier using either RAID1 or RAID0 mode for HDD capacity tier.

- Built-in TOS migration tool.
Let say I install TOS on HDD pool originally and then I install
2 x M.2 NVMe SSDs. TOS can allow me to migrate TOS from HDD pool
into SSD pool.

- At least 1 x 10Gbps Base-T port.
Since NVMe SSD cache is extremely fast so the user can really benefit
from 10Gbps Base-T this time.

P.S. Please give me one unit of F5-42x if you want to follow my idea.

[epsilonion]

Some great suggestions, I plan on adding USB network adaptor in the future as my NAS only has 1Gb ports

The problem is that they are slow on software, its one of the only downsides of Terramaster

[crisisacting]

- At least 2 or 3 slots of M.2 NVMe slots

Terra-Master would need to choose an inexpensive CPU/SoC with far more PCIe lanes than the 9 on the i3-N305 used in the current 424 Pro to both support more NVMe slots than the existing 2, along with more bandwidth to them as currently it's just ×1 per slot.

- Give user the ability to choose where to install the TOS
either on the NVMe SSD pool or HDD pool if they have at
least 2 x NVMe SSDs installed.

User selectable system drive is an upcoming feature of TOS 6, so they are already working towards offering this option.

- The balance NVMe SSD usable capacity will be configured
as caching tier using either RAID1 or RAID0 mode for HDD capacity tier.

Hypercache has a dependency on the amount of RAM of the TNAS, so an increase of the RAM capacity allows for a larger hypercache, if that's what that was meant to request.

- Built-in TOS migration tool.
Let say I install TOS on HDD pool originally and then I install
2 x M.2 NVMe SSDs. TOS can allow me to migrate TOS from HDD pool
into SSD pool.

With the above User selectable system drive feature forthcoming, that will likely include processes to remove all system partitions on other drives. As far as pool migration or renumeration, that could be a future option alongside that system drive feature.

- At least 1 x 10Gbps Base-T port.
Since NVMe SSD cache is extremely fast so the user can really benefit
from 10Gbps Base-T this time.

When the majority of consumers don't possess network equipment with anything higher than 1 Gbps, that's an unnecessary feature that'd add to the overall cost of the device, especially when the 424 Pro already has 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports which people are slowly adding to their networks, due to its reasonable acquisition pricing for equipment.

Moreover, they already currently offer the higher U× series as well as the T×-450 series models for those who actually need 10 Gbps.

It's a trickle down feature; it'll eventually be available on future SMB TNAS series devices when the market can afford/bear it or it's integrated into the future SoC which powers the unit.

If you want flexibility on the smaller SMB TNAS series devices, maybe they could offer an expansion PCIe slot (minimum wired for ×8 but physically ×16 or open ended) for those who'd like to expand on the network capabilities or even add something like ThunderBolt to their unit (which Terra-Master could then offer for sale & officially support within TOS since it'd be first party).

[Kanuki]

- At least 2 or 3 slots of M.2 NVMe slots

Terra-Master would need to choose an inexpensive CPU/SoC with far more PCIe lanes than the 9 on the i3-N305 used in the current 424 Pro to both support more NVMe slots than the existing 2, along with more bandwidth to them as currently it's just ×1 per slot.

Perhaps.. move to AMD Ryzen Embedded then.

- Give user the ability to choose where to install the TOS
either on the NVMe SSD pool or HDD pool if they have at
least 2 x NVMe SSDs installed.

User selectable system drive is an upcoming feature of TOS 6, so they are already working towards offering this option.

That's good to hear.

- The balance NVMe SSD usable capacity will be configured
as caching tier using either RAID1 or RAID0 mode for HDD capacity tier.

Hypercache has a dependency on the amount of RAM of the TNAS, so an increase of the RAM capacity allows for a larger hypercache, if that's what that was meant to request.

Not quite what I meant. What I meant is something like having 2 arrays on the same physical NVMe drives.

Example;
Let say I have 2 pcs of 512GB NVMe SSD.
I take half of each NVMe drives eg; 256GB + 256GB and configure as RAID1 for system drive (TOS + Apps).

I still have 256GB on each NVMe SSD untouched. So I take 256GB on each NVMe SSD and configure as RAID0
so I will get 512GB that can be used as HyperCache. Might want to call something else (maybe like InteliHyperCache)
so that people may not get confuse.

The idea is to fully utilize NVMe SSD performance to its full potential.

- Built-in TOS migration tool.
Let say I install TOS on HDD pool originally and then I install
2 x M.2 NVMe SSDs. TOS can allow me to migrate TOS from HDD pool
into SSD pool.

With the above User selectable system drive feature forthcoming, that will likely include processes to remove all system partitions on other drives. As far as pool migration or renumeration, that could be a future option alongside that system drive feature.

That's good to hear but not sure how the process is going to be like.
What I have in my mind is something like 3 steps process and it's done.

Step 1) Open TOS migration feature
Step 2) Choose new system disk pool.
Step 3) Confirm and wait.

The next thing I know is the TOS moved to the new disk pool
and TOS in the old disk pool is gone and reclaim back into the data pool.

- At least 1 x 10Gbps Base-T port.
Since NVMe SSD cache is extremely fast so the user can really benefit
from 10Gbps Base-T this time.

When the majority of consumers don't possess network equipment with anything higher than 1 Gbps, that's an unnecessary feature that'd add to the overall cost of the device, especially when the 424 Pro already has 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports which people are slowly adding to their networks, due to its reasonable acquisition pricing for equipment.

Moreover, they already currently offer the higher U× series as well as the T×-450 series models for those who actually need 10 Gbps.

It's a trickle down feature; it'll eventually be available on future SMB TNAS series devices when the market can afford/bear it or it's integrated into the future SoC which powers the unit.

If you want flexibility on the smaller SMB TNAS series devices, maybe they could offer an expansion PCIe slot (minimum wired for ×8 but physically ×16 or open ended) for those who'd like to expand on the network capabilities or even add something like ThunderBolt to their unit (which Terra-Master could then offer for sale & officially support within TOS since it'd be first party).

Maybe it has 2 ports of Base-T which Port 1 is just simple 1Gbps and Port 2 is multigig (1/2.5/5/10Gbps).
This will really benefit from my InteliHyperCache idea.