Aug 13th 2024
Network-Attached Storage (NAS) is one of the most flexible types of storage a business can use. They include many features that can keep your business running smoothly in office and remote environments. However, a NAS system is only as good as the hard drives in it.
With NAS systems you can use any hard drive and brand you want but not every drive is going to perform the same. Most ordinary hard drives are not built to handle the tough workloads of a NAS system. NAS chassis have both vibrational and heat challenges, due to the tightly packed drive bays and multiple cooling fans, that many drives struggle performing under.
However, there is a great hard drive solution out there that is designed especially for NAS environments, the IronWolf and IronWolf Pro drives by Seagate! These drives have extra features built in that allow them to excel in NAS systems where other drives fail.
Seagate’s IronWolf drives have some great features such as:
- AgileArray: This set of hardware, firmware, and software features enhance all in-system performance and reliability. This covers everything from error recovery, RAID optimization, vibration tolerance, and power management.
- IronWolf Health Management: The Health Management software allows you to monitor the health of the IronWolf drives installed in a NAS system. Seagate IHM monitors drive health status, provides suggested actions (preventative and immediate), and offers even more accuracy in predicting drive failure.
- Rotational Vibration (RV) sensors: RV Sensors help to balance the disk pack and helps to ensure the drive is vibration free when in use. This allows higher performance in multi-bay systems.
Seagate has also partnered directly with Synology. This means all Synology NAS systems are 100% compatible and optimized to run with Seagate drives. You can confirm the Seagate compatibility with your Synology NAS system on Synology’s Product Compatibility List.
Synology has also integrated IronWolf Health Management as a feature in the Synology DSM since their partnership in early 2017. If you aren’t positive if your Synology NAS has IHM or supports IHM you can check out this IHM Support Chart by Synology.