I primarily use my Synology DS1813+ as Network Attached Storage for my VMware vSphere home lab. That said, it’s role in my home office has grown to include:
- Syslog Server
- CIFS (Windows File Share) Server
- SMTP (Email) Relay Server
- Media (DLNA) Server
So for use as a VMware storage target, what sets the Synology DS1813+ apart from your other run of the mill home NAS? Here are the top features that have made it a killer device for my lab:
- x3 1GB NICs, bonded via LACP for 3Gbps bandwidth
- Support for SSD TRIM
- Support for MTU 9000 (Jumbo Frames)
- Support for Cloud Backup (Amazon Glacier)
- Both iSCSI and NFS capabilities
- Support for Active Directory / LDAP user accounts
As seen below, I’ve taken 3 of 4 NICs and created a LACP bond:
Synology DS1813+
