Users of NAS servers from the manufacturer QNAP are in luck, because the new version QTS 5.2 and QuTS hero h5.2 have already been released for all models of the brand. After months of testing by launching different beta and RC (Release Candidate) versions, in recent days they have launched the new versions in the “stable” phase for all NAS server models. If you want to know all the new features that are included in the final version, below you will find all the details.
The manufacturer QNAP releases updates to its operating system on a fairly regular basis, both to correct malfunctions in the operation of the equipment, as well as new versions of all the software inside it, to always be up to date and not have any security flaws of any kind.
What’s new in QTS 5.2 and QuTS hero h5.2
QNAP has incorporated a lot of new features in this new version, most of the new features are for both types of operating systems, both QTS 5.2 and QuTS hero h5.2. We must remember that the main difference between these two operating systems is that the first one uses the EXT4 file system, while the second uses the advanced ZFS file system to have the best possible data integrity. A very important aspect is that QTS is available for all models (except those marked as ZFS), while QuTS hero is available for mid-range and high-end models, since it requires a higher consumption of processor resources and RAM to work.
A very important new feature is that the SMB service has now been “separated” from the operating system, and is now an independent application so that we can easily update it from the App Center. An important aspect is that SMB acceleration technology has now been incorporated in kernel mode, which translates into better performance in both reading and writing, and without high processor consumption. This improvement will be especially noticeable if we use SSD storage, so all-flash NAS will greatly benefit from this important improvement. Of course, we also have the possibility of multi-channel SMB, which is a really interesting feature, to add the bandwidth of two network links, without the need to do a Link Aggregation.
Now in the “Security Center” we have a feature that will monitor unusual file activity, this means that it can detect possible ransomware, and preemptively protect data. When suspicious behavior is detected in a file, we can automatically block it and leave it in read-only mode, or make a backup, in order to minimize the risk and avoid data loss due to ransomware threats.
Other improvements incorporated into the operating system include the addition of SED compatibility with the TCG-Ruby standard, so we can encrypt all the data on the drive and respond to the needs of data processing companies in terms of complying with data protection regulations such as the GDPR, among others. The backup of the system configuration has also been improved, as well as the possibility of restoring only what we want. Now in the restoration process, we can select certain configurations and not everything.
If you use myQNAPcloud to centrally manage your different NAS, you can now upload a list of applications, and as soon as you register a new NAS, all of them will be downloaded completely automatically without having to go through each application. In addition, we also have integration of the NAS in the domain service, and you can log in by entering these access credentials.
QNAP has also greatly improved the startup and shutdown of the NAS, according to the manufacturer, it is now up to 30% faster than before in QTS and up to 50% in QuTS hero. This is one of the main weaknesses of the manufacturer’s NAS, and it is that, when we have many services running, it is really slow to turn on and off the server. Finally, the manufacturer has made official the utility of NetBak PC Agent in Windows systems to make backups, a tool that is coming out of the beta phase.
