Synology RackStation RS4021xs+ 16-Bay NAS Enclosure

The Synology RackStation RS4021xs+ is a high-performance, 16-bay 3U rackmount NAS enclosure designed for large-scale business and enterprise environments that demand exceptional throughput, robust data integrity, and extensive scalability.

Key Features

• Processor: Features an Intel Xeon D-1541 8-core 2.1 GHz CPU (burst up to 2.7 GHz) with a hardware encryption engine (AES-NI). This provides substantial processing power for demanding applications and concurrent users
• Memory: Comes with 16GB DDR4 ECC UDIMM RAM, expandable up to a maximum of 64GB across four DIMM slots. ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory is crucial for maintaining data integrity in professional environments.
• Drive Bays: Offers 16 x 3.5″/2.5″ SATA drive bays, which are hot-swappable for easy drive replacement and expansion without system downtime.
• Scalability: Highly scalable, the RS4021xs+ can be expanded up to 40 drive bays by connecting two Synology RX1217 or RX1217RP expansion units. It supports a maximum single volume size of 1 PB (with 64GB RAM) or 200 TB (with 32GB RAM).
• Networking: Includes 2 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) RJ-45 ports and 4 x Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE) RJ-45 ports, all with Link Aggregation and Failover support for high throughput and network redundancy.

Specifications

• PCIe Expansion: Features 2 x PCIe 3.0 x8 slots (x8 link). These slots allow for significant upgrades such as additional 10GbE or 25GbE network adapter cards, or M.2 NVMe SSD adapter cards for read/write cache acceleration.
• External Ports: Provides 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly USB 3.0) ports and 2 x Infiniband expansion ports for connecting expansion units.
• RAID Support: Supports a comprehensive range of RAID configurations including Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and RAID F1, providing flexible options for data protection and performance optimization. RAID F1 is specifically designed for all-flash arrays to balance SSD endurance.
• Redundant Power Supply: Features dual redundant power supplies (800W) to ensure continuous operation and minimize downtime in case of a PSU failure.
• Operating System: Runs on Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM), Synology’s robust, intuitive, web-based operating system, offering a vast array of applications and services.
• Performance: Capable of delivering impressive performance, with reported figures up to 6,258 MB/s sequential read and 234,698 4K random read IOPS (with optional 10GbE NICs and optimized configurations).
• Drive Compatibility: While it supports various 3.5″ SATA HDDs and 2.5″ SATA SSDs, Synology strongly recommends using Synology’s own brand of drives (HAT5300 series HDDs, SAT5200 series SSDs, and SNV3000 series NVMe SSDs) to ensure full compatibility, optimal performance, and access to all features and support.

Applications & Use Cases

• Centralized High-Capacity Storage: Serves as a primary storage solution for massive datasets, large archives, virtual machine images, and high-resolution media files in corporate environments.
• Enterprise Data Backup & Disaster Recovery: Offers comprehensive, license-free backup solutions for the entire IT infrastructure:
  • Active Backup for Business: Protects Windows PCs, physical servers, VMware/Hyper-V virtual machines, and file servers.
  • Hyper Backup: Enables flexible backups to local destinations, other Synology NAS, rsync servers, and public cloud services (including Synology C2).
  • Snapshot Replication: Provides near-instantaneous, scheduled point-in-time copies of shared folders and iSCSI LUNs, with an RPO as low as 5 minutes, crucial for rapid disaster recovery.
  • Synology High Availability (SHA): Pairs two RS4021xs+ units in an active-passive cluster to ensure minute-level failover and maximize service uptime.
• Virtualization Storage: Certified for major virtualization platforms like VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, and OpenStack, providing high-performance iSCSI or NFS storage for virtualized environments. It can also host virtual machines directly using Synology Virtual Machine Manager (VMM).
• Advanced Surveillance Solution: Functions as a powerful Network Video Recorder (NVR) with Synology Surveillance Station, supporting up to 90 IP cameras for large-scale security deployments with 24/7 recording, intelligent video analytics, and private, subscription-free storage.
• High-Performance File Server: Delivers exceptional file sharing performance for multi-user environments, supporting various protocols (SMB, NFS, AFP, FTP, WebDAV). Ideal for creative agencies, engineering firms, and other data-intensive organizations.
• Office Collaboration & Productivity: Hosts Synology’s suite of collaboration tools (Synology Drive, MailPlus, Chat, Office), allowing businesses to create a secure, private cloud for file synchronization, email, instant messaging, and document editing.
• Private Cloud Infrastructure: Enables organizations to build and manage their own private cloud, offering greater control over data privacy, security, and compliance.