Synology Disk Station DS409+ NAS Device

The DS409+ can also function as a media server. Built-in UPnP support allows any UPnP-compatible networked device to connect to the DS409+ and play supported media files. The DS409+ also has an integrated iTunes sever, which includes the option of password-protecting iTunes access. The device's integrated Audio Station application lets users play supported audio directly via a browser-based interface. Similarly, the Photo Station app can be set up as a photo-sharing site and blog. Another feature of the DS409+--often found only on business-class NAS devices--is the ability to access up to 10 IP cameras as a surveillance station. The DS409+'s Download Station app allows you to download files via BitTorrent, FTP, HTTP, NZB, and eMule directly to the NAS device; you can schedule downloads to take place during off-peak hours.

UPnP settings.	Synology Download Station.

Nearly all of the DS409+'s features are also accessible via a remote Internet connection. To do so, you will need to know your public IP address or use a Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service--the DS409+ includes DDNS support. If you plan on accessing the DS409+ remotely, you will also likely need to open a few ports on your router in order to unblock the connections. The DS409+ supports two different means of remote file access: In addition to FTP access, the DS409+ also includes a browser-based interface, called File Station, for accessing data on the NAS device. Most of these applications have user-level control so you can grant access to only the users you want.

Synology File Station.	Managing installable packages.

The "applications" are built into the DS409+'s web interface. However, there are also optional "packages" that can be downloaded and installed as well. For instance, the Website usage and mail server modules are packages available as downloads from Synology. Additionally, as the DS409+ uses Linux as its underlying operating system, advanced users could install additional Linux-based apps and other modifications as well to the DS409+--Synology provides some documentation on modifying the DS409+ here.

Disk Station Manager interface.	Disk Station Manager Status screen.

The browser-based interface for the DS409+, via which all of these features are managed, is called the Synology Disk Station Manager. The current version is 2.1, but the version 2.2 update is currently in public beta and should be released soon. The new version includes a number of additional features, such as a DLNA-compliant media server, iPhone support, a built-in firewall, Apple Time Machine support, SMS notification, a resource monitor (providing metrics on the "Disk Station's CPU usage, memory usage, network flow and volume usage"), and adding video playback and music album artwork support to the iTunes server.

Synology Data Replicator Windows app.	Synology Download Redirector Windows app.

The DS409+ includes two applications that can be installed onto Windows and Mac systems. The Synology Assistant locates the NAS device on the local network, launches the Synology Disk Station Manager, maps shared folders as drives, and includes an Add Printer wizard. The Download Redirector allows you to redirect file downloads to the DS409+'s Download Station app. A third app, Data Replicator--which is for Windows systems only--is for automating scheduled backups of data stored on local systems to the NAS server. While there isn't currently a local backup client for the Mac, the forthcoming Disk Station 2.2 should solve that problem with its Time Machine support.