Multi-Client CIFS Performance for Professional Workloads

NAS units used in SMBs / SMEs need to provide good performance under heavy load from multiple clients. The SPEC SFS 2014 benchmark uses real-life workloads (just like Intel NASPT), but makes it easier for users to understand the benchmark results. This is achieved by using the concept of business metrics. Given a particular NAS unit, how many concurrently accessed databases can reside in it? How many IP cameras or video streams can be simultaneously recorded? To determine this metric, each load point is associated with a target required op rate. If the NAS under test doesn't meet that op rate, it is deemed as an 'invalid run'. SPEC requires all published benchmarks to follow certain strict rules - such as presented results having no invalid runs for at least 10 load points. Unfortunately, small-scale NAS systems with 7200 RPM drives can't meet these requirements, Hence, we can't officially publish SPEC SFS 2014 benchmark results for the evaluation of the QNAP TS-451+.

Using a popular filer benchmarking program, we did play back multi-client real-world professional workload access traces on the NAS using up to 10 Windows 7 VMs. However, failing to meet the required op rate criteria at a particular load point made us stop the testing a couple of load points down the road. The QNAP TS-451+ with four 7200 RPM hard drives in RAID-5 can support recording of 10 or more video streams, 5 or less databases, 4 or less software builds and 2 or less virtual desktops.

Database Operations

The Database Operations workload seems to get / doesn't seem to get acceptable performance for up to 5 clients.The detailed metrics from our trace playback are available here

Database Operations - Op Rates

Database Operations - Bandwidth and Latencies

Software Builds

The Software Builds workload seems to get / doesn't seem to get acceptable performance for up to 4 clients.The detailed metrics from our trace playback are available here

Software Builds - Op Rates

Software Builds - Bandwidth and Latencies

Video Recording

The Video Recording workload seems to get / doesn't seem to get acceptable performance for up to 10 clients.The detailed metrics from our trace playback are available here

Video Recording - Op Rates

Video Recording - Bandwidth and Latencies

Virtual Desktops

The Virtual Desktops workload seems to get / doesn't seem to get acceptable performance for up to 2 clients.The detailed metrics from our trace playback are available here

Virtual Desktops - Op Rates

Virtual Desktops - Bandwidth and Latencies

Multi-Client CIFS Performance for Consumer Workloads Multi-Client NFS Performance for Professional Workloads
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  • mwituni - Thursday, November 19, 2015 - link

    As an existing QNAP user, I don't know how any QNAP NAS's can be seriously considered for any awards, nor why they do so well on reviews.

    They entice buyers with fancy options, but are not interested in developing applications users need.

    SVN (Subversion Source Control) is the most popular and source control software in use, yet QNAP have been promising a proper SVN-server application since 2009, and still not delivered! How can users take them seriously - they're obviously not interested in developing applications the community needs, only the minimum needed to trick buyers into purchasing and evaluators to award prizes. They claim you can install SVN by an outdated method - which is very risky and outdated by a few years, and in my experience does not work at all.

    They have a GIT client, so can claim they "have" source control applications. But no SVN support.
    Their marketing department needs to kick the development team into gear.
  • krazyderek - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link

    maybe you should should join everyone else and switch to GIT ;) https://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Git-and-Other-Syste...
  • gnalley - Saturday, January 23, 2016 - link

    Don't try to use this device as a standalone windows domain controller. The SAMBA and DHCP implementations are missing two CRITICAL components for it to work.

    Samba is missing the ability to do DNS Forwarders...and DHCP does not allow you to input the OPTIONS command. Both of these functions are critical to having a working solution. If you want a standalone MS Domain Controller that works. Look elsewhere.
  • StaksOnStaks - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link

    I noticed the model tested was the 8GB. Any sense of how the performance would compare to the 2GB? For example, I noticed the Synology DS415+ was very close in the performance, but only has 2GB. Would the 2GB version of the QNAP TS-451+ perform as well compared to the Synology DS415+?

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