TerraMaster OS (TOS) 4.1 Software Introduction

TerraMaster might not be as well-known as some of the other NAS brands, but they’re surely doing what they can to change that. They deliver quality devices and continue to improve on their software too. Today, we’re looking at version 4.1.x which means that it’s time for another software article. In the past, we’ve already had a look at TOS 3.x and TOS 4.0 which you can check out too if you’d like to. While they aren't relevant as such anymore, they do show how things have progressed. This article should be considered as part of TerraMaster NAS reviews done on this site. Instead of using a lot of time describing the same features in every review, we’ve split the software part into its own article. That saves us some time which we can put into fresh and exciting articles and reviews. TerraMaster Operating System (TOS) TerraMaster hasn’t been a NAS player as long as some other brands, but their OS shines with great features nonetheless. The OS works the same way that you are used to it from your PC with a desktop, icons, and a taskbar. You get all the user and sharing options you could want with cross-platform sharing to almost any system. There’s a simple mobile companion app as a bonus. It will allow you to sync your photos from your mobile to your NAS. It will also allow you to browse the files on the server. Local connections are easy, but so are remote connections. TOS supports TerraMaster’s own TNAS.Online DDNS service as well as noip.org and dyndns.com. With either of the services, you get a memorable link to your NAS, which you then can use to get access to your server no matter where you are. Easy to Use, and for Everyone One advantage of a NAS is the easy management and control of things. In fact, it is the underlying idea behind this type of devices. Even novice users who are new to the entire area of NAS devices will be able to utilise these devices. You don’t need a degree in computer science or years of experience to use TOS. If you can read what’s on the screen, you can do it. That’s not a lot, which makes it is open to almost anyone. There’s also a help system built into the OS for when you need a little more information. The OS isn't just easy to use, there's also something for everyone. Data security is an important factor, whether you run your NAS for business reasons or when it’s just as centralised storage for your memories and media files. And you get that. Business users will enjoy functions such as the webserver, version control, mail server, SQL database, WordPress plugin. And those are just some of the options. Everyone can enjoy the Transmission download server while the ClamAV antivirus app can help protect you from malicious files. Synchronisation with cloud options, such as Dropbox and ElephantDrive, are no problem either. However, we must admit that a core function, performed by most NAS devices, is the multimedia functions. Even if they don’t have direct outputs for audio or video, they can stream to almost any device. Mobile devices, computers, TVs, and other smart devices can easily access all your media files stored on your TerraMaster NAS. New in TerraMaster OS Version 4.1 Besides fixes and optimisations, there are some new functions in this version too. New features offered in TOS 4.1 include the functionality of a Network UPS and USB UPS. With Network UPS, users with multiple NAS devices from TerraMaster on the LAN can use one UPS to provide service simultaneously. Additionally, connecting USB UPS can safeguard against data loss in the event of power failure. It ensures that the system enters safe mode, places a block on all further services, and unmounts existing data volumes. A range of flexible cloud solutions have been packaged by TerraMaster into the TOS 4.1 update. Cloud Sync allows users to synchronize files stored using OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox with their NAS device, while Cloud Sync offers efficient data usage and automated data redundancy via 2-way synchronization between various NAS servers. As an add-on package, users can turn their NAS into a virtual private network (VPN) server. This allows TOS 4.1 users to access resources shared on TerraMaster’sNAS devices on the local area network over the Internet. Additionally, LDAP Server (previously known as Directory Server) turns the NAS device into an account management hub, facilitating the central provision of authentication services to all connected client accounts. Business-level TerraMaster NAS servers can provide iSCSI services with the new iSCSI Target application, offered in TOS 4.1. As a result, a NAS device running the operating system can be conveniently used as a dedicated storage server that provides iSCSI target storage. In the most recent version of the application, the stability and usability of the user’s networked storage environment have been improved. TOS 4.1 also offers an efficient RAID expansion enclosure, benefitting from efficiency and simplicity due to centralized management. NAS Detection and Initialisation The initialisation of your new TerraMaster NAS is easy, painless, and also very quick. It will only take a few minutes, and you’re ready to utilise your brand new NAS. TNAS PC and TNAS Mobile The easiest way to locate your new TerraMaster NAS is the TNAS PC application. It is available for PC and MAC as well as mobile systems. It can quickly find all TerraMaster NAS on your network. Then, all you need to do is connect to it. A simple double-click on your NAS will open the initialisation in your default browser. The guide only has a few steps, but they’re needed. If the application can't find your NAS, make sure the LAN cable is connected properly. If it still can't find it, try switching LAN port. It shouldn't make a difference, but sometimes it does. This is general knowledge for all networking devices. TerraMaster OS Installation Before we get to continue, the NAS will check the installed drives’ health state. Once health is confirmed, we can install the latest version of the operating system. It can be automatically downloaded from the internet or manually provided with a local file. The latter is needed for the event that your NAS doesn’t have an internet connection. The installation speed will depend on your internet connection if you pick the automatic download. Either way, it won’t take long. After the installation, the NAS will reboot before you get to make the final settings. Admin Details The NAS will need some details for your admin user. This includes the password and the timezone for the device. Welcome to the Graphic User Interface Now that the basic setup is done, we can log in as the admin user. The login screen will load automatically once the system is ready for it. The OS desktop works the same way you’d expect it from other web sites. In previous versions, you had to double-click icons to launch apps and function. Now TerraMaster returned to single clicks which makes everything more uniform when compared to other sites and devices with similar functionality. There is a taskbar at the top of the screen with notifications, external storage connection, and user features. There’s also a system information widget which will pop in from the bottom right corner. The amount of information will depend on your setup, and the area will grow when needed. The first time you log in, you will also be greeted by the TOS Help. You can prevent it from popping up again with the checkbox in the bottom corner, should you not wish to see it again. Firmware/OS Update Since you just installed the most recent version during the setup, there most likely won’t be a new OS version. Still, you should check it and make it a regular priority to check whether your device needs an update or not. New updates and patches improve your security and add new features. You’ll most likely also be prompted as soon as you log in if there is a new version available. Storage and Network Management TerraMaster OS has most of its functions located within the control panel, which includes the storage and network functions. The only exception at this point is when you're dealing with iSCSI. Storage Management – Volumes and Pools Within the control panel, we find all the storage oriented features, starting with the drive volumes and storage pools. The two are separated, allowing you to create pools without forcing volumes on them. While the volume page shows the assigned drive volume, capacity, and file system type, the Storage Pool shows which drives are utilised for the pool. Both pages allow you to create and delete the respective parts of your setup. Hard Drive Details The drive details are all located under the Hard Drive pane. This includes a general overview, hard drive details, S.M.A.R.T. details, and IronWolf health. The latter is only shown when IronWolf supported drives are installed. The drive overview is very simple. It shows the drives installed, their size, and state. The most important information at a glance. Moving on to the Hard Drive page and you get all the individual drive details. This includes health and serial numbers. Disk S.M.A.R.T. is what you'd expect, all the drive details on a single page. There isn't a whole lot to say to this. Advanced health information is available for Seagate IronWolf drives which don't just tell you when something is wrong, but often is able to predict that errors will occur soon, thus allowing you to change a drive before the damage happens. iSCSI Virtual Disk Virtual drives can also be connected with ease, assuming you know what they are and need to. External Storage Externally connected drives can also be viewed in this section. TerraMaster OS users can format and eject them from this menu item besides viewing the state. Hot Spare Hot Spare drives are awesome. They allow you to have an installed but not utilised drive which automatically will take over from a failed drive. This will guarantee uptime when it matters. This is particularly useful for all TerraMaster's 5-bay units which are almost like they're designed for this function. Create a normal 4-drive setup and have a 5th drive ready for a worst-case situation. iSCSI Target and LUNs If you need to set up iSCSI, you'll need to install that part from the Applications app. It only takes a few seconds to install and then you'll be able to use all these functions as you need. Create and mount targets as needed. The only setting available here is for the available queue depth. Networking The networking settings are all found within the control panel too. It starts out with the general networking options. The general settings include the device name and access information. This includes ports and information responses. Next, we have the available network interfaces. How many and which will be available here depends on the model and its functionality. Here we see two Gigabit connections which aren't connected and one 10GbE which is. Where multiple connections are available, you have the option to bond and link them. Whether you want load balancing, failover, or both - you have the options. Having a NAS on a WiFi connection isn't smart, at least not in my opinion. Still, there might be reasons to do so and naturally, TerraMaster devices support this too. You'll need a USB adapter connected though. VPN is mainly a business-oriented feature, but not solely. TerraMaster NAS' support various options here such as PPTP and OpenVPN. As with WiFi, Proxy setups are rare with NAS devices. While rare, they aren't implausible, and naturally, we have all the needed settings to make this work too. File Services and Connections File services are needed for you to connect to your NAS and TerrMaster OS offers you what you need. Samba/CIFS, AFS, and NFS are all supported, allowing you to connect from close to any kind of system. Each page has a few settings, but not a lot. However, they will tell you the links and how to connect to them too in case you don't know. Remote connections are also easy with FTP, Rsync, Telnet, and SSH. You can see the available settings for each of those on the next couple screenshots here. Web Server and Virtual Hosts With both a standard web server and support for virtual host setups, it's a breeze to use your TerraMaster NAS to run your website and domain. While the feature set of the webserver is basic, it is there and it will be enough for most people's needs. If you need more, you also got more available. Virtual host setup is just as easy as everything else. Set the hostname and link it to a folder. Done. Discovery Services TerraMaster OS supports both UPnP and Bonjour for easy discovery of your device on your network. Some people might prefer to keep those function off and they are by default. Users, Groups, and Shared Folders You can not have a NAS without three things, users, user groups, and shared folders. Well, you can, but it is a lot less fun. You can also leave out the groups, but believe me, they make the management a lot easier. Users Users are the cornerstone which allows people to connect securely to your NAS. Each user has individual rights and you can make a lot of them. Enough to satisfy even the most demanding setups. Each user has their own access rights and details, allowing you to distribute rights as they're needed. User Groups Instead of micromanaging all your users, you can add them to groups and set the rights for that entire group. A lot of the time, many users will need to have access to the same things and groups make that easy. Shared Folders Users won't do you much good without shared folders. After all, they are where you store your files. TerraMaster OS can not just create empty folders and share them, it can also share ISO files as folders. Each folder can have its own access rights, allowing you to give access to only what you want to share. ISO files can be mounted to simulated folders too, allowing you to easily share grabbed disk images from your NAS. LDAP/Domain While most home users are satisfied with ordinary sharing, it isn't enough for all companies. Luckily, TerraMaster OS supports LDAP and Domain setups too. You'll find all the settings and options you'd expect. But whether you need this function or not isn't something that I can predict. Various NAS Settings We completed the network, storage, and privileges, which means that we’re close to through with the basic setup. We have taken care of most settings, but there are more options worth a look. Regional Settings The regional settings start out with the time. Your NAS needs the correct time in order to timestamp files and logs correctly as well as to trigger events when you want them to happen. This section includes everything you'd expect, including NTP synchronisation function. It continues with the language settings. This includes the display and notification language as well as the codepage for non-Unicode filename conversation. The NAS itself can also act as an NTP service for your local network. Why have every single device on the network check an external source when a single one can do it and then tell the rest. Be smart. Hardware and Power There are a few aspects of the hardware which you can control and one of them is the built-in fan. By default, they will operate on a smart mode which adjusts the speed according to needs based on the temperature. It is also possible to set the speed manually in three steps from low speed to full speed. This page also allows you to set the number of minutes before the installed drives enters sleep mode. Power behaviour after an outage and scheduled power times are other features which you have access to. Last but certainly not least, TerraMaster OS also supports UPS for that extra power safety. Notifications Notifications are logged on the server, but they can also be sent to an email address. That way, important errors, network trouble, drive failures, and similar incidents can be fixed as soon as humanly possible. Security There aren't a whole lot of default security features, but there are a few. One of them is the use of SSL certificates for secure connections. There's also a basic firewall function. Account security consists of automatic blocking of accounts on failed logins. And there is a simple Denial of Service protection too. Update and Recovery The last things to look at on this page are the update and recovery functionality. It starts with the Software Update function which can update TerraMaster OS to the latest version available. That is, of course, if you don't already have it. The function also offers access to the latest beta versions, should you want to be among the first to check out the newest stuff. Your system configuration can also be exported, and imported, in this section of the control panel. Lastly, there is the option to reset everything to factory defaults. Information and Monitoring The last part of the basic features is the information and monitoring system. This is also found in the control panel which is a bit unusual, but not wrong. Information and Status Let us start with the information. First, we have the Hardware Information. Here we get basic information about the CPU, memory, and cooling of the unit. Service Status The fastest way to check whether a service is running or not is in the Service Status. All the built-in features are shown here with extra information where applicable. Resource Monitor The Ressource Monitor allows you to get a clearer picture of everything. The different parts all have their individual pages. The CPU is detailed by core and over time. The memory is also shown with a time graph. A general summary is shown at the bottom. The storage information is limited to a pie chart of used space for each volume. Network bandwidth is divided by connection. You can view individual ports as well as the bond you’ve created. Last but not least, you can look up which processes take up all your CPU time or memory. System Logs The system logs keep track of, yes you guessed it, the events. The logs are divided into groups such as HTTP, Samba, FTP, SSH, etc. Logs can also be exported. Basic Applications You can add a lot of extra functions through apps, but not yet. There are a few built-in apps too, ready to use as soon as you get your NAS up and running. That includes various backup and restore functions. Backup and Restore Data The built-in backup functionality starts with the Rsync function. Create your tasks and let it sort itself. MacBook and iMac users will love the Time Machine backup function, allowing the clients to use the NAS for automated backups. There's also a function to view the stored backups on the NAS. However, the most simple form of backups is through USB devices. TerraMaster OS supports this in both directions. Remote Connection Connecting to your NAS when you're on the go is important for a lot of people. TerraMaster supports this too with their own and free DDNS service called TNAS.online. With this service, it's a lot easier to connect remotely. Third-party DDNS providers are also supported with DynDNS and NoIP. File Manager There's also a basic file manager built into the OS. With it, you can easily browse through and organise your files directly in your browser. Functionality Expansion Through Apps We’ve created a basic NAS setup with all the previously seen features, but it doesn’t have to stop there. You can add a whole lot more through the applications. With a powerful CPU, plenty of RAM, and a multitude of connection ports, there’s the power to run a lot.