QNAP Turbo NAS Systems Get New User Interface, New Features

On Tuesday QNAP Systems released Version 3.1 of the firmware-based management software for its line of Turbo NAS storage servers. This free download -- for owners of most QNAP Turbo NAS models -- adds usability features and a change to the user interface.

New technical features include support for up to eight virtual disks via network iSCSI expansion and QNAP RAID Recovery, which the company says can deal with unintentionally removed RAID 1, 5, or 6 drives.

In addition, the Version 3.1 update improves Network Discovery Services with support for the zero-configuration Bonjour protocol for HTTP, SAMBA, FTP, AFP, and SSH-based networks. There's also EXT4 support for large volumes and files, SNMP support, and bitmap support which, the company claims, will provide faster rebuilding of crashed RAID drives.

Version 3.1 also offers a new, AJAX-based user interface. The company says this web-based interface will ease NAS configuration for even non-technical users. The interface supports Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and Chrome.