INTRODUCTION

   Although originally NAS servers were used just for file sharing (centralized storage) through the years they've assumed several other roles so currently people also use them to back up their files and/or entire systems, receive/send emails, download files, host web pages, archive and stream media, record video from IP cameras, platform deployment and much more. As a matter of fact thanks to the large number of available applications by some of the leading manufacturers the vast majority of all the NAS servers we've tested to date has been aimed towards both home and small/large office use. However although many people ask more from a NAS server there are always those who may only ask for the basics but they expect excellence. QSAN takes pride in catering to the needs of such users/consumers and today we're testing their mid/high-end XCubeNAS XN5008T SMB model.

   QSAN Technology, leading storage technology designer and manufacturer, was founded in July 2004. Building on our vast experience in the industry, QSAN strives to build enterprise class storage systems that pride ourselves with outstanding performance, secure data protection and comprehensive data management. QSAN endeavors to provide the industry with high quality data storage systems that are simple, secure, scalable and reliable.

   The XCubeNAS XN5008T 8-bay NAS is part of the brand new XN5000T family by QSAN (covered by a 2-year warranty) which currently also includes the XN5004T 4-bay model. Under the hood of both models QSAN has placed the Intel Celeron 2.9GHz Dual-Core CPU (G3930 - this may change in future versions of the XN5008T) along with 8GB DDR4 SO-DIMM RAM clocked at 2400MHz (expandable up to 32GB - our sample arrived with 16GB), 8GB flash memory (USB DOM) and an 200W FLEX ATX power supply unit. The XN5008T also sports 9 SATA III 6Gb/s bays (can be configured in single/RAID 0/RAID 1/RAID 5/RAID 5 + hot spare/RAID 6/RAID 10/RAID 50/RAID 60/JBOD), single PCIe Gen3x8 expansion slot (compatible with 10GbE/40GbE/Thunderbolt 3.0 adapter cards - our sample arrived ready with a 10GbE SFP+ card), 4 RJ45 Gigabit ports, 5 USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI port (primarily for service purposes only, at least for now). Worth pointing out is that 8 out of the 9 available SATA III 6Gb/s bays of the XN5008T feature external lockable drive trays while the last one is located inside a hidden compartment (QSAN refers to it as service door) right next to the two DDR4 SO-DIMM RAM modules.