Synology delivers multi-tasking desktop in a browser
NAS appliance vendor Synology has announced a beta release of its upcoming DiskStation Manager (DSM) 3.0 firmware, with multi-tasking, a completely new desktop interface and enhanced smartphone support among the enhancements.
In common with other appliance vendors, Synology has, up until now, relied on a fairly standard menu-driven interface to manage its DiskStation boxes. With DSM 3.0, however, that all changes, the company taking full advantage of the multi-tasking capabilities of the processors inside its appliances to deliver a user customisable desktop in a browser.
With its Windows-like look and feel, the new interface enables users to quickly switch between applications running on the Synology appliance, copy files using the built-in file browser, take backups and so on. It’s all very intuitive and, even in beta format, works well to transform the way in which the Synology appliances are managed.
Other enhancements include Windows-like ACL support, to make it easier to control access to shared folders and files, plus the ability to handle up to 1 Exabyte (1 million terabytes) of storage through use of the EXT4 file system.
New apps for Android smartphones to access photos and videos held on the DiskStation are also part of the release which is due at the end of August as a free update. In the meantime it’s possible to sign up and download the beta here at DSM 3.0 beta program or checkout a live demo at DSM 3.0 live demo.
Alan Stevens