Speed Test on Synology NAS: Accurate Methods
Why it’s important to do accurate speed tests on Synology NAS
Testing the speed of a Synology NAS isn’t just for fun; it’s an important part of making sure that the storage works well, the backups are reliable, and the whole IT infrastructure runs smoothly. If a company uses Synology systems as backup targets, file servers, or virtualization storage, using the wrong testing methods can lead to wrong conclusions, bad capacity planning, and environments that don’t work as well as they should.
IT managers can figure out if performance problems are caused by the network, disks, protocols, or configuration choices by running accurate speed tests. This information is very important when optimizing systems for cloud backups, enterprise workloads, and business continuity.
Common Errors When Testing the Speed of a Synology NAS
A lot of performance tests don’t show how things work in the real world because of bad methods. Some common mistakes are:
- Testing over Wi-Fi instead of using wires
- Using benchmarking tools for consumers
- Only copying files with one thread
- Not paying attention to the type of disk, the layout of the RAID, or how the cache works
- Testing while backup or replication jobs are running
These problems often lead to numbers that don’t accurately show how the NAS works when it’s being used for business.
Separately Testing Network Throughput
Before checking how well storage works, you need to make sure the network can handle it.
Use iPerf to check your network
iPerf is one of the best tools for measuring the raw network throughput between a Synology NAS and a client system. Running iPerf directly on the NAS separates the network layer from disk performance and helps check that 1GbE, 10GbE, or link aggregation is working correctly.
This step is very important for businesses that use centralized backups, transfer large files, or sync files between the cloud and their own computers.
Check the Switch and Cabling
For accurate results, you need managed switches, the right MTU settings, and certified cabling. When there are network problems, they often show up as “slow NAS performance,” but the real problem is somewhere else in the infrastructure.
How to Measure the Performance of Disks and Volumes
Once the network is confirmed, the performance of the disk and volume should be tested separately.
Benchmarking and DSM Storage Manager
Synology DSM has built-in tools for checking the health and speed of disks, but these numbers should be backed up with controlled tests. The type of RAID, the way the SSD cache is set up, and the class of the drive (HDD vs. enterprise SSD) all have a big impact on the results.
Testing sequential and random workloads separately is important to show how backup operations, virtual machines, and databases are used.
File Transfer Testing That Looks Like Real Use SMB and NFS File Copies
Testing big file transfers over SMB or NFS is a good way to see how real users would act. But relying on just one copy of a file can be misleading. Multiple transfers happening at the same time are a better way to show office settings, backup agents, or virtual workloads all using the NAS at the same time.
Testing with multiple clients
When multiple systems access the NAS at the same time, true performance happens. This is how Synology systems are used for Microsoft 365 backups, protecting endpoints, and storing data in one place.
Testing for performance that is aware of backups and applications
For businesses that use Synology as a backup platform, performance testing should be done with the same workloads that are used for backups.
- Run test backups from different places
- Check how fast snapshots are made and copied
- Check the speed of backup and restore operations.
These tests show if the NAS can meet recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) during real-life events.
Things to think about for security and performance
Performance is affected by things like encryption, compression, and the frequency of snapshots. These features are very important for protecting data and making sure that cybersecurity is strong, but they need to be balanced with the need for high throughput.
Testing should be done correctly with security settings that are the same as those used in production. Testing without encryption or snapshots often gives results that aren’t possible in secure business settings.
How to Read Results Correctly
You should always look at speed test numbers in the right way:
- The speed of the network is not the same as the speed of the storage.
- Peak throughput does not equal sustained performance.
- Synthetic benchmarks are not the same as real workloads.
IT teams can make smart choices about how to scale storage, upgrade networks, or change backup plans if they know about these differences.
Epis Technology in a Nutshell
Epis Technology offers enterprise IT infrastructure, data protection, and Synology consulting services to businesses that need storage that works well all the time. The company makes and supports scalable NAS environments, safe backup options for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and fully managed backups for endpoints. Epis Technology helps businesses accurately measure, optimize, and trust the real-world performance of their storage systems. They have a lot of experience with Synology deployment, performance optimization, and business continuity planning.