By Akash Jain in QNAP —

Upgrading from QTS to QuTS Hero: What You Need to Know

Upgrading from QTS to QuTS Hero requires a full reformat- erasing all data on existing drives. QuTS Hero doesnt allow to read QTS disks either . This means backing up is essential. To upgrade or not is mainly down to advanced data protection of QuTS vs the performance of QTS

If you're a QNAP NAS user considering an upgrade from QTS to QuTS hero, there are a few things you should know before making the switch. For starters, it's not possible to directly update from QTS to QuTS hero. Let’s dive into why this upgrade requires more than just a quick update and what you need to consider before taking the plunge.

No Direct Upgrade Path (and No Way to Read QTS Volumes in QuTS Hero)

First things first—you can't directly upgrade from QTS to QuTS hero. Switching to QuTS hero requires a complete reformat, meaning all data on your drives will be erased. So, you’ll need to back up all your data elsewhere before you begin.

One of the biggest surprises for me was discovering that QuTS hero can’t even mount or read QTS disks. Since both systems run on Linux, I assumed it would be possible to read QTS disks in QuTS hero. To test this out, I used two of my QTS disks with my QuTS hero system (a TS-h886). Unfortunately, I was greeted with a message indicating “incompatible disks”—no luck with simply reading the old data.

QuTS Hero cannot read QTS disks. It detects that the disks have an older QNAP firmware version but doesn’t allow you to access or read the data on them

Should You Upgrade from QTS to QuTS Hero?

Upgrading to QuTS hero isn’t the right choice for everyone. Here are some points to consider to help you decide.

1. Performance

  • QTS is generally faster and lighter on lower-spec devices. If your NAS doesn’t have a lot of horsepower, QTS might be the better option. It’s built for general NAS functions without the added resource demand of ZFS.
  • QuTS hero requires more resources, thanks to ZFS’s advanced features. However, if you have a high-performance NAS with plenty of RAM, this may not be an issue.

2. Data Protection and Integrity

  • QuTS hero offers stronger data protection through ZFS. You get more RAID options, and ZFS’s RAID system is designed for better data integrity and protection.
  • QTS provides standard data protection options, which may be enough for general use. But for high-stakes data protection, QuTS hero has the edge.

Data protection is the biggest single point that warrants an upgrade to QuTS hero.

3. Advanced Features in QuTS Hero

  • QuTS hero includes inline compression, deduplication, and data compaction, which are great for saving storage space and optimizing data. These are especially useful in environments with large amounts of duplicate data.
  • However, if you’re an everyday user, deduplication might not be very helpful unless you have data at the block level (like virtualized images, large files, system images, etc.). Compression may reduce your data size, but it’s unlikely to be a deciding factor on its own.

4. SLOG (Separate Intent Log) and Caching

  • A common concern with QuTS hero is the lack of a traditional write cache. But here’s the deal: ZFS operates differently. It caches data in L1ARC (RAM) first and then in L2ARC (SSD) for read caching.
  • For write caching, ZFS uses a SLOG (Separate Intent Log), which functions similarly to a write cache, improving performance for synchronous writes. QNAP makes it easy to set up both L2ARC and SLOG to boost QuTS hero’s performance.

QNAP lets you create both ZIL and L2ARC in SSDs

Best Practices for Upgrading to QuTS Hero

If you’ve decided to go ahead with QuTS hero, here are a few tips to ensure a smooth experience:

  1. Install QuTS hero on an SSD Volume: Create an SSD-only volume for your system. This setup will enhance system performance, as QuTS hero will default to the SSD volume for system operations.
  2. Invest in RAM: ZFS loves RAM. The more you have, the better the performance. Upgrading your NAS’s memory will directly benefit your QuTS hero setup. L1ARC (or ARC) uses RAM, deduplication tables use RAM, and even your SLOG works more efficiently with more RAM.
  3. Backup, Install, Restore: The upgrade process itself is simple but requires patience. Back up your data, install QuTS hero, and then restore your data. It might be time-consuming, but it’s essential for a smooth transition.

In summary, upgrading to QuTS hero can be a powerful move for users who need advanced data protection and are willing to invest in higher specs. For general users, QTS might still be the better choice for simplicity and performance on standard setups.