TR-004

4 Bay USB Type-C Direct Attached Storage with Hardware RAID

 

 

The TR-004 USB 3.2 Gen 1 RAID expansion enclosure allows you to expand the capacity of your QNAP NAS and PC. The TR-004 can also be utilized as a DAS (Direct-attached Storage) device, allowing you to directly access its content just by connecting it via USB.
The TR-004 features four 3.5-inch SATA drive bays with multiple RAID configuration options and USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C connectivity to bring you a highly reliable and secure storage capacity expansion solution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disk mode DIP switch to change from Hardware Control and Software Control configurations for setting RAID group.

Lockable hard drive trays to prevent accidental drive removal.

Eject button for disconnecting the TR-004 from a NAS or computer.

Instantly back up files from the TR-004 to the NAS using the One Touch Copy button.

 

 

Effective storage expansion with RAID Support

The TR-004 is an ideal storage expansion solution for PCs, especially for laptops which lack the ability to install higher-capacity drives. Featuring four 8.89 cm SATA drive bays and supporting RAID configuration.

The TR-004 provides the ability to store a vast number of files and data and to ensure protection against potential drive failure.

 

 

Supports various RAID levels

The TR-004 supports various RAID configurations. Depending on your requirements, you can switch between hardware- or software-controlled RAID modes. Move the DIP switches to corresponding positions for your ideal RAID mode: Individual, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1/10 or RAID 5. You can also configure the RAID settings from your QNAP NAS, or by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility on your computer.

Individual Mode
Treats every disk as separate storage space, allowing you to independently access each one.

JBOD Mode
All the disks are recognized as a single drive. This allows maximal storage utilization but provides no data protection.

JBOD Mode RAID Level for TR-004Data is split amongst the drives. RAID 0 provides the fastest performance but does not protect data from drive failure.

RAID 1/10 Mode
Half of the total storage capacity is used to store data, and the other half keeps a copy of this data. This provides high data protection at the cost of only being able to use half the installed storage space.

RAID 5 Mode
RAID 5 requires at least three drives to use and parity information is distributed among the drives, providing optimized storage capacity and protection against one disk failing.

Software Ctrl Mode
Use this mode to control the RAID configuration from your NAS or computer.

RAID mode supported	NAS expansion	External storage  for NAS	External storage for  Windows/Mac computer	External storage for  Linux computer
Software Ctrl	Required to switch to Software Ctrl mode	✔	✔	❌
Individual	❌	✔	✔	✔
JBOD	✔	✔	✔	✔
RAID 0/1	✔	✔	✔	✔
Multiple RAID	❌	✔	✔	▲

▲ Linux computers can recognize existing partitions on multiple RAID configurations, but they cannot create new ones.

 

 

Flexible storage configuration and management

Compared with other RAID enclosures, the TR-004 provides software-controlled configurations for greater management flexibility. Users can configure RAID and monitor disk health using Storage & Snapshots Manager on a QNAP NAS, or by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility on their computer.

 

Use Storage & Snapshots Manager to configure the TR-004 as a storage expansion unit for your QNAP NAS. In addition to RAID configuration, the NAS expansion storage mode supports various NAS functions, including storage pools and snapshots. By choosing external storage mode, you can use the TR-004 as a DAS.

Note: When connecting the TR-004 to a NAS, users can choose to use either the NAS expansion storage mode or the external storage mode.

The QNAP External RAID Manager is a utility for Windows and Mac users to set up, monitor, and view the status of the TR-004. Users can easily configure RAID groups on the TR-004 and quickly obtain the status of RAID performance and health at a glance.

 

 

Versatile usage scenarios to meet storage expansion needs

The TR-004 meets many storage expansion requirements for home and work use, including:

 

 

Scenario 1: Expand the capacity of your NAS

Use the TR-004 instead of a conventional
NAS expansion unit.

 

Scenario 2: External storage for your NAS

Use the TR-004 as external storage for your NAS.

 

 

Scenario 3: Expand the storage space of your computer

Use the TR-004 to provide more space for your computer.

 

Scenario 4: Cross-platform file sharing

Use the TR-004 to quickly move files between various devices with various file systems.

 

 

Scenario 1: Expand the capacity of your NAS

The TR-004 allows users to expand their NAS storage capacity. By connecting the TR-004 to their NAS and using the Storage & Snapshots Manager, users can easily configure and manage their storage expansion. The TR-004 supports a variety of QNAP NAS storage and file management functions, allowing users to build storage pools, find files with Qsirch and organize files with Qfiling.

Function	QNAP TR-002	UX-500P	Other external RAID/ JBOD device
Connection Type	USB 3.2 Gen 1	USB 3.2 Gen 1	By device
Drive bays	4	5	By device
Supported systems	QNAP QTS, Windows, macOS, Linux etc...	QNAP QTS	QNAP QTS, Windows, macOS, Linux etc...
Disk health monitoring	Supported (QNAP QTS, Windows, macOS)	Supported	Not Supported
Hardware RAID protection	Supported (QNAP QTS, Windows, macOS)	Not Supported	Varies by device
Create Storage Pool	Supported (QNAP QTS)	Supported	Not Supported
RAID migration, capacity expansion	Not Supported	Supported	Varies by device

 

 

Note:
1. The TR-004 does not support the following: the TS-128, TS-228, TS-131, TS-231, TS-431, TS-431U, and NAS models that cannot be updated to QTS 4.3.6 (or later).
2. The TR-004 can only be used as an individual storage pool or volume on the NAS. Its storage pool/volume cannot be combined into the connected NAS. NAS applications cannot be installed on the TR-004.
3. Drives can only be migrated from one TR-004 to another TR-004. The files and data stored on drives moved to/from a NAS (or another device) will not be recognized.
4. Drive hot-swap is not supported in the Individual Mode for the TR-004.

 

 

Use the TR-004 as an alternative to conventional NAS expansion enclosures

As an external hardware RAID device, the TR-004 operates independently and does not require additional NAS system resources. When compared with the UX-500P expansion enclosure, the TR-004 uses less NAS system resources.

 

Tested in QNAP Labs. Figures may vary by environment.

Test environment 1:
NAS: TS-932X-2G
QTS 4.3.6.0726 Build 20181011, Annapurna Labs Alpine AL324 Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 CPU @ 1.70GHz, 2GB RAM, Seagate ST1000NM0033-9ZM173 *4, RAID5, Thick volume; Block-based LUN, Disable AIO, SMB3~1
TR-004
QTS 4.3.6.0738 Build 20181023, Samsung SSD 850 PRO 512GB *4, RAID10, Thick volume
UX-500P
QTS 4.3.4.0736 Build 20181010, Samsung SSD 850 PRO 512GB *4, RAID10, Thick volume

Test environment 2:
TR-004:
Volume type: RAID 0; 4 x 1TB Seagate ST1000NM0033 HDD
Client PC: Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz CPU; 32GB RAM; Windows® 10 64-bit

 

 

Scenario 2: External storage for your NAS

Instead of using the TR-004 to expand the capacity of your QNAP NAS, you can use it as a complimentary storage unit for backing up or moving data. It also allows you to physically migrate huge data collections that would require significant network bandwidth. While connected to the NAS, you can monitor the health and status of the TR-004 by using the Storage & Snapshots Manager on the NAS.

 

 

Scenario 3: Expand the storage space of your computer

The TR-004 can quickly add storage space to your computer. You can use the DIP switch to configure a hardware RAID mode or manage it by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility. The health and status of the TR-004 can also be monitored by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility.

 

 

Scenario 4: Cross-platform file sharing

From your NAS to Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, the TR-004 is compatible with a wide range of devices. This makes it ideal for quickly moving large files between different devices. The TR-004 is even compatible with devices that use the exFAT file system, adding further convenience for accessing and sharing files from a wider range of devices.

 

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