DiskStation Manager 5.2
We tested the Synology DS1515 using the latest DSM 5.2 (5565 update 2) software.
Although the DS1515 is still a very new product, as it was only announced on April 14, Synology has already cranked out a total of nine updates and that means multiple updates per month. Countless fixes, upgrades and improvements have been made for the DSM software which has helped make the DS1515 a rock solid product.
The latest DSM 5.2 software introduces "Docker" a lightweight virtualization for fast deployment (though we should point out this feature isn't supported on the DS1515), Note Station, updates to Cloud Station & Cloud Sync, Backup & Replication, DS photo+, new modes for Link Aggregation and new security features.
If there is one area where Synology really excels it has to be in backup features and the DSM 5.2 is the company's best effort yet. Using the included backup app we were easily able to replicate the DS2015xs to our DS1515, or backup data to a local location. Moreover the built-in support for Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure cloud storage works well.
In place of the much loved Data Replicator app is the new Cloud Station software and thankfully it's even easier to use. By installing the Cloud Station client on a desktop PC we were able to select folders on the DS1515 that we wanted synced on the desktop. Once the folders were selected they were immediately uploaded to the desktop PC and then synced/updated in real-time.
It is also worth mentioning that the Cloud Sync app now offers support for OneDrive, box and hubiC while maintaining support for Dropbox, Google Drive and Baidu Cloud.
When it comes to storage features the DSM 5.2 is just as robust, while also being easy to use. The setup wizard should be able to guide even a novice to setting up the DS1515 and it opts to download the latest DSM software and create a RAID5 array (providing enough drives are installed).
Something we noticed with the DS1515 is that Synology's Hybrid RAID (SHR) feature has been removed. We're not sure if this feature has been removed from the DSM 5.2 software or it is just missing when using the DS1515. In the case of the DS1515 we don't imagine too many users want to create an array using a range of different drives and sizes. What will be of interest is the dual-redundant RAID6 array support.
Finally, the DS1515 supports SSD caching for read and write operations, and this can be applied to volumes as well as iSCSI LUNs. As has been the situation in the past, two identical SSDs are required for write caches.