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esther-dot · 7 months

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Even if we assume that Rhaegar married Lyanna, does their marriage would be considered valid? In the show Gilly and Sam got to know about marriage through the some records. Is it possible in books too? What do you think?

Well, I can’t say that any of D&D’s decisions made sense in hindsight, and I don’t know how any evidence would be presented and sufficient enough to convince Westeros as a whole that Jon was Rhaegar’s “legitimate” child, but all that aside, this is the all-important book quote:

"Likely they were too shy to come out," Ned jested. He could feel the chill coming up the stairs, a cold breath from deep within the earth. "Kings are a rare sight in the north." Robert snorted. "More likely they were hiding under the snow. Snow, Ned!" The king put one hand on the wall to steady himself as they descended. (AGOT, Eddard I)

That’s compelling evidence that Martin intended Jon to be a Targaryen heir (“true born" in some capacity) from the beginning of the story. Sure, Robb and Bran become kings, we'll have several kings springing up in the North, but the "hiding under the snow. Snow, Ned" is (imo) unarguably a reference to Ned hiding Jon's identity by claiming him as his bastard (Snow). And the idea conveyed is that Ned is hiding a king. (@sherlokiness has several posts about additional wordplay around this, specifically the Jon and Joffrey, bastard and prince stuff).

As the series goes on, we get additional king references for Jon, and people have argued that it's KitN foreshadowing, and maybe, maybe that's what happens, but this passage, way back in AGOT, indicates that it is Jon's bastardy (hiding under the snow) that secrets the king. Not that he will eventually be chosen as one, but that he is one by virtue of his birth.

I don’t much care either way. I’ve pointed out that Jon being a bastard and going up against a true born is a fun progression of his bastard issues as is finding out he’s a trueborn and hating it/rejecting it because of what Rhaegar and Aerys did to the Starks. Either way, it’s juicy! There are things to explore. So, I’d just remind people, this spec isn’t about any specific bloggers hopes, or relying on GoT, it exists because of Martin’s words. And even if we find it offensive or think it goes against the later worldbuilding, there are lines in the book that indicate it’s potentially what Martin was planning way back when.

Now, I don't know why on Earth D&D bothered to write tangible proof of Jon's legitimacy in s7 when they totally neglected to do anything politically in s8 that would require that? Maybe keeping their options open if they needed to prolong the series? But I find it difficult to believe there will be a specific document that would be universally recognized as evidence of his legitimacy because Rhaegar was already married and had an heir. So, even if Martin wrote in a marriage for the sake of playing with the secret prince / heir to a dynasty idea for the reader’s sake, that doesn’t mean happy acceptance in-world. I’ve said the same about Robb’s will, it matters more what the Northern Lords say, how they weigh their competing interests and the threats they’re facing, rather than the specific words Robb wrote. Also, we have Aegon and Dany, so even if R/L were married and there was proof, after two other Targs pop up and war over the throne, I can't see people being moved by that? I would think they'd be sick of Targs no matter how sure people were about Jon’s identity.

Although, I could see the Northerners believing Jon is Rhaegar's son because a) they all already know Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna and b) it doesn't really make sense for Ned to have fathered a bastard, so once Bran breaks it to Jon and/or Howland confirms it, I think they'll accept it because it would feel possible? Feel true? And obviously, we would know it’s true. So if this is about the Northen tangle, we don't need much. Actually, I just realized some people might spread it to try to undermine Jon/the Starks. 👀

I often just see these things as having a lot of potential paths and not knowing which direction is more appealing to Martin. He likes "the human heart in conflict with itself" so Jon being offered his dearest wish (being a legitimate son of Ned Stark) only for that to be absolute hell because he's falling in love with the man's daughter, well, that might be fun for him to write. But then comes R+L=J, and if he wants to be with Sansa, Jon needs that information to come out. If he's rejected Winterfell when Stannis offered it, rejected Winterfell even though Robb wanted him to take it, if he then can press his (Targ) legitimacy without displacing a beloved family member and in doing so, it might allow him to be with Sansa? That’s an angle. Or if he is KitN, he’d be highly motivated to keep that a secret for the sake of stability in the North, regardless of his feelings….I really can’t say. And I don’t remember anything in Sam’s chapters that made me think he’d find a diary, although the fact that Jon is forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do makes the idea that he finds something and runs, potentially screwing Jon over kinda interesting. Actually, it’s always been a favored idea that he plays a hand in Jon rising to another position of power because of his part in getting Jon to be Lord Commander, so there is that! I guess I need to reread AFFC the whole series with a list of my new questions. 😅

#r+l=j #book jon #jonsa #asoiaf speculation #dot chat

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almightyhamslice · 6 months

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Versus Meta Knight! Been a while since I drew him, huh? Did you miss him...? Anyhow this version of him is different from how I normally draw him cuz he isn't handsome he's just funny and cringe tbh LOL. Like maybe I would've liked this version of him when I was 14 or smth lmao! He's about 16 and NOT actually a knight yet! So maybe we should just call him Meta..?

He comes into conflict with Kirby this first time over Mr. Star. Kirby's never actually met Meta before and doesn't even know his name, but Meta is well aware of who Kirby is (he saw him in the news after he saved Popstar from Dark Matter!) but doesn't like him much. I suppose it's kind of like... an Elina/Sunburst situation (have you seen Barbie Fairytopia 3??? LOL) where Meta Knight knows of Kirby's heroism but doesn't buy that he's such a great guy. Meta would rather help Mr. Star gather his pieces instead of Kirby, because he would prefer to swordfight about them rather than settle things over advanced connect 4 star stacker. Kirby has no sword, so star stacking it is. Meta is so sure that Kirby's an idiot because he's 4 years younger than Meta, but he should honestly look in a mirror... Meta has a long way to go and a lot more things to learn about the world!

I am not 100% sure what he n Kirby's deal is species wise... I guess they're like, a subtype of human that doesn't exist irl? that gives them the ability to fly (among other things). So getting all spec bio or whatever, I guess their bones are probably hollow. I dunno how they'd identify that in each other, but there is this weird sense of kinship between the two, and eventually between Kirby and Keeby too (Kirby DEF met Keeby at a doctor's office or smth super mundane like that LOL. Those two just play advanced golf together haha) that makes them realize they're sort of the same. Magnetism/gravity I guess? I think those are good words for it. They aren't blood related but they feel connected because they're the only other members of the same race? That they know of, that is.

To reflect Meta Knight's youth and inexperience, he wears no armor at all! His mask is plastic, and the only true 'knightly' thing he owns is his sword. His coat's way too big for him, and he's rather overdressed... who wears this many layers during the summer? Meta does, because he thinks it looks cool. He also might be insecure about his body or identity & wants that to be secret?

#art #traditional art #mixed media #kirby gijinka #Kirby #marker art #pen art #colored pencil art #completed #Meta Knight #Mr. Star #Rick the Hamster #Coo the Owl #sword #weapons

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pride-database · 11 months

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The Multiple-attraction spectrum/M-spec.

Bi flag, by Michael Page:

According to the author, pink represents same-gender attraction, blue opposite-gender attraction, and purple the intersection and overlap of the two.

Meaning of Bi (—often followed by the type of attraction it refers to: sexual→bisexual, romantic→biromantic, and so on):

The most comprehensive definition of this orientation is attraction to 2 or more genders/to more than one gender.

Bi can overlap with other orientations that exist to refer to attraction to multiple genders, such as Pan and Ply (which you can find below). When going by the above definition, Bi can be seen as an umbrella term containing these: some people refer to this as the Bi+ spectrum, which is synonymous with M-spec.

Other definitions of bi in use are:

attraction to both one's same gender and at least one different gender;

attraction to men and women;

attraction to two genders (that can be any two).

These last three definitions don't apply to all bi people, but are nonetheless used by some.

Things you should know about bi people:

Bi people aren't just "confused", or "can't pick a side".

Coming out as bi shouldn't be assumed by other people to be just "a stepping stone towards identifying as gay".

Bi people are not "half gay, half straight". In fact, some may even have a preference for one gender above the others, and it doesn't make them "less bi".

It is also incorrect to refer to them as "straight" when they have a partner of the opposite gender, and "gay" when of the same gender. Bi people are always bi, no matter who they're in a relationship with at the moment.

Not all bi people are duogamous (=having two partners simultaneously, one male and one female). It doesn't make them less valid as bi.

A common misconception is that bi people are "promiscuous", or will cheat on their partner with someone of a different gender; these are harmful stereotypes. Just because bi people have more choice in partners, doesn't mean they get laid more often than people who only like one gender (and even then, there's nothing bad with having an active sex life). And many straight people cheat as well, but no-one goes around saying "straight people are naturally cheaters"!

Additionally, someone's bi identity intersecting with being polyamorous (being in a relationship involving more than one partner, with knowledge and consent from all people involved) shouldn't be a reason for shaming. Bi polyamorous people aren't responsible for creating or perpetuating these negative stereotypes.

A note on "bi" and non-binary exclusion:

Despite what the root bi- (meaning "two" in Greek) would make it seem like, this label has never necessarily implied a gender binary (the belief that there are only 2 genders, male and female).

In fact, the 1990 Bisexual Manifesto says «Do not assume that bisexuality is binary or duogamous in nature: that we have “two” sides or that we must be involved simultaneously with both genders to be fulfilled human beings. In fact, don’t assume that there are only two genders».

Pan flag, by Jasper Varney:

The pink stands for women, the blue for men, and the yellow for non-binary people.

Meaning of Pan (—often followed by the type of attraction it refers to: sexual→pansexual, romantic→panromantic, and so on):

There are two common definitions in use:

1) attraction to all genders

2) attraction to people regardless of gender. In other words, gender does not play a role in the attraction; rather, there are other elements a pan person's attraction focuses on.

Difference with bi:

Whereas bi means "attraction to 2 or more genders"—which practically means bi people can be attracted to from as little as 2, to as many as all genders—pan always means "attraction to all genders". It is less ambiguous, so some people prefer it over bi to specify this.

Also, following the second definition of pan, it usually excludes the possibility of having a gender preference, since pan people often refer to their attraction as "gender-blind". (Note: that does not mean pan people don't see people for what gender they are; it's only in terms of potential attraction).

Things you should know about pan people:

Pan people aren't attracted to "anything that moves"; pan isn't synonymous with paraphilias. The meaning of the Greek root "pan-", which translates to "all", stands for "all genders", nothing else!

Don't refer to the pan orientation as "attraction to men, women, and trans people". Trans men and women aren't a third gender!

Pan people aren't just "bi but trying to feel special". The choice of the label pan over the label bi is purely a personal preference; they also convey slightly different meanings. Some people even use both simultaneously!

Pan people at large don't think bi people are transphobic. This has been a long debate, and hopefully it's been sorted out for good: "pan" is more explicit about there being more than two genders, so some people feel more comfortable with that, but that doesn't mean they don't understand the history of the bi community and how it has always included non-binary people!

For other common misconceptions, refer to the ones about bi people.

Ply (a.k.a. Poly) flag, by Tomlin:

The pink stands for women, the blue for men, and the green for non-binary people.

Note: "Ply" is usually preferred to "Poly" as the shortened version of Polysexual/polyromantic/etc., because poly is usually short for Polynesian.

Meaning of Ply/Poly:

Attraction to multiple, but not all, genders.

Not to be confused with polyamory.

Difference with bi:

Ply people, like bi people, are capable of being attracted to more than one gender. However, bi people can like up to all genders, while ply people specify that they don't like all genders, only some.

For example, a ply person might be attracted to men and non-binary people, but not to women. Each ply person's range of possible attraction is different, so it is best to ask.

Hopefully this helps clear out the distinction. Shout-out to all my fellow m-specs! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

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thelightofthingshopedfor · 5 years

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I THINK I'M ACE AND ARO (at least something on the spectrum, the idea of kissing repulses me for some reason, I have never had sexual attraction, reading romance in fiction makes me uncomfortable, annoyed, or bored which I feel bad about cause that doesn't mean it's bad fiction, but I like hugs, I wish I could have close friends, but I have severe social anxiety) anyway, for some reason it feels really good to say this to someone. Any advice? Sorry about this blurb, I was here for the loki fics.

hey anon, sorry for not responding sooner! also, uh, I hope you’re seeing this since it took me a while to reply. no need for you to apologize, though, this is something I’m literally always happy to talk to people about (even if it takes me a few days…or more…to scrape together the time, energy, and brain cells for a coherent response), and I’m really…touched? flattered? that you’re telling me. it can be a really wonderful feeling, finally finding a word that feels right, that makes you feel more like yourself, and telling someone else can make it feel even more real. I certainly don’t have everything figured out, which is why I tend to ID as “aro/ace but also queer in general,” but I can definitely remember what a relief it was when I finally figured out I was aro/ace and I didn’t have to make myself do things I didn’t want to just because they’re seen as the default.

as for general advice, hmm. it sounds like you’re reasonably confident that you’re a-spec rather than just questioning, and also that you’re cool with it, and both of those things will probably make it easier for you. mostly I guess I’d say the same thing I’ve told other people who were trying to figure out if they were on the aro/ace spectrum: remember that labels exist for you, not the other way around, and if your identity changes a little over the years or you find even more specific words to describe yourself, that is COMPLETELY OKAY. you’re not, like, letting anyone down if you don’t always feel aro/ace, or if you DO always feel aro/ace and never want to date or have sex even though people think that’s weird, or realize you’re ace but not entirely aro or vice versa, or want and enjoy sex, or a whole host of other things, because there’s no one way to be aro/ace and therefore no wrong way to be aro/ace. it’s a spectrum! it’s just as complicated and confusing as sexuality in general, and your spot along the spectrum can fluctuate over time and/or confuse the hell out of you, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. if at any point a label starts feeling more like a restriction than freedom to be yourself, there’s no harm in poking at it until you find something that describes you better.

actually I suppose my main piece of advice would be to exercise caution when looking up aro/ace stuff on Tumblr; I’m assuming you’re already on Tumblr so you might already know this, but there’s some really nasty aphobia and it’s best to avoid shitty exclusionist discourse from the beginning. people who devote so much of their energy to hateful gatekeeping are not worth your time, effort, or mental/emotional well-being, and they tend to appear way more numerous in places like Tumblr than they are in real life. I saw plenty of ace flags at Pride last year, for instance.

another thing you might want to think about is whether, how, and under what circumstances you want to come out to other people. in my case, I was pretty comfortable in my identity by the time I started being open about it with family members, so their cluelessness or misconceptions didn’t bother me that much; I was just kind of like “well, here’s how it is for me and that’s how it is, take it or leave it.” I’d probably advise doing something similar–like, if you know people who are very open and accepting about this type of thing, it’s probably fine to discuss it with them even if you’re still in more of a questioning stage, but with people you know will be clueless at best, you probably don’t want to even consider coming out to them until you’re secure in who you are, because if you’re not, they’ll just make it harder to be sure of yourself. and if it’s a matter of safety in any way, remember that you don’t ever have to come out to people who haven’t earned your trust. obviously all this varies a lot depending on the type of people you have in your life.

I don’t know if any of that is helpful, but I’m happy to talk more if you have specific questions, too!

#conversations #anonymous #does filling out the first five tags still work to keep posts out of major tags?#I don't even know anymore #although wanting it out of the tags is also because of aphobia #asexuality #actuallyasexual

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droneseco · 3 years

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Asustor LockerStor 2 NAS Review: Blazingly Fast Networking, Let Down By Poor Software

Asustor AS6602T LockerStor 2

8.00 / 10

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For sheer networking performance, the LockerStor 2 AS6602T is a top choice that won't break the budget. You will need to pair it with a 2.5GbE capable switch (like this QNAP 5-port switch), but those are more affordable than ever, and your existing cabling should work. If you find yourself struggling with large file transfers for video editing tasks and such, look no further.

Specifications

Brand: Asustor

CPU: Intel Celeron J4125 2GHz

Memory: 4GB, user upgradeable to 8GB

Drive Bays: Two

Expansion: No

Ports: 3 x USB3.0, HDMI out, 2 x 2.5Gb Ethernet

Caching: Dual NVMe slots

OS: Asustor Disk Manager

Pros

Dual 2.5Gb Ethernet connectivity

Option to use NVMe drives as a storage volume or cache

HDMI output useful for device management in-situ

Cons

The HDMI output is not suitable for media playback

Inconsistent interface and frequent bugs

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Looking for some blazingly fast network-attached storage? The LockerStor 2 from Asustor offers incredible performance and unique features at a great price. Retailing at $400 without drives, is this the high-performance NAS you've been waiting for? Maybe, but only if you know what you're doing.

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Hardware and Specs

The LockerStor 2 comes in two and four-bay models; we've reviewed the two-bay device. Internally the specs are the same, though there are a few external differences.

The LockerStor 2 looks unremarkable externally, featuring an office-like matt black plastic front and dark grey metal enclosure. Included in the box are two Cat5E network cables, mounting screws, and the power brick.

On the front, you'll find status lights for each drive bay, power, and network activity. The curious little black nub in the top right is an infra-red receiver for the optional remote control. Why does it have a remote control? We'll get to that later.

There's also a USB3.0 port in the bottom left, the frame of which is actually a one-touch backup button. Once configured, you can simply insert a USB drive, tap the button, and have the contents slurped up to your choice of archive folder. It's an incredibly useful feature that means you'll likely want to keep the LockerStor 2 on your desktop rather than hidden away.

Around the rear, you'll find the headline feature of dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, two more USB 3.0 ports, and most curiously... a full-size HDMI port. That's right, you can hook up a monitor or TV to the LockerStor 2. That's also where the optional remote control comes in. We'll discuss the HDMI later in the section titled "Asustor Portal".

A single 70mm fan provides cooling, and in my experience, it ran silently—you're more likely to notice the noise of the hard drives clicking away.

Internally, the AS6602T is powered by an Intel Celeron J4125 Quad Core CPU running 2Ghz with a burst mode 2.7Ghz, backed up by 4GB DDR4-2400 RAM which is user-upgradeable to 8GB total.

There are also dual M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots, though installation of these drives requires removing the whole case and unscrewing the NVMe tray.

The two drive trays are easy to remove, though not toolless. Everything you need to install drives is supplied in the box, and it's not something you'll need to do often. So what drives should you buy?

Choosing The Right Hard Drives

Network Attached Storage devices are not the same as small desktop computers: they're designed to run all the time. While they're much more efficient with their power requirements, the constant disk operations do take a toll on the hard drives, which spin every hour of every day.

Believe it or not, hard drives are not all the same, and I'm not talking about 5400 vs 7200 RPM speeds. You'll find different "classes" of hard drives depending on their intended purpose, according to how much workload they can handle, and the expected lifetime of the drive.

For my first NAS, I admit that I filled all four bays with an assorted collection of mismatched disks I had recovered from junk. Predictably, they all died within a few years, but I was able to replace them in a timely fashion without losing data in the process. You might not be so lucky, so if you can afford to, it's important to choose drives that are NAS-rated.

Seagate IronWolf drives are my go-to choice. IronWolf drives are rated to 180TB/year; the Pro line increases that to 300TB/year. Since I started using IronWolf drives, I haven't had one fail on me yet. That's probably because the average time between failures is 1,000,000 hours—or about 16 years!

Whichever type of drive you choose, a good tip is to either stagger your purchase or buy from a different retailer, to avoid getting all your drives from the same manufacturing batch. While extremely rare, if there happens to be a bad batch, you want to avoid all your drives failing at once.

The AS6602T is a two-bay device, though a four-bay model is also available. For data security, you'll need to use a RAID1 configuration, whereby one drive is essentially a duplicate of the other. In a four-bay device, you can opt to use RAID5, in which only a single drive out of four is dedicated as a spare, therefore, you use the drives more efficiently. You should also purchase drives of the same size for the LockerStor 2, regardless of which model you buy. You'll be unable to make use of the additional space from a larger disk until drives have been upgraded.

You also have the option of using RAID0 (striping the data across multiple drives for speed, with the total capacity being the combined capacity of two identical drives); or JBOD ("just a bunch of disks", combined into one volume). Your file system can be either EXT4 or BTRFS. BTRFS is newer, and supports snapshots, as well as allowing for intra-volume instantaneous file operations. In a RAID1 system, BTRFS can also protect against "bitrot", where data can become corrupted over time.

Installation and Setup

Managing your LockerStor 2 is all done using Asustor's custom operating system, called Asustor Disk Manager (ADM).

Installation was not as smooth as I would have liked. The helper utility (a generically named app "Control Center") successfully found the LockerStor2 on the network, but defaulted to loading the admin interface over a secure connection, which results in a security error for invalid certificates.

I had to bypass the error in Chrome by typing "thisisunsafe", and later enabled insecure connections.

Once I was into the setup interface, things began to run much more smoothly. It was easy enough to walk through the wizards to create a user account, configure the storage volume, etc.

Then you're thrown into the full Lockerstor ADM full interface and things are a lot less intuitive.

The main desktop view looks simple enough, but it wasn't immediately clear to me that new shared folders should be set up under the icon labeled "Access Control", rather than say a file manager app or control panel. After all "Access Control" implies some sort of user management.

The system-wide search feature isn't great either: searching for "Sync" doesn't find the "DataSync Center" app, while "DLNA" doesn't find the "miniDLNA" server app.

Part of the problem is that I'm so used to other systems, so it's a bit like throwing a Mac user into Windows for the first time. But even so, these simple tasks should be intuitive enough that it doesn't matter what system you're used to.

I'm accustomed to using link-local addressing (otherwise known as zeroconf) for other NAS devices. This means you can give a friendly name to your device, to access it without typing in the IP address (such as mynas.local). In the current ADM OS this can only be enabled alongside Apple File Protocol, which even Apple no longer recommends using. And even with AFP enabled, the zeroconf naming only works for network shares, and doesn't create a DNS entry on your router for admin access. This means you need to type the full IP address of your system each time to access the control panel. On the four-bay AS6604T model this is less of an issue, since the IP address can be displayed on a front LCD screen. But on the two-bay model, this is awkward for typical home users, and really shouldn't be needed.

App Central is where you'll find hundreds of server components, including things like Plex. There's plenty for everyone here, and if you don't find what you want, you can always use Docker. Much of the software available in the Asustor App Central is, in fact, a Docker install script, which you'll find listed among your other images if you open up Portainer. The benefit of doing things this way is that server components tend to get updated more quickly.

One problem I ran into frequently while installing apps was the apparent inability to queue an install. If one app has the same pre-requisite packages as another, you need to wait for the first install to finish before doing the second.

Another example: installing the DLNA media servers defaulted to using the LAN2 interface, because that's what was plugged in at the time of install. When I moved the NAS and ended up using the other Ethernet port, the DLNA server just stopped working. I had to delve into the server options and switch that over to "auto", which really ought to be the default. Restricting your media server to a single interface only is just not the standard use case.

Lastly, those of you hoping to use the LockerStor 2 as a DIY CCTV system will be pleased to know that the Surveillance Center app includes a generous four camera licenses, which should be enough for most home users. Unfortunately, if you're running Mac OS Big Sur, as I am, you're out of luck. The management interface requires the installation of a driver, which doesn't work on Chrome, and isn't currently compatible with Big Sur at all.

In the grand scheme of things, these are all individually very minor issues. But combined, they indicate of real-world user testing and consequently a frustrating experience for those new to the system.

That said, the LockerStor 2 is an absolute beast when it comes to performance.

Performance Testing

Asustor claims up to 588MB/s Read and 583MB/s write speeds are possible on the AS6602T, but those figures should be taken with a bucket of salt. While those sorts of speeds may be possible in ideal lab conditions, utilizing both 2.5GbE ports in a link aggregated manner to a suitably equipped network switch and client, you're unlikely to ever achieve near those sorts of speeds at home.

For a more realistic performance test, I transferred a single large file in a variety of configurations, against a baseline of a similarly specced NAS that's equipped with only a Gigabit Ethernet connection. All volumes were created as BTRFS, and I measured the time it took to copy a 5.84GB file.

For testing purposes, we're using an Asustor 2.5GbE to USB-C adaptor on a MacBook Pro running Big Sur, and going via a QNAP 5-port 2.5GbE switch with the Cat5E cabling supplied with the NAS. This switch doesn't support link aggregation (and even if it did, we'd still only have the single 2.5GbE adaptor on the Mac side).

Shorter write times are better, with effective copy speed indicated in brackets.

Competitor's NAS w/ Gigabit Ethernet: 51.94s (112MB/s)

LockerStor2 HDD RAID0: 20.88s (279MB/s)

LockerStor2 HDD RAID1: 22.81s (255MB/s)

LockerStor2 HDD RAID1 Encrypted folder: 32.85s (177MB/s)

LockerStor2 NVMe SSD RAID0: 20.5s (285MB/s)

These numbers were also reflected broadly by BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, the only difference being that the read speed from an encrypted folder was much faster than the write speed.

So what does this tell us?

Firstly, we can see that the 2.5GbE connection makes a huge difference–as expected–more than doubling the read/write speed in both RAID 0 and 1 configurations compared to a similar specced NAS equipped only with Gigabit Ethernet. However, the additional performance gained from running a striped RAID0 configuration compared to the one-disk redundancy of RAID1, appears to be insignificant.

Secondly, encrypting the folder massively reduces the write performance by about 25 percent (but not read). But, it's still significantly faster writing to an encrypted folder over 2.5GbE, compared to a non-encrypted folder on a Gigabit-only connection.

Lastly, using a volume on the NVMe drives was faster, but not fast enough to justify using the cost difference to regular HDDs. At that point, you're almost fully saturating the 2.5Gb Ethernet connection and would need to aggregate both ports to truly see any benefits of a faster disk volume. I'm unable to test this though. The only use case for an NVMe volume, as far as I can see, is if you wanted the fastest possible volume (such as for editing raw video files over the network), then to easily transfer those files to an encrypted and data secure folder on the HDD array for long term storage.

Regardless, if it's sheer transfer speed performance that you're after, this LockerStor 2 AS6602T is a fantastic choice.

Instead of an additional storage volume, the NVMe SSDs can be used to create a caching drive, where your system will place frequently used files. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to do quantitative benchmarking for. Not all applications that you run on your NAS are going to benefit from a caching drive. If all you're doing is copying files back and forth to the drive array, you won't see any significant speed improvements from a caching system. If you're running a Plex server and streaming or transcoding large movie files, you also won't see an improvement from a cache.

On the other hand, if you're running your own web server, you're more likely to benefit from those frequently accessed server files being stored on the SSD. Web software like Wordpress needs to read tens of thousands of small PHP files to generate even a simple webpage. Other things like virtual machines will also benefit to varying degrees from an SSD cache—similar to how your PC runs far better from an SSD compared to a regular spinning disk. But that's not something we can quantify for you by saying"an NVMe cache will make your system 20% faster".

Asustor Portal (HDMI Out)

You probably weren't expecting to find an HDMI output port on the back of a Network Attached Storage system, and that's completely understandable. However, if you need something that can do double duty as both a massive network storage system and a media center, the LockerStor 2 can do that. Sort of.

In order to use the HDMI output you'll need to install Asustor Portal from the App Center. It's included if you choose the default set of Home/Personal Applications, but can be installed individually too.

The Asustor Portal is essentially a web browser, with the home screen containing links to a variety of web services, including YouTube and Netflix. You can customize these links, or just have it default to a single one if you prefer.

The Asustor Disk Manager OS can also be used directly from the HDMI output, which makes it much easier to manage the device in-situ, without needing to jump onto another computer.

If you have VirtualBox installed, you can also operate the currently running VM from Asustor Portal—in theory anyway, because I couldn't get this working.

However, the experience with media apps with far from satisfactory. In fact, they're not apps at all; they're web links. Upon opening YouTube, it presents a message that you're being redirected to YouTube web, and that you should consider installing the YouTube app for this device instead. There is no YouTube app though. After a recent update, I can no longer sign in either—YouTube won't allow sign-ins from an "insecure browser".

While Asustor Portal can technically output at 4K60, I found the general interface was quite sluggish, and even then, YouTube wouldn't actually permit anything higher than 1080p to be played. I don't have a Netflix account to test if that would output at 4K, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Basically, any $50 media streaming stick is going to offer a far superior experience to Asustor Portal, so the only viable use-case here is for in-situ device management. For that, it works well.

VirtualBox and Portainer

Instead of first-party virtual machine manager tools, Asustor has VirtualBox for full virtual machines and Portainer for Docker images. These are both very competent tools that you might already be familiar with, though relying on third-party software means the experience is less integrated.

VirtualBox is easy enough to get up and running with your choice of virtual machine, and you even have the option of displaying the currently running machine (you're limited to one at a time) on the HDMI output via Asustor Portal. Unfortunately this didn't work in testing for me: both the admin interface and a Windows 10 VM refused to display at all. I'm still working through the issue with support at the time of publishing, though their solution so far was to delete and re-install Asustor Portal and the X.org package—which also resulted in a handful of other applications being deleted in the process (rather than simply pausing them until the requisite software was re-installed).

The VirtualBox admin interface can also be accessed from any web browser, and once in, you can view the currently running machine through your browser by clicking on the "Console" view. Be warned though, this requires Adobe Flash, so it didn't work for me in Chrome. This left Remote Desktop Management from another PC as the only option to access the virtual machine.

Both Portainer and VirtualBox are powerful tools if you know how to use them—but they are symptoms of Asustor's over-reliance on third-party software, resulting in an inconsistent experience.

Should You Buy The LockerStor2 AS6602T?

For pros who what they're doing and are comfortable with Portainer for managing Docker images, or VirtualBox for virtual machines, the LockerStor 2 is a beast that'll run anything you throw at it. You've also got the choice of either NVMe caching or as an extra fast storage volume for use with virtual machines. There's a lot of flexibility to configure the LockerStor 2 for your exact purposes. You'll find all the pro features you expect in a network storage system—but you may have to look a bit harder for them.

However, if you're looking for your first network storage device, it's difficult to recommend the LockerStor 2 to beginners. The interface design is inconsistent, and I encountered lots of small issues during testing that combined lead to a frustrating first-time user experience. The lack of Zeroconf naming meaning you have to type the IP address in every time, for instance, or the fact that the Surveillance Center doesn't work on Mac OS Big Sur. The Asustor Portal HDMI output is unsatisfactory as a media player, so this isn't going to do double-duty underneath your living room TV. It could prove useful for in-situ device management, but that's a rare use case.

Overall, the Assutor LockerStor 2 is a superb device—just not for beginners. It's fantastic hardware, let down by poor software.

Asustor LockerStor 2 NAS Review: Blazingly Fast Networking, Let Down By Poor Software published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

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