QNAP ES1686dc R2
High Availability Enterprise NAS with Dual Active Controllers

QNAP Products

Enterprise Products

QNAP 16-Bay Active-Active Dual Controller ZFS NAS and iSCSI/ IP-SAN. 3U, SAS 12G (compatible with SAS 6G), 3 x Gigabit LAN, 4x10GbE(SFP+)

#ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-128G-US
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QNAP 16-Bay Active-Active Dual Controller ZFS NAS and iSCSI/ IP-SAN. 3U, SAS 12G (compatible with SAS 6G), 3 x Gigabit LAN, 4x10GbE(SFP+)

#ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-96G-US
Get a Quote!

QNAP 16-Bay Active-Active Dual Controller ZFS NAS and iSCSI/ IP-SAN. 3U, SAS 12G (compatible with SAS 6G), 3 x Gigabit LAN, 4x10GbE(SFP+)

#ES1686dc-R2-2123IT-64G-US
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Overview

Features

Specifications

Overview:

Ensure uninterrupted mission-critical business operations with the high-availability ES1686dc R2 NAS. With redundant controllers and power supplies, it minimizes downtime, allowing seamless component replacement without disruption, ensuring reliability and continuity for enterprises.

Available Models

ES1686dc-R2-2123IT-64G-
Intel® Xeon® D-2123IT 4-core 2.20 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller, 64 GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4 x 16 GB) per controller

ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-96G-
Intel® Xeon® D-2142IT 8-core 1.90 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller, 64 GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4 x 16 GB) per controller

ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-128G-
Intel® Xeon® D-2142IT 8-core 1.90 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller, 64 GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4 x 16 GB) per controller

Dual active-active controllers

Dual active-active controllers provide supreme uptime and redundancy to ensure high availability.

NVRAM module

NVRAM reduces the risk of losing write cache data if unexpected power failure occurs.

QES operating system

Supports ZFS near-limitless snapshots, SnapSync, block-level data deduplication, and inline data compression.

Storage for virtualization

Supports VMware® vSphere®, Windows Server® and Citrix® XenServer® for storage virtualization.

10GbE SFP+ ports

Four 10GbE SFP+ ports (per controller) accelerate virtualization, large file sharing, and intensive data transfer.

PCIe Gen 3 slots

Two PCIe slots (per controller) allow for adding 10GbE/25GbE networking cards to increase application performance.

Features:

Active-Active architecture: 2 units in a single chassis

Note: It is recommended to create multiple storage pools and distribute their ownership between both controllers to leverage the strengths of the ES1686dc R2 active-active controller architecture. This allows simultaneous output from both controllers for better load balancing.

Active-Standby Architecture

If the active system fails, the standby system starts up and takes over processing.

Requires purchasing two systems for HA, doubling the cost.
Causes load imbalance as only the active system processes workloads.
A power outage may lead to data loss.
Network disconnection invalidates the HA architecture, rendering it ineffective.

Active-Active Architecture

Both systems are active simultaneously.

Both controllers handle traffic, optimizing workload distribution.
Copy-To-Flash protection safeguards data against power failure.
Dual-path SAS interface ensures seamless connectivity.
Efficient resource utilization, reducing computational waste.
High-speed, uninterrupted, and high-availability storage service.
Supports multiple communication protocols: SMB, NFS, and iSCSI.

Intel® Xeon® D processors bring high performance and efficiency

Powered by two Intel® Xeon® D processors, the ES1686dc R2 features a dual active-active controller architecture that provides failover/failback operations as the standby controller takes over if one controller breaks down.

CPU

Intel® Xeon® D-2142IT 8-core 1.90 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller.

Memory

64GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4 x 16 GB) per controller, up to 512GB (8 x 64GB).

SMB Sequential Throughout (10GbE x 8)	Read 5773 MB/s	Write 2201 MB/s
iSCSI Random 4K IOPS (10GbE x 8)	Read 254828 IOPS	Write 178552 IOPS

Tested in QNAP Labs. Figures may vary by environment.

Multi-level cache technology

Multi-tier caching

The ES1686dc R2 simultaneously supports main memory read cache (L1 ARC), SSD secondary read cache (L2 ARC), and memory write cache (ZFS Intent Log) to meet performance demands of various enterprise applications.

Expand main memory up to 512GB

Both controllers have eight RDIMM slots, allowing for up to 512GB memory.

Note: The main memory will retain 8GB for use by the write cache.

NVRAM

In the event of power failure, the system can write cache data from the battery-protected DRAM to M.2 SSD through Copy To Flash (C2F) to ensure that data is not lost.

To ensure write cache data safety, it is recommended to annually replace the BBU. QNAP provides one-year warranty for the BBU.

PCIe Gen 3 slots

The ES1686dc R2 provides two PCIe Gen 3 x8 slots per controller connected to the CPU, allowing you to add additional functionality to meet growing workload and business requirements.

Network Card

Supports up to 25GbE, boosting virtualization, media file transfer, or adding support for iSER for improved virtualization performance.

SAS Storage Expansion Card

With the QXP-820S-B3408 SAS storage expansion card, you can scale up the ES1686dc R2 with QNAP’s TL SAS expansion enclosures.

Petabyte-scale, dual-controller SAS storage expansion

Gain petabyte-scale storage capacity using the QNAP’s expansion enclosure. Dual-channel (dual-path) connections allow service continuity even if one node fails.

NAS hardware you can rely on

High-capacity Storage

Powerful Processor and Memory

High-speed Ethernet

Flexible Expansion and Connectivity

Others

Flexible Expansion and Connectivity feature

QES: ZFS-based OS designed for HA systems

The ES1686dc R2 uses the QES operating system, which is based on the simple and efficient FreeBSD kernel and the ZFS file system that is suitable for high-end enterprise applications.

What’s the difference between QES and QuTS hero?

	QES	QuTS hero
OS Kernel	FreeBSD	Linux
File system	ZFS	ZFS
CIFS/FTP/NFS/iSCSI
End-to-end data integrity
Max. snapshots	65,536	65,536
Remote disaster backup and recovery	SnapSync	SnapSync
Deduplication
Real-time data compression
Real-time data compaction
Application consistency	Snapshot Agent VSS Hardware Provider	Snapshot Agent VSS Hardware Provider
App Center
Supported QNAP NAS models	Dual-controller NAS models	Single-controller NAS models

Self-healing ensures data integrity and reliability

Designed to ensure data integrity, the QES-based ES1686dc R2 uses end-to-end checksums to detect and correct silent data corruption caused by hardware defects, firmware bugs or metadata errors. If integrity violations are detected, QES automatically repairs the damage using data from the other mirror before the data is passed to applications.

Unleashed SSD potential – agile and cost-effective for the ultimate performance

QES 2.2 features QNAP’s exclusive Write Coalescing algorithm that further optimizes all-flash performance in ZFS, providing a highly cost-effective all-flash solution for enterprise data management and mission-critical services.

Write Coalescing

Transforms all random writes to sequential writes along with reduced I/O. This not only increases random write performance for all-flash environments, but also improves SSD lifespan.

Pool over-provisioning

Users can allocate additional over-provisioning for SSDs (from 1% to 60%) and Storage Pools (from 1% to 40%) for a constant performance boost of over 100%.

Deduplication and compression maximizes VDI storage performance

In VDI environments where there could be over 90% duplicate data from virtual desktop OS images and applications, the QES-powered ES1686dc R2 provides businesses with the most cost-effective remote virtual desktop platform and mission-critical information warehousing.

Inline data deduplication

Block-based data deduplication optimizes storage usage and significantly decreases storage capacity requirements.

Inline compression

Shrinks data to reduce storage I/O workloads for improved performance. In VDI, deduplicated virtual desktops are easily cached to achieve optimal virtual desktop performance.

Inline compaction

Especially helpful for increasing SSD storage utilization efficiency when highly repetitive data or massive small files (such as transaction logs of banks or e-commerce) are generated. It delivers higher cost efficiency of all-flash storage systems.

Real-time SnapSync ensures minimal RPO with real-time disaster recovery

Real-time SnapSync ensures that both the primary and secondary NAS maintain identical data. When data is written to the source, it is immediately written to the destination. If the primary NAS goes offline, IT staff can simply adjust the privilege settings of the secondary NAS to ensure continuous operations. SnapSync provides the strongest support for nonstop business operations and helps users to reduce the risk of data loss.

Business Continuity

Copy-on-write technology makes QES snapshot creation almost instantaneous without affecting ongoing data writes. SnapSync supports incremental backups, real-time deduplication, and compression. The source ES1686dc R2 performs deduplication before compressing the metadata to reduce synchronized data and save bandwidth.

VMware SRM

SnapSync supports VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) that offers enterprise-class remote backup and disaster recovery solutions for virtual applications. With the Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) for SRM, operation overheads of the ESXi® server can be offloaded to a QNAP NAS to accelerate and simplify virtual machine backup/restore.

Compatible with VMware, Microsoft and Citrix virtualization

The ES1686dc R2 supports VMware® vSphere®, Windows Server®, and Citrix XenServer® for flexible deployment and management in virtualization environments.

Reliable, high-performance storage for virtualization

The ES1686dc R2 supports block-based iSCSI LUN as a reliable, high-performance, and affordable storage solution for mainstream virtualization environments. It supports VMware® VAAI and Microsoft® ODX to increase performance by offloading server loading for ESXi server and Hyper-V respectively.

Supports iSER for Improved VM Performance

The ES1686dc R2 supports iSER, combining iSCSI and RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access), which can bypass general network drivers, the socket layer, and to directly enter memory buffers of the server and storage. Response time is also reduced to ensure service quality of the NAS.

Build an affordable Fibre Channel SAN environment

Common Fibre Channel Storage Area Networks (SAN) devices are often costly. By installing QNAP dual-port 16Gb/32Gb Fibre Channel expansion cards in the ES1686dc R2, you have more budget-friendly options to add a NAS to a SAN environment. You can set a Fibre Channel Target using the iSCSI & Fibre Channel app. Moreover, the LUN Masking and Port Binding features provide an additional layer of data security.

5-year warranty as standard

The ES1686dc R2 is backed by a 5-year warranty at no extra cost – providing your business organization with greater peace of mind.

Hardware Specifications:

	ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-128G	ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-96G	ES1686dc-R2-2123IT-64G
CPU	Intel® Xeon® D-2142IT 8-core 1.90 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller	Intel® Xeon® D-2142IT 8-core 1.90 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller	Intel® Xeon® D-2123IT 4-core 2.20 GHz processor (burst up to 3.0 GHz) per controller
CPU Architecture	64-bit x86
Floating Point Unit
Encryption Engine	(AES-NI)	(AES-NI)	(AES-NI)
System Memory	64 GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4 x 16 GB) per controller	48 GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4 x 4 GB+4 x 8GB) per controller	32 GB RDIMM DDR4 ECC (4x 8 GB) per controller
Maximum Memory	512 GB (8 x 64GB)
Memory Slot	8 x R-DIMM/LR-DIMM DDR4 IMPORTANT: You can only use one type of dual in-line memory module (DIMM) at a time. Do not use registered DIMM (RDIMM) with load-reduction DIMM (LRDIMM) memory.
Flash Memory	4GB (Dual boot OS protection)
Drive Bay	16 x 3.5-inch SAS 12Gb/s, backward-compatible to SAS 6Gb/s
Drive Compatibility	3.5-inch bays: 3.5-inch SAS hard disk drives 2.5-inch SAS hard disk drives 2.5-inch SAS solid state drives
Hot-swappable
SSD Cache Acceleration Support	Read cache only	Read cache only	Read cache only
Cache for Copy To Flash (C2F)	1 per each controller (64GB M.2 SSD)
Gigabit Ethernet Port (RJ45)	3 for each controller (assign one for remote management)
10 Gigabit Ethernet Port	4 x 10GbE SFP+ for each controller
Wake on LAN (WOL)
Jumbo Frame
PCIe Slot	2 per controller Slot 1: PCIe Gen 3 x8 (CPU) Slot 2: PCIe Gen 3 x8 (CPU) Card dimensions for PCIe slot 1~Slot 2：215 x 68.9 x 18.76 mm / 8.46 x 2.71 x 0.74 inches. Wider cards can be installed if the next PCIe slot will not be used.
USB 3.2 Gen 1 port	2 per each controller Note: The USB ports are for engineering purpose only. No external devices such as storage drives or UPS are supported.
Form Factor	3U Rackmount
LED Indicators	System Power LED (Green): on/off System Status (Green/ Orange): in operation, system errors, low power, degraded RAID mode, memory failure, fan/power supply failure, system/disk temperature too high, storage pool reaching threshold value, system performing take-over, power supply unit unplugged LCD Status Display (Two-digit number): Status of JBOD connection
Buttons	Power, Reset
Dimensions (HxWxD)	132 × 446.2 × 587.75 mm
Weight (Net)	30.22 kg
Weight (Gross)	34.92 kg
Operating temperature	0 - 40°C (32°F - 104°F)
Storage Temperature	-20 - 70°C (-4°F - 158°F)
Relative Humidity	5-95% RH non-condensing, wet bulb: 27°C (80.6°F)
Power Supply Unit	Redundant/ Hot Swap Power Vin:90~264VAC;700W
Power Consumption: Operating Mode, Typical	500.87 W Tested with drives fully populated.
Fan	Hot-swappable fan module (606038mm; 16000RPM/12v/2.8A x 3)
System Warning	Buzzer
Standard Warranty	5
Max. Number of Concurrent Connections (CIFS) - with Max. Memory	10,000
Safety Standard	FCC Class A (USA only) CE Mark ( EN55022 Class A, EN55024) EN60950 BSMI VCCI CB LVD

Note: Use only QNAP memory modules to maintain system performance and stability. For NAS devices with more than one memory slot, use QNAP modules with identical specifications and refer to the hardware user manual to install compatible QNAP memory modules.
Warning: Using unsupported modules may degrade performance, cause errors, or prevent the operating system from starting.
QNAP reserves the right to replace partial parts or accessories if the original is no longer available from its manufacturer/supplier. Any replacement would be fully tested and verified to meet strict compatibility and stability guidelines and will deliver identical performance to the original.
The terms HDMI, HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI trade dress and the HDMI Logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc.
Product images are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Due to differences in monitors, colors of products may also appear different to those shown on the site.
Designs and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Pricing Notes:

Pricing and product availability subject to change without notice.

QNAP Products

QNAP 16-Bay Active-Active Dual Controller ZFS NAS and iSCSI/ IP-SAN. 3U, SAS 12G (compatible with SAS 6G), 3 x Gigabit LAN, 4x10GbE(SFP+)

#ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-128G-US
Get a Quote!

QNAP 16-Bay Active-Active Dual Controller ZFS NAS and iSCSI/ IP-SAN. 3U, SAS 12G (compatible with SAS 6G), 3 x Gigabit LAN, 4x10GbE(SFP+)

#ES1686dc-R2-2142IT-96G-US
Get a Quote!

QNAP 16-Bay Active-Active Dual Controller ZFS NAS and iSCSI/ IP-SAN. 3U, SAS 12G (compatible with SAS 6G), 3 x Gigabit LAN, 4x10GbE(SFP+)

#ES1686dc-R2-2123IT-64G-US
Get a Quote!

Want to build a custom bundle? Contact us!

Call a Specialist Today! 844-356-5139

QNAP ES1686dc R2 High Availability Enterprise NAS with Dual Active Controllers

Overview:

Available Models

Dual active-active controllers

NVRAM module

QES operating system

Storage for virtualization

10GbE SFP+ ports

PCIe Gen 3 slots

Features:

Active-Active architecture: 2 units in a single chassis

Active-Standby Architecture

Active-Active Architecture

Intel® Xeon® D processors bring high performance and efficiency

Multi-level cache technology

Multi-tier caching

Expand main memory up to 512GB

NVRAM

PCIe Gen 3 slots

Petabyte-scale, dual-controller SAS storage expansion

NAS hardware you can rely on

QES: ZFS-based OS designed for HA systems

What’s the difference between QES and QuTS hero?

Self-healing ensures data integrity and reliability

Unleashed SSD potential – agile and cost-effective for the ultimate performance

Write Coalescing

Pool over-provisioning

Deduplication and compression maximizes VDI storage performance

Real-time SnapSync ensures minimal RPO with real-time disaster recovery

Compatible with VMware, Microsoft and Citrix virtualization

Reliable, high-performance storage for virtualization

Supports iSER for Improved VM Performance

Build an affordable Fibre Channel SAN environment

5-year warranty as standard

Hardware Specifications:

QNAP ES1686dc R2
High Availability Enterprise NAS with Dual Active Controllers