CES: Qnap Showcases AI Ready NAS, Refreshes Edge Computing PoE Switch

Qnap Systems, Inc. joins CES 2019 as a computing, networking and storage solution firm that provides a lineup of products and solutions that are feature-rich yet affordable for home, small business, and enterprise users.

The company showcased the AI-Ready NAS used for training and inference, intelligent AI-based image application automation, the edge computing PoE switch used in a video surveillance scenario, and a product portfolio designed for Apple users to accomplish file backup and improve workflows by leveraging 10GbE and Thunderbolt connectivity.

Expedite AI training and inference
Built around AI optimization with GPU-accelerated computing, the TS-2888X AI-Ready NAS provides an all-in-one AI solution combining storage and a ready-to-use software environment that simplifies AI machine learning with cost-efficiency. Alongside an IO/s-optimized storage infrastructure that accelerates AI workloads, the  QuAI AI developer package enables a range of open-source tools and frameworks (including Caffe, TensorFlow, AlexNet, FaceNet, and more) for AI workflows readily available to users – helping to reduce the time and complexity for AI model training.

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The company debut the OpenVINO Workflow Consolidation tool, a deep learning package to convert the trained models into inference service accelerated by the Intel Distribution of OpenVINO toolkit. A live demo was presented using a TVS-872XT NAS and a PCIe-based FPGA accelerator to showcase the capabilities of a firm’s NAS as an Inference Server that assists organizations in quickly building their inference system.

OpenVINO Workflow Consolidation tool
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Embrace a brand-new hybrid cloud experience

HS-453DX NAS

TBS-453DX NASBook

The firm has also showcased the set-top-box 10GbE hybrid-structure HS-453DX NAS with two SATA HDD bays and two M.2 SATA SSD slots, and the TBS-453DX NASbook with four M.2 SATA SSD slots.

With the Cloud Gateway service ‘CacheMount‘, users can enjoy a new hybrid-cloud experience by mapping multiple public cloud storage for near-unlimited storage capacity, while also benefiting from near-LAN speed accessibility to their cloud files with local caching enabled.

The company also demonstrated the QuMagie app, the next-generation of Photo Station, which integrates AI

learning algorithms to enable facial/subject recognition and geography tagging of images stored in the NAS, providing an upgraded user experience for media file management.

Gateway service ‘CacheMount’

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NAS as edge computing PoE switch
The company boosts networking efforts to roll out a refreshed Guardian QGD-1600P that integrates NAS, managed switch, and Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities into one device. The QGD-1600P features an Celeron J4105 processor, two 2.5-inch SATA drive bays, two PCIe slots, and one HDMI output; runs the QTS OS with the App Center to realize various applications including VMs, containerized apps, and video surveillance; and also acts as a 16-port managed switch, which is based on the Microchip VSC7425, IEEE 802.3bt ready with power level up to 90W, and supports VLAN, QoS, and port-based PoE control.

A live demo with QVR Pro was presented to demonstrate a budget-friendly option for deploying a video surveillance solution with HDMI monitoring, advanced networking management, and PoE support.

AI network appliance – Puzzle series based on Intel, AMD and Marvell processors
The firm’s partners with IEI (IEI Integration Corp. ) to showcased the Puzzle series, a next-gen network appliance which includes a broad portfolio of x86-based (8th gen Intel Core or AMD EPYC 3000 Series) and ARM-based (Marvell, NXP or Cavium SoC) network platforms.

The series is optimized to handle proprietary network and uCPE (Universal Customer Premise Equipment) and offers real-time software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) services with any additional virtual network functions (VNF) services.

It is also an AI hardware ready system for deep learning inference computing by supporting graphics cards, IEI Mustang-F100 and Mustang-V100 AI accelerator cards. Puzzle users can utilize NVIDIA TensorRT, the firm’s QuAI, and OpenVINO AI development toolkit to simplify deployment of AI solutions.

TVS-672XT Thunderbolt NAS series

Solutions catered to Apple users
The company showcased products designed for optimizing the workflows of Apple users, including file backup, collaboration, and high-speed multi-workstation environments with 10GbE and Thunderbolt.

Visitors got a sneak preview of the Qulala, an external drive equipped with a Lightning cable for connecting iOS devices. It is a handy gadget that makes backing up mobile files and keeps files safe as a self-encrypting drive.

For Thunderbolt users, besides using the firm’s TVS-x72XT Thunderbolt NAS series, they can also enjoy 10GbE connectivity by using the company’s QNA series of Thunderbolt 3 to 10GbE adapters, and QSW series of 10GbE/NBASE-T unmanaged switches. Also featured is the TR-004 USB 3.0 RAID expansion enclosure that provides both Mac computers and the firm’s NAS with a secure storage expansion solution.

TR-004 USB 3.0 RAID expansion

QSW series 10GbE/NBASE-T switch

Read also:
Qnap TS-2888X AI-Ready NAS With Xeon W Processor and Hybrid Storage Architecture
With up to 18 cores and 36 threads and up to 4.5GHz, eight PCIe slots, supporting 8 3.5-inch 6Gb SATA HDDs, 16 2.5-inch 6Gb SATA SSDs, and 4 2.5-inch U.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe SSDs
2018.11.06 | Press Release
Qnap TVS-x72XT NAS With 10GbE, Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity and Intel Processors
4, 6, 8 bays
2018.12.11 | Press Release
Qnap HS-453DX Silent NAS With 2 Bays for 3.5-Inch 6Gb SATA HDD and two M.2 2280 SATA SSD Slots
With Celeron J4105 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, dual-channel DDR4 SODIMM RAM (upgradable to 8GB), one 10GBASE-T (10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M) LAN port, one Gigabit RJ45 LAN port, one HDMI v2.0 and one HDMI v1.4b output, one Type-C USB 3.0 ports, two Type-A USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports
2018.12.06 | Press Release
Qnap TBS-453DX M.2 SSD NASbook With Four M.2 2280 6Gb SATA SSD Slots
Celeron J4105 quad-core 1.5GHz processor (burst up to 2.5GHz) with AES-NI support, 4/8GB DDR4 dual-channel memory, one 10GbE RJ45 port, one 1GbE RJ45 port, one HDMI 2.0 4K@60Hz output, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and four USB 2.0 Type-A ports
2018.12.24 | Press Release
Qnap TVS-x72XT NAS With 10GbE, Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity and Intel Processors
4, 6, 8 bays
2018.12.11 | Press Release
Qnap: 12-Port QSW-1208-8C and 8-Port QSW-804-4C 10GbE/NBASE-T Unmanaged Switches
For helping home and small businesss upgrade networks with 10GbE speed
2018.04.06 | Press Release