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When it comes to mounting HDDs or SSDs to any kind of tray, it seems that every company has their own way of doing it. Terra Master have opted for the very tried and true method. Each tray pulls out of the NAS via a catch. You drop the HDD or SSD into the tray, flip it over, and then secure the drive into the tray using the provided screws.
I'd have liked if the bays were toolless, or at least captive in some way, but really how much work is it to hold the drive in place long enough to secure it with a single screw? Not much, and I think complaining about that could fairly well justify having accusations of trying to 'find' issues directed my way.
Once the drive is secured, simply slide it back into the enclosure until it hits a 'stop'. That is your signal to push the latch back down, which will slot the drive into the SATA 3 bridges lying at the far end. That is, basically, job over.
When powered on, the NAS will initialize each disk and then indicate when it is 'ready' with a solid green light. If a drive ever goes bad this light will turn solid red. If you're disappointed with the lack of features on the front IO, remember that these are really designed to be configured via a web based GUI. That's what it's there for, and the fact it's available on multiple platforms makes this even easier. Also, realistically, what information can a small LED interface convey that a simple LED can't? If it's data for your business, then I would argue a simple red LED does an equally good job at conveying the message 'replace HDD now' than a readout does. Different approaches, the same end result.
I have to say, without exception I think that this is a good looking unit, and is evidently designed with the modern and clean home setup in mind. I do deride the lack of a front mounted UI (or any on unit UI at all), but I can see why it's been left out for reasons I have previously stated. Given the wide amount of software compatibility that this product offers, I can see it really appealing to those pursuing an aesthetically minimalistic setup. It also helps that it's feature packed, meaning that unlike many other products that may prefer form over function (I will stop there before I name names), you are not compromising on potential use cases or anything that might become a hindrance.
Overall, excellent work from Terra Master here, and their ability to crank out a product (which most see as entirely utilitarian) that both looks good and offers a wide set of features must be applauded. However, this is all a little moot if the F4-220 cannot actually deliver where it counts. So, with that said and done, shall we see how this unit actually operates and performs?
