TS-264: Can I use the 5GbE connection to a PC for both NAS traffic and Internet?

[Sparks79]

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to work out whether my QNAP TS-264 can be configured to do something a little different from a normal NAS setup.

I have installed a 5 GbE network card in the PCIe expansion slot of my QNAP TS-264. The 5 GbE connection between the PC and the NAS is already working correctly.

My proposed network arrangement is:

                    Router / Internet
                           │
                         2.5 Gb
                           │
                    ┌──────▼──────┐
                    │   QNAP      │
                    │   TS-264    │
                    │             │
                    │ 2.5 Gb ─────┼── Normal LAN
                    │             │
                    │ 5 Gb ────────┼──── 5 Gb ─── JohnsPc
                    └─────────────┘

In other words, the TS-264 would have:

• Its existing 2.5 Gb connection to my normal LAN/router
• A 5 Gb connection directly to JohnsPc
• JohnsPc would have only the one 5 Gb Ethernet cable connected to it

What I would like to achieve is for the single 5 Gb connection between JohnsPc and the TS-264 to carry both:

1. High-speed NAS/file transfers at up to 5 GbE
2. Internet and normal LAN traffic, with the TS-264 effectively routing that traffic through its 2.5 Gb LAN connection.

I’ve already tested the physical arrangement. The 5 Gb PC-to-NAS connection works, but if I unplug JohnsPc’s existing 2.5 Gb LAN cable, JohnsPc immediately loses Internet access — which is expected at present.

My question is:

Can the TS-264 be configured to route/NAT traffic between these two Ethernet interfaces so that JohnsPc can use the single 5 Gb connection for both high-speed NAS access and Internet/LAN access?

I’m running QTS 5.2.9.

If this is possible, I’d particularly like to know whether it can be done using the normal QNAP/QTS networking facilities, and whether there are any issues with SMB/file sharing or routing that I should be aware of.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[HanzSung]

In “Network and Virtual Switch” you can create virtual switch that supports NAT or Bridge to allow the NAS act like a router.

Some hint:

1. Set the interface of internet connection as “Default Gateway”
2. In Network and Virtial Switch, set Static Route to ensure the LAN traffic goes to the right network port.

Configuring Static Route Settings | QTS 5.0.x

For personal curious, what’s the intention to isolate JohnsPc from the normal LAN? You just want to make sure the transfer to NAS is fast, and the JohnsPc has only 1 network interface or for wiring simplicity?

[Sparks79]

Continuing the discussion from TS-264: Can I use the 5GbE connection to a PC for both NAS traffic and Internet?:

@HanzSung

For personal curious, what’s the intention to isolate JohnsPc from the normal LAN? You just want to make sure the transfer to NAS is fast, and the JohnsPc has only 1 network interface or for wiring simplicity?The main reason is speed and network simplicity. JohnsPc has only one Ethernet interface that I want to use for this purpose, and I would like that single 5GbE connection to the TS-264 to handle both high-speed NAS transfers and normal LAN/Internet traffic.

At present, JohnsPc has a 2.5Gb connection to my normal LAN and a separate 5Gb connection directly to the TS-264. If I disconnect the 2.5Gb connection, the 5Gb NAS connection continues to work, but JohnsPc loses Internet/LAN access.

So I’m investigating whether the TS-264 can effectively act as the gateway between the two networks, allowing me to remove the second cable from JohnsPc while retaining the full 5Gb connection to the NAS.

It’s not really about isolating JohnsPc for security reasons. It’s primarily about getting the 5Gb connection to do everything over the one cable.

I’d add one sentence:

If there is a better way of achieving the same result, I’m very open to suggestions.

[HanzSung]

When the goal is for cable simplicity, I will suggest just create a virtual switch in NVS to “bridge” the 2.5G LAN and 5G LAN adaptor into same virtural interface. Instead of using (nested?) NAT and setup static route.

Keep the PC connected to the 5Gb interface, and with the bridge, the traffic from LAN can be bypassed like a switch will do.

And you will keep the PC having the LAN IP. While the connection between your PC and NAS is keep at 5Gb. Below is a sample:

[dolbyman]

I would only use that software definded switch in a pinch, as your PC networking would be dependent on the NAS running,so NAS reboots or downtime would also prevent that PC from connecting to the rest of the network.

An actual switch would be better.