🔍 Read the full analysis: Choosing The UGREEN NASync DXP6800 Pro For AI: Our Approach on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Thorsten Meyer says his small AI and publishing operation bought a UGREEN NASync DXP6800 Pro after iCloud sync conflicts filled a server with duplicate database dumps. The hardware is delivered but not installed; the planned storage layout and backup safeguards have not been tested, and the NAS will be returned if two acceptance tests fail.
Thorsten Meyer’s AI and publishing operation has bought a UGREEN NASync DXP6800 Pro after duplicate files created by an iCloud sync conflict left a database server with 2% free disk space. The NAS has been delivered and equipped, but it is not yet connected to the network, so the backup plan and hardware have not passed testing.
Meyer reported that on September 17, two machines sent database dumps with the same filename to an iCloud folder. The sync service retained repeated conflict copies; Meyer counted 29 duplicates before the server’s free space fell to 2%. On October 29, a nightly backup job also failed while trying to delete old dump copies because the cleanup operation timed out. Meyer said the backup itself was intact, but managing the copies had stalled.
The DXP6800 Pro has been purchased with four Seagate IronWolf Pro 16 TB drives and one NVMe SSD. Meyer says the planned configuration is four drives in RAID 6, which he estimates would provide about 32 TB of usable capacity and tolerate the failure of two drives. The SSD would be a separate pool for containers and test databases. Those figures describe the intended setup, not a verified result from a working system.
The plan calls for each Mac to back up under its own non-administrator account and storage quota, with daily snapshots the accounts cannot access or delete. An encrypted offsite copy would use restic and Backblaze B2 with Object Lock. Meyer says disk-heavy tasks would run overnight, and the NAS would not host live database change logs, provide internet-facing remote access, or grant administrator credentials to AI agents.
Infographic 01 · The box
Six bays, two fast slots, two 10GbE ports
What UGREEN lists for the NASync DXP6800 Pro, and how we plan to fill it.
How we fill it
Delivered and equipped; the setup is our plan (1 Nov 2026)
Bays 1–4: Seagate IronWolf Pro 16 TB, RAID 6, Btrfs → ≈ 32 TB usable, any two drives may fail. Bays 5–6: free for growth. M.2 slot 1: the NVMe SSD (ordered: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB) as its own fast pool. Slot 2: free. Six 16 TB drives in RAID 6 would give ≈ 64 TB.
What else UGREEN lists
From the product page, not measured by us
- Separate 128 GB SSD for the operating system, UGOS
- RAID: JBOD, Basic, 0, 1, 5, 6, 10
- 1× PCIe x4 · 2× Thunderbolt 4 · 8K HDMI · SD card reader
- Power: 43.07 W drives in use · 24.91 W drives in hibernation
- Stated maximum: 208 TB with 32 TB drives · 3-year warranty
Why six bays: with RAID 6, two drives always hold parity. In four bays that leaves half the raw space usable; with all six bays filled it becomes two thirds.
Sources: UGREEN DXP6800 Pro product page, checked 1 Nov 2026; Seagate IronWolf Pro data sheet DS2129.4; our setup plan, 6 Oct 2026.
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Replacing Sync With Local Backups
The purchase addresses a recovery and storage problem, not a shortage of cloud capacity. Sync services can propagate unwanted changes or duplicate files, while restoring hundreds of gigabytes over an office internet connection can take hours, Meyer wrote. A local NAS could provide a faster restore source and a separate on-site copy, while the proposed offsite backup would preserve protection against a local failure.
The distinction matters because the DXP6800 Pro is not yet part of the operation’s backup system. Until the acceptance tests pass and the backup jobs are running, the organization remains dependent on its current arrangement: local Time Machine disks on two Macs and an iCloud copy of a nightly database dump. A storage device alone does not establish that files can be restored or protected from accidental deletion.
Meyer’s account also describes a modest, specific need rather than a data-center-scale deployment. Measurements taken October 6 put the main desk machine at about 2.6 TB, the database server at 744 GB, and the model server at 3.2 TB, much of it downloadable AI models. Meyer estimates the current backup requirement at 6 to 8 TB. The six-bay choice is intended to leave room for expansion without replacing the existing drives.
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The Failures Behind the Purchase
The operation runs several Macs around the clock: one hosts its main Postgres database, another serves local AI models, and others handle publishing workflows and tests. Meyer said the database server has also experienced recurring kernel panics since August, at worst roughly once every five days. A crash on August 8 caused 2¼ hours of database downtime. A NAS cannot prevent a computer crash, but a nearby copy could shorten recovery if the data can be restored successfully.
There is also a practical workload reason for separating storage. Test databases for other projects were running in Docker on Meyer’s laptop, where a virtual disk had grown to about 30 GB. The proposed SSD pool would move containers and test data off that machine. The planned RAID 6 arrangement is intended for backups and storage, not as a substitute for an independent copy.
Meyer says the choice was between the six-bay model and a cheaper four-bay version. The deciding factor was expansion capacity: UGREEN’s specifications list six SATA bays, two M.2 slots, a 10-core Intel Core i5-1235U, two 10GbE ports, and 8 GB of DDR5 memory expandable to 64 GB. These are manufacturer specifications, not independently tested performance results. Meyer also disclosed that he bought the NAS and drives himself, received no sample or sponsorship, and included no affiliate links; he described the article as neither a review nor a long-term test.
“That was the day I stopped treating a sync service as a backup.”
— Thorsten Meyer, ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Setup and Safeguards Remain Untested
As of November 1, 2026, the NAS has not been connected to the network or configured. The planned RAID, account permissions, snapshots, offsite copy, and overnight schedule are not operational, and Meyer says the two acceptance tests have not run. It is unknown whether the device will meet the operation’s requirements or how quickly it will restore data under real conditions.
Meyer has not reported measured transfer speeds, noise levels, power use, or long-term reliability. The stated storage capacities and hardware features come from manufacturer specifications or the planned configuration. The RAID estimate does not establish that backups are recoverable, and the proposed Object Lock setup has not yet been tested. Meyer says he will report results after rollout.
Two Tests Before Deployment
The next step is to connect and configure the NAS, then run the two stated acceptance tests: confirm Time Machine works with a non-admin account and verify that account cannot reach or delete the daily snapshots. Meyer says the device will be returned if either test fails.
If the tests pass, the operation plans to begin local backups and establish an encrypted offsite copy through restic and Backblaze B2 with Object Lock. Meyer has not given a rollout date. The key follow-up will be whether the complete setup can restore data reliably, rather than whether the hardware’s advertised specifications match the planned configuration.
Key Questions
What prompted the NAS purchase?
Duplicate iCloud conflict copies of database dumps left a server with 2% free space, according to Meyer. A later timeout while cleaning up old copies also caused a nightly backup job to fail.
Is the UGREEN NAS already backing up the Macs?
No. As of November 1, 2026, it has been delivered and equipped but is not connected to the network or set up. The existing backups remain local Time Machine disks on two Macs and an iCloud database-dump copy.
Why choose the six-bay model over a four-bay NAS?
Meyer says the six drive bays provide more room to add storage later without replacing the initial drives. The decision is based on planned capacity, not reported performance testing.
What storage arrangement is planned?
The plan is four 16 TB hard drives in RAID 6 for backups, with an NVMe SSD in a separate pool for containers and test databases. Meyer estimates about 32 TB usable from the four-drive RAID 6 setup; this has not yet been verified in operation.
What must happen before the NAS is accepted?
Meyer says it must pass tests showing that Time Machine works with a non-admin account and that the account cannot access or delete daily snapshots. If either test fails, he says the NAS will be returned.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
