QTS 6
and beyond

Hello, QNAP fans!

Picture the mid-nineties: a new issue of CHIP or PC World at the newsstand, with a CD or floppy disk on the cover. Back home, you start installing things before reading a single column. A game demo. Some shareware. A program you haven't quite figured out, but are certain you'll need. The tea goes cold. By midnight, the computer can do something it couldn't that morning.

Thirty years later, that experiment might be running on a NAS on the shelf. Giving your hardware a new job is still just as satisfying. This autumn, we've put together enough to fill one of those discs: new firmware to test, a shared database of CPU and memory results, tools for building your own applications, and free software for web, DNS and email hosting.

October brings pumpkins to the shops and a familiar question to our forum: when will my model get QTS 6? Let's start there.

On 13 October, QNAP released QTS 6.1 Public Beta (6.1.0.3640, build 20261007). QuTS hero h6.1 Public Beta arrived the same day with the same build number. The first group of models can try it, while some powerful NAS models are still waiting. In QNAP's discussion thread, for example, a user asked about the TVS-872XT, which was missing from the list.

QNAP's reply on 19 October was: “We plan to open the Public Beta to more models in phases.” No date was given. A few hours later, QNAP also clarified that not every model running QTS 5 will move to QTS 6. Hardware limitations mean some older models will remain on QTS 5.

QuTS hero users already have a stable route to version 6: the h6.0 release line, currently at h6.0.2. QuTS hero h6.1 is in public beta, as is QTS 6.1. There is no stable QTS 6 release yet.

The TS-473A specification lists an AMD Ryzen V1500B: four cores, eight threads, 2.2 GHz. Precise enough, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Container Station, virtual machines, photo indexing and backups all compete for CPU time. How much capacity do your applications have left? And how does your NAS compare with the model you're considering next?

That's where shared measurements help. bench.qnaputilities.com already includes results from more than 40 NAS devices, ranging from ARM models to a TVS-AIh1688ATX with a Core Ultra 7 265K. Each contribution helps expand or update the database, giving other users more evidence for their hardware choices.

The RAM benchmark database currently includes results from eight NAS devices. Each new contribution helps us compare more memory configurations.

CPU testing: Run or Lab?

StorageDiag is free and runs on QTS 5.2 and later. Its CPU Lab window offers two modes. Run benchmarks the CPU with the NAS operating as it is. Lab stops services before measuring. For comparable CPU results, we ask you to use Lab: background workloads can have a considerable effect on the score.

The CPU ranking includes runs labelled clean or throttled. A run affected by other interference is excluded, and StorageDiag explains why.

Memory testing: Benchmark and Quality

Open MemHound in StorageDiag and look for Benchmark and Quality in the window's title bar. It measures memory throughput and latency, and tests the stability of the memory configuration in that NAS. Any bit error causes the test to fail. Clicking the button starts the test immediately, without another confirmation, and the first pass cannot be interrupted. Results are published in the RAM benchmark database by default.

The test assesses the installed memory configuration; FAIL and INCONCLUSIVE results are not ranked. Hard faults, bit errors and uncorrected ECC errors are recorded in the separate RAM faults list against the memory model or a broader class, such as soldered memory without a module part number. A model or class reaches the database's confirmation threshold when three distinct NAS devices report faults for it. That corroborates the reports; it does not mean that every module of that model is faulty.

For a quicker check, the Benchmark this NAS! icon on the StorageDiag desktop runs the memory benchmark followed by the CPU benchmark, and publishes the results by default. It leaves services running, so use it when the NAS is idle.

Think of an old recipe notebook: a favourite cheesecake, Christmas gingerbread, a note in the margin saying “less sugar”. Bucket & Code Server IDE takes a similar approach to software. Its recipes describe the source code and the steps needed to turn it into an application.

The App Builder includes 523 recipes, from bash, curl and rsync to nginx, Redis, PowerDNS and complete server applications. Recipes include a SHA-256 checksum to verify the source files, and a new build is checked before it replaces the previous version. Choose your applications and build options, run the build, and package the result as a QPKG. With the supplied recipes, you can get started without writing the code yourself.

Your own App Center and update channel

Bucket & Code can host your own App Center repository on the NAS. For a QPKG project created with New project, configure the build and publication workflow to build on each Git push and publish a signed package to that repository. Add its address to App Center on your other NAS devices, and install your application there. Once the workflow is configured, a push can trigger the next build and make an update available through App Center. Previous versions remain available to download.

The repository works on your local network. The Publishing page can also make it available under your own domain through a Cloudflare Tunnel, without opening a router port. App Center verifies package signatures, so you also need a QNAP-issued code-signing certificate and a configured signing and publishing process.

There is more to the workspace: Git with Forgejo provides repositories, issues, pull requests and automated build jobs (CI) on the NAS. There is SVN, too, plus buckets: network drives that record each saved file as a revision. You can browse the history, compare changes and restore earlier versions from your own disks.

An editor with AI assistance

Developer and administrator accounts each get VS Code in the browser. In Editor settings, you can install Claude Code, Gemini CLI or Codex CLI. These assistants work in a terminal alongside your project, using your own provider account or API key.

Every project created with New project includes a QNAP skill: written instructions for the assistant. It explains the NAS's RAM-based root filesystem, its BusyBox environment without systemd, and the process for building, signing and publishing packages. It also warns against inappropriate suggestions such as using apt on the NAS or disabling signature checks in App Center. You can start with a plain-language request: “Add a schedule and a run-now button to this app.” Review and test the proposed changes, then refine them. A command in the guide adds the skill to a gallery example, and it is also available as a separate download under CC BY 4.0.

If you used Turbo Pascal, you may remember exploring its examples folder. BGIDEMO.PAS showed what the graphics library could do. Other examples gave you working code to take apart. Change a few lines, compile, and watch something of your own appear on screen. A promising start to a late-night Tetris project.

Bucket & Code keeps that idea alive. Its examples gallery has 63 projects you can add with a click: 18 apps, 9 environments, 6 CI workflows, 5 scheduled jobs and 25 editor projects. The gallery's licence allows you to modify a copy, build it and distribute your adaptation as part of your own work.

The gallery includes Transmission and qBittorrent. If you're looking for a more extensive torrent setup, there's also our separate Rtorrent 16 package. It combines rtorrent 0.16 with a Control Center and Movie Agent, which recognises films and TV series, renames files and organises them into your library: Movies, TV Shows, Kids, Family and 4K. The Performance wizard measures your connection and disk performance before suggesting settings. Optional auto-tuning is experimental. Add-ons provide WhatsApp, Telegram, search, Gopeed and IRC features, plus integrations with Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr and Seerr. The package is free.

The gallery's most ambitious projects go further: a set of applications for running your own hosting environment.

These gallery projects are also available as complete QPKG packages, each with a management interface in nine languages. Add the QNAP Utilities repository to App Center and look for (example) WebHostPro, (example) TurboDNS and (example) MailServerPro.

WebHostPro: a home for your websites

nginx handles incoming web requests, with Apache httpd available behind it for sites that need it. Choose from PHP 8.1 to 8.5, MariaDB, Percona Server and PostgreSQL, with memcached and Valkey also available.

Each site runs under a separate system account to help isolate its PHP processes and files. A domain wizard guides you through DNS, registrar settings, the database and a Let's Encrypt certificate. Before applying changes, you can review a dry run showing what will change in the configuration files.

TurboDNS: take charge of your domains

TurboDNS combines the PowerDNS authoritative server with a panel for managing DNS zones. Create a zone, set its nameservers and SOA serial number, edit records such as A, MX and TXT, and enable DNSSEC.

Each change is previewed before it is applied, showing which records will be added, replaced or removed. You also get snapshots, templates, propagation checks and tools to push zones to Cloudflare and OVH. Familiar hosting-panel tools, running on your NAS.

MailServerPro: email with the supporting tools

MailServerPro brings together Postfix for SMTP and Dovecot for IMAP and POP3, with Pigeonhole for Sieve filtering rules. Rspamd and Valkey handle spam filtering, ClamAV can be enabled in the settings, and fail2ban helps block repeated password-guessing attempts.

There is Roundcube webmail, CalDAV and CardDAV for calendars and contacts, Z-Push for Exchange ActiveSync on mobile devices, and CryptPad for working on documents in the browser.

Email authentication includes DKIM, SPF, DMARC and ARC; there is also greylisting, MTA-STS and DANE support, with a validating DNS resolver.

The panel brings together domains, mailboxes, aliases, DKIM keys, DNS records, the mail queue, logs and backups. Mailboxes are backed up automatically each day.

Running public email takes some preparation. Your ISP must allow port 25, the public IP address needs an appropriate PTR record, and its reputation matters to delivery. The hosting guide walks through the setup, from creating the first administrator and configuring domain records to sending a test message.

Putting the pieces together

The packages can share part of the setup work. WebHostPro's site wizard prepares records for TurboDNS. With MailServerPro configured on the same NAS, it can also include mail-related records for DKIM, MTA-STS, TLS-RPT and TLSA. You preview the changes and apply the website configuration and prepared DNS records together. The remaining domain, network and mail configuration still needs to be completed as described in the guide.

All three packages are free, including for business use under the licences of their components. Domain registration remains a separate cost. You can also use the packages as a lab: try a website, explore DNS, or learn how mail moves between servers before putting a service into daily use.

For a stable version 6 release, use QuTS hero h6.0. QTS 6.1 Public Beta is available for the models in its release notes; QuTS hero h6.1 is also in public beta. If you're still on QTS 5.2, you can already use StorageDiag and both benchmarks.

The ARM64 version of Rtorrent 16 awaits QTS 6 support on NAS models with ARM processors.

To add the repository, open Settings → App Repository → Add in App Center. Name it QNAP Utilities and paste https://www.qnaputilities.com/repo.xml. You can then install and update our applications through App Center.

Will my NAS get QTS 6?

Check Applicable Models in the QTS 6.1 release notes. QNAP plans to add more models to the beta in phases, but has also said that some models running QTS 5 will not move to QTS 6.

Will a Lab run interrupt my NAS?

Yes. It stops services for the CPU benchmark and restarts them afterwards. It does not run disk or volume tests, although it writes its own logs and results. Finish client tasks and safely disconnect active iSCSI storage before starting. Use a maintenance window.

Which details are published with my result?

Your NAS model, CPU, memory, score and chosen nickname. The serial number, installation ID and IP address are retained in our database and are not displayed publicly.

Do I need to write code to build a QPKG?

You can build the supplied recipes and gallery examples without writing their code yourself. For changes, an AI assistant can work from your description, using the QNAP skill as guidance. You still need to review and test what it produces.

Can I run a website without a public IP address?

Yes, using Cloudflare Tunnel in WebHostPro. In this setup, the domain uses Cloudflare's nameservers. The website tunnel does not provide public email delivery or access to your own authoritative DNS server; those need separate public connectivity.

What does it cost?

The applications are free, including for business use under their licences. Domain registration is separate. AI assistants use your own provider account, so any provider charges are separate too.

Are these official QNAP applications?

QNAP Utilities is an independent project. QNAP Systems, Inc. does not publish or endorse these applications.

A pumpkin on the desk, a NAS on the shelf, and another cup of tea going cold. Thirty years on, there is still plenty of pleasure in an evening spent trying something out: install a tool, measure the hardware, build an application. By morning, the machine has a new job.

Contribute a CPU result with Lab. Build your first package. Put a website on your own domain. Then show us on the forum: share the score, the package or the site, and tell us what you'd like to try next.

Happy Halloween, and see you on the forum.

Silas Mariusz QNAP Forum Polska