DSM 7.0 Cannot update DS215j to DSM 7

[behcio]

Hi everyone,

I've only just recently found out that there is an update for my good ol' DS215j to DSM 7. And with it, updates to Synology's Download Station (which doesn't receive any more updates on DSM 6, sadly, and I need them).
I have a weird problem with the update - when I attempt to do a manual DSM update and point to the DSM 7 .pat file (downloaded from Synology site), I get a message saying that I cannot install an earlier version of DSM.
I even tried installing the DSM 7 version of Download Station (3.9.3-4609) on my DS215j but I got an "Invalid file format" error (again, used the .spk file from Synology site).

Any idea what I could try to break through to the land of newest updates?

Thanks,
behcio

 

[Lewis]

Have you downloaded 7.0 or 7.0.1 ?

I think you need to go with 7.0 first and then just patch for 7.0.1

try here:

Synology Archive Download Site - Index of /download/Os/DSM

archive.synology.com

 

[Telos]

 

[fredbert]

The official release note regarding 1GB RAM is a real "huh?" when it then lists supported < 1GB devices in note 9.

Release Notes for DSM | Synology Inc.

Release Notes for DSM | Synology Inc.

www.synology.com

If you can work with DSM 6 then I'd prioritise note 8 over note 9. If not then I would consider getting a newer device (DS220+ is the current incarnation of my first upgrade, which was the DS218+).

While I have installed DSM 7 on my DS215j it wasn't my only NAS. In fact I was prepared for it to be effectively bricked, or severely hobbled, and I updated it before upgrading my other NAS. I find it's OK but, big BUT, I don't run the [newer] heavy packages. I also built the DS215j from fresh and it's only being used as a NAS not the other server services. You may find that Download Station still works acceptably; I'm only using SMB for Mac Time Machine.

Here's the DS215j's Active Insight performance right now.

 

[behcio]

@Lewis - I tried with both 7.0 and 7.0.1 - same issue

@fredbert - did you have any problems installing DSM 7 on DS215j? Or have you actually wiped it clean and installed DSM 7 after that? As for usage - I use it only for data storage and Download Station, so I'm not that concerned with performance loss.

 

[fredbert]

I think I installed DSM 7 on a fresh install. I definitely created two Basic storage pools as I was repurposing it from a build that had the two drives in a single SHR-1. But can’t be 100% sure when I rebuild the storage vs installed DSM 7.

 

[eminence]

Hi @behcio,
any luck with the DSM 7 upgrade?

I've tried myself to install on my DS215J and the upgrade procedure gets stuck showing the progress bar...

 

[MamboMike]

Just got myself a cheap used 215j, maybe I'll keep it on DSM 6 if people are having problems...

 

[behcio]

Hi @behcio,
any luck with the DSM 7 upgrade?

I've tried myself to install on my DS215J and the upgrade procedure gets stuck showing the progress bar...

Unfortunately, no luck. It seems you got a bit further though - when I pointed to the DSM 7 update file, I got a message "that I cannot install an earlier version of DSM"

 

[ijpatricio]

Hello.

Just registered to answer you

Download Center - DS215j | Synology Inc.

Discover technical information with whitepapers, user guides, and datasheets to learn more about Synology products. Download the latest software patches to enjoy the best technologies.

www.synology.com

Go to that page, and then you choose your current OS version and which one you want to go to.

It will then show you the one or multiple versions you have to install (per order) in the manual section of Update in Control Panel.

Look example below. To go from 6.2.4-25556, you have to make 3 manual installs...

It also took me a while to understand!!

PS you can find downloads on the above link, or also here Synology Archive Download Site - Index of /download/Os/DSM

 

[behcio]

@ijpatricio, thanks for creating an account just for this reason

It's been a long time but if I remember correctly, I was attempting to do an update the same way. The problem was that when I tried to install the update, I was getting an error. It was something like this:

You cannot install an earlier version of DSM

Which is absurd since I was trying to update my DSM from 6.2.4-25556 to 7.0.1-42218.

So yeah... I kinda gave up.

 

[eminence]

So yeah... I kinda gave up.

me too

 

[Telos]

I was trying to update my DSM from 6.2.4-25556 to 7.0.1-42218.

So yeah... I kinda gave up.

Since the DS215j doesn't meet the minimum recommended memory for DSM7, I believe you are far better off on v6. Why cripple an already limited machine.

 

[fredbert]

Since the DS215j doesn't meet the minimum recommended memory for DSM7, I believe you are far better off on v6. Why cripple and already limited machine.

If, and probably only if, you are using the basic NAS features then using DSM 7.1 on a DS215j works fine. Some of the lighter packages work too, e.g. network services like DNS Server. You will at least get vulnerability patches quicker than it seems Synology schedules the same work on DSM 6.

My DS215j with DSM 7.1 is used only as a SMB destination for Time Machine. It is an occasional test device to see if this NAS can do it then most will be better performing.

Here's a screen shot of Audio Station playing a ALAC 96kHz/24-bit file to my Mac. In the background there are three Macs connected via SMB for doing Time Machine, of which I think one is actively doing a backup. Earlier in the CPU graph I was flicking through a small test album in Synology Photos. Basically, if you do much in DSM web then there will be a peak in CPU. And memory swap is 300-400MB. Just logging into DSM web push the CPU 1 minute load average to over 12.

The ffmpeg process used by Audio Station has is quite a load. The drops are when I stopped playback.

 

[Jan Janowski]

As I saw the workload drop with the implementation of 6.2 my 215J... I realized the writing was on the wall... 6.2 was limiting the workload I could do with the 215J..... V7 Probably would be worse!!!

I gave my 215J to my son-in-law, with drives still under warranty, and told him specifically NOT TO UPDATE TO V7!!!

He listened, Still running it on 6.2-4, and he's happy with it!

I bought a 720+, stuffed it with used Crucial Ram (Bought here) 2x Seagate Ironwolf 510 SSD Cache's, and 2 of 4 7200rpm Seagate Baraccuda's (with patched firmware....) 10+ yr old drives, that had been used as a raid 0 array on my video editing system... that were retired for this use.... Just to keep my System Upgrade costs down... They continue on as if nothing had changed....... I beat the Seagate Drives to death in use as Raid 0 video storage for video editing for 10 years....... And I'm beating them to death in my New NAS as SHR!!!
(And Have spares on the shelf set if a drive dies!)
Now the drives were indicated as: "NOT SUPPORTED".......... By V7 DSM!!!!

I just ignored the warning..... and used them anyway....

I'm happy with my decision, my new NAS, and my Son-in-Law 'owes' me one! What an enviable position to be in!!!! !

 

[Telos]

and my Son-in-Law 'owes' me one!

What a lucky guy he is, to have you for a father-in-law. I can't even begin to imagine how that plays out

 

[Jan Janowski]

And I’ll play it for all I can get!