Info DO NOT UPDATE to DSM 6.2.4 if you have a Btrfs volume (for DS420j, DS220j, DS418j, DS218play, and DS118 only)

[SynoMan]

Officially confirmed bug for DS420j, DS220j, DS418j, DS218play, and DS118 only. DO NOT UPDATE to DSM 6.2.4:

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[fredbert]

The full subect:

Please DO NOT update to DSM6.2.4 if you have a Btrfs volume in your DS420j, DS220j, DS418j, DS218play, DS118​

Which they say:

It is a beautiful mistake before DSM6.2.4 to make those models could use Btrfs.

Beautiful?? A language difference, because I'd not call a mess like this as beautiful. Not if it were on my NAS.

Did DSM 6.2.3 allow these NAS to have btrfs volumes? Could they be created on these NAS? Or has there been a third-party mod to enable it?

It's not clear to me but I thought that these NAS have never been advertised as supporting btrfs.

 

[Shadow]

And thats why I have auto-update turned off. Also for apps...
I may not have these models, but messages like these are scary nonetheless...

EDIT: Actually, I do have a DS118 . But it's EXT4.

 

[Micky]

Same h

And thats why I have auto-update turned off. Also for apps...
I may not have these models, but messages like these are scary nonetheless...

Same here

 

[Shadow]

Did DSM 6.2.3 allow these NAS to have btrfs volumes? Could they be created on these NAS?

According to other dutch Synology forums: Yes .

This was a bug, which has apparently been fixed in update 6.2.4. But obviously the consequence, as we see it now, is it makes the BTFRS volume inaccessible on these mentioned models.

I wasn't aware of this untill now, so now I understand what's happening.

 

[fredbert]

In which case: what's Synology's reason for not 'supporting' btrfs on these NAS? Performance? Reliability? Marketing?

 

[Rusty]

In which case: what's Synology's reason for not 'supporting' btrfs on these NAS? Performance? Reliability? Marketing?

My guess is performance and marketing

 

[WST16]

I also have a 118 but it can't run (B)eautiful trfs yet. So does this mean it's coming and everything will be beautiful, or is it going to turn ugly with more "beautiful" updates that wreak my DiskStations.

C'mon Synology, we need more “streamlining”, “beautiful” streamlining. Some even say it's more beautiful than QNAP!

 

[Telos]

Did DSM 6.2.3 allow these NAS to have btrfs volumes? Could they be created on these NAS?

There is no hack to do this. I was helping someone with a 420j and noticed "btrfs" on his Storage Manager screenshots. I figured that Synology expanded btrfs use (although I did notice that the 420j spec sheet only mentioned ext4... but who knows whether that was outdated).

For the folks that created btrfs pools this is quite a mess. Synology's advice is to transfer the disks to a btrfs-capable NAS.

Ironically, Synology says this is "not a bug"... Correct. It is shoddy, careless programming.

What is unclear is whether btrfs is unstable on these units, or whether Synology purposely removed that capability as part of their marketing segmentation strategy. There's going to be many upset owners who have been left stranded by this bungle.

 

[fredbert]

What is unclear is whether btrfs is unstable on these units, or whether Synology purposely removed that capability as part of their marketing segmentation strategy. There's going to be many upset owners who have been left stranded by this bungle.

Absolutely. This can be a real trust killer.

I'm guessing that the code for determining whether to allow btrfs is based on a test that assumes it should be available except for a short list of exclusions. And that exclusion list hadn't been maintained properly. This or there's a build template for each NAS and 'btrfs : enabled' is the default.

At best, you got the word, it's shoddy. It shows lack of process.

 

[Lynx]

SOLUTION TO GET YOUR DATA BACK IN THIS POST
You're welcome

 

[Telos]

SOLUTION TO GET YOUR DATA BACK

There's an easier way. Synology will access your NAS and return btrfs accessibility, so that you can back up your stuff before converting to EXT4 (confirmed by Community user).

As we know, there is no full, bare metal restore, so conversion to ext4 may prove quite frustrating for some.

 

[Shadow]

Possible (but unconfirmed) work-around to get back your lost BTRFS volume: Bug in DSM 6.2.4

For our non-dutch speaking audience, in short:
- In /etc/synoinfo.conf and /etc.defaults/synoinfo.conf there is a rule that look like: support_btrfs="yes"
- Comment out that rule: # support_btrfs="yes"
- Restart your NAS.
- The NAS will then say it no longer supports BTRFS .

So if this guy is right, then the reverse may be an applicable work-around for those impacted by this bug to get their data back before converting to EXT4.