DS218+ SSD Cache

[kchrischa]

Hello,
is it possible to display the SSD CACHE function in the storage manager for a DS218+. I activated the esata port as an internal drive via SSH and would now like to use this as an ssd cache.

Thank you for the help
Christian

 

[Shadow]

Since the DS218+ doesn't have an M.2 SSD slot, I don't think you can utilize SSD caching. Unless you go under the skin of DSM and make all kind of changes directly on linux level.

 

[kchrischa]

The ds718 + also has no M.2 slot. According to the table, the ssd cache is available via Sata (ds718+). But it has 4 cpu-cores.
Unfortunately I don't find a suitable point in synoinfo.conf.

 

[Exsosus]

Since the DS218+ doesn't have an M.2 SSD slot, I don't think you can utilize SSD caching. Unless you go under the skin of DSM and make all kind of changes directly on linux level.

Hi Shadow, even experts make this mistake. M.2 is only one of the SSD options. 1815+ for example, which I have supports 2.5" SSD's with screw or you can use an 2.5" to 3.5" adapter. However direct connection is recommended with the cache for an extra speed-boost, although after testing, not necessary for small business. The adapter works great.

-- post merged: 25. Nov 2020 --

The ds718 + also has no M.2 slot. According to the table, the ssd cache is available via Sata (ds718+). But it has 4 cpu-cores.
Unfortunately I don't find a suitable point in synoinfo.conf.

Hi Chris kchrischa, I did some research. After some reading it turns out only select models support 2.5" or M.2 nvme sized SSD. Check the spec sheet for your model and if it doesn't say anything, most likely the answer is a no. As your tech sheet clearly states, the answer is yes.

https://global.download.synology.com/download/Document/Hardware/DataSheet/DiskStation/18-year/DS718+/enu/Synology_DS718_Plus_Data_Sheet_enu.pdf?_ga=2.161433469.1920237289.1606069197-187485051.1600341957&_gl=1*12u33jp*_ga*MTg3NDg1MDUxLjE2MDAzNDE5NTc.*_ga_9Q8XT3X20D*MTYwNjMzNzIwNy40NC4wLjE2MDYzMzcyMDcuMA..

 

[Shanti]

While this is not direct answer to your question, I have the same setup DS218+, two 4TB hard drives as Storage Pool 1 (RAID 1) and as Volume 1, and external 480GB SSD as Storage Pool 2 and Volume 2.
What I did is installed MariaDB, Web Station, VMM, PHP and all other disk intensive apps on Volume 2. With this I didn't get exactly cache but got SSD performance boost. And for my needs it proved to be very good solution.
I also do daily backup of everything from Volume 2 to Volume 1, because SSD is JBOD.

 

[gemic]

While this is not direct answer to your question, I have the same setup DS218+, two 4TB hard drives as Storage Pool 1 (RAID 1) and as Volume 1, and external 480GB SSD as Storage Pool 2 and Volume 2.
What I did is installed MariaDB, Web Station, VMM, PHP and all other disk intensive apps on Volume 2. With this I didn't get exactly cache but got SSD performance boost. And for my needs it proved to be very good solution.
I also do daily backup of everything from Volume 2 to Volume 1, because SSD is JBOD.

Hello Shanti,

could you share how you managed to have the ssd connected and recognized by the NAS? Is the solution persistent between updates of the DSM?

I recently updated my DS718 with EXOS drives and boy their head seeking is loud! I am looking for ways to move the docker to an outside volume that uses SSD in order to at least reduce the continuous accessing of the disk. ( unfortunately i have no place other than the living room for it)

thanks a lot!

 

[Shanti]

Hi @gemic ! The above solution worked flawlessly for 3-4 months until DSM 6.2.4 - then things fell apart. So that's bad news!
When it was working, all DB, Docker, Web, VMM stuff worked like many times faster... and no noise!
I did not not tried with lates update 6.2.4-25556 since I'm getting new NUC with SSD which I will use for these applications.

However, since initial 6.2.4. release was quite buggy, and they released an update very shortly after, maybe you can try it for yourself...

Here are the steps for DS218+:
1. Enable SSH service (if not already enabled)
2. Log in via SSH as admin
3. Go to /etc folder
4. Make backup copy of synoinfo.conf
5. Edit that file sudo vi synoinfo.conf
6. Find variable internalportcfg and replace existing value "0x3" with "0x7"
7. Find variable esataportcfg and replace existing value "0x4" with "0x0" and save and exit file
8. Do steps 4-7 for the file /etc.defaults/synoinfo.conf
9. Restart DSM and in the Storage Manager > Overview you will, if everything right, see on unused disk slot
10. Connect your SSD on eSATA port
11. Make a JBOD Volume on it
12. Reinstall the needed applications on new Volume 2
13. Inform me which exact DSM version do you use and if it worked or not!

In case it does not work, you can easily revert to previous state and I don't believe you can do any harm with this experiment. Hope it helps a bit!

 

[gemic]

Thanks for the very detailed response. I started to investigate but it seems my very old esata enclosure is not working so ill have to find another.

Meanwhile i also started to like the idea of a selling my NAS and going for one with more drives (currently on DS718+ with the 2x14TB exos i shuckled). I guess you already have done the research so if i were to go for a 920+ and add 2 SSDs and the 2 exos, is there a specific brand/model/type you would recommend for the ssd?

 

[Shanti]

I see... you could go the easiest with expansion unit DX517, though it is not cheap.
Regarding 2 SSDs, if it is not too mission critical, I would go with just 1 and would have daily backups... and with that you have one more available disk slot for expanding Volume 1 (in case of DS920+).
And regarding SSD brand, I would primarily look for warranty period and NAND technology it is built on:

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As you will see from this (4 min.) video each tech. has trade offs so your choice depends on your particular use case and budget... I use SanDisk.

 

[gemic]

Thanks a lot for the provided info and suggestions. Indeed i could go with one SSD and save the slot for future use.. i ll start digging for any good deals and see how it turns out.. have a great weekend!

 

[gemic]

Following up my "new project" I have set my mind on a DS920+ with the following configuration:

1. 2x Crucial MX500 2TB SSDs which I am thinking to use as in JBOD so that throughout the day, the docker Nextcloud, Synology ABB and MailPlus servers can receive all changes from my laptop and mobile phone which at the moment are not more than 1TB and I do not expect an exponential growth. Ideally I would like to keep the ABB backups on the SSDs and only push them to the HDD every few days but I don't think it is supported. So I will have to keep all ABB versions on the SSDs and consequently on the HDDs through the Hyper Backup
2. 2x EXOS 14TB in SHR to which I will be running daily (or every 2 days) Hyper Backups of the SSDs based volume at some time where the HDD noise will not grind my gears
3. Memory expansion KINGSTON 16GB DDR4 2666MHZ SODIMM KCP426SD8/16.

My worst case scenario would be that my laptop dies but (even with a lot of patience) I can spin up a VM in the NAS and at least access the most recent files.

I would like any advise on bullet No.1: the MX500 drives are well accepted by NAS user reviews but they do take up two slots. The other option would be for the 4TB Kingston SEDC450R/3840G which seems to be aimed at data centers but I cannot find many reviews online to compare it to the MX500. Pricewise its about 50 euros more than the 2 MX500. So my questions are:

1. is the Kingston indeed a better solution for NAS as advertised? or I would be better of with the MX500s?
2. If I do go with the MX500 and there is a failure in any of them, would I be able to add any other drive (4tb or more) and restore the JBOD directly from the hyper-backups on the EXOS volume?

I will use the the current DS718+ as a remote backup to be on the safe side for now.

Any advise or remark is more than welcome as the investment is not negligible for my case.

 

[Rusty]

Ideally I would like to keep the ABB backups on the SSDs and only push them to the HDD every few days but I don't think it is supported. So I will have to keep all ABB versions on the SSDs and consequently on the HDDs through the Hyper Backup

You can backup them up using the Snapshot replication package. Would not recommend using HB as a backup tool because you might get into trouble with the restore process.

More info on the HB vs Snapshot restore here: https://www.blackvoid.club/active-backup-for-microsoft-365-and-dr-scenarios/

Even though this article is about ABB for O365 same principle applies.

So my questions are

Regarding SSD support I cant speak for Crucial drives as I have never tried them but I see no reason for them not working. On top of that WD blue or RED SSDs will work for sure without any problems.

Maybe reconsider JBOD setup, to begin with. Not sure what you will get with that kind of setup and in the long run you might get into trouble if you want to swap those drives out.

restore the JBOD directly from the hyper-backups on the EXOS volume?

Not sure what the question is here, but if it's are you able to restore from one volume to the other using HB then the answer is yes, its possible

 

[gemic]

hello Rusty and thank for your feedback in my posts. I really appreciate your time.

I have never used snapshot replication so thanks for letting me know. i ll get right to it.

Maybe reconsider JBOD setup, to begin with. Not sure what you will get with that kind of setup and in the long run you might get into trouble if you want to swap those drives out.

The only reason for this selection was to achieve the 4TB capacity our of the 2 SSDs. This is the reason I asked for opinions on the Kingston one ( SEDC450R/3840G) so that I could eventually use one instead of 2. The only review I can find is this one but I do not have the background to understand everything other than the conclusion that it is a .. nice drive But i do get your point of swapping in the future so probably the single SSD is better..

Not sure what the question is here, but if it's are you able to restore from one volume to the other using HB then the answer is yes, its possible

ok so to clarify: If I go with the 2x2TB SSDs, and one of them fails, can I just find a single 4 TB disk (either HDD or SSD) and restore the backed up volume to it so it will not require me to re-configure all synology packages and docker containers?

 

[Rusty]

But i do get your point of swapping in the future so probably the single SSD is better

Of double "basic" drive (giving you 2 separate volumes) or a RAID0 (stripe) configuration that will give you a single volume with the double capacity options.

ok so to clarify: If I go with the 2x2TB SSDs, and one of them fails, can I just find a single 4 TB disk (either HDD or SSD) and restore the backed up volume to it so it will not require me to re-configure all synology packages and docker containers?

Not that easily, no. Depending on the configuration of those SSD drives you will have problems with a simple restore, especially in JBOD.

Would then recommend double Basic drive setup