Install the app
How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

General Setup Concepts

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Learn more...

35
5
NAS
DS1522+
Operating system
  1. macOS
Mobile operating system
  1. iOS
I'm a NAS Noob, so I'm still in the "how many drives should the unit have, how many drives to start with, how much space do I feel I need.." arena.
To help me arrive at the answers, I'm thinking back on past projects and how I handled it then, versus how I would handle these same projects on the NAS.
In the pass I'm use to using different hard drives for different purposes, so I'm trying to wrap my head around the ONE HUGE storage space and how to potentially set up for not only multiple users, but multiple projects. (I had several 1TB drives for each purpose that backedup to a 4TB drive.)
For example, let's say I have a 5 or 6 drive unit, with 3-4 drives installed as a main volume. Can I mount a separate drive in one of the empty bays and leave it as it's own volume?....but have it back up to the main volume while working on the project? When the project is over, remove the drive to keep the data, and store it for either future access, or to be used for a work space for the next big project. Again, in the past, these large projects may go for months or a year, and during that time I want it backed up, but when it's done, I'm not interested in keeping the data "in my face" on the NAS.

Also, when setting up for say 3-4 users, I understand you can setup individual private folders on the main volume for each, but what are the pros and cons of setting up each user with their own 1-2TB volume, thus keeping everything they do separate from the main volume?
Is this "keep it separate" habit/concept of mine now obsolete?
 
When considering both the size of NAS (number of Bays), and size of drives, consider your short and long term storage needs (3-5 years). If on the fence, consider buying a NAS with more bays for expansion capability.

How you configure folders for sharing data is completely up to you, The NAS is not very different than a Windows file server in that regard. Drives that you add can be configured as separate volumes. You will definitely want to configure some sort of external backup of the data on it.
 
I understand I need at least 3 drives for 1drive redundancy, and 4 for 2drive redundancy, so a 5-6 drive unit (I’m looking at the DS1522+) would probably fit the bill.
Another one of MY issues is determining if my data creation will go down or up. Now that I’m retired both from my real job as well as my photography job, there won’t be thousands of images created weekly, BUT I have a few “retirement projects” that I’ll start.
Sounds like most go with SHR, but since I’m thinking for me redundancy would be more important than size so I’d consider SHR2. This makes me want a 6 drive unit. I can always add the 5 drive add on, or another NAS if need be.
Currently I’m thinking the DS1522+ with 3 or 4 LARGE drives to start, leaving the 5th bay open for project drives.
I’m currently going through 4 old computers to clean and determine data size to be saved to determine initial drive size.
 
I understand I need at least 3 drives for 1drive redundancy
Two drives
Sounds like most go with SHR, but since I’m thinking for me redundancy would be more important than size so I’d consider SHR2
RAID is about uptime. Double redundancy is important to an online business, but much less important to most individual users. It's your unit, do what you like. But don't waste capital unnecessarily.
 
. Can I mount a separate drive in one of the empty bays and leave it as it's own volume?
Yes you can...

....but have it back up to the main volume while working on the project?
...also a "yes", but "backing up" on the same NAS device is not really a backup. If something happens to the unit you might lose your data and your "backed up" data as well. So, while it can be done, its not a good practice.

When the project is over, remove the drive to keep the data, and store it for either future access, or to be used for a work space for the next big project.
This is important to understand. the drive that is a part of the DSM (either as a basic single drive volume, or as a part of an array) will be only usable inside the NAS. So this means that you will not be able to pull the drive from the NAS and connect it to your PC and pick up where you left off.

Any drive that is a part of the main NAS bays is not the same as an externally connected SUB drive on that same NAS. Externally connected one will be something that can be used among multiple devices/OS (with supported file system ofc), so do consider how exactly you want to use that "project drive".

Best thing would be to have it as a working drive inside the NAS and leave it there. Migrate the data off it when the project is done, and reuse it for the next one.

Also, when setting up for say 3-4 users, I understand you can setup individual private folders on the main volume for each, but what are the pros and cons of setting up each user with their own 1-2TB volume, thus keeping everything they do separate from the main volume?
Is this "keep it separate" habit/concept of mine now obsolete?
Now this is also tricky. Considering you are not used to a NAS setup it would be best to "forget" the old ways and play by the rules. If you start bending the rules to much, you will soon start opening multiple help threads :D.

Multiple user setup is supported ofc, but running different folders for different users will require that you master permissions. Now in DSM, each user will have its own "home" folder that is her/his username folder placed inside the root "homes" folder that will be created automatically.

This same home folder will be used by any number of DSM official apps that you might, or might not install, so the point of the game is not experiment to much when it comes permission.

Saying that, ofc you can create new root folders (and then subfolders) that can have specific permissions for specific users. The thing to remember here is just that some apps are hard-coded to use certain destinations on the NAS, and trying to go around it might give you a headache and problem in general.

Any data that is not dependent on a specific Synology app, can ofc be placed in any folder/root folder that you desire. Permissions are then applied on top of it as the next step.

Sounds like most go with SHR, but since I’m thinking for me redundancy would be more important than size so I’d consider SHR2.
While RAID might come in handy as it was already said, do consider a backup solution for your NAS. RAID is not backup, so having your data on the NAS under RAID protection does not mean you can forget about backup.

In this case, an external drive, cloud, or any other device where you want to safeguard your data, will do. Just forget about RAID as a backup, as well as a separate volume/disk inside that same NAS. Imagine your NAS not turning on at all or on fire for example.
 
As a coda to the permissions advice above, never alter the permissions for the homes shared folder (or user's "home" folders). Doing so has repercussions which cannot be reversed by reverting to the factory permissions.
 
...also a "yes", but "backing up" on the same NAS device is not really a backup. If something happens to the unit you might lose your data and your "backed up" data as well. So, while it can be done, its not a good practice.
I get that, and will consider this, but in the last 40yrs I've never had off site backup. Currently data is spread out over 6 or so computers. Getting the data off of these computers into one "drive" with redundancy will be a big improvement for me. Being able to grab the NAS and evac for a hurricane will also be a big improvement over leaving multiple computers behind.
Off site backup will be in my future consideration, but just having the NAS to consolidate, organize, cleanup, burn, etc, will be great. I'll create a "critical" folder that could potentially be sent to a cloud storage. Another possibility is my son is considering a NAS so we could possible use each others NAS as offsite backup.
This is important to understand. the drive that is a part of the DSM (either as a basic single drive volume, or as a part of an array) will be only usable inside the NAS. So this means that you will not be able to pull the drive from the NAS and connect it to your PC and pick up where you left off.
Any drive that is a part of the main NAS bays is not the same as an externally connected SUB drive on that same NAS.
Externally connected one will be something that can be used among multiple devices/OS (with supported file system ofc), so do consider how exactly you want to use that "project drive".
Good food for thought, but i'm trying to avoid a collection of externals. (I have 3 now.) I get that they won't be able to be mounted in a computer. The point is to use the NAS as an external drive housing for multiple internals that I already own...unless of course I physically can't or it's an issue for the DSM. I have several small (1TB) drives that I can use for this. If the NAS has an issue with this concept, then I'll consider a large external or potentially a small (2 drive?) NAS for projects.

Now this is also tricky. Considering you are not used to a NAS setup it would be best to "forget" the old ways and play by the rules. If you start bending the rules to much, you will soon start opening multiple help threads :D.
What rules would I be breaking? If doing this is a problem for the DSM, then sure, I'll avoid this, but if it physically can be done, and the DSM lets me do it. What's wrong with that?

My current concept is the DS1522+ with 3 large (20TB?) drives to start. This would reap around 35-38TB of storage and still have the empty bays to try this out, plus leave me room for future expansion, IF I need it.
Is there any pros/cons to this idea (3x20) versus filling the drive with say 5x10's (both reaping about 35TB of storage?

Multiple user setup is supported ofc, but running different folders for different users will require that you master permissions. Now in DSM, each user will have its own "home" folder that is her/his username folder placed inside the root "homes" folder that will be created automatically.

This same home folder will be used by any number of DSM official apps that you might, or might not install, so the point of the game is not experiment to much when it comes permission.

Saying that, ofc you can create new root folders (and then subfolders) that can have specific permissions for specific users. The thing to remember here is just that some apps are hard-coded to use certain destinations on the NAS, and trying to go around it might give you a headache and problem in general.

Any data that is not dependent on a specific Synology app, can ofc be placed in any folder/root folder that you desire. Permissions are then applied on top of it as the next step.
I was thinking more about security from viruses, etc. If simply using User Folders is better than individual partitions/volumes, then that's fine. I'm just thinking the separate volumes/partitions would add a level of security.

While RAID might come in handy as it was already said, do consider a backup solution for your NAS. RAID is not backup, so having your data on the NAS under RAID protection does not mean you can forget about backup.

In this case, an external drive, cloud, or any other device where you want to safeguard your data, will do. Just forget about RAID as a backup, as well as a separate volume/disk inside that same NAS. Imagine your NAS not turning on at all or on fire for example.
Again, I get this. I had a mirrored raid (raid 1) in my file server, and a striped raid (raid 0) on my last computer, but a raid5/6 is better than a single drive, and that's what I've mostly used for decades. Only started internal backup in the last 10 years as drives have grown.
If a single drive goes, you're done. If a single drive dies in one of these, it's still salvageable. It's not "backup", but it's far safer than a bunch of single drives and for now, that's what I'm looking for.
Once I get a feel for how much "critical" data I have I'll look into a cloud based storage. Based on overall price of that, I consider another NAS or large external for backup.

Any hint on how much cloud backup cost per TB?

If externals are used for backup, wouldn't it be prudent to limit volume/partition size to around 20TB since this is the current limiting size of externals?

I'm still filtering through computers to determine my overall data requirements, but am now considering fewer, but larger drives to start, leaving 1-2 open bays for growth (and affordability). It also makes the final overall cost of the NAS cheaper per TB.

Are there any pro/cons for a setup of 3x20 versus 5x10 (both reaping about 35TB).
The RAID CALCULATOR is not only misbehaving right now, but it's limited to 18TB drives so I can't get a solid feel for 20's or 22's.
 
If doing this is a problem for the DSM, then sure
Thats what I was going for. But you will better understand it once you start using the system for sure.

Is there any pros/cons to this idea (3x20) versus filling the drive with say 5x10's (both reaping about 35TB of storage?
rebuild time comes to mind, also more data per drive risking with higher % of failure. Benefits are clear. Less power usage, less heat, less noise, price, etc.

I'm just thinking the separate volumes/partitions would add a level of security.
You will not be able to set permission on this level, but like I said, once you start using the system most questions will be answered.

Any hint on how much cloud backup cost per TB?
Synology C2 will be 80$/y for 1TB

If externals are used for backup, wouldn't it be prudent to limit volume/partition size to around 20TB since this is the current limiting size of externals?
Not sure where you are going with this...
 
rebuild time comes to mind, also more data per drive risking with higher % of failure. Benefits are clear. Less power usage, less heat, less noise, price, etc.
I'll need to give this some thought. Basically, the larger the drives you use, the lower the overall TB cost you reap. Yes, the overall price is higher, but it's actually more cost efficient.
I recently did a cost analysis using "Black Friday" sale prices. A 5x8 setup works out to be $26 per TB, while using 5x20 reap a $19 per TB cost. The 22's were on sale and reaped a $15 per TB cost, thus making the larger drives almost half the cost per TB. (Note the 14's were also on sale and temporarily reaped a $19 per TB as well. I like the WD Red 14's as they are the smallest drive with 512MB cache.)
My idea was to start with 2 or 3 times the space I have and then leave empty bays to expand to...thus starting with larger drives. (Lets say I have 10TBs of real data, I'd start with 30TBs of storage (3x14/20)). The DS1215+ specs say is maxes out at a 108TB volume. Not sure if this is a hardware or software limitation, but 5x20 would be within that limit.
The alternative to this would be fill the unit with say 5x14 initially and consider a 5 drive add on, or another NAS later if needed. This of course would make TB cost go way up, but would address some of your concerns.
I get your concerns of 3 drives equal a higher possibility of failure than 5, but with SHR, I'd still be recoverable if I lost a drive.

Synology C2 will be 80$/y for 1TB
It wouldn't take many years to pay for hardware to cover this.
Again, I'm thinking of a second NAS, or additional drives at my son's, and vice versa.

Not sure where you are going with this...
For conversation sake, let's say I have 60TBs of storage, with say 40TBs of data. How would you backup 40TBs other than another NAS? My point is wouldn't it be more prudent to create 3ea, 20TB volumes whereas you could have several 20TB (currently pretty much at the max of HD sizes) external HDs to backup each volume to?
Can I assume the backup is 1:1 (20TB of data equals 20TB of backup space), or is there some software that compresses the backup?
 
I have multiple 18 TB external drives that I use for backup. You don't need to backup everything to the same drive. Just as I segment my data out using folders/shares, I backup those shares logically to drives based up on the type of data. Critical data and personal data goes to one external drive, my work/test/lab stuff goes to another, etc......

The idea of "cloud" backup frightens me immensely:


Don't rely on others for things you can do yourself, IMO.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
For conversation sake, let's say I have 60TBs of storage, with say 40TBs of data. How would you backup 40TBs other than another NAS? My point is wouldn't it be more prudent to create 3ea, 20TB volumes whereas you could have several 20TB (currently pretty much at the max of HD sizes) external HDs to backup each volume to?
Can I assume the backup is 1:1 (20TB of data equals 20TB of backup space), or is there some software that compresses the backup?
There's another layer of granularity with data structures on a NAS that this is missing; after volumes are created, the data is further organised into shares. For example, Music, Data, Movies, Work_Docs etc etc. These are created on a volume(s), and are the natural initial top-level consideration when creating backups.

So, if my Music and Movies shares total 12TB, and I have a 16TB external USB drive, I might backup these shares to this drive. Also backups are usually versioned; therefore the backup drive you use will need to have more space for future versions of files. And yes, backups are usually compressed, so again the 1:1 rel'n is broken.

In short, don't think of backups in terms of volumes or volume sizes; think of them in terms of the shares and the data structures you are using. And although initially you may backup everything in the same way and to the same degree, in practice once your data volumes start exceeding the capacity of a single USB drive or two, you start to develop different strategies and frequencies for different types of data.
 
I have multiple 18 TB external drives that I use for backup. You don't need to backup everything to the same drive. Just as I segment my data out using folders/shares, I backup those shares logically to drives based up on the type of data. Critical data and personal data goes to one external drive, my work/test/lab stuff goes to another, etc......

The idea of "cloud" backup frightens me immensely:


Don't rely on others for things you can do yourself, IMO.
Good feedback. Same here. Never used any kind of cloud other than something like Dropbox and iCloud for a few small files. No picts or data.
 
Good feedback. Same here. Never used any kind of cloud other than something like Dropbox and iCloud for a few small files. No picts or data.

Then look in to a couple of external hard drives and Synology's Hyperbackup package. I have two hard drives plugged in that have weekly scheduled backups that run automatically. On occasion, I plug in a different external hard drive to backup up my essential data and stick that drive in a desk at work.
 
There's another layer of granularity with data structures on a NAS that this is missing; after volumes are created, the data is further organised into shares. For example, Music, Data, Movies, Work_Docs etc etc. These are created on a volume(s), and are the natural initial top-level consideration when creating backups.

So, if my Music and Movies shares total 12TB, and I have a 16TB external USB drive, I might backup these shares to this drive. Also backups are usually versioned; therefore the backup drive you use will need to have more space for future versions of files. And yes, backups are usually compressed, so again the 1:1 rel'n is broken.

In short, don't think of backups in terms of volumes or volume sizes; think of them in terms of the shares and the data structures you are using. And although initially you may backup everything in the same way and to the same degree, in practice once your data volumes start exceeding the capacity of a single USB drive or two, you start to develop different strategies and frequencies for different types of data.
THANKS! Great feedback!
You guys are great.
Plenty of food for thought.
Giving very serious thought to getting the NAS now to help gather/organize/delete data from approx 6 computers versus waiting for a new Mac and then buying the NAS. Finances are about to get better first of the year.
 
How would you backup 40TBs other than another NAS
Absolutely, a second NAS would be the best way to go in this case. While personally I am not a fan of "clouds" for a smaller size of critical data they do come in handy, but for such a large sample it would be much cheaper to just keep it on a secondary NAS for sure.
 
There's another layer of granularity with data structures on a NAS that this is missing; after volumes are created, the data is further organised into shares. For example, Music, Data, Movies, Work_Docs etc etc. These are created on a volume(s), and are the natural initial top-level consideration when creating backups.

So, if my Music and Movies shares total 12TB, and I have a 16TB external USB drive, I might backup these shares to this drive.
Generally this is the same as my basic Mac setup. PICTURES, MUSIC, etc, plus special project folders from my Boot and 1TB drives are backed up to 4TB.
Need to do this on a larger scale, and for multiple users.

In short, don't think of backups in terms of volumes or volume sizes; think of them in terms of the shares and the data structures you are using.
So I can assume the backup apps and processes organize the backup based on USER. In other words, 4 users equals 4 PICTURES folders, etc.
I’m assuming the DSM sets up each user much like a Mac does..each user has a main folder which contains basic PICTURES, MUSIC, DOCUMENTS, etc, folders, so all the users folders would be backed up. I’ll be the only user with special project folders.

I’m assuming under the admin login I’ll be able to see all user folders, as well as any custom folders they may create??
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Generally this is the same as my basic Mac setup. PICTURES, MUSIC, etc, plus special project folders from my Boot and 1TB drives are backed up to 4TB.
Need to do this on a larger scale, and for multiple users.


So I can assume the backup apps and processes organize the backup based on USER. In other words, 4 users equals 4 PICTURES folders, etc.
Not really. The backups are whatever you choose to point them at, but in the 1st instance you would backup a share(s) or a portion of a share. There is a share called 'Users' that encapsulates the personal directories of all the users and this would allow you to backup all users' home directories on the NAS in one backup task.
I’m assuming the DSM sets up each user much like a Mac does..each user has a main folder which contains basic PICTURES, MUSIC, DOCUMENTS, etc, folders, so all the users folders would be backed up. I’ll be the only user with special project folders.
DSM creates a directory for each User; further subdividing those folders is down to each user. There are no default Mac-style user dirs like the ones you mention above.
I’m assuming under the admin login I’ll be able to see all user folders, as well as any custom folders they may create??
An admin can do this.

I think there's still a bit of a conceptual gap here regarding how a NAS is used in most cases The Mac analogy doesnt work well here; Macs are personal PC devices and Apple have little concept or emphaisis on shared networking or server type products. The Mac paradigm is all about the individual, personal device whereas NASs are about Networks and sharing data across devices and users.

Coneptually, one of the main reasons that people use a NAS is to liberate their data from their personal machine(s) and put it in a central location, where that data can be shared by others on the same Network.
So, imagine a small business; John has the key design and product documents for the business on his laptop; Bill in accounts has his accounts spreadsheets and supplier database on his laptop; Anne has the legal papers on her desktop. They decide to move this data to a central NAS; they start by creating 3 shares: data, accounts, legal.
By moving all their data here, the data is centralised for backup purposes, is moved off of individual devices which can get lost / broken / stolen, and most significantly it becomes available to all 3 workers. Anne no longer has to ask Bill for a copy of a supplier contract; she can access it herself from the relevent share on the NAS.

So a key emphasis with a NAS is on 'what data do I want to make available to other devices / users on my network'.
Now having said that, there is also the concept of User home directories on the NAS. Because not all data needs to be shared with anyone else. So alongside the shares you create to store your sharable data, DSM will also automatically create a home dir for every standard user. By default, only that user and NAS admins will have r/w permissions to their home dir. These home dirs are just empty dirs collected together under the share called 'homes' and can be organised with sub dirs however the user wishes.

Another eg: a single user who's a professional photog and who runs her own business. In this case, she creates 'business stuff' / 'photos' / 'website design' shares on the NAS, along with her default 'home' directory. She keeps her accounts and client photographs in the 1st 2 shares, she keeps the design assets and templates for her website in the 3rd share, and keeps her Xmas card list and health notes in her 'home' dir. By moving her data off her Mac desktop, she can now access her work files from both her desktop, and also her iPad when she's in the kitchen. She can also share her photo files with her web designer when he comes over with his macbook to discuss the site. And because her photographs are now on a NAS rather than her desktop Mac, she can setup remote access to her files so she can show potential new clients her portfolio when at their offices.

So, conceptually i'd start thinking about the kinds of data you have, and how this would most logically be represented - in the 1st instance, by shares - on the NAS. Any data that is by nature private and does not need sharing can be put in your User home folder. Backups can be created to backup whatever shares - or subfolders within a share - you want, including home directories.

This is intentionally somehat anecdotal rather than technical; there are of course a million ways to use a NAS, and a million exceptions to the usual cases i've outlined above, but i'm trying to paint a picture of what the standard use case for a NAS looks like to someone who is new to this.

hth
 
I think there's still a bit of a conceptual gap here regarding how a NAS is used in most cases The Mac analogy doesnt work well here; Macs are personal PC devices and Apple have little concept or emphaisis on shared networking or server type products. The Mac paradigm is all about the individual, personal device whereas NASs are about Networks and sharing data across devices and users.
Huh? I've run a Mac network for decades and you can share files, folders, even entire drives to anyone on the network. Each machine is it's own device, but you can also have multiple users on a single machine. This is more of what I'm referring to. Each created user on that machine has their own home directory, and inside that home directly there are folders for several topics/media types. Each user can share folders on that machine/network.
I certainly understand that the NAS is designed and is better at this, but saying there are no similarities is a stretch.
Since the NAS will be used in a multi-Mac-home environment, each user will have the basic Documents, Pictures, Music, etc, directories on the NAS.

I've run private file servers for not only on the LAN, but family members across the country. I've also run a private "family" bbs for private family communications whereas each users could be adjusted to open or close access to certain data folders. I get what users and permissions are, and understand how all that works, just not sure how DSM handles it, or use to some of the terminology of DSM. Like what is a "share"?

Coneptually, one of the main reasons that people use a NAS is to liberate their data from their personal machine(s) and put it in a central location, where that data can be shared by others on the same Network.
So, imagine a small business; John has the key design and product documents for the business on his laptop; Bill in accounts has his accounts spreadsheets and supplier database on his laptop; Anne has the legal papers on her desktop. They decide to move this data to a central NAS; they start by creating 3 shares: data, accounts, legal.
By moving all their data here, the data is centralised for backup purposes, is moved off of individual devices which can get lost / broken / stolen, and most significantly it becomes available to all 3 workers. Anne no longer has to ask Bill for a copy of a supplier contract; she can access it herself from the relevent share on the NAS.
Again, I can do this on a Mac/network by sharing a drive or directly over the LAN.

Another eg: a single user who's a professional photog and who runs her own business. In this case, she creates 'business stuff' / 'photos' / 'website design' shares on the NAS, along with her default 'home' directory. She keeps her accounts and client photographs in the 1st 2 shares, she keeps the design assets and templates for her website in the 3rd share, and keeps her Xmas card list and health notes in her 'home' dir. By moving her data off her Mac desktop, she can now access her work files from both her desktop, and also her iPad when she's in the kitchen. She can also share her photo files with her web designer when he comes over with his macbook to discuss the site. And because her photographs are now on a NAS rather than her desktop Mac, she can setup remote access to her files so she can show potential new clients her portfolio when at their offices.
You pretty much described me for 10yrs, but things have changed for the "simpler" now that I'm retired.

So, conceptually i'd start thinking about the kinds of data you have, and how this would most logically be represented - in the 1st instance, by shares - on the NAS. Any data that is by nature private and does not need sharing can be put in your User home folder. Backups can be created to backup whatever shares - or subfolders within a share - you want, including home directories.

This is intentionally somehat anecdotal rather than technical; there are of course a million ways to use a NAS, and a million exceptions to the usual cases i've outlined above, but i'm trying to paint a picture of what the standard use case for a NAS looks like to someone who is new to this.

My "simpler" concept now is that I'll be the main "power user". Initially i'll use the NAS to consolidate data from multiple drives and computers. Once sorted and prioritized then decide whether the data stays on the NAS or is burned/stored off. I'll then tackle a few "retirement projects" of high rez scanning of several thousand slides, burning this all to easily viewed dvd/BluRay discs. Basically it will be a HUGE external HD.
Ultimately, I'm thinking 4 users (including me). The other 3 users will simply be using the NAS as a central HD and or backup for their personal devices, including 2 desktops, 2 laptops, and about 6 iPhones/iPads to store/off load music, photos, etc. Yes there will be shared directories, but mostly it will be used simply as individual large Network Storage.
I can also see setting up a few of the offered server options, but this will be secondary to simply being a central large HD.
 
Huh? I've run a Mac network for decades and you can share files, folders, even entire drives to anyone on the network. Each machine is it's own device, but you can also have multiple users on a single machine.
Yes, a Mac can share its data with other Macs, but this is not analagous to how a NAS works, which is a centralised single point of data storage. It's a server/client or hub/spoke architecture, where Mac file sharing is a point-to-point architecture.
I certainly understand that the NAS is designed and is better at this, but saying there are no similarities is a stretch.
I didn't say there are no similarities; I said that the Mac paradigm you referred to whereby "each user has a main folder which contains basic PICTURES, MUSIC, DOCUMENTS, etc, folders" isn't best suited for conceptualising how data is structured on a NAS.
But the goal here was not to discuss or defend the capabilities of Macs; I was just trying to help you to think differently - in a non-Mac way - about how a NAS is typically used. Clearly this hasn't really worked, so I will duck out and wish you every success.
I've run private file servers for not only on the LAN, but family members across the country. I've also run a private "family" bbs for private family communications whereas each users could be adjusted to open or close access to certain data folders. I get what users and permissions are, and understand how all that works, just not sure how DSM handles it, or use to some of the terminology of DSM. Like what is a "share"?
If you've run private file servers over the internet, you'll know what a share is.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Similar threads

Oh ok. What I read was this is about a ‘bad guy’ who is ‘in the ISP infrastructure‘ ( = rogue ISP...
Replies
3
Views
623
It would be better to lockdown key internal devices to static IPs. Those can be inside the dhcp range but...
Replies
2
Views
157
Yes. This will then assign your PiHoles as DNS servers to the LAN clients. And yes, again. Your other...
Replies
3
Views
405
I replaced one of my 12TB's with a 2TD SSD and rearranged the volumes a bit. The noise coming from the box...
Replies
6
Views
1,334
  • Question Question
Sorry if I am posting ignorant questions, but I have been on Youtube trying to setup my DS1522+ and what...
Replies
0
Views
796

Thread Tags

Tags Tags
None

Welcome to SynoForum.com!

SynoForum.com is an unofficial Synology forum for NAS owners and enthusiasts.

Registration is free, easy and fast!

Trending content in this forum

Back
Top