Is it possible to use a Synology NAS as a "slave" for drive bay expansion of another Synology NAS?

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Is it possible to use a Synology NAS as a "slave" for drive bay expansion of another Synology NAS?

4
1
NAS
DS1819+, DS920+
Operating system
  1. Windows
Mobile operating system
  1. Android
  2. iOS
Hello admin / all:
I'm new to the forum, but have a relatively specific question I'm hoping someone might have some insight for. I could not find a similar post or question here and wasn't sure where to post this. Maybe HW & SW Compatibility?
I'm not a power NAS/Networking user, but know just enough to confuse myself more when researching.

Current Synology NAS setup:
DS1819+: DSM 6.2.4 Update 6, all 8 bays populated. I've been hesitant to upgrade to DSM 7. Mostly because I just don't want to mess around with it at this point.
Purchased new from Adorama for $910, diskless of course, April 2019.

Primary use: Media / Plex server for throughout the house. I don't use it as a host for external sharing. Also for general backup for years of accumulated stuff.

It wasn't until a couple of years later that I realized the 1819+ is NOT the greatest choice for Plex/Media hosting, due to lack of processor having Intel Quick Sync, etc.
i.e. not great for transcoding / hardware acceleration.

I just purchased the DS920+ from Amazon Prime Day for $450. My problem now is that in order to use all of my 8 hdds from the 1819+ I will also need to buy the Synology DX517 at another $500. Now waiting to see if it ever goes on sale...maybe Black Friday / Cyber Mon later this year.

Or.....

I'm wondering if it's at all possible to use my DS1819+ as a "slave" (not sure what to call it) just for the expansion? If so, and not too complicated to get it working this way I don't see the point of selling my DS1819+, which is a perfectly good, lightly used unit. I don't run my NAS 24/7. I called Synology TechSupport the other day and the Tech I spoke to was very pleasant and helpful, seemingly quite knowledgeable. I don't recall everything he mentioned, but in short he said, "No. It wouldn't be possible to run your DS1819+ as a "slave" as expansion for your DS920+."

I could sell my DS1819+ (would be diskless) to help pay for the DX517, but I find very little examples of others for sale anywhere now or in the past. Not sure of it's value as "lightly" used on the market today. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Regards,

KBSyn
 
Not possible. However, you can mount it to a folder in the 920+ (via File Station).
Thanks for the quick response, Telos, and for confirming.
And thanks for the mounting tip, but this would be a separate volume from the DS1819+, only now accessible via the 920+. Better than nothing, but I'd prefer to have a singe volume/SHR config.

Sounds like I'll keep checking for sales on the DX517 expansion unit, or just buy it at regular price.

Regards,

KBSyn
 
Hello admin / all:
I'm new to the forum, but have a relatively specific question I'm hoping someone might have some insight for. I could not find a similar post or question here and wasn't sure where to post this. Maybe HW & SW Compatibility?
I'm not a power NAS/Networking user, but know just enough to confuse myself more when researching.

Current Synology NAS setup:
DS1819+: DSM 6.2.4 Update 6, all 8 bays populated. I've been hesitant to upgrade to DSM 7. Mostly because I just don't want to mess around with it at this point.
Purchased new from Adorama for $910, diskless of course, April 2019.

Primary use: Media / Plex server for throughout the house. I don't use it as a host for external sharing. Also for general backup for years of accumulated stuff.

It wasn't until a couple of years later that I realized the 1819+ is NOT the greatest choice for Plex/Media hosting, due to lack of processor having Intel Quick Sync, etc.
i.e. not great for transcoding / hardware acceleration.

I just purchased the DS920+ from Amazon Prime Day for $450. My problem now is that in order to use all of my 8 hdds from the 1819+ I will also need to buy the Synology DX517 at another $500. Now waiting to see if it ever goes on sale...maybe Black Friday / Cyber Mon later this year.

Or.....

I'm wondering if it's at all possible to use my DS1819+ as a "slave" (not sure what to call it) just for the expansion? If so, and not too complicated to get it working this way I don't see the point of selling my DS1819+, which is a perfectly good, lightly used unit. I don't run my NAS 24/7. I called Synology TechSupport the other day and the Tech I spoke to was very pleasant and helpful, seemingly quite knowledgeable. I don't recall everything he mentioned, but in short he said, "No. It wouldn't be possible to run your DS1819+ as a "slave" as expansion for your DS920+."

I could sell my DS1819+ (would be diskless) to help pay for the DX517, but I find very little examples of others for sale anywhere now or in the past. Not sure of it's value as "lightly" used on the market today. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Regards,

KBSyn
The 1819+ is perfect for media storage and as a Plex server host - I would use a device with a stronger processor and more RAM, such as an AMZ Fire device, Roku, or preferably (IMO) an Nvidia shield for transcoding and playback. The paid version of Plex also unlocks a higher level of hardware transcoding, which could also help.
 
Nvidia shield
Thanks for the response and info.
I had read a little about such a setup, but hadn't investigated much. I was hoping to keep everything contained within my NAS, but I do see the benefit (particularly with saving $) of a separate streaming/transcoding/playback device. I'll keep your suggestions in mind if I end-up returning the DS920+. I do have and use the lifetime Plex pass.
 
Absolutely. If you end up doing anything with 4K UHD you'll want the Shield Pro. That extra 1 GB of RAM makes all the difference with minimizing load time and buffering during playback. If I did not do anything with 4k I'd still be using my Firestick as my primary device as it is quite capable of handling anything up to blu ray.
 
Absolutely. If you end up doing anything with 4K UHD you'll want the Shield Pro. That extra 1 GB of RAM makes all the difference with minimizing load time and buffering during playback. If I did not do anything with 4k I'd still be using my Firestick as my primary device as it is quite capable of handling anything up to blu ray.
I went ahead and looked into the Nvidia Shield Pro. I recall researching such devices a couple years back, or more. Something turned me off back then. It seems many improvements have been made.

I bought the Shield Pro, which arrived the same day as the DS920+ I ordered. Set the NAS aside, unopened, and setup the Shield. It was a pretty seamless initial setup process, until I got to figuring out how to "migrate" my Plex server running on my current Synology NAS to the Shield Pro. I now have two servers running. One of the Shield and my original on the DS1819+. Haven't figured out the details yet, after following a couple of Lon.TV YouTube guides, but I'll eventually figure it out...

In any case, thank you! All the test video files, which I had noted as problematic on my previous setup (wouldn't play at all, constant buffering no matter what DSM/Plex setting I used) played without hesitation. The interface is wonderfully fast and responsive as well! The Plex interface via my 2019 LG smart TV is quite laggy.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and for the recommendations and advice. So I have an extra remote out now and yet another box/device. A bit impractical, but well worth the $800 savings that I would have otherwise spent on "upgrading" to the DS920+ and the DX517 expansion unit. Not to mention the vast amount of time I'm sure it would've taken me to setup a new NAS. Again, I'm not a pro with networking, so setting up a "secure" system took me quite a while, reading through endless articles and guides.

I returned the DS920+ yesterday, unopened.

Regards,
KBSyn
 
In my media distribution setup, I use a dedicated HTPC as the server and the NAS(es?) as storage only. The HTPC runs Media Center Edition on Win10, and I personally prefer Emby but have a plex server also, personal preference is all. The nas does nothing but store the data, all the heavy lifting is done by the server, but to be honest, everything direct plays (no transcoding) to my builtin TV apps (Samsung emby apps). 4k HDR direct play, no transcode, no buffering... everything just works.

Glad you got it sorted easily though.
 
I went ahead and looked into the Nvidia Shield Pro. I recall researching such devices a couple years back, or more. Something turned me off back then. It seems many improvements have been made.

I bought the Shield Pro, which arrived the same day as the DS920+ I ordered. Set the NAS aside, unopened, and setup the Shield. It was a pretty seamless initial setup process, until I got to figuring out how to "migrate" my Plex server running on my current Synology NAS to the Shield Pro. I now have two servers running. One of the Shield and my original on the DS1819+. Haven't figured out the details yet, after following a couple of Lon.TV YouTube guides, but I'll eventually figure it out...

In any case, thank you! All the test video files, which I had noted as problematic on my previous setup (wouldn't play at all, constant buffering no matter what DSM/Plex setting I used) played without hesitation. The interface is wonderfully fast and responsive as well! The Plex interface via my 2019 LG smart TV is quite laggy.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and for the recommendations and advice. So I have an extra remote out now and yet another box/device. A bit impractical, but well worth the $800 savings that I would have otherwise spent on "upgrading" to the DS920+ and the DX517 expansion unit. Not to mention the vast amount of time I'm sure it would've taken me to setup a new NAS. Again, I'm not a pro with networking, so setting up a "secure" system took me quite a while, reading through endless articles and guides.

I returned the DS920+ yesterday, unopened.

Regards,
KBSyn
It took a long time (months!) for me to figure out what was the bottleneck with stuttering/buffering. The 1st Shield I got was rather buggy. I had to reset and reconfigure it more than a few times, Android devices are known to be a bit buggy. The Pro has been mostly stable, the only weirdness I have with it is using Bluetooth headphones and an issue where Kodi won't send sounds to my Denon receiver when I try to switch back to it. The Pro is expensive, but worth it. Glad it fixed your issues.
 

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