Is there a procedure to recover from a failed update?

[ZippyDan]

I have a DS1513+ that has been rock-solid for many years and still chugging along.

Everything was working just fine and then I logged in recently to find several notifications that the automatic update had failed (without any clear reason why).

I tried doing the update semi-manually (as in going to the control panel and clicking to download the latest update and then clicking to apply the update.

I was running 7.0.1-42218 Update 4, and the system was prompting me to install 7.1.1-42962 Update 6.

After some time I got an error saying the update couldn't be applied and then was dumped back into the DSM interface.

After that I tried doing a fully manual update (what Synology calls a manual update) and downloaded the files from Synology's website and then tried to load and install them.

I tried two paths and both failed the same way as the other attempts.

I first tried the file for 7.0.1-42218 Update 6 and then when that didn't work I tried the next step up with the file for 7.1-42661(with Update 1) and that didn't work either.

At this point, I figured a nice reboot might be needed to clear the problem...

Well, I rebooted and the Synology never came back online. The lights come on but the power light just keeps blinking (as well as all the LAN lights).

As everything was working fine (other than the update) before now, I don't think there is a hardware problem here. It seems much more like a software issue, but I'm worried now that the failed attempts at updating the DSM version may have "bricked" the unit.

Is there any procedure to recover from this state?

 

[Rusty]

Can you detect the nas using Synology Assistant? If so, what’s registered under the DSM status?

 

[ZippyDan]

I have tried find.synology.com and it says there are no NAS detected. I'll try the Synology Assistant.

Update: downloaded and installed the latest Synology Assistant. No NAS detected.

 

[Rusty]

I have tried find.synology.com and it says there are no NAS detected. I'll try the Synology Assistant.

Update: downloaded and installed the latest Synology Assistant. No NAS detected.

Try and remove the drives and see if the NAS will then be detected

 

[Coop777]

This might be the Atom processor bug - do a search as well for the resistor fix.

 

[Telos]

This might be the Atom processor bug

Not applicable.

 

[ZippyDan]

Update:

I've tried everything.

• Removed all drives. Tried to power on. Still flashing blue.
• Installed one (new/empty) drive in slot one. Tried to power on. Still flashing blue.
• Removed all power cables (even disconnected the power supply from the motherboard), removed the CMOS battery, waited 10 minutes, and then put a brand new CMOS battery. Tried to power on. Still flashing blue.
• Removed all memory and tried new memory. Tried to power on. Still flashing blue.
• Connected directly to mains instead of UPS. Tried to power on. Still flashing blue.

I also tried contacting Synology support directly, and after instructing me to try some of the above steps, they told me the machine is dead and cannot be repaired and that I should buy a new one.

At this point, I think it is "officially" dead. Either the motherboard is dead or the power supply is faulty (as Synology tech support claims), but I think it is incredibly strange that the device would be otherwise working perfectly and incredibly coincidental that it would then fail to reboot after a failed update. It seems far more likely to me that something is hosed on the software/firmware side.

I'll be buying a new Synology box (because I needed one anyway), but I won't be giving up on trying to revive this one. The next things I will be trying are:

1. Buying a new power supply on eBay for $50 just to rule out that possibility.
2. Trying to reflash the onboard BIOS chip as outlined in this video. More info here. It seems that many DSM updates also involve BIOS updates, and if there is any issue during that process (like a power cut), it could corrupt the BIOS chip. Apparently this is a pretty common issue causing many blinking blue light issues, and it's a shame that Synology has not implemented a better BIOS flashing solution (like having a dual-BIOS/backup BIOS).
3. This recovery via the serial port (my model should have serial headers; I need to check), might also be useful.

 

[7Natives]

I also tried contacting Synology support directly, and after instructing me to try some of the above steps, they told me the machine is dead and cannot be repaired and that I should buy a new one.

OK, officially impressed they would talk to you and even more impressed they would actually try to help in any way with a 2013 model device!

WOW!!!

 

[Telos]

even more impressed they would actually try to help

they told me the machine is dead and cannot be repaired and that I should buy a new one

Stellar technical support.... "buy a new one"

 

[ZippyDan]

OK, officially impressed they would talk to you

I've never had a problem with Synology tech support responding in several previous interactions over the years. Their support has ranged from useless to extremely helpful (they've even remotely logged in to my boxes a few times in order to fix things).

I was rather impressed that they responded within 24 hours, especially considering there are typhoons in the area (of Taiwan). Usually they take more like 2 - 4 days to respond to me, but I haven't had to deal with their support in a few years, so maybe they have improved or maybe I just got lucky...

even more impressed they would actually try to help in any way with a 2013 model device!

To be fair, they didn't do much more than repeat back to me what is already in their support documents regarding boot issues and perpetually blinking blue power LEDs.

This is the exact first reply I got:

---

Andrew C.​

2023-08-02 08:53:24​

Hi Daniel,
I understand you are having issues with your unit booting up.
You mentioned that you see the blue power LED flashing on the unit.

Please confirm if You have performed the Power LED test. If Not, Please proceed with the below steps:
1.] Statically discharge yourself.
2.] Make sure the device is powered off.
3.] Remove all drives & peripherals connected to the Synology device (USB, eSATA, Ethernet).
4.] Please also REMOVE any additional RAM you may have installed as well as any 3rd party RAM. This test must be done with the stock Synology RAM.
5.] Power up the Synology system and wait five minutes.
6.] If you hear a single beep after at least a minute move to the next step as a beep indicates the start-up process is complete.
7.] What is the power button LED light status? Is it blinking or solid? (The power button LED light will be blue on most models, and green on some Rack station models.)
If it continues to blink or remains powered off that means the motherboard or power supply may be faulty or damaged.
If it's solid, insert the disks back in and boot the system. Please wait a few minutes and check the status using the latest version of Synology Assistant. If it can find it, please note its status (Checking Quota, Ready, Not Installed, Migratable, etc.). If not, please reply back for further instructions.
Please note that just being able to ping the unit doesn't mean anything of note other than that the LAN ports are functional. In order to properly do the above testing ensure that the power LED goes solid and does not continue flashing.

Thank you,
Andrew | Support Engineer

---

Stellar technical support.... "buy a new one"

To be fair again, it is a 10-year-old device. The warranty expired in 2016. As much as I am annoyed that Synology doesn't offer easy access to replacement parts (a problem with mostly the entire tech industry, not just Synology), it's hard to fault them for not supporting a device that old anymore.

This is the full text of their followup reply after I said none of the troubleshooting steps yielded any results:

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Andrew C.​

2023-08-03 15:00:45​

Hi,
If the power LED is still blinking after removing all of the drives, this indicates that the NAS is likely suffering from hardware failure as the blue blinking light indicates a bootup sequence.
Normally to fix this we would replace the unit, however based on our internal records the unit's warranty expired in 04/2016 so we would not be able to provide a warranty replacement. Please also note that we do not have a repair center, nor do we make or sell parts for old units to attempt to repair them.
If you decide to migrate to a new NAS, please refer to the HDD migration tutorial on our website here (just skip the steps involving the original unit):
How do I migrate data between Synology NAS via HDD migration (DSM 6.0 and later)? - Synology Knowledge Center
NOTE: Be sure to check the compatibility list (here) to make sure your drives will migrate to the new system before purchasing.
Otherwise data from the NAS may be recoverable from Hyper Backup or Snapshot Replication if you had a previous backup.
Otherwise if no backup is available, you can access the data on your drives without our unit. You will need to put all of disks in order on a SATA controller, but after that we have step by step guide to mounting the drives and allowing you access to the files.
You can try to regain access to the data via Ubuntu using the following guide: How can I use a PC to recover data when my Synology NAS malfunctions? - Synology Knowledge Center
Alternatively, if you would like to look into purchasing a new model, the successor of the unit is the DS1522+ and comes with its own 3 year warranty. You can read more about it on our website here: DiskStation® DS1522+ | Synology Inc.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this message.

Thank you,
Andrew | Support Engineer

---

 

[7Natives]

Anytime I've had Tech Support contact with anyone in the industry in the last 40-years, if we were out of warranty the fist and last thing they said was, you're out of warranty. Good bye. I haven't encountered support at least in that long where anyone would take the time and effort to do what Andrew C. did for you. That's quite a testament to their customer commitment.

(mounting soapbox) 100% agree about parts. This obsolesence=economic growth is terrible, has been since it started shortly after WWII. (dismounted)

 

[BangFR]

Hi,

First of all, before replacing your PSU, check the voltage at the coils (big square labelled R56, 4R7, ...).
You should find the 5v rail,
1.5 ou 1.35 near the RAM,
more than 1v to the one next to the processeur (the voltage there depends on the processor)
and check if you have a solid 3.3v on the bios CHIP.

Of course this is only a quick check without charging the PSU

Check also the voltage of the battery (should be above 3v)

if all is ok, i suggest to try to connect an USB/TTL adapteur (switch it to 3.3v) to the UART pin
=> after some research end tries the JP1 is the one to be connected on this generation of NAS
Pin 2 Ground /
Pin 4 TX /
PIN 6 RX ==> not sure on this one (I assumed it was the same layout of the DS415+ JP2), keyboard is not echoed on the putty

(2mm dupont)

For the ground I used the middle of the 1x3pins next to the battery cell (2,54 dupont)

=> for the newer one it's a 2x3pins, row next to the battery cell
I will add the link to the topic here (it's on this forum)

Using putty from a pc/mac connected to the USB port (115200 8/n/1), you should get an echo there (if so, check the DOM)

if nothing come, then you should check the bios (the best way to do this is to desolder the bios and to put it on a programmer setting 3.3v (the EZP2023+ is great for that because it switch automatically to 3.3v)
Without desoldering the chip, the programmer may have not enough power to read or write (because the board is not powered and the current from the programmer would go to send power to the 3,3v rail)
=> but never tried, it could work at least for the reading

Usually for that kind of oldies, the DOM should be checked, especially the speed. around 1Mb/s or stuck to USB 1.0 protocol it's not good.
=> managed to plug it to a USB on a PC using that kind of adapter USB femelle adapter to 4 wires(pinout is given)
the cable are strong enough to be plugged to the DOM connector

to save it, use rufus (will generate a .vhdx readable with 7zip)
To check the speed i used this powershell script

$t = [System.Diagnostics.Stopwatch]::StartNew(); $f = [System.IO.File]::OpenRead("\\.\PhysicalDrive4"); $b = New-Object Byte[] 52428800; [void]$f.Read($b, 0, $b.Length); $f.Close(); $t.Stop(); "Vitesse brute de la DOM : " + [math]::Round((50 / $t.Elapsed.TotalSeconds), 2) + " Mo/s"

This is a quick summarize of all I read and investigate, still have a lot to learn (rebuild a bios, rebuild a DOM) thanks to all of you on this forum i should achieve this, there is plenty of people sharing their tips to get our NAS repaired

Thank you all for the sharing

PS: I'm looking for BIOS for DS415+, DS2113+, DS412+ (rev 1.3 & 1.4)