Need Help Configuring DS218+

[Neal Wiser]

Hi, I'm not sure where to post this, so I thought I'd start here.

I bought a DS218+ two years ago and I've never been able to get it running properly. It's definitely a configuration issue (as in I obviously don't know what I'm doing), not a product problem. Anyway, I'm looking for someone who can configure it properly for me or walk me through it. If I can't get it running properly, then I'm going to have to get rid of it and find another solution.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Neal

 

[Rusty]

Can you share the essential needs that you might have? Anything you have done so far?

 

[Telos]

I'm looking for someone who can configure it properly for me or walk me through it.

One of the best video tutorials for newbies... here

39 bite-size parts. Got questions... post 'em.

 

[Neal Wiser]

One of the best video tutorials for newbies... here

39 bite-size parts. Got questions... post 'em.

Thanks, I DO appreciate the help. However, I've spent far too much time watching tutorials and I'm not getting what I need, which is just getting the config done.

-- post merged: 7. Apr 2021 --

Can you share the essential needs that you might have? Anything you have done so far?

Hi Rusty, Thanks for the reply. Here's where I'm at:

• I currently have a DS218+ with two 2TB HDs installed. I think I should replace them with two 4-6TB drives, but I’d like to avoid spending the extra money unless I have to.
• I tried to configure them into a RAID (the version where they duplicate each other), but I don’t know if I’ve done that correctly.
• I have been able to get my computer to back up to the drive using Synology Drive Client 2.0.3-11102 set to Continuous Backup, but this doesn’t seem to be working properly (I have to start the backups manually) and I cannot validate the backups.
• When using the Synology Drive Client, backups are incredibly slow considering it’s hardwired.
• I had set the drive to power saving mode, but the drive keeps turning itself off completely and my Mac cannot wake it up.
• I was able to get TimeMachine to back up to the drive a few times last year, but now it can’t find the drive. I recently removed it from TimeMachine’s configuration.
• The drive is hardwired to my wifi router. I connect to the router with both ethernet cable and Wifi. My wife and daughter only connect via wifi.
• I probably have some of the configurations set up incorrectly. Unfortunately, after watching far too many tutorials, I'm learning what I need.

This is what I want to accomplish:

• I probably need a VPN for secure connections when we’re not at home (wife at office, daughter in college, etc.).
• Partition the drive into four sections, one for me, my wife, and my daughter, and one for sharing files.
• Everyone must be able to backup to their partition.
• In addition to the backup, I want everyone to be able to store files there as if this were a regular server.
• My section also must backup my work computer.
• I want my family to be able to access each other's photos (but not delete them), but due to my work, I also need a secure folder.
• I want to be able to access files on the NAS with both my iPhone and iPad.
• I prefer to use TimeMachine for backups, so I don’t know if I need the Drive Clients. Seems redundant.
• Because of problems (catastrophes) I’ve had with backups, I use BOTH TimeMachine to an older external drive (that this will replace) and Carbonite.
• I want to back up the entire DS218+ to BackBlaze.
• I’ve recently heard there are compatibility issues backing up TimeMachine and Synology to BackBlaze. Do you know anything about that?
• I may want to also store security camera video on the NAS, but I’m not sure if I really need to do that (I know I don’t have the storage space as currently configured anyway).

I THINK that’s everything. Is this something you can help me with?

 

[Rusty]

THINK that’s everything. Is this something you can help me with?

That’s a shopping list! You do know what you want and need. Good news is your model can do it all, it’s now just a matter of setting it all up.

 

[silverj]

Hi Neal...
You have a quite a list of things there. To pick up a few points that are basic for you:

I tried to configure them into a RAID (the version where they duplicate each other), but I don’t know if I’ve done that correctly.

Go into Storage Manager. This app will tell you if your RAID is setup correctly. Look for words like Healthy in green colour and the total capacity in your volume. These will tell you if things are good.

I have been able to get my computer to back up to the drive using Synology Drive Client 2.0.3-11102 set to Continuous Backup, but this doesn’t seem to be working properly

It probably is. If you open your Drive client and note the backup time on yours and then add a file in your PC in the area being backuped up, you will see the backup time change. Therefore it is running. (Note the continuous backup in the pic below.
Also, when you launch the Drive portal from your Synology, you will see your backup. You can go into this and see if the file you just created was present.

When using the Synology Drive Client, backups are incredibly slow considering it’s hardwired.

Yes, it is slow. Good things come and all that.

I probably need a VPN for secure connections when we’re not at home (wife at office, daughter in college, etc.).

I suggest you leave this one for now until you have the basics setup. It is a little more complex.

• Partition the drive into four sections, one for me, my wife, and my daughter, and one for sharing files.
• Everyone must be able to backup to their partition.
• In addition to the backup, I want everyone to be able to store files there as if this were a regular server.

In Synology world, you have Shared Folders. This is how you will separate your storage areas. Each user will have their own storage area, invisible to the other users.
Backing up 'to their partition'. You would have appear to have found the tool Drive. This will do this for you, in a variety of ways. You experimented with Continuous backup...
Storing files as per a server. This you will be able to do by creating a network drive in Windows, pointing to your NAS.

In short, you do not want to watch more videos, but in the end I suggest you will have to. I'm not a fan either, but in the end they can be easier than text descriptions. There is a lot to learn, but it is possible, eventually...
Telos has given you the link to mydoodads. It is a truly excellent series, clear and concise. Try it, even the first ones that are VERY basic. They give you valuable basics. This series is in many ways targetted at your situation.
Have fun...

 

[fredbert]

@Neal Wiser To check your DS218+'s RAID setup you use Storage Manager.

You start with HDD (or SSD) and make a storage pool with one or more of them. The storage pool is the RAID (SHR, depending on number of disks used for storage and redundancy, is similar to RAIDs 1, 5, and 6). From the storage pool you can then create volumes, analogous to partitions.

The default when setting up your NAS would be to take both disks and create an SHR storage pool with one disk redundancy (like RAID 1), then create one volume using all the available storage. Depending when you did this then the volume's file system will be either btrfs or ext4.

My DS218+ using 2x 4TB disks in SHR-1, btrfs, and one volume...

[If you want to add a screen shot from a Mac use shift-control-command-4 and selected the area. The image is saved in the copy/paste buffer.]

The usable storage is now in volume1. To access this using file sharing services the NAS creates a set of default Shared Folders (see Control Panel) and users have, or don't, access to these. The 'homes' shared folder is only visible to admin users but in here there will be a sub-folder such as 'homes/fred'. When fred logs into DSM he will see this folder presented as a pseudo-shared folder 'home'. Every use sees their real 'homes' folder as 'home'. Of course, this assume you enabled User Home in Control Panel...

But you did because Synology Drive needs this enabled for it to work. Each user should now have 'home/Drive' into which any Drive related data is placed.

If you still want to use Time Machine then I would create a new shared folder just for this. Then to restrict how much space TM takes I created a new standard user per Mac (limited the shared folder and application access they had, easiest by making a TM user group and placing each user into it). Then each TM user gets a disk quota assigned that is related to the size of their Mac's disk. Now log into TM from each Mac using the associated NAS TM user.

Also, advertise TM ability on SMB and/or AFP file sharing services of the NAS...

 

[Neal Wiser]

That’s a shopping list! You do know what you want and need. Good news is your model can do it all, it’s now just a matter of setting it all up.

Yes, getting it set up correctly is the issue. I've done all I can, and I can't do it all - I just don't have the experience or time to do so. That's why I'm asking for help. Is this something you can help with? Can you give me a quote?

 

[Rusty]

Can you give me a quote?

Check your PM

 

[Telos]

Can you give me a quote?

This seldom plays out well, as support continuance and troubleshooting leave you dead in the water without maintenance contracts. IMO you should tackle these "wants" one at a time and learn them, otherwise NAS ownership will be a major frustration leading to NAS abandonment. None of us were born with knowing the ins and outs of NAS management, and still we are learning with each passing week.