To run virtual machines on your Synology NAS, you need to have at least 8 GB or 16 GB (or more) memory installed, depending on your requirements. Then, you can install and use the official Virtual Machine Manager app to create and manage your virtual machines from the Synology Web GUI.

In this article, I will show you how to set up virtualization on your Synology NAS and create a Windows 10 and an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine on your Synology NAS. I will be using the Synology NAS model DS1821+ for the demonstrations. So, let’s get started!

Copying ISO Image to Synology NAS Share:

First, you need to copy the ISO image files (of the operating systems you want to install on your Synology NAS virtual machines) to the Synology NAS.

You can upload ISO image files from the Synology Web GUI using the File Station app. You can also connect to your Synology shares from Windows or Linux and copy the ISO image to your share.

In this article, I will copy the ISO image from my computer to a share of my Synology NAS.

To access your Synology NAS shares, you need to know the IP address of your Synology NAS. You can find it from the Synology Web GUI. As you can see, the IP address of my Synology NAS is 192.168.0.110. It will be different for you. So, make sure to replace it with yours from now on.

From Windows 10 operating system, navigate to \\192.168.0.110 from the File Explorer app to access the Synology NAS shares.

From Linux operating system, navigate to smb://192.168.0.110 from any file manager app to access the shares on your Synology NAS.

As you can see, the Synology NAS shares are listed on my Debian GNU/Linux operating system.

Now, copy the ISO image files to one of your Synology NAS shares.

I have copied the Windows 10, KDE Neon, and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO images on my Synology NAS share share1.

Installing Virtual Machine Manager:

To create virtual machines on your Synology NAS, you need to install the Virtual Machine Manager app on your Synology NAS. The Virtual Machine Manager app is available in the Package Center of your Synology NAS.

Open the Package Center app from the Synology Web GUI, as marked in the screenshot below.

The Package Center app should be opened.

Search for the keyword virt and you should find the Virtual Machine Manager package, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Click on Install to Install the Virtual Machine Manager package.

Click on Yes.

The package is now being downloaded. It may take a while to download the package.

Once the package is downloaded, you will see the following window.

You need to select a volume where you want to install the downloaded package.

Select a volume using the dropdown menu and click on Next.

Click on Apply.

The package is being installed.

The Virtual Machine Manager app should be installed.

Once the Virtual Machine Manager app is installed, start the Virtual Machine Manager app from the Main Menu of Synology Web GUI.

You have to configure the Virtual Machine Manager app for the first time.

Click on Next.

Click on Next.

Click on Yes.

Select a volume or multiples volumes where you want to store your virtual machine data and click on Next.

Click on Finish.

Virtual Machine Manager should be configured. Now, you can create and manage your virtual machines from the Virtual Machine Manager app.

Creating an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Virtual Machine:

In this section, I am going to show you how to create an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine on your Synology NAS.

To create a new virtual machine, click on Create from the Virtual Machine section of the Virtual Machine Manager app, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Select Linux as the operating system and click on Next.

Now, you have to select a storage volume where you want to save the virtual machine data. Select a storage volume from the list and click on Next.

Type in a name for the virtual machine, the number of CPU cores you want it to have, and the amount of memory you want to allocate to it.

I am going to call the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20, and allocate 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of memory to it.

Once you’re done, click on Next.

Type in the amount of disk space you want to allocate to the virtual machine and click on Next.

I will allocate 20 GB of disk space to the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20.

Click on Next.

You have to select the ISO installation image file that you will be using to install the operating system on the virtual machine from here.

To select the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image, click on Browse from the ISO file for bootup section, as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image from the Synology NAS, then share and click on Select, as marked in the screenshot below.

The Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image should be selected as the ISO file for bootup, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Once the ISO image is selected, click on Next.

Select the users that you want to allow access to the virtual machine and click on Next.

The settings that will be used to create the virtual machine should be displayed. To create a virtual machine with those settings, click on Apply.

A new virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 should be created, as you can see in the screenshot below.

To power on the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20, select the virtual machine and click on Power on, as marked in the screenshot below.

The virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 should be Running.

Once the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 is Running, select the virtual machine and click on Connect.

A new browser tab should be opened with the display of the virtual machine, as you can see in the screenshot below.

The Ubuntu 20.04 LTS installer should be loaded by the time you connect to the virtual machine. You can install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on the virtual machine from here.

To install Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on the virtual machine, click on Install Ubuntu, as marked in the screenshot below.

Select your keyboard layout and click on Continue.

Click on Continue.

As I am installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on a virtual machine, I won’t manually partition the hard drive of the virtual machine. I will use automatic partitioning, just to make things easy.

So, select Erase disk and install Ubuntu and click on Install Now.

The Ubuntu 20.04 LTS installer will automatically create all the required partitions, and it will ask you whether you would like to save the changes to the disk.

Click on Continue.

Select your time zone and click on Continue.

Type in your personal information and click on Continue.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is being installed. It may take a while to complete.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is being installed.

Once Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is installed, click on Restart Now.

Press <Enter> to boot Ubuntu 20.04 LTS from the hard drive.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is booting from the hard drive.

After a few seconds, you should see the login window of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. You can log in to your Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine with the username and password you’ve set during the installation.

Once you log in, you should see the Ubuntu 20.04 desktop like the screenshot below.

As you can see, I am running Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS, it uses Linux kernel 5.8.0.

Now, you should remove the Ubuntu ISO image from the virtual machine. To do that, you need to shut down the virtual machine.

You can shut down your virtual machine with the following command:

Once your virtual machine is powered off, right-click (RMB) on the virtual machine and click on Edit, as marked in the screenshot below.

Navigate to the Others section.

As you can see, the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image is selected for the virtual machine.

From the ISO file for bootup dropdown menu, select Unmounted, as marked in the screenshot below.

Once you’ve selected Unmounted from the ISO file for bootup dropdown menu, click on OK.

The Ubuntu 20.04 LTS ISO image should be removed from the virtual machine.

Now, select the virtual machine and click on Power on.

Once the virtual machine is running, click on Connect.

Once you connect to the virtual machine and log in to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, you need to install QEMU Guest Agent. QEMU Guest Agent will report usage information (network, disk, memory, CPU, etc.) to the Virtual Machine Manager app of your Synology NAS.

Open a Terminal on your Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine and run the following command to update the APT package repository cache:

To install QEMU Guest Agent on your Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine, run the following command:

QEMU Guest Agent is being installed.

QEMU Guest Agent should be installed at this point.

Once QEMU Guest Agent is installed, reboot your virtual machine for the changes to take effect with the following command:

As you can see, the Virtual Machine Manager can now show you the IP address of the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine. When the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 is running, QEMU Guest Agent sends the IP address information of the virtual machine to the Virtual Machine Manager app.

Creating a Windows 10 Virtual Machine:

In this section, I am going to show you how to create a Windows 10 virtual machine on your Synology NAS.

Before you create a Windows 10 virtual machine, you need to download the Synology Guest Tool ISO image.

To download the Synology Guest Tool ISO image, open Virtual Machine Manager and navigate to the Image Section.

Then, from the ISO File tab, click on Download Synology Guest Tool, as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on Download.

The Synology Guest Tool ISO image is being downloaded. It may take a while to complete depending on your internet connection.

Synology Guest Tool ISO image should be downloaded, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Now, navigate to the Virtual Machine section and click on Create to create a new virtual machine.

Select Microsoft Windows and click on Next.

Select a storage volume where you want to store the virtual machine data and click on Next.

Type in a name for the virtual machine, the number of CPU cores you want the virtual machine to have, and the amount of memory you want to allocate to the virtual machine.

I am going to call the virtual machine vm2-win10, then allocate 2 CPU cores and 8 GB of memory to it.

Type in the amount of disk space you want to allocate to the virtual machine and click on Next.

I will allocate 100 GB of disk space to the virtual machine vm2-win10.

Click on Next.

To select the Windows 10 ISO image, click on Browse from the ISO file for bootup section, as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the Windows 10 ISO image from the Synology NAS share and click on Select, as marked in the screenshot below.

The Windows 10 ISO image should be selected as the ISO file for bootup, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Select the Synology_VMM_Guest_Tool ISO image from the Additional ISO file dropdown menu.

Once you’ve selected the Windows 10 ISO image and the Synology VMM Guest Tool for the virtual machine, click on Next.

Select the users that you want to allow access to the virtual machine and click on Next.

The settings that will be used to create the virtual machine should be displayed. To create a virtual machine with those settings, click on Apply.

A new virtual machine vm2-win10 should be created, as you can see in the screenshot below.

To power on the virtual machine vm2-win10, select the virtual machine and click on Power on.

Once the virtual machine vm2-win10 is Running, click on Connect to connect to the display of the virtual machine.

The Windows 10 installer should start. You can install Windows 10 on the virtual machine from here.

Select the language, time and currency format, the keyboard layout, and click on Next.

Click on Install now.

The Windows setup wizard is being loaded. It may take a few seconds to complete.

Click on I don’t have a product key, as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the version of Windows 10 you want to install on the virtual machine and click on Next.

I will install Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on this virtual machine.

Check I accept the license terms checkbox and click on Next.

Click on Custom: Install Windows only (advanced), as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the virtual hard disk and click on Next.

Windows 10 is being installed on the virtual machine. It may take a few minutes to complete.

Windows 10 is being installed on the virtual machine.

Once the installation is complete, the virtual machine should restart in 10 seconds.

Once the virtual machine starts, Windows 10 should be getting ready. It may take a while to complete.

Windows 10 is getting ready.

Once you see the following window, select your country and click on Yes.

Select your keyboard layout and click on Yes.

Click on Skip.

Windows 10 is being set up. It may take a while to complete.

Windows 10 is being set up.

Select Set up for personal use and click on Next.

Click on Offline account, as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on Limited experience, as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in your full name and click on Next.

Type in a login password and click on Next.

If you don’t want to set a login password, leave it blank and click on Next.

Click on Accept.

If you want to use Cortana, click on Accept.

If you don’t want to use Cortana, click on Not Now.

Windows 10 is being set up. It may take a few minutes to complete.

Windows 10 is being set up.

Once Windows 10 is successfully set up, it should start as you can see in the screenshot below.

Now, you have to install the Synology Guest Tool. To do that, open the File Explorer app and navigate to the SYNOLOGY_VMMTOOL CD drive, as marked in the screenshot below.

Run the Synology_VMM_Guest_Tool installer program, as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on Next.

Check the I accept the terms in the License Agreement checkbox and click on Next.

Click on Next.

Click on Install.

Click on Yes.

Synology Guest Tool is being installed on the Windows 10 virtual machine.

Once you see the following prompt, check Always trust software from “Red Hat, Inc.” checkbox and click on Install, as marked in the screenshot below.

Once the Synology Guest Tool is installed, click on Finish.

For the changes to take effect, click on Yes to restart the Windows 10 virtual machine.

As you can see, the Virtual Machine Manager app can now show you the IP address of the vm2-win10 virtual machine. When the vm2-win10 is running, Synology Guest Tool sends the IP address information of the virtual machine to the Virtual Machine Manager app.

Now, shutdown the vm2-win10 virtual machine. Then right-click (RMB) on the vm2-win10 and click on Edit, as shown in the screenshot below.

Navigate to the Others tab and make sure that Unmounted option is selected from the ISO file for bootup and the Additional ISO file dropdown menu. Once you’re done, click on OK.

Taking Snapshots of the Virtual Machine:

You can save the state of a virtual machine by taking a snapshot of it from the Virtual Machine Manager app. Before you attempt to do experiments on your virtual machines that may break the operating system or may remove important files, you can take snapshots of them. If anything breaks after the experiments, you can restore the virtual machines to their previous state (where you took the snapshot) and get the virtual machines up and running again.

To show you how to take snapshots and restore virtual machines from snapshots, I have prepared a simple example.

On my Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20, I have created a helloworld/ directory and a main.c file, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Let’s take a snapshot of the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine while this directory is available in the virtual machine.

Before you take a snapshot of the virtual machine, you must power off or shut it down.

To shut down the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20, run the following command:

The virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 should be Powered off, as you can see in the screenshot below.

To take a snapshot of the current state of the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine, select the vm1-ubuntu20, click on Action > Take a Snapshot, as shown in the screenshot below.

Type in a description of the snapshot and click on OK.

A snapshot of the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine should be taken.

To list the snapshots you have taken of a virtual machine, select the virtual machine and click on Action > Snapshot List, as shown in the screenshot below.

The snapshots you’ve taken of that virtual machine should be listed, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Restoring Virtual Machine from Snapshots:

If you have accidentally corrupted the operating system of your virtual machine or removed some important files from the virtual machine, you can restore them from snapshots.

Let’s see how to do it.

First, select the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine and click on Power on to power on the vm1-ubuntu20.

The vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine should be Running. To connect to the display of the vm1-ubuntu20, select the virtual machine and click on Connect, as shown in the screenshot below.

Once you’re connected to the display of the virtual machine, open a Terminal and run the following command to delete the helloworld/ directory:

The helloworld/ directory is removed from the HOME directory, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Now, shutdown the virtual machine with the following command:

As you can see, the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 is Powered off.

Now, let’s say, you want to get the helloworld/ directory back. As we had taken a snapshot when we had the helloworld/ directory on the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20, we can just restore it from the snapshot we have taken.

To restore the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 from a snapshot, select the virtual machine and click on Action > Snapshot List, as marked in the screenshot below.

Now, select the snapshot you want to restore to and click on Action.

Then, click on Restore to this snapshot.

If you want to take a snapshot of the current state of the virtual machine before restoring from your selected snapshot, then check Take a snapshot before restoring the virtual machine checkbox, as marked in the screenshot below.

I am not going to take a snapshot of the current state of the virtual machine before restoring the virtual machine from a snapshot. So, I will leave the Take a snapshot before restoring the virtual machine checkbox unchecked.

Once you’re ready, click on OK.

Now, type in the login password of your Synology Web GUI and check I understand my data will be permanently deleted and unrecoverable checkbox.

Once you’re done, click on Submit to confirm the restore operation.

The virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 should be restored from a snapshot.

Now, select the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 and click on Power on.

Once the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 is running, click on Connect.

Once you’re connected to the display of the virtual machine, you should see that the helloworld/ directory is restored.

So, this is how you restore a virtual machine from a snapshot.

Sharing Virtual Machines:

You can share a virtual machine running on your Synology NAS with other people.

To share a virtual machine (let’s say, vm1-ubuntu20), select the virtual machine and click on Action > Create share link, as marked in the screenshot below.

The link where the virtual machine will be available should be displayed, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can password protect the virtual machine if you want. So, when other people try to access the virtual machine using the shared link, they will be asked to type in a password.

To password protect a shared virtual machine, check Enable secure sharing checkbox and type in a share password, as shown in the screenshot below.

You can also set a validity period for the shared virtual machine. Once the validity period is over, the link will be removed automatically.

To set a validity period for the shared virtual machine, click on Validity period, as marked in the screenshot below.

You can set different validity period settings from here.

Set up start time: If you set a start time, then the link will be accessible after this time.

Set up stop time: If you set a stop time, then the link will be accessible until the stop time from now.

Number of allowed access: You can set the number of times one can access the virtual machine using the shared link. Once someone has accessed the virtual machine the defined number of times using this link, the link will automatically become inaccessible.

Once you’re done setting the validity period, click on OK to confirm it.

You can also use the QR code to access the virtual machine instead of using the generated shared link.

To see the QR code that you can use to access this shared virtual machine, click on Get QR Code, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Once you’ve set up the shared link, click on Save.

A shared link for accessing the virtual machine should be created and copied to the clipboard.

To see all the shared links for a virtual machine, select the virtual machine and click on Action > Shared Links Manager, as shown in the screenshot below.

The shared links you’ve generated for the virtual machine should be listed.

You can select a shared link and click on Delete to delete a shared link, as shown in the screenshot below.

To access a virtual machine using the shared link, open the shared link with your favorite web browser.

Type in the password of that shared link and click on Enter.

You should be connected to the virtual machine, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Cloning Virtual Machine:

You can make new virtual machines from an existing virtual machine or a snapshot of an existing virtual machine using the Clone feature of the Virtual Machine Manager app.

To clone a virtual machine, make sure that the virtual machine you want to clone is Powered off.

Now, select the virtual machine you want to clone and click on Action > Clone, as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in a Name for the new cloned virtual machine.

You can create multiple cloned virtual machines as well. To do so, select the number of clones you want from the Number of copies dropdown menu.

Once you’re done, click on OK.

As you can see, a new virtual machine vm3-ubuntu20 is being cloned from the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine.

At this point, the vm3-ubuntu20 virtual machine is successfully cloned from the vm1-ubuntu20 virtual machine.

To power on the cloned virtual machine vm3-ubuntu20, select the virtual machine and click on Power on, as marked in the screenshot below.

Once the virtual machine vm3-ubuntu20 is Running, click on Connect.

You should be connected to the display of the virtual machine. As you can see, the cloned virtual machine is running just fine.

Exporting Virtual Machines:

You can export Synology NAS virtual machines using the Virtual Machine Manager app.

To export a virtual machine, make sure that it is Powered off.

Now, select the virtual machine you want to export and click on Action > Export, as marked in the screenshot below.

Now, you have to select a directory on your Synology NAS share where you want to export the virtual machine.

I like to export a virtual machine in its own separate directory.

So, select a directory where you want to keep all your exported virtual machine data and click on Create folder to create a new folder for the exported virtual machine.

Type in a name for the new folder and click on OK.

A new folder vm1-ubuntu20 should be created, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can select the export mode before exporting the virtual machine.

The default mode is Regular OVA. Unless you’re going to import the virtual machines in a VMware product (i.e., VMware Player, VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Fusion, VSphere, etc.), then you don’t have to change the default mode.

If you need to change the export mode, click on Mode, as marked in the screenshot below.

There are 2 export modes:

Regular OVA: This is the default export mode of the Virtual Machine Manager app. You can import virtual machines exported this way into other virtualization programs like KVM, VirtualBox, etc. But this format is not compatible with VMware virtualization programs like VSphere, VMware Workstation Pro, etc.

VMware compatible OVA: You can import virtual machines exported this way into VMware virtualization programs like VSphere, VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, etc.

Once you’ve selected an export mode, click on OK.

Now, select the newly created folder vm1-ubuntu20 and click on Select, as marked in the screenshot below to start exporting the virtual machine.

Virtual Machine Manager app should start exporting the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 to your selected Synology share. It may take a while to complete.

The virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 is being exported.

Once the virtual machine vm1-ubuntu20 is exported, a new OVA file should be created in the vm1-ubuntu20/ directory of your Synology NAS share, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Importing Virtual Machines:

You can import virtual machines using the exported OVA file into your Synology NAS from the Virtual Machine Manager app.

To import a virtual machine, click on Create > Import, as marked in the screenshot below.

Select Import from OVA files and click on Next, as marked in the screenshot below.

To select the OVA file from your Synology NAS share, select Select a file from Synology NAS and click on Browse, as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the OVA file you’ve just exported and click on Select, as marked in the screenshot below.

Once you’ve selected the OVA file, click on Next.

Select the storage volume where you want to save the imported virtual machine data and click on Next.

Type in a name for the virtual machine, the number of CPU cores you want it to have, and the amount of memory you want to allocate to it.

I am going to call the imported virtual machine vm4-ubuntu20, and allocate 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of memory to it.

Once you’re done, click on Next.

Type in the amount of disk space you want to allocate to the imported virtual machine and click on Next.

I will allocate 20 GB of disk space to the imported virtual machine vm4-ubuntu20.

Click on Next.

Click on Next.

Select the users that you want to allow access to the imported virtual machine and click on Next.

The settings that will be used to import and create the virtual machine should be displayed. To import and create a virtual machine with those settings, click on Apply.

The virtual machine vm4-ubuntu20 is being imported, as you can see in the screenshot below. It may take a few minutes to complete.

The virtual machine vm4-ubuntu20 is imported successfully, as you can see in the screenshot below.

As you can see, the imported virtual machine vm4-ubuntu20 is Running.

You can also connect to the imported virtual machine vm4-ubuntu20 and it’s working just fine.

Conclusion:

In this article, I have shown you how to install and set up the Virtual Machine Manager app on your Synology NAS. I have also shown you how to create and manage virtual machines, take snapshots of it, restore it from snapshots, as well as share, cloneexport, and import it on your Synology NAS using the Virtual Machine Manager app. ]]> https://linuxhint.com/run-docker-containers-synology-nas/ Sat, 27 Feb 2021 06:54:33 +0000 https://linuxhint.com/?p=91955 Docker is a containerization platform. Docker is used to running lightweight containers on your computer.

Synology NAS has official support for Docker. Docker can be an alternative to virtual machines. If you don’t have enough memory to run virtual machines on your Synology NAS, you can run Docker containers instead. Docker containers require a very little amount of memory and system resources to run.

In this article, I will show you how to install and use Docker on Synology NAS. So, let’s get started.

Installing Docker on Synology NAS:

Synology NAS products officially support Docker. To use Docker on your Synology NAS, you need to install the Docker app from the Synology Web GUI.

First, open the Package Center app from the Synology Web GUI.

Search for docker in Package Center. The Docker app should be listed, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Click on the Docker app.

Click on Install to install the Docker app on your Synology NAS.

Select the volume you want to install and keep Docker data using the dropdown menu and click on Next as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on Apply.

The Docker app is being installed. It may take a few seconds to complete.

At this point, the Docker app should be installed.

You can click on Open to open the Docker app from the Package Center app as marked in the screenshot below.

You can also open the Docker app from the Main Menu of Synology Web GUI, as marked in the screenshot below.

As you’re running the Docker app for the first time, you will see the following dialog window.

If you don’t want to see it every time you open the Docker app, check the Don’t show this again checkbox and close the dialog window as marked in the screenshot below.

The Docker app should be ready to use.

Downloading Docker Images:

You can download Docker images from the Registry tab of the Docker app. By default, the Docker images available in the Docker Hub registry are displayed. You can add other Docker registries and download Docker images from there as well. I will show you how to add your own Docker registry in a later section of this article.

To download a Docker image from the Docker Hub registry, type in your search keyword (httpd, let’s say) and click on Search as marked in the screenshot below.

The Docker images that matched the search keyword should be listed.

If you like a Docker image and would like to know more about it, click on the icon to visit that Docker image’s official web page.For example, to know more about the httpd Docker image, click on the icon as marked in the screenshot below.

A new browser tab should open the Docker Hub page of the httpd Docker image, as you can see in the screenshot below. You can find all the information you need about the httpd Docker image on this page.

If you like a Docker image and you would like to download it, select it and click on Download as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the tag of your selected Docker image from the dropdown menu you want to download and click on Select as marked in the screenshot below.

As you can see, 1 new image is being downloaded.

Navigate to the Image section to see the download progress.

As you can see, the httpd: latest Docker image is being downloaded.

As long as the Docker image is downloaded, the Disk icon () will animate.

Once the download is complete, the disk icon () animation should stop.

I have downloaded another Docker image php: latest, as you can see in the screenshot below.

The size of the Docker images you’ve downloaded should be displayed in the Image section, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Managing Docker Images:

You can manage your downloaded Docker images from the Image section of the Docker app.

You can export a Docker image from the Docker app to your Synology NAS shares.

To export a Docker image (php: latest, let’s say), select the Docker image and click on Export as marked in the screenshot below.

Select a folder (docker-images/, let’s say) from one of your Synology NAS shares (share2, let’s say) where you would like to export the Docker image and click on Select marked in the screenshot below.

As you can see, the Docker image php: latest is being exported. It may take a few seconds to complete.

Once the Docker image is exported, you should find a new archive file (php(latest).syno.tar in my case) in the folder you’ve exported; the Docker image can see in the screenshot below.

Now, let’s remove the php: latest Docker image and import it back.

To remove a Docker image, select the Docker image you want to remove and click on Delete, as shown in the screenshot below.

To confirm the removal operation, click on Delete as marked in the screenshot below.

The php: latest Docker image should be removed, as you can see in the screenshot below.

To import the php: latest Docker image from the exported Docker image file, click on Add > Add From File as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the Docker image file you’ve just exported and click on Select as marked in the screenshot below.

The php: latest Docker image should be imported, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Managing Docker Registries:

By default, the official Docker registry Docker Hub is used on the Docker app. So, you can search for and download all the Docker images available on Docker Hub. That is more than enough for most people. But, if you do need to add third-party Docker registries or your own Docker registries, you can do it as well.

To manage Docker registries, click on Settings from the Registry section as marked in the screenshot below.

By default, you will have the following Docker registries. The Docker Hub registry and the Aliyun Hub registry.

Use the Aliyun Hub registry instead of the Docker Hub registry, select it and click on Use as marked in the screenshot below.

The Aliyun Hub registry should be activated, as you can see in the screenshot below.

To add a new Docker registry, click on Add as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in the information of the Docker registry you want to add and click on Confirm.

A new Docker registry should be added, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can edit a Docker registry you’ve added recently as well.

To edit a Docker registry, select it and click on Edit as marked in the screenshot below.

Now, make the necessary changes and click on Confirm to save the changes.

To remove a Docker registry, select it and click on Delete as marked in the screenshot below.

The selected Docker registry should be removed.

Creating Docker Containers:

To create a Docker container, navigate to the Image section of the Docker app. Then, select the Docker image you want to use to create the container and click on Launch as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in a name for the container in the Container Name section as marked in the screenshot below.

I will call it http-server-1.

If you want to run the container as root (with superuser privileges), check the Execute container using the high privilege checkbox as marked in the screenshot below.

You can limit the CPU and memory usage of the container as well.

To limit resources, check the Enable resource limitation checkbox and set the CPU Priority and Memory Limit as you need.

To configure some advanced settings for the container, click on Advanced Settings as marked in the screenshot below.

If you want to start the container automatically when your Synology NAS boots, check the Enable auto-restart checkbox as marked in the screenshot below.

To create a shortcut of this container on the Synology Web GUI desktop, check the Create shortcut on desktop checkbox and configure it as needed.

To add volumes to the container, click on the Volume tab of the Advanced Settings window, as shown in the screenshot below.

If you visit the Docker Hub page of the Docker image you’re using, you should know the volumes you need to create for your container.

For example, I am using the httpd Docker image to create a container. In the Docker Hub page of the httpd Docker image, you can see that I need to create a volume for the container that binds to the folder /usr/local/apache2/htdocs of the container.

To add a new volume to the container, click on Add Folder as marked in the screenshot below.

You will be asked to select a folder that you want to bind to your container.

When you install the Docker app on your Synology NAS, it will create a new share docker on the volume where you have installed the Docker app. My advice would be to keep your volumes and other files related to your container in their separate folder in the docker share.

Create a new folder in the docker share, select the docker share and click on Create folder as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in the name of your container (http-server-1 in my case) and click on OK.

To create a new folder inside the http-server-1/ folder, select it and click on Create folder.

Type in a folder name and click on OK. The folder name should resemble the path where you want to mount the folder in your container.

In my case, it’s htdocs as I want to mount it in the /usr/local/apache2/htdocs directory of the container.

Once the folder is created, select it and click on Select as marked in the screenshot below.

Now, you have to type in the path where you want to mount the folder you’ve selected.

In this case, it is the /usr/local/apache2/htdocs directory. Just type in the mount path, and you’re good to go.

You can configure the network of the container from the Network tab of the Advanced Settings window.

By default, the Docker containers will use a private IP address range that is not accessible from your home network. So, you will have to use port forwarding to access the services running on your Docker containers.

But, if you want to access the Docker containers from your home network directory without port forwarding, check the Use the same network as Docker host checkbox as marked in the screenshot below.

In the Port Settings tab of the Advanced Settings window, you can configure port forwarding for the Docker container.

Depending on the Docker image you’re using the create the container, you may already have some default port forwarding rules.

I have a default port forwarding rule that forwards the container TCP port 80 to the Synology NAS.

I will forward the container TCP port 80 to the TCP port 8888 on my Synology NAS. So, the Local Port number will be 8888, and the Container Port number will be 80, and the Type will be TCP.

If you want to add a new port forwarding rule, click on the + icon as marked in the screenshot below.

An empty port forwarding rule should be added, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Type in the Local Port, the Container Port, and select the Type from the dropdown menu as needed. Once you’re done, the port forwarding rule should be added.

If you want to remove a port forwarding rule, select it and click on the – icon as marked in the screenshot below.

The port forwarding rule should be removed.

In the Environment tab of the Advanced Settings window, you can configure the environment variables of the container and the command that the container will run when it starts.

Depending on the Docker image you’re using to create the container, you may already have some environment variables, as shown in the screenshot below.

If you need to add a new environment variable, click on the + icon as marked in the screenshot below.

An empty environment variable entry should be added, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Type in the environment variable name and the value. Once you’re done, it should be added.

If you want to remove an environment variable, select it and click on the – icon as marked in the screenshot below.

Your selected environment variable should be removed.

To set the command that you want to run when your Docker container starts, type in the command section’s command as marked in the screenshot below.

Once you’re done configuring some advanced settings for the container, click on Apply.

Click on Next.

The settings that will be used to create the container http-server-1 should be displayed. To create a container with these settings, click on Apply.

A new container http-server-1 should be created.

You can find all the Docker containers you’ve created in the Container tab of the Docker app. You can manage your containers from here.

The running containers should also be displayed in the Overview tab of the Docker app, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Using Docker Containers:

You can see the CPU and memory/RAM usage information and the container runtime of all the Docker containers you’ve created from the Container section of the Docker app.

As you can see, the http-server-1 container that I’ve created earlier is Running for 12 minutes. It’s using 11 MB of memory/RAM and barely uses any CPU resource.

Let’s create an index.html file in the htdocs/ volume of the container.

Once the index.html file is created in the volume of the container, you should be able to access it from the HTTP server that is running in the container.

I have forwarded the container TCP port 80 on my Synology NAS port 8888. So, I can access the HTTP server running in the Docker container http-server-1 from a web browser using the URL http://192.168.0.110:8888 as you can see in the screenshot below.

Here, 192.168.0.110 is the IP address of my Synology NAS. It will be different for you. So, make sure to replace it with yours.

To find more information about a Docker container, select it and click on Details as marked in the screenshot below.

A new window should be opened.

In the Overview tab, you can see the container’s CPU and RAM usage information, the environment variables added to the container, the configured port forwarding rules of the container, and some container runtime information.

You can Start, Stop, Restart and Force stop a container from the Overview tab as well.

In the Process tab, you can find the following information about all the running processes of the container:

Process Identifier: The process ID of the running process.

Execution Command: The command that is used to start the process.

CPU Usage: The percentage of CPU the process is using.

Memory Size: The amount of RAM/memory the process is using.

In the Log tab, you can find the logs of the running processes on your container. The logs are grouped by date nicely, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can start a shell and do administration on your container from the command-line from the Terminal tab. You can also run any command and see its output.

To access the shell of the container, click on Create as marked in the screenshot below.

A new shell terminal should be created, as you can see in the screenshot below. You can run any command you want in this shell terminal and administer your container from the command-line.

You can create as many shell terminals as you need.

You can also run other commands from here.

To do that, click on the Create > Launch with command as marked in the screenshot below.

Now, type in a command that you want to run and click on OK.

The command should run on the container, and the output should be displayed, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can rename or delete a terminal from the Terminal tab as well.

To rename a terminal, select it and click on Rename.

Type in a new terminal name and click on OK.

The terminal should be renamed.

To remove a terminal, select it and click on Delete.

The terminal should be removed.

You can start and stop a container using the toggle button as marked in the screenshot below.

When a container is Running, the toggle button will be blue.

To stop a running container, click on the toggle button.

The container should be Stopped, as you can see in the screenshot below.

When the container is Stopped, the toggle button should be gray.

When a container is Stopped, you can edit the configuration of the container.

To edit the container configuration, select the container and click on Edit.

You should see the same configuration window as you have seen while creating the container. You should be familiar with all the options as I have explained them earlier in this article.

From the General Settings tab, you can change the container name, configure container privileges, configure resource limits, configure container startup settings, and create a desktop shortcut.

From the Volume tab, you can manage the container volumes.

From the Port Settings tab, you can manage the port forwarding rules of your container.

From the Environment tab, you can manage the container environment variables.

Once you’re done with configuring the container, click on Apply as marked in the screenshot below.

Once you’ve configured the container, click on the toggle button to start the container.

The container should be running, as you can see in the screenshot below.

You can select a container and click on Action to Start, Stop, Restart, and Force Stop your container, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Cloning Docker Containers:

You can clone the configuration of an existing Docker container to create a new Docker container.

To clone a Docker container, select it and click on Settings > Duplicate settings as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in a name for the cloned container and click on Apply.

I will call it http-server-2.

A new container http-server-2 should be created, as you can see in the screenshot below.

While the http-server-2 container is Stopped, select it and click on Edit.

Change the local port to 8889 from the Port Settings tab and click on Apply as marked in the screenshot below. The http-server-2 container configuration should be updated.

Click on the toggle button of the http-server-2 container as marked in the screenshot below to start the container.

The http-server-2 container should be running, as you can see in the screenshot below.

As you can see, I can access the HTTP server running on both the http-server-1 and http-server-2 containers.

Exporting Docker Containers:

You can export Docker containers on your Synology NAS shares and import them later using the Docker app.

To export a Docker container, select it and click on Settings > Export as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the export type from the Type section.

Export container settings: This option will only export the configuration options of the container in a plain text file. The configuration file can be later used to rebuild the container. This option will not save any filesystem changes you’ve made in the container. So, all of your container data will be lost when you import the container back.

Export container contents and settings: This option will export the container configuration and contents on your Synology NAS share. The filesystem changes of the container will be kept. The exported file will be a lot bigger than the first option.

Once you’ve selected an export type, select Export to Synology NAS and click on Select a folder from the Destination section as marked in the screenshot below.

Select a folder where you want to export the container and click on Select.

Click on Export.

As you can see, the container is being exported. It may take a while to complete.

Once the container is exported, a new archive file should be generated in the folder where you’ve exported the container, as shown in the screenshot below.

Importing Docker Containers:

In this section, I will remove the Docker container I’ve exported earlier and import it back.

Before you can remove a Docker container, you have to stop the container if it’s running.

To stop the http-server-1 container, click on the toggle button of the container from the Container section of the Docker app, as marked in the screenshot below.

The container should be stopped. Now, select the container and click on Action > Delete as marked in the screenshot below.

Click on Delete.

The http-server-1 container should be removed.

To import the container using the exported container file, click on Settings > Import as marked in the screenshot below.

Select the exported container file and click on Select as marked in the screenshot below.

Type in a Container Name and click on OK.

NOTE: Importing a container this way will also create a new container image. If you want to use that image to create a container later, it’s good to give the image a meaningful name and tag name.

You can set the new image name in the Repository textbox and image tag in the Tag textbox of the import Settings window.

As you can see, the container http-server-1 is imported successfully.

A new container image is also created, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Docker Networks:

You can manage Docker networks from the Network tab of the Docker app.

By default, Docker creates a bridge network interface and a host network interface that you can use to get network connectivity in your Docker containers.

To know more about a network interface, click on the down-arrow icon as marked in the screenshot below.

As you can see in the screenshot below, information about the bridge and the host network is displayed.

As you can see, the bridge network interface uses the bridge driver, and the host network interface is using the host driver.

The bridge network interface configures a random IP subnet (172.17.0.0/16 in my case) that is not accessible from your home/office network. You can only access the services running inside the containers connected to the bridge network using port forwarding.

The host network interface will use your home/office network’s DHCP server to assign IP addresses to the containers. So, the containers using the host network will be accessible from your home/office network directly. You won’t need to configure port forwarding.

Currently, 2 containers (http-server-1 and http-server-2) are using the bridge network interface, as shown in the screenshot below.

Checking Docker Logs:

You can find the logs of your Docker app from the Log section, as you can see in the screenshot below. The log information will help you find problems with the Docker instance running on your Synology NAS.

Conclusion:

In this article, I have shown you how to install the Docker app and use Docker on Synology NAS. I have also shown you how to download Docker images from the Docker Hub registry, manage Docker images, manage Docker registries, create and use Docker containers, clone Docker containers, export Docker containers, import Docker containers, check the Docker network interfaces, and check Docker logs using the Docker app on your Synology NAS. This article should help you get started with Docker on your Synology NAS.

Synology specializes in Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and software. Synology NAS devices are easy to use and configure. Its built-in DSM (DiskStation Manager) web app allows you to access and configure the NAS from a web browser. Synology’s management web interface, the DSM web app, is one of the best NAS management tools out there. The DSM web app differentiates the Synology NAS from its competitors.

Synology NAS devices have a lot of useful features like:

1. File Storage and Sharing
   You can store important files on your Synology NAS. It supports different file-sharing services like SMB, AFP, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, etc., so you can access your files from Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android smartphones.

In Synology NAS, link aggregation is called Bond. Your Synology NAS may have multiple network interfaces. You can use bond multiple network interfaces to increase your Synology NAS bandwidth or configure fault tolerance.

For example, you can bond 2×1 Gbps network interfaces to create a 2 Gbps network interface. Or, you can bond 2×1 Gbps network interfaces to create a single 1 Gbps fault-tolerant network interface. The fault-tolerant bonded network interface will use the same IP address no matter which physical network interface is used. So, if one fails for some reason, the other one will still work, and you will be able to connect to your Synology NAS without changing the IP address you use to connect to your Synology NAS.

In this article, I will show you how to create a bond network interface using multiple physical network interfaces on your Synology NAS to increase the network bandwidth and provide fault tolerance. So, let’s get started.

Installing Network Cables in the Synology NAS:

Before installing network cables in the RJ-45 ports of your Synology NAS, you should shut down your Synology NAS from the Synology Web GUI.

To shut down your Synology NAS from the Synology Web GUI, click on the User icon ( ) and click on Shutdown as shown in the screenshot below.

To confirm the shutdown operation, click on Yes.

Your Synology NAS should be powered off within a few minutes.

Once your Synology NAS is powered off, all the LEDs should be off, as shown in the image below.

In the rear of your Synology NAS, you may have a single ethernet cable connected in the RJ-45 port of your NAS, as I have.

I have 3 extra unused ethernet ports on my NAS. You may have more or less unused ethernet ports on your NAS.

Connect ethernet cables on the unused RJ-45 ports of your NAS.

I have connected 3 more ethernet cables, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Once you’re done, press the power button to turn on your NAS.

Once all the LEDs of your NAS are on, you should be able to connect to your Synology Web GUI and configure network bonds.

Visit the Synology Web GUI from a web browser and go to Network from the Control Panel app as marked in the screenshot below.

In the Network Interface tab, you should see that all the network interfaces you’re using are Connected.

You can click on the down arrow button as marked in the screenshot below to find more information about the Connected network interfaces.

As you can see, all the network interfaces have their IP addresses and network bandwidth.

Creating a Load Balancing Network Bond:

If you want to connect multiple network interfaces to increase your NAS’s download/upload speed, you have to create a load balancing network bond.

To create a load balancing network bond interface, click on Create > Create Bond as marked in the screenshot below.

Now, select either the Balance-SLB or Balance-TCP options as marked in the screenshot below.

Balance-SLB: If you want to bond network interfaces from different network-switch to increase your Synology NAS download/upload speed, select the Balance-SLB option.

Balance-TCP: If you have a switch that supports link aggregation, then configure your switch ports for link aggregation first and use this option to configure link aggregation for your Synology NAS.

I will select Balance-SLB as my switch does not support link aggregation.

Once you’re done selecting an option, click on Next.

Now, select the physical network interfaces that you want to add to your bond network and click on Next.

Set the IP address of your network bond manually. I will set it to 192.168.0.120.

If your switch/router supports Jumbo Frame, then you can set the MTU value manually.

My switch supports Jumbo Frame. So, I will set the MTU value to 9000.

If you want all the internet traffic to go through this network bond, check the Set as the default gateway checkbox as marked in the screenshot below.

Once you’re done setting up the network bond, click on Apply.

Click on Yes.

The network bond is being created. It may take a few seconds to complete.

Once the network bond is created, you can find the network bond in the Network Interfaces tab of Control Panel > Network.

As you can see, a network bond Bond 1 is created. It combines the physical ethernet interfaces LAN 3 and LAN 4. The IP address assigned to the network bond Bond 1 is 192.168.0.120. Also, notice that the network speed is 2000 Mbps (2 Gbps), 2 times the network speed of LAN 3 and LAN 4, which is 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) each.

So, bonding 2 physical network interfaces in Balance mode increased the network bandwidth of the NAS. Now, you should be able to transfer files from your computer faster or access your NAS from multiple computers at the same time without any network performance penalty.

Creating a Fault-Tolerant Network Bond:

If you want to connect multiple network interfaces for fault tolerance, you must create an active or backup network bond.

To create an active or backup network bond interface, click on Create > Create Bond as marked in the screenshot below.

Select Active/Backup Mode and click on Next.

Now, select the physical network interfaces that you want to add to your bond network and click on Next.

In the same way as before, configure your network bond and click on Apply.

I will set a static IP address 192.168.0.110 for this network and enable Jumbo Frame. You can configure it any way you like.

Click on Yes.

The network bond is being created. It may take a few seconds to complete.

Once the network bond is created, you can find the network bond in the Network Interfaces tab of Control Panel > Network.

As you can see, a network bond. Bond 2 is created. It combines the physical ethernet interfaces LAN 1 and LAN 2. The IP address assigned to the network bond Bond 2 is 192.168.0.110. Also, notice that the network speed is 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps), the same as the network speed of LAN 1 and LAN 2, which is 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) each.

So, bonding 2 physical network interfaces in Active/Backup mode does not increase the NAS’s network bandwidth. But, it provides fault tolerance. If LAN 1 physical network interface stops working for some reason, you will still be able to access your NAS using the IP address 192.168.0.110 as long as the physical network interface LAN 2 is okay. Similarly, if LAN 2 physical network interface stops working, you will be able to access your NAS using the same IP address as long as LAN 1 is working.

Resetting the Synology NAS Network:

At times, the network bond configuration you want may not work and leave your Synology NAS inaccessible. In that case, you need to reset your Synology NAS network configuration and configure the network bond again.

To reset your Synology NAS network configuration, press and hold the button in the rear of your NAS as marked in the image below till you hear a beep. Once you hear a beep, the network configuration should reset, and you should be able to connect to your NAS as you did before you configured the network bond.

Conclusion:

In this article, I have discussed what link aggregation is and how it will help you configure your Synology NAS network. I have shown you how to configure link aggregation in Balance and Active/Backup mode on your Synology NAS. I have also shown you how to reset your NAS’s network configuration in case of network misconfiguration.

In this article, I will show you c So, let’s get started.

Checking Installed Memory Before Upgrade:

Before you upgrade the memory of your NAS, you can check the amount of memory you’ve already installed on your NAS.

To check the memory, you’ve already installed on your NAS, open the Control Panel app from the Main Menu of Synology Web GUI, as shown in the screenshot below.

Click on Info Center, as shown in the screenshot below.

As you can see, 4096 MB or 4 GB of memory is installed on my Synology NAS model DS1821+.

Shutting Down the NAS:

Before you can open up the NAS to remove the old memory and install new ones, you must shut down the NAS and unplug the power cable and the RJ45 cables from the NAS. This is to ensure that there is no power on any of the components of the Synology NAS and avoid any short-circuits as a result. Short-circuits are harmful to electronics components and may permanently damage your NAS.

You can shut down the NAS from the Synology Web GUI. To do that, click on the user icon from the Synology Web GUI panel’s top-right corner and click on Shutdown, as shown in the screenshot below.

Click on Yes to confirm the shutdown operation.

The Synology NAS should be powered off in a few minutes.

Once the NAS is powered off, all the status LEDs and the power button LED should be off.

Now, remove the power cable from the rear/back of the NAS.

Also, remove all the RJ-45 cables from the rear/back of the NAS.

Once all the cables are removed from your Synology NAS, you can open it up and upgrade the memory of your Synology NAS.

Upgrading Memory of the NAS:

You can buy Synology compatible memory from Synology and install it on your NAS. Make sure to buy the correct type (i.e., DDR3, DDR4) of memory in the correct form factor (i.e., UDIMM, RDIMM, SODIMM) for your Synology NAS. You can read the product specification page or product datasheet of your NAS model to see what type of memory you need to buy for your NAS.

The Synology NAS model I have is DS1821+, and it supports DDR4 SO-DIMM ECC memory. Synology has sent me 2 of the 16 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM 2666 MHz memory modules for review. In this article, I will use them to upgrade the memory of the Synology NAS model DS1821+.

To upgrade the memory, you need a PH-2 screwdriver.

First, flip your NAS, and you should find a cover, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Open the screws from the cover using a PH-2 screwdriver.

Once the screws are opened, pull the cover from your NAS.

You should see the memory module that is/are already installed on your Synology NAS.

To remove the memory module that is already installed, gently push the levers on both sides of the memory module outward at the same time.

The memory module should be released from the slot.

Now, hold the edges of the memory module and gently pull it out of the slot.

The memory module should be removed from the slot.

Now, I am going to install 2 of the 16 GB DDR4 SODIMM memory modules on the memory slots of the NAS.

Align the empty slot’s notch with the gap between the gold connectors of the memory module and gently push the memory module into the slot.

Once the memory module is in the slot, gently push the memory module downward till you hear a click. The memory module should be locked in the slot.

The memory module should be installed on the slot.

Similarly, align the notch of the other empty slot with the gap between the gold connectors of the memory module and gently push the memory module into the slot.

Once the memory module is in the slot, gently push the memory module downward till you hear a click. The memory module should be locked in the slot.

Both the memory modules should be installed at this point.

Now, put the cover on the memory slots.

Tighten the screws in the cover using a PH-2 screwdriver.

Now, connect the power cable and the RJ-45 cables to your NAS.

Once all the cables are plugged in, press the power button to power on the NAS.

After a few minutes, the NAS should be ready to connect.

Checking Installed Memory After Upgrade:

Once you have upgraded the memory of your NAS, visit the Synology Web GUI from your favorite web browser.

Go to Info Center from the Control Panel app.

As you can see, the memory is upgraded successfully from 4 GB to 32 GB.

Conclusion:

In this article, I have shown you how to check the amount of memory you have already installed on your Synology NAS from the Synology Web GUI. I have also shown you how to access the memory slots of your Synology NAS model DS1821+. I have shown you how to remove memory modules from your Synology NAS model DS1821+ and install new memory modules as well.

Included in this evaluation of Synology’s new DS920+ NAS are some of the Active Backups tools in Diskstation Manager (DSM), Synology’s operating system, that can be accessed from a web server.

Windows VM Backups

As a daily Linux user for many years, over time, my Windows virtual machine (VM) has evolved to become my main interface with the Windows operating system for the times I require it. I use my VM, which runs on VMWare Workstation Player, for evaluating Windows software, for using tools that do not run well on Linux, and to see what’s new with Windows.

Virtual machine files contain all the virtualized storage a virtual machine runs off, and are therefore quite heavy. These files can, of course, be included in full system backups — which I described previously — but unless you are running disk cloning jobs with Clonezilla, it sometimes makes more sense to separate VM backup from backups taken to protect the host systems they run on.

There are several options to achieve this. For one, you can simply use Windows’ native backup and restore functionality. Alternatively, you can open up a file browser, navigate to the folder containing the VM, and copy the images it contains onto your backup target. As an additional approach, you can use Synology Active Backup to pipe the image onto an NAS.

In contrast to Linux backup jobs, getting the last option up and running is plain sailing. Opening up DSM on the Windows VM, I simply downloaded and installed the backup agent for a 64-bit architecture machine.

I then told the program where to find the NAS on my LAN:

I hit “Backup,” and the process essentially ran itself. About fifteen minutes later, I had a nice backup image visible in the Active Backup folder on the NAS.

G Suite

The second feature I wanted to try out in Active Backup was backing up my G Suite account. Synology offers a separate Active Backup product, Active Backup for G Suite, for this purpose.

Getting the G Suite Active Backup tool set up took some legwork. Synology’s documentation lists 15 different steps for this process. I spent some time in the Google Developer Console to make sure that the user from which NAS would run its job had the required permissions.

After completing the setup process, I had a direct backup from my G Suite onto my NAS. I could choose to configure the backup to run manually, to pull down my data continuously, or to do so on a set schedule.

The scheduling options were somewhat illogical, in my view. For instance, I was not able to choose to run the backup every X days, or even twice a month. The options were essentially the same as those of the cron job configuration tool, which contains the same limitations.

In terms of what is backed up, the API configuration process gives you a very good idea. The tool captures users’ Google Drive, contacts, and calendar data, among other data — but it stops short of the total user data extraction that I prefer to use by accessing the service through Google Takeout.

Despite a couple of limitations, the Synology program is a very affordable, onsite means of taking exactly the same backup that many G Suite cloud-to-cloud providers charge big licensing bucks to perform. Adding multiple user accounts to the backup tools is simple (simply recreate the process). Using Synology’s Cloud Backup tool, it is easy to replicate the G Suite backups onto another cloud, if required — taking an offsite backup to fulfill the 3-2-1 requirement that is the foundation of well-thought-out backup approaches.

Overall, with some reservations about what is not included in the G Suite tool, this is a backup tool that I definitely plan on using and would recommend.

Synology DS920+ can be purchased from Benda, KSP, or Amazon.  Contact Synology for more information. ]]>