How to Setup a Synology NAS? An In-Depth Guide

A Network Attached Storage (NAS) device is a dedicated file storage server that can be accessed by other devices over a network. Synology is one of the most popular NAS manufacturers. Their NAS devices are feature-rich, easy-to-use, and provide excellent performance.

In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through the complete process of setting up a Synology NAS from start to finish, including:

1. Unboxing and Hardware Setup
2. Installing Drives
3. Powering On and Accessing Web Assistant
4. Installing DSM Operating System
5. Creating Storage Pools and Volumes
6. Setting Up Shares and Access Permissions
7. Accessing Shares from Windows and Linux

So let‘s get started!

1. Unboxing and Contents

I purchased the Synology DS1821+ 8-bay NAS model for this setup guide. Upon unboxing, here is what I found inside the package:

• DS1821+ NAS main unit
• 2x RJ-45 LAN cables
• 2x Drive tray keys
• AC power cord
• Screws for 2.5′′ drives
• Quick Installation Guide

The package contents may vary slightly depending on your specific NAS model.

2. Installing Drives in the NAS

The DS1821+ I purchased came diskless, so I had to install my own drives. The process will be the same for adding additional drives later on.

Here are the steps to install 3.5′′ or 2.5′′ SATA HDDs/SSDs:

A. Removing Drive Trays

1. Insert the drive tray key into the lock and turn counter-clockwise to unlock
2. Press the bottom of the drive tray handle until you hear a click
3. Pull the drive tray handle to remove the tray

B. Installing 3.5′′ Drive

1. Remove fastening panels from both sides of the drive tray
2. Place the 3.5′′ drive in the drive tray
3. Reattach the fastening panels to secure the drive

C. Installing 2.5′′ Drive

1. Remove fastening panels and set aside
2. Place the 2.5′′ drive in the drive tray, aligning with screw holes
3. Flip over the drive tray and hold the drive firmly
4. Insert four screws through bottom tray holes into drive

Once secured, you can slide the drive trays back into the empty bays until you hear a click. Lock the handle if desired with the drive tray key.

I installed four Seagate IronWolf 4TB HDDs for a total capacity of 16TB.

3. Powering On and Accessing Web Assistant

With the drives installed, the next steps are:

1. Connect ethernet cable to LAN 1 port and connect other end to your router
2. Connect AC power cord to back of NAS and plugin
3. Press and hold power button on front of NAS to turn it on
4. Wait for NAS to boot up, indicated when power LED stops blinking

To access and configure the NAS, you need to install the DSM operating system. This is done through the Web Assistant wizard:

1. On a computer connected to your network, visit http://find.synology.com
2. Web Assistant will search network and list available Synology NAS devices
3. Locate your NAS by matching name or IP address
4. Click "Connect" and install DSM by following prompts

This will initialize your NAS storage, download latest DSM version, install it, and then reboot when complete. Keep the browser window open during this process.

4. Installing the DSM Operating System

Once connected via Web Assistant, click "Set Up" to begin installation process:

1. Read licensing agreement and check box to agree
2. On next screen choose "Install DSM on new disks" to format drives
3. Confirm data erase on drives by checking box
4. Click OK on data erase confirmation prompt
5. DSM files will download from Internet first
6. Actual installation process will begin afterwards

The NAS will reboot a few times during setup. Web Assistant will reconnect and prompt you for new admin credentials and basic configuration.

I entered:

• Server name: MyNAS
• Admin username/password
• QuickConnect disabled
• Analytics sharing disabled

Finally, Web Assistant opens the DSM desktop indicating successful install!

5. Creating Storage Pools and Volumes

With DSM installed, now the disks are ready for data storage. We need to create:

Storage Pool – Group of disks to provide storage capacity
Volume – Like a partition that formats storage pool capacity into usable shared folders

Let‘s create two pools, SHR and RAID 10:

A. SHR Storage Pool

1. Open DSM Storage Manager app
2. Navigate to Storage Pool section and click Create
3. Select Higher flexibility for SHR capability
4. Enter optional description
5. Select SHR pool type
6. Click Next and choose the 4 disks
7. Confirm disk erase, check drives, and click Apply to create

This provides two disk fault tolerance by using equivalent of one disk capacity for parity. Hence from four 4TB drives I have ~12TB usable space.

B. RAID 10 Storage Pool

1. Repeat storage pool creation process
2. Select RAID 10 this time from type dropdown
3. Select same four drives
4. Click apply to build second storage pool

RAID 10 provides better performance but less overall storage capacity. I have ~8TB usable from four 4TB drives.

Now I need to create volumes on my pools…

C. Creating Volumes

1. Go to Storage Manager and Volume section
2. Click Create and select Custom
3. Choose an existing pool created above
4. Give volume a description
5. Allocate portion or all pool capacity
6. Click Apply to create volume

I made one 12TB volume on SHR pool and one 4TB high speed volume on the RAID10 pool for VM data.

The NAS now has formatted storage ready for data!

6. Setting Up Shares and Permissions

The last step is creating shared folders:

1. Launch DSM Control Panel
2. Click Shared Folder service
3. Click Create and enter a folder name
4. Select volume or pool to use for storage
5. Enable encryption, compression, or quotas if desired
6. Click Next and set up access permissions
7. Click Apply to create share

I made several shared folders, including:

• Media – Uses 12TB SHR volume
• VMs – Uses 4TB RAID10 volume
• Backups – Also on SHR

Now to set user access…

The built-in administrator account has full read/write access already. For other users:

1. Click permission dropdown on a share
2. Find user and click No Access
3. Choose Read/Write or Read Only
4. Click Apply

That‘s it! Shared folders are now available on the network.

7. Accessing Shares from Client Computers

We need to validate that our shares are indeed accessible over the network. There are a few ways to connect:

A. Connect via Windows Explorer

1. Open any folder and click Network in sidebar
2. Find NAS server and drill in to your shares underneath

Or connect directly using IP address:

1. Run Windows Explorer and click "Map network drive"
2. Choose drive letter and enter "\NAS-IP-Address"
3. Enter credentials when prompted
4. Access shares for that drive letter

I connected successfully to Media and Backups shares from my Windows 10 PC.

B. Connect via Linux Samba Client

1. Launch file manager (Nautilus, Dolphin, etc)
2. Click Other Locations then "Enter Location"
3. Enter smb://NAS-IP-address and click Connect
4. Choose share and check contents

I verified connectivity to shares I had permission for on my Ubuntu desktop too.

And that‘s really it! My Synology NAS is now completely set up with storage pools, volumes, shared folders and network access. Now I can start transferring my data!

The powerful DSM OS has a lot more free apps and capabilities to explore, like:

• Streaming media via Plex
• Contacts and calendar sync
• Live video monitoring
• Virtual machine hosting
• Database hosting
• Web hosting
• FTP access
• VPN capability

…and over 100 more apps!

I hope you found this detailed walkthrough helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions!