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New Synology NAS — Initial Setup (DSM, Users, Shares, Hyper Backup)

Pieter Engelbrecht
  • Updated

New Synology NAS — Initial Setup (DSM, Users, Shares, Hyper Backup)

Section: Network & Storage Tags: synology, nas, dsm, setup, hyper-backup, cloud-drive, raid, users Source tickets: #18249, #24250 Confidence: High — standard Purple Computing NAS deployment procedure

Overview

This article covers the standard Purple Computing procedure for deploying a new Synology NAS, including DSM setup, volume creation (RAID 1), user provisioning from M365, network share configuration, and Hyper Backup. It applies to all current Synology models (DS220+, DS420+, DS920+, etc.).

Prerequisites

  • Synology NAS powered on, drives inserted, connected to network via ethernet
  • A reserved static IP assigned on the router/DHCP for the NAS MAC address (do this first)
  • Admin access to the router to set the DHCP reservation
  • The client's M365 or Google Workspace user list
  • External drive or cloud destination for Hyper Backup target

Phase 1 — Initial DSM Setup

  • Connect to the NAS from a browser: http://find.synology.com or the reserved static IP on port 5000
  • Follow the setup wizard:
- Create admin account — use a strong password; record in client's ITGlue/notes - Install DSM — allow installation to complete (5–10 minutes) - Set server name — use a consistent format, e.g., clientname-nas1
  • After first login, immediately check for DSM updates: Control Panel → Update & Restore → DSM Update → install the latest version
  • Reboot after update

Phase 2 — Storage / Volume Configuration

  • Open Storage Manager → Storage Pool → Create
  • For 2-drive NAS: choose RAID 1 (mirroring — one drive fails, data survives)
  • For 4+ drive NAS: discuss RAID 5 vs SHR with client — SHR recommended for mixed drive sizes
  • Create a Volume on the storage pool — use the full capacity
  • Note the volume ID (typically volume1)
Risk: This step is destructive — any existing data on the drives is erased. Confirm with the client before creating the storage pool.

Phase 3 — User Setup

Option A — Manual users (small deployments, no M365 integration):
  • Control Panel → User & Group → Create User
  • Create one account per staff member
  • Password policy: enforce minimum 8 characters
Option B — Sync from M365 (Synology SSO / LDAP):
  • Package Centre → install LDAP Server or use Domain/LDAP → Join
  • For M365: use Synology's Azure AD LDAP connector if on DSM 7.x (more complex — scope as a separate task)
  • Simpler approach for SMEs: create matching local accounts manually, same usernames as M365 UPN prefix

Phase 4 — Shared Folder Configuration

  • File Station → Create Folder at the root of volume1
  • Create top-level folders per department (e.g., Accounts, Projects, Shared, IT)
  • For each folder: right-click → Properties → Permission
  • Assign Read/Write to relevant users/groups; No Access to others
  • Create a dedicated share for Time Machine if TM backups are required (see Time Machine article)

Phase 5 — Client Connections (Cloud Drive / Drive)

  • Install Synology Drive Server package in Package Centre
  • On each client Mac: download Synology Drive from https://www.synology.com/en-uk/support/download
  • Launch Drive → Add a new sync task:
- Server: <NAS-IP> or QuickConnect ID - Sync folder: select the top-level folder(s) for that user - Important: Check the file count before enabling sync — if folder exceeds 200,000 files, use mapped drive instead (see CloudStation file limit article)
  • For mapped drive access (instead of sync): Finder → Go → Connect to Server → smb://<NAS-IP>/ShareName

Phase 6 — Notifications (Mandrill / Email)

  • Control Panel → Notification → Email
  • Enter SMTP details (Mandrill or client's email provider):
- SMTP server, port 587, TLS enabled - Sender address: e.g., nas@clientdomain.com
  • Test notification — confirm receipt
  • Enable notifications for: Disk failure, Volume degraded, Backup task failure, Fan failure

Phase 7 — Hyper Backup Configuration

  • Install Hyper Backup from Package Centre
  • Open Hyper Backup → Create a backup task:
- Source: select all shared folders - Destination: - External USB drive connected to NAS (recommended as primary) - Or: Hyper Backup Vault on a second Synology (off-site) - Or: Backblaze B2 / Amazon S3 (cloud — requires Hyper Backup Vault or direct S3 target)
  • Set schedule: Daily at 02:00 (or overnight when NAS is idle)
  • Enable Backup integrity check — weekly
  • Retention policy: keep 30 daily versions, 12 monthly versions (adjust per client storage budget)
  • Run the first backup manually and confirm completion before leaving site

Phase 8 — Reserve IP and Record in Notes

  • In the router admin (Meraki / Draytek / Ubiquiti): find the NAS by MAC address in DHCP leases
  • Create a static DHCP reservation for the NAS MAC → the chosen IP
  • Record in the client's notes/ITGlue:
- NAS IP - QuickConnect ID - DSM admin username (store password in ITGlue vault) - Backup schedule and destination

Verification

  • From a client Mac: confirm Synology Drive syncs a test file
  • From a second Mac: confirm the file appears
  • In Hyper Backup: confirm backup task shows status "Success"
  • Trigger a test notification email — confirm receipt

Related

  • Article: Time Machine Backup Failures to Synology NAS — if TM backups fail post-setup
  • Article: Synology CloudStation 200k File Limit — if sync stops working
  • Article: Synology NAS Migration via Hyper Backup — for upgrading to a new NAS

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