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 procedureOverview
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.comor the reserved static IP on port 5000 - Follow the setup wizard:
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)
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
- 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:
<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):
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:
- 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:
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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