Synology NAS – Recommended Backup, Redundancy and Data Recovery for Beginners

The Best Methods of Backup, Redundancy and Data Recovery on Synology NAS for Dummies

Backup, backup, BACKUP! Itā€™s something I am prone to say at the beginning and end of my videos whenever I talk about NAS Drives and integrating them into your home and business environment. Most people THINK they have a robust and secure data storage solution, yet only a fraction of them actually do. Most people will be happy/convinced their data is perfectly safe when they buy a Synology NAS drive, that they have a rugged, intelligent and reliable backup solution in place! They then start to back up their phones to the NAS, their PCā€™s and Macbooks to the NAS, their home media, their photo albums, their precious and irreplaceable memories! All of that data is sent to the Synology NAS to be kept safe as a ā€˜backupā€™. HOWEVER, they then start to delete the photos from their phone, delete those files from their laptop, Free up room on that USB drive by moving the data over to the NAS ā€“ Congratulations, your NAS is NO-LONGER A BACKUP! The minute the data is deleted from any other device, the NAS becomes the ONLY place that data exists and is now JUST as unsafe and prone to loss/damage as it was when it stayed on your phone, computer or USB drive. It is incredibly important that people practice comprehensive and intelligent backup strategies that feature multiple tiers, multiple locations and/or failsafe/safety nets along the way that can give you at least a little warning before the worst can happy. Today I want to go through all the different ways in which you can backup, protect, failover and ultimately SAVE the DATA on your Synology NAS server. Letā€™s go through all of them and find out which ones best suit your Synology NAS storage setup.

Important ā€“ Below I detail 10x methods to provide redundancy (eg a failover), backups, data recovery and/or time managed versioning (so you can recover a file to a specific point) that can ALL be done on a Synology NAS with DSM 6.2 or DSM 7 in 2021 onwards. However, some are free and included in your Synology NAS by default, whereas others can arrive with a small, medium or very large price tag. It is important to remember when setting a price tag on your Data Storage Solution that you think of how much it would cost to LOSE your data. NOT the cost of storing it, but the cost to you/your business if the data in your Synology NAS was gone. So, whether it is photos of your child when they were mere months old, your entire business portfolio or the customer accounts for 2021/2022 ā€“ you need to FOCUS on the cost of LOSING your data when deciding how much you will spend!

Creating or Increasing Your RAID Level and Redundancy

The Hard drives or SSD inside your Synology NAS are typically bunched together in a RAID group, each of which provides a different level of safety net and overall storage. This RAID will typically form a storage pool and this is the basis on which your data (in one of more volumes) lives inside your Synology NAS. Storage pools can be changed from one RAID type to another without losing existing data. For example, you can create a RAID 1 storage pool on your Synology NAS and later change it to RAID 5 if you install more drives. This article provides instructions on changing the RAID type of existing storage pools on your Synology NAS. Before you start changing the RAID type of a storage pool, please refer to the Drive RequirementsĀ andĀ RAID Type Requirements and LimitationsĀ sections below for details on the relevant requirements and limitations.

Before you start:

Before changing the RAID type, please note the following:

  • Make sure the status of your storage pool isĀ Healthy.
  • When adding new drives to a storage pool, the new drives must be larger than or equal to the smallest drive in the storage pool and all drives must be of the same drive type.
  • The RAID type of RAID Arrays in a RAID Group cannot be changed. The RAID Group feature is available on specific models only.

To change the RAID type of a storage pool:

  1. LaunchĀ Storage Manager.
  2. Go toĀ Storage Pool.
  3. Select the storage pool that you want to change its RAID type, and clickĀ Change RAID TypeĀ from theĀ ActionĀ drop-down menu.
  4. Select the RAID type that you want to change to. ClickĀ Next.
  5. Select the drives to add to the existing storage pool. ClickĀ Next.
    Note:Ā All data on the newly added drives will be erased. Please make sure to back up your data in advance.
  6. Follow the wizard to finish.

Below is a video guide on how to set your Synology NAS RAID Storage Pool for the first time, as well as Create a Volume:

To add a drive to a storage pool:

Before you start, make sure the status of the storage pool you intend to expand isĀ Healthy. If the storage pool status is not healthy, please follow the recommended actions shown beneath the status to fix drive issues. Afterward, follow the steps below to add a drive to a storage pool:

  1. Power off your Synology NAS.Ā Note:Ā Skip this step if your Synology NAS supports hot-swapping.
  2. Insert a new drive into an empty drive slot.
  3. Power on your Synology NAS and launchĀ Storage Manager.
  4. Go to theĀ Storage PoolĀ page and select the storage pool you want to expand. ClickĀ Add DriveĀ from theĀ ActionĀ drop-down menu.
  5. Select the drive you want to add from the list. Only drives that meet the type and capacity requirements will be listed.
  6. Follow the wizard to finish the process.

To expand the volume size:

Once a storage pool contains sufficient capacity, the size of its corresponding volume can be expanded either automatically or manually, depending on the storage pool type.

  • Single-volume storage pool: For a storage pool that supports a single volume, the volume size will be expanded automatically once the storage pool capacity has been expanded.
  • Multiple-volume storage pool: For a storage pool that supports multiple volumes, the volume size can be expanded manually once the storage pool contains sufficient capacity.

Make Sure You Check Your Synology NAS RAID and Storage Health Periodically

You can learn more about each driveā€™s information and health condition by going toĀ Storage ManagerĀ >Ā HDD/SSD. Each drive is color-coded to indicate its overall status:

  • Green: The drive is in good condition, or its warning status has been suppressed or disabled.
  • Orange: The drive is in abnormal status. Please pay attention to the driveā€™s health status and allocation status.
  • Red: Critical issues have been detected on the drive. Please replace the drive immediately.
  • Blue: The drive is processing one or multiple tasks.
  • Gray: The drive is disabled.

A driveā€™s overall status shows the relatively more serious status between the driveā€™sĀ Allocation statusĀ (i.e., the condition of the storage pool that the drive is assigned to) and itsĀ Health statusĀ (i.e., the condition of the drive itself). For example, if a driveā€™s allocation status isĀ Not InitializedĀ and its health status isĀ Warning, its overall status will beĀ WarningĀ as this is the more serious status.

To learn about health statuses:

The health status indicates the drive condition.

Health Status Definition
Healthy The drive is in good condition, or its warning has been suppressed or disabled.
Warning The system has detected issues or an increase in bad sectors on the drive. We recommend monitoring the drive even though it may still be working properly.
Critical The system has detected one or more critical issues on the drive. Please replace the drive immediately.
Failing The system has detected severe issues on the drive. Drive integrity may not be guaranteed. Please replace the drive immediately.
Access Error The system has detected severe issues on the drive. Drive communication errors may have caused the drive to disconnect from the system, or these errors have resulted in severe read-write failure. Please replace the drive immediately.

To learn about allocation statuses:

The allocation status indicates the status of the storage pool where the drive is assigned to.

Allocation Status Definition
Not Initialized The drive can be assigned to a storage pool. DSM is not installed on the drive.
Initialized The drive can be assigned to a storage pool. DSM is installed on the drive.
Normal The drive is assigned to a storage pool. DSM is installed on the drive.
Hot Spare The drive is assigned as a hot spare drive.
System Partition Failed The system cannot access the partitions of this drive.
Crashed The system has removed the drive from the storage pool. To continue using the drive, please do the following:
  1. Select a drive.
  2. Go toĀ ActionĀ >Ā DeactivateĀ to deactivate the drive.
  3. Restart your Synology NAS or remove and reinsert the drive.
Deactivated The drive is deactivated.

To view a driveā€™s general information:

  1. Go to theĀ HDD/SSDĀ page.
  2. Select a drive and click its upper-right icon to expand the drive information.
  3. Here you can learn information regarding drive location, storage pool, allocation status, health status, temperature, serial number, firmware version, and more.

To view a driveā€™s health information:

  1. Go to theĀ HDD/SSDĀ page.
  2. Select a drive and clickĀ Health Info.
  3. Go to theĀ OverviewĀ tab to find out how many hours the drive has been powered on, and to view its current temperature, reconnection/re-identification count, and bad sector count.
  4. Go to theĀ S.M.A.R.T.Ā tab to perform diagnostic tests on the supported drive and view the S.M.A.R.T. attributes. In theĀ S.M.A.R.T. TestĀ section, you can run an S.M.A.R.T. test immediately and view the test results and schedules; in theĀ S.M.A.R.T. AttributeĀ section, you can view the details of the S.M.A.R.T. attribute values.
  5. Go to theĀ IronWolf HealthĀ tab to perform diagnostic tests on the supported drive.
  6. Go to theĀ HistoryĀ tab to view and export the health diagnosis results and to view the history of the major S.M.A.R.T. attributes.

The S.M.A.R.T. test and the IronWolf Health test can be scheduled to run automatically on drives. Please note that these tests are supported only on certain models.Ā  Below is a video guide on how to check your RAID and Drive Health:

Setup Snapshots on Your Synology NAS as Soon as Possible

Snapshot Replication is an expert of data backup and recovery. Businesses need data protection to prevent data loss from accidental deletion, application crashes, data corruption, and viruses.

Note:

  • The ā€œsnapshotā€ feature is a point-in-time copy stored in the same volume used to record the whole data status at the time upon being taken. Snapshots use only a small amount of additional storage space, and do not have a performance impact.
    With the snapshots, if a user accidentally modifies or deletes data on a volume with snapshots, you are able to quickly restore the data back to the previous time at which the snapshot was taken. In addition, it allows users to recover their own deleted or modified files in shared folders without assistance from the administrator.
  • The ā€œreplicationā€ feature is a mechanism to sync the taken snapshots of shared folders or iSCSI LUNs between the sources and destinations. If the replication source fails to run normal service, you can perform a failover and protect your data with the replicated snapshots.

Snapshot Replication helps you manage and monitor the snapshots and replication tasks on your Synology NAS.

Depending on the functions supported by your Synology NAS,Ā Snapshot ReplicationĀ helps you accomplish the following tasks:

  • Take and manage snapshots ofĀ shared foldersĀ andĀ iSCSI LUNs.
  • ConfigureĀ scheduled snapshotsĀ andĀ retention settings. These settings will determine when and how the snapshots should be taken, retained, and/or removed.
  • Create and manage replication tasks forĀ shared foldersĀ andĀ iSCSI LUNs.
  • ConfigureĀ scheduled replicationĀ to periodically run the syncing for your replication tasks.
  • Restore data from snapshots, and perform failover/switchover of replication tasks between the source and destination.
  • View the logs of the events related to snapshots and replications.

Note:

  • The snapshot and replication features are available for the following targets only:
    • Shared foldersĀ located in volumes using theĀ BtrfsĀ file system
    • iSCSI LUNsĀ created asĀ Standard LUNsĀ with storage acceleration orĀ Advanced LUNs
  • Snapshot Replication has defined the limits of the following maximum numbers of retainable snapshots:
    • 1024 snapshots for each shared folder (or 256 on certain Synology NAS models)
    • 256 snapshots for each iSCSI LUN
    • 65536 snapshots in total in the system (or 4096 on certain Synology NAS models)

    For more information on the maximum snapshot number, please refer to the specifications of your purchased Synology NAS models.

  • To improve replication performance, you can go toĀ Storage ManagerĀ >Ā VolumeĀ to select a Btrfs volume containing replicated targets, and setĀ Record File Access Time FrequencyĀ toĀ MonthlyĀ orĀ NeverĀ in theĀ EditĀ window.
  • Features related to iSCSI LUNs have been moved toĀ iSCSI ManagerĀ since DSM 6.2. Corresponding features in previous DSM versions can be found atĀ Storage ManagerĀ >Ā iSCSI LUN.

Below is another video guide, which covers a large number of backup options, but will also show you how to set snapshots on your Synology NAS, as well as adjust retention and versions long term:

Create a Routine of Local USB Backups on your Synology NAS

USB Copy helps you copy files between your Synology NAS and external USB/SD storage devices. This package comes with multiple copy and file organization strategies to ensure efficient storage usage and easy location of files.

Note:

  • Only USB/SD devices with file systems recognized by your Synology NAS (e.g., FAT32, NTFS, ext3, ext4, and exFAT) are allowed for data copy.
  • Not all Synology NAS models support the HFS+ file system. USB Copy will not be able to export data to a USB/SD device using this format if the external device is inserted into a Synology NAS which does not support HFS+: the external device may enter read-only mode in such a situation.
  • Only theĀ adminĀ and the users belonging to theĀ administratorsĀ group can access this package.

Create USB/SD Copy Tasks

You can customize each copy task for an external USB/SD storage device, and import/export files between your Synology NAS and the USB/SD device. When the USB/SD device is inserted again for copy, your Synology NAS will recognize the matched device and apply the same copy settings.

  1. Insert an external USB/SD storage device to your Synology NAS.
  2. ClickĀ CreateĀ (the plus icon) on the upper left corner.
  3. Select the desired task type:Ā Photo/Video Import,Ā Data Import, orĀ Data Export.
  4. Specify basic task information and select a copy mode:
    • Multi-versioned: Each time the task runs, a folder will be created and named with the run time. All source files will be fully copied to the destination.
    • Mirroring: Each time the task runs, all changes made in the source folder will be copied to the destination, making the destination folder a complete mirror copy of the source.
    • Incremental: Each time the task runs, newly added and modified source files will be copied to the destination.
  5. When you choose theĀ Multi-versionedĀ copy mode, you can set up rotation policies to delete older versions:
    • Enable backup rotation: Select to rotate versions by the following conditions:
      • Rotate from the earliest version: Delete the earliest versions when stored versions exceed the maximum limit.
      • Smart Recycle: Select to start rotation when the maximum limit is exceeded. The system will rotate versions that do not meet any of the conditions below; when remaining versions still exceed the limit, the system will rotate the earliest versions:
        • Hourly versions from the past 24 hours: Keep the earliest version created each hour.
        • Daily versions from the past 1 day to 1 month: Keep the earliest version created each day.
        • Weekly versions older than 1 month: Keep the earliest version created each week.
      • Number of versions: Specify the maximum number (between 1 and 65535) of versions to keep.
  6. When you choose theĀ IncrementalĀ copy mode, three more settings will be available:
    • Remove original file structure (i.e. flatten all files) in the destination folder: Select to copy files without copying the source file structure, and to further sort out the files according to the selected file organization or renaming policy.
    • File conflict policy: ChooseĀ RenameĀ orĀ OverwriteĀ to deal with the situation when files with the same names are copied to the destination.
    • Delete source files after copy completes: Select to have files in the source folders deleted after they are copied to the destination.
  7. Configure execution settings:
    • Copy data whenever the USB/SD storage device is plugged in: Select to auto-perform this copy task when the matched USB/SD device is inserted to your Synology NAS.
    • Eject the USB/SD storage device when copy completes: Select to auto-eject the USB/SD drive when this copy task completes.
    • Enable schedule: Select to run the copy task based on specified conditions.
  8. Deselect unwanted file types and extensions to copy only needed files. You can also create filters through the text field:
    • Specify the full filename (Template:Ā NAME.FILE_EXTENSION).
    • Specify the file extension (Template:Ā *.FILE_EXTENSION).
  9. ClickĀ ApplyĀ to finish the setup.
  10. To run the task, do one of the following:
    • ClickĀ RunĀ on the management interface.
    • Press the Copy button (for models with the hardware Copy button).
    • Plug in the USB/SD device to your Synology NAS (withĀ Copy data whenever the USB/SD storage device is plugged inĀ enabled).

Note:

  • Photo/Video ImportĀ tasks only run in the incremental copy mode. The imported photos and videos will be renamed with modification time and sorted into folders by modification date.
  • You can manage scheduled copy tasks atĀ Control PanelĀ >Ā Task Scheduler.
  • When a copy task is scheduled for multiple runs, keep the storage device mounted to your Synology NAS and do not selectĀ Eject the USB/SD storage device when the copy completes. The device will be ejected when there are no more pertaining tasks in progress.
  • Files and folders should follow the naming rules below for successful copying:
    • Filenames should not start with ā€œ._ā€ or ā€œ.SYNOPPSDBā€.
    • Filenames and folder names should not be or contain any of the following: ā€œ@eaDirā€, ā€œ#recycleā€, ā€œdesktop.iniā€, ā€œ.ds_storeā€, ā€œIcon\rā€, ā€œthumbs.dbā€, ā€œ$Recycle.Binā€, ā€œ@sharebinā€, and ā€œ#snapshotā€.
  • A partition on a USB device can only support multiple copy tasks with, however, certain limitations on the destination path:
    • Tasks cannot share the same destination path.
    • A task cannot use a destination path if a part of that destination path is already set as the destination path of another task.
    • A task cannot have its destination path be included in the destination paths of other tasks.
  • If the file system of your backup destination is exFAT/FAT32, a file with filename containing the following characters might overwrite other files with the same filename during automatic renaming:Ā \ / | : < > ā€ * ? \r \n. This is because the characters are considered to be invalid characters and the system will automatically replace them with a random character thatā€™s recognizable by the system. For example, a file namedĀ A|AĀ might overwrite files namedĀ A>AĀ orĀ A?AĀ after they all are renamed to A-A.
  • When you run a copy task, the hardware Copy button of your Synology NAS (for models without this button, see the Power LED indicator instead) will continue to blink until the task ends. You will also hear a short beep and a normal beep at the beginning and end of the task.

Set up Tasks for Hardware Copy Button

If your Synology NAS comes with a hardware Copy button, throughĀ Copy ButtonĀ (associated with the frontal USB port) andĀ SD Copy ButtonĀ (associated with the SD slot) you can copy data between your Synology NAS and any external USB/SD storage devices inserted into the frontal ports.

To enable a task for hardware Copy button:

  1. Sign in to your Synology NAS and open USB Copy.
  2. SelectĀ Copy ButtonĀ orĀ SD Copy ButtonĀ on the left panel, depending on the device type.
  3. Go toĀ OverviewĀ to enable the Copy-button task, and then go toĀ Task SettingsĀ andĀ File FilterĀ to specify relevant settings.

Note: The Copy Button tab only works with USB devices inserted into the frontal USB port.

If you still need help, use the Video Guide below to walk you through the steps on how to setup a USB backup routine on your Synology NAS:

Backup and/or Sync Your Synology NAS to Google Drive, DropBox and OneDrive

With Cloud Synchronization, you can seamlessly sync and share files among your Synology NAS and multiple public cloud services.

Create New Connections

To sync files among your Synology NAS and public cloud services, you need to create connections on Cloud Sync to link to the service provider by using your user credentials.

To create a new connection:

  1. On the Cloud Sync user interface, click on theĀ CreateĀ icon at the bottom-left corner to start the wizard.
  2. Choose one of the following public cloud services to sync files with and clickĀ Next.
    • Dropbox, Baidu Cloud, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, Amazon Drive, MegaFon MegaDisk, and HiDrive: Sign in with your user credentials.
    • WebDAV: Input the server address, your account and password. Server address should follow the formats specified below:
        • Input http or https URLs of the intended WebDAV server, with custom port number after the colon (optional), e.g.Ā http://mywebdavserver.synology.me:5005Ā orĀ https://mywebdavserver.synology.me:5006

      Note:Ā Please note that the entered address cannot contain ā€œ.ā€ or ā€œ..ā€œ.

      • Cloud Sync will connect to the server via http if the URL does not imply http or https.
      • If port number is not specified in the URL, Cloud Sync will access port 80 in http connections, and port 443 in https connections.
      • Path can be appended to the URL, e.g.Ā https://mywebdavserver.synology.me:5006/webdav/folder
    • Yandex: Input your account and password.
    • Google Cloud Storage: Sign in with your user credentials, then Project ID and Bucket name.
    • IBM SoftLayer: Input username and API Key, and choose location and Container in the next page.
    • RackSpace: Input username and API Key, and choose location and Container in the next page.
    • OpenStack Swift compatible cloud services: Input the identity server address and choose the KeyStone protocol version which the server supports:
      • Version 1.0: Input username and API Key
      • Version 2.0: Input username, password, Tenant ID or Tenant name (optional).
      • Version 3.0: Input username, password, Tenant ID or Tenant name (optional), and Domain ID or Domain name (optional).
      • You can choose the location and Container on the next page after passing the identity service
    • S3 storage: Select a server (Amazon S3, Amazon S3 China, or input a server address directly), then input the Access key, Secret key and Bucket name. If users want to enter user-specified S3 service hosts, they should enter something like ā€œs3.amazonaws.comā€, or ā€œapi.suite-stockage-cloud.sfrbusinessteam.frā€ in theĀ S3 Server AddressĀ field.
    • hicloud S3: Input Access key, Secret key, and Bucket name.
    • SFR NAS Backup: Input Access key, Secret key, and Bucket name.
    • Microsoft Azure: Select a server, input the Blob Storage Access key, and select a Blob container.
    • Backblaze B2: Input keyID and application key, and select a Bucket.
    • Alibaba Cloud OSS: Input Access key and Secret key, and select a Bucket.
    • Tencent Cloud COS: Input Secret ID and Secret key, and select a Bucket.
    • JD Cloud OSS: Select region, input Access key and Secret key, and select a Bucket.
  3. Once authentication has been successful, fill in the following fields and then clickĀ Next.
    • Task name:Ā This name will show on the connection list.
    • Local path:Ā Select a local folder. All directories and files within this folder will be synced to the remote folder.
    • Remote path:Ā Select a remote folder. All directories and files within this folder will be synced to the local folder.
    • Sync direction:Ā Select whether you want the sync to beĀ Bidirectional,Download remote changes only, orĀ Upload local changes only.
    • Check the box next toĀ Data encryptionĀ to enable client-side data encryption.
    • Check the box next toĀ Donā€™t remove files in the destination folder when they are removed in the source folder.Ā if needed.
    • Schedule settings:Ā Go to this section to enable your schedule for file syncing.
  4. To further adjust your sync settings, clickĀ Advanced settings.
    • You can prevent certain files from being synced by unchecking any folders you donā€™t want synced, by setting a max file size limit, or filtering out certain file names or file extensions:
      • By folder: Uncheck any sub-folders you donā€™t want synced.
      • By maximum file size: If a file is bigger than your specified size, it will not be synced.
      • By file name: Any file with the designated file name will not be synced.
      • File extension: Any designated file extension will not be synced. AddĀ *.[extension]Ā to the table, e.g.Ā *.iso.
  5. ClickĀ ApplyĀ to save your settings.

Here is another brief Video Guide that will walk you through how to backup/sync your Synology NAS with a cloud storage provider:

Stay 1st Party and Connect Your Synology NAS to Synology C2 with Cloud Synchronization

You may already be aware, but Synology has its own premium cloud platform/service in the form of Synology C2, which can be synchronized with your NAS using the same steps as those detailed above with Cloud Sync and/or Hyper Backup. Synology C2 Storage plans are tailored to different users with features, storage and prices to match their size and needs. Whether you are a home user looking for an easy-to-use cloud backup plan, or a system administrator in search of secure cloud storage with optimized space utilization, Synologyā€™s pricing plans can meet your needs. In order to start using the Synology C2 Cloud service for backups and Syncing, sign in to DSM with administrator privileges and install Synology Hyper Backup. Create a backup task and select Synology C2 Storage as the cloud destination. You will be asked to sign in with the Synology Account you wish to use to manage C2 Storage for Hyper Backup. After login, you may start the 30-day free trial if eligible or purchase a C2 Storage plan.

Back up data on your Synology NAS to Synology C2 Storage

  1. InĀ Hyper Backup, clickĀ on theĀ +Ā icon in the bottom left corner and selectĀ Data backup task.
  2. ChooseĀ Synology C2 StorageĀ as your backup destination.
  3. Enter your Synology Account and password. Then, follow the instructions to finish creating your backup task.
  4. If you have not used Synology C2 Storage before, you will receive a 30-day free trial so you can try it out.
  5. Select a region and plan.
  6. A credit card is required for creating a backup plan. You will not be charged during the free trial period.
  7. Confirm your subscription to start using C2 Storage.

Monitor backup tasks and browse data on the C2 Storage portal

  1. After you have created a backup task, you can sign in to the C2 Storage portal to monitor your task and browse the data stored there. You can see the storage usage, the top five tasks that take up the most space, and all of the tasks backed up to Synology C2 Storage.
  2. To browse your data and retrieve them directly to your computer, click on the ā€œbrowseā€ icon to launch the C2 Storage web explorer.
  3. In the web explorer, click on the ā€œdownloadā€ icon to download a file.
  • Plan I
    Plan I protects your data through daily backups with a default retention policy. C2 Storage for Hyper Backup will retain 11 backup versions (one latest, 7 daily, 3 weekly) going back 30 days. Regardless of the cumulative size of your backup versions, only the source data size on your Synology NAS is counted toward your C2 Storage usage.
  • Plan II
    Plan II lets you customize your backup schedules and retention policies. All your backup versions count toward your total C2 Storage usage. However, Plan II-exclusive deduplication helps you cut back storage use by reducing duplicate data across different versions.

Each Synology Account can activate a one-time 30-day free trial. Try all the great features that C2 Storage offers before deciding whether it is the solution for you. Backup storage on C2 Storage can be purchased using one Synology Account and shared with multiple Synology NAS, increasing the flexibility of storage use. You can upgrade your backup plan at any time if more space is needed. Use the Video guide below for a view of the Synology C2 User Interface and see how to create a sync/backup with a Synology NAS, as well as see how versioning is handled:

Setup a 2nd NAS and Connect Both Devices for NAS to NAS Backups

Here is a Synology guide, or you can read it also from their web site.

Also, you donā€™t need RAID on a old NAS any more because it will not be your main point of access any more.

1. Install Hyper Backup

If Hyper Backup has not been installed on your Synology NAS yet, please follow the below steps:

  1. Log in toĀ DSM andĀ go toĀ Package center. Search forĀ Hyper BackupĀ and download the package.
  2. Make sure your Synology NAS is running DSM 6.0 or above. For users of older DSM versions, Hyper Backup is not supported.

2. Create a backup task

This section shows you how to create a backup task to a remote Synology NAS or file server.

    1. OpenĀ Hyper Backup.
    2. Click theĀ +Ā icon on the bottom left corner, and selectĀ Data backup task.
    3. On theĀ Backup DestinationĀ page, selectĀ Remote NAS deviceĀ if you would like to back up to another Synology NAS. To back up to file servers, please select one of the options in theĀ File ServerĀ section. (Please note that rsync copy only supports single-version backup.) ClickĀ NextĀ after choosing your destination.

    1. On theĀ Backup Destination SettingsĀ page, selectĀ Create backup taskĀ and enter the information required to connect with the other NAS device or file server. As the procedures of backing up to both the aforementioned destinations are similar, only the step-by-step screenshots of remote Synology NAS backup are provided here for your reference. Enter the IP address and account information of the remote NAS to connect with it, and select a shared folder as the backup destination. You can also change the name of theĀ DirectoryĀ under which you can find your backed up data.

If the backup destination you selected is an encrypted shared folder, please make sure it has been mounted already. Otherwise, it wonā€™t be displayed in the shared folder list.

    1. Select any source folder(s) to back up the contained data. Encrypted shared folders, if selected, must stay mounted during the backup process. In cases where the source and destination are in the same volume, the system will mark such source folders with orange exclamation marks.

    1. Select the application(s) you would like to back up.

    1. Specify the backup settings below to fit your needs:
      • Task: Name the backup task.
      • Enable task notification: Select to have you informed of the task status via email, SMS, or push service.
      • Enable configuration backup: Back up theĀ system configurationsĀ (e.g. user credentials). This setting is enforced on all backup tasks by default.
      • Compress backup data: Compress backup data to reduce the usage of destination storage. More backup time is needed if this option is selected.
      • Enable backup schedule: Select to schedule when the system should automatically perform the backup task.
      • Enable integrity check: Select to schedule an automatic integrity check, which examines stored data and detects corruption, to run at a specific time to ensure data reliability. Index check is enabled by default, while you may set a limit on the time spent on data check.
      • Enable client-side encryption: Select to protect the backup data with password from unwanted access on the destination side. Please note that the password used for encryption here will be required for restoring the data backed up in this task. Therefore, losing this password will cause permanent data loss.

    1. SelectĀ Enable backup rotationĀ to set up the rotation scheme:
      • From the earliest versions: Delete the earliest existing backup versions once the specifiedĀ Number of versionsĀ is exceeded.
      • Smart Recycle: The system will retain every backup version until the specified number of versions is exceeded. When rotation is triggered, the system will first rotate the versions that do not meet any of the conditions; if all the existing versions meet the conditions below, the system will rotate the earliest version:
        • Hourly versions from the past 24 hours: The system keeps the earliest version that is created each hour.
        • Daily versions from the past 1 day to 1 month: The system keeps the earliest version that is created each day.
        • Weekly versions older than 1 month: The system keeps the earliest version that is created each week.
      • Number of versions: Set the upper limit of possible retained backup versions.
      • Timeline: Display the possible result of backup retention according to your backup schedule and rotation scheme.

  1. ClickĀ ApplyĀ to complete the setup.
  2. To perform the backup task immediately, follow the Backup Wizardā€™s instructions and clickĀ Yes.

 

If you want to create a synchronized backup between your Synology NAS and a NAS from another brand, you can use the video guide below to walk you through the steps easily:

Connect 2 Identical NAS Setup for Failover Using a Dual Controller/SHA on your Synology NAS

The term ā€œhigh-availabilityā€ refers to aĀ server layout solution designed to reduce service interruptions caused by server malfunctions. Synology High Availability (SHA) employs two hosts to form aĀ ā€œhigh-availability clusterā€ in which one host assumes the role of ā€œactive serverā€ and the other host acts as aĀ standby ā€œpassive server.ā€

In aĀ high-availability cluster, data on the active server is continuously replicated to the passive server, so mirrored copies of all files will exist on both hosts. Therefore, in the event the active server crashes or malfunctions, the passive server can take over all services, minimizing system downtime.

Before you start

Please read the following sections carefully before trying to create aĀ high-availability cluster.

Hardware Requirements:

  • SHA requires two identical Synology NAS to act as active and passive servers.
  • Two different Synology NAS can act as active and passive servers, but with limitations.

System Requirements:

  • The active and passive servers must be identical models and both support Synology High Availability.
  • The same version of DSM and package must be installed on both hosts.

1.png

The illustration above is for reference only. Your model and DSM version may differ.

Volume and Disk:

  • The drive capacity of both hosts must be identical to avoid data inconsistencies.
  • The active and passive servers must have the same number of drives. In addition, drive position must be identical.
  • The hosts cannot contain any SHR format volumes. Go toĀ Storage ManagerĀ >Ā VolumeĀ to make sure no SHR volumes exist.

2.png

The illustration above is for reference only. The number and size of disks in your environment may differ.

Network Environment:

  • Both hosts must be assigned static IP addresses as the cluster connection. Make sure that the IP addresses of both hosts are accessible and belong to the same subnet; otherwise, errors might occur when performing aĀ switchover to the passive server. To change network settings, log in to each host and go toĀ Control PanelĀ >Ā NetworkĀ >Ā Network Interface, select the network interface and clickĀ Edit.
  • Both hosts must have the same number of LAN ports. If the hosts are equipped with additional network interface cards, these network cards will also count as additional LAN ports.
  • Synology High Availability does not support the following: DHCP, DHCP server, IPv6, PPPoE, and Wi-Fi. Please ensure that the above are all switched off before creating aĀ high-availability cluster.

Cable the hosts

In this section, weā€™ll explain how to connect both hosts so that aĀ high-availability cluster can be created. Please see the following steps:

  1. Use aĀ network cable to connect the two hosts to each other. This connection shall serve as the Heartbeat connection between the two hosts, facilitating communication and allowing data to be replicated from the active server to the passive server. This connection must meet the following criteria:
    • Use the same network interface on both hosts. For example, if one end is connected to LAN 1Ā on one host, then the other end must be connected to LAN 1Ā on the other host.
    • Use the fastest network interface on both hosts. If the hosts are equipped with 10GbE add-on network interface cards, this connection must use them.
    • Connect the two hosts directly, without passing through any switches or routers.

    3.png

  2. Use network cables to connect the two hosts to the network using the remaining network interfaces. Make sure these connections are active and belong to the same network. In order to prevent service interruptions caused by network failure, we recommend deploying multiple switches in your network environment so that each host in the high-availability cluster can be connected to aĀ separate switch.
    4.png
  3. The hosts are now ready to create aĀ high-availability cluster. Please continue with the steps below.

Create aĀ high-availability cluster with the hosts

Once the two hosts are connected properly, you can follow the steps below to create aĀ high-availability cluster.

  1. Log into the host that you want to assume the role of the active server with an account belonging to theĀ administratorsĀ group.
  2. OpenĀ Synology High Availability.
    5.png
  3. ClickĀ Create high-availability clusterĀ to start the cluster creation wizard.
  4. ClickĀ Next.
    6.png
    7.png
  5. Select which network interfaces to use for the high-availability clusterā€™s cluster connection and Heartbeat connection. Then clickĀ Next.
  6. Enter the credentials of an account belonging to theĀ administratorsĀ group on the passive server. Then clickĀ Next.
  7. Specify aĀ name for the high-availability cluster and the IP address with which youā€™ll be able to access the cluster resources. The wizard will display the available IP range; please select an IP address that has not been used by other services in the network. Then clickĀ Next.
  8. The wizard will check if the system meets all the requirements. ClickĀ NextĀ when the verification is done.
  9. If there are existing data, volume or LUN detected on the active server, you can choose to keep the data or erase it all. ClickĀ NextĀ to continue.
  10. Confirm the settings you previously made. Then clickĀ Apply.
  11. Tick the checkbox after reading the instructions and then clickĀ Yes.
  12. The wizard will start to create the high-availability cluster. Creation time varies depending on your environment.
  13. Once finished, youā€™ll see the cluster status on theĀ ClusterĀ page.

Below I set up an SHA Environment on two Synology DS920+ NAS Systems. Take a look to see how using a high availability environment can allow your storage to withstand a whole system failure:

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Below is an EXTREME demonstration of me causing exceedingly large amounts of damage to a Seagate Ironwolf NAS Hard Drive and how the Rescue Recovery service was able to assist:

 

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      60 thoughts on “Synology NAS – Recommended Backup, Redundancy and Data Recovery for Beginners

      1. looks like the HB3 changed and I cannot figure out to sync to the Synology now. I was able to connect to the synology as a remote server, but I cannot see it as a destination to backup/sync to.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      2. Hey man, having problems with the auto-dele of the hyperbackup to Google Drive (i have the same hyperbackup to dropbox and it works fine). It can save to Google Drive but can’t delete, so the Google Drive got full. Do you know what can cause this issue?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      3. Dang! I was carefully writing all the steps down after you said FROM Qnap to Synology first THEN vice versa second but you have gone about it the opposite direction first up. Now, you are skipping steps…where is jobs? On what nas is it? Yes, it’s the qnap but I learn this later in the step not up front. For example open jobs on Qnaps but are the username and pword to be created first? Dunno. I’m all confused now.
        Okay, I will start this process again but maybe these two directions should have been treated as completely separate processes IE start fresh for the other direction. Thanks for stepping through this . . . just sayin,’ could have been cleaner is all.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      4. I can not stop laughing at you getting angry with it still working and the banging off camera HAHAHAHA ???????? that drive took a hell of a beating, certainly a testimony to seagates durability love it great video bud ????
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      5. It gives me the message “Insufficiant Priviliges” after i log into OneDrive
        Any idea how i can resolve this?
        I checked my microsoft account and ivr accepted the permissiol on it.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      6. Hi, just found your vidoes and I think they are very useful. I have a question, in this video you connect the NAS to your router, but can you also connect the NAS directly to a computer via a crossover network cable?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      7. I’ve just bought a 412plus, and it’s not coming with any instruction, so thank you for this video. You are an absolute Godsend. I’ll be following your instruction to the letter.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      8. Was setting this up for Qnap -> Synology (DSM7) across the internet, and everything appears to talk through the FW’s, etc, however, when I attempt to review the remote rsync folders on the Synology from the QNAP to map the folders, it just spins forever. I even created a fairly small folder with 1 file in it, and it still just sits there. Any thoughts?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      9. FASTASTIC video as always!

        If you allow me one question please

        In the min 10:54 when you talked about backup the main NAS to a second NAS
        using Hyperbackup, you talked about doing it in the morning when the NAS is less use

        If i run the backup let say at 3am, my pc will be “sleeping”. Will Hyperbackup work even though the pc is “sleeping”?

        Thanks in advance
        Have a Productive and Healthy Day!
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      10. Is it possible to only mirror a portion of the two disks and then use the remainder as regular storage? I only need 20% mirrored for important files and want to use the rest for media files that I don’t care to lose.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      11. Good video. So I setup a hyper Baack-up to Synology C2 to backup all my photos about 500GB worth of photos. Its been running for 11 days and is only 51% complete but the odd part is has already exceeded the total number of files in my Photos folder and it says that it has backed up 409GB already. How can it by only 51% complete having backed up 400GB out of a total of 500GB and why are the number of files already higher than the total # of files in my Photos folder. Makes NO Sense…….
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      12. hi thank you for the useful information regarding backup. i have set my drvies up to be backed on to the google drive have, its been backin up for 12 days now :O( only dpne 5% at 46gb am i doing soemthing wrong?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      13. Interesting. They say it is not suitable for a normal computer, but I see that it is included in one. Is a NAS hard drive really a bad choice for a desktop computer? I chose one only because I did not find another hard drive that uses CMR recording technique in my country that is 4TB. Everyone else uses SMR recording technique.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      14. Just boughs a 1621+ with 4x10Tb drives. I want the majority to be used for media, but I need 1tb for web hosting, 2TB for my backup from my laptops and 2TB for encrypted cloud storage. Can all this go on one volume or do I need to fence off? I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      15. Is this possible from different locations using internet?
        I’m considering the purchase of a qnap for my business and backup on a Synology at home. Do you have any other explanation video?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      16. If i delete anything in the NAS, IT IS deleted in GDrive as Well. Synchronisation. What is the sense? Drive ist Designed to make your local Data Accessible in Others devices. Not to Store a Backup. And … you cant use IT as an external Extension of your disc by using G: because you Need the Same Space local. If you have 20 Gig left in your local Drive, a GDrive with 2tb doesnt make Sense … If you delete Something local, IT IS instantly synchronised with Google. I dont undestand how this can Help Backup your systems?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      17. I would love to have multiple storage pools, so I could have a couple of TB of media that I donā€™t care about losing, and the rest in an SHR for stuff that I do care about. Can it do that?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      18. Is there a possibility to create a folder that can only be reached via your local network and not via the internet? For example map1 that I can access anywhere via my mobile or pc ad my moms home. but I can only access Map2 when I am on my wifi or cabeld network at home. So that if my account were hacked, people wouldn’t be able to access this data from map2 from outside?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      19. When I open Snapshot Replication app on DS7, it warns me that my volume is recording ‘last file access time’, and this may affect snapshot performance. It tells me I can disable this by going into Storage Manager, but that setting is nowhere to be seen. Any ideas?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      20. So it seems you need to create a separate task for each folder on the nas. Is there no option to have multiple/all folders selected and mirrored in 1 task? If not, in case the auto dismount when backup is finished options is active for all separate tasks, will the hard drive only be demounted after the longest running task is finished?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      21. Three weeks ago I set up a DS420+ running DSM 7.0. I have the two Ethernet ports bonded using LACP. If I go to Control Panel/Network/Network Interface and look at the Bond1 interface it tells me that the MTU is 1500, both for the bond and for the individual interfaces. I cannot find anywhere to change this, the edit button just lets me choose different protocols for bonding the ports. I would like to be able to use Jumbo Frames; is this not possible?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      22. Gouda explanation, very clear and easy to follow, was a bit Cheesy but I’ll take it because there’s stiltonnes of things I have to learn, but with this info my backups will be as robust as a Roquefort ???????? thanks as always
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      23. Thank you for the video. This was very helpful in setting up my NAS. I followed your steps. Does that mean that when I copy items to the mapped drive they’ll be backed up on the second drive automatically?
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      24. Ok so I have 4 new 14tb drives in the mail. Upgrading from my 6tb drives. I have a usb back up with 13tb on it (all the data). Would it be quicker to swap one drive at a time or just pull the bandaid and rebuild the complete pool from the back up? Ds920+
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE

      25. Hi, thank you so much for this video guide, it is extremely thorough! It’s my first time setting up a NAS system and I would not have been able to do it if not for this video (considering the manual from synology wasn’t very helpful). Having said that, when I tried to click on “map drive” in the synology assistant, for some odd reason the buton/option is greyed out and I can’t create the drive on my local pc. I tried running the software as admin and still the same, do you know what may have caused this? Thanks
        REPLY ON YOUTUBE