A Synology NAS works as soon as DSM is installed, but skip a few settings early on and you will have no way back from a failed disk, ransomware or an accidental delete. Here is what to configure right after installing DSM 7, in order.
1. Storage pool: RAID type and file system
| Layout | Disk failures tolerated | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| SHR (1-disk protection) | 1 | Default for 2–4 bay home or small office units |
| SHR-2 | 2 | 5+ bays and large drives |
| RAID 1 / 5 / 6 / 10 | Depends | Identical drives where you want predictable performance |
| Basic / JBOD | None | Scratch space only |
Choose Btrfs for the volume. Snapshots, self-healing and per-share quotas only work on Btrfs. And remember: RAID is not a backup. It survives a dead disk, not a deletion or ransomware.
2. Account security
- Do not name your administrator account something obvious like
admin; keep the built-in admin account disabled. - In Control Panel → Security → Account, enable 2-factor authentication and Auto Block (for example, block after 5 failed attempts in 5 minutes).
- Keep everyday accounts out of the administrators group and give shared-folder access only where needed.
- If you do not need remote access, skip QuickConnect and port forwarding. If you do, a VPN or something like Tailscale is safer.
3. Snapshots: protection against ransomware and mistakes
Install Snapshot Replication from Package Center and schedule snapshots for every important shared folder.
- Example: hourly snapshots, retaining 24 hourly + 14 daily + 8 weekly
- If your model and DSM version support immutable snapshots, enable them for around 7 days. Even a compromised admin account cannot delete them.
- Turn on the Recycle Bin per shared folder so files deleted over SMB are easy to restore.
4. Backups: one more copy outside the NAS
Snapshots live on the same disks, so they die with the NAS. Use Hyper Backup to schedule backups to at least one external target: a USB drive, another NAS, or cloud storage (Synology C2, any S3-compatible service). Aim for the 3-2-1 rule: the original, a local backup and an off-site backup. Then actually restore a file once a month to prove it works.
5. Disk health schedule
- In Storage Manager → HDD/SSD → Settings, schedule a quick S.M.A.R.T. test weekly and an extended test monthly.
- Schedule data scrubbing about once a quarter to find and repair silent errors.
- Plan to replace any drive whose reallocated sector count starts climbing, even before DSM warns you.
6. Notifications and updates
- Set up email or push alerts in Control Panel → Notification so disk warnings reach you immediately.
- In Update & Restore, allow important security updates to install automatically.
- If power cuts are common, connect a UPS over USB and let the NAS enter safe mode when the battery runs low.
7. File sharing basics
- File Services → SMB → Advanced: minimum SMB2, maximum SMB3, and keep SMB1 off.
- Connecting from Windows by IP instead of
\\NASNAME\shareavoids name-resolution delays. - If you reach DSM from outside, issue a Let’s Encrypt certificate under Security → Certificate and use HTTPS only.
Checklist
- ☐ SHR/SHR-2 with a Btrfs volume
- ☐ Renamed admin account, 2FA, Auto Block
- ☐ Snapshot schedules and Recycle Bin on shared folders
- ☐ Hyper Backup to an external target, plus a restore test
- ☐ S.M.A.R.T. tests and data scrubbing scheduled
- ☐ Notifications, automatic security updates, UPS
- ☐ SMB1 off, HTTPS certificate