Considering buying a NAS ... Need some advice

azibux1 · 22 May 2012 at 11:58

Hi,

The volume is created and I have tested it by putting a picture on there and it works

Also mapped the folders I created (Pics, Music, Vids, Docs) to my computer so they show up on my computer as drives

Next I was trying to set it up so it can be accessed remotely (not within my local network)

I think I need to setup port forwarding to do this?

Question is, which 'game or application' is the NAS? I have a BT Homehub 2 and this is what I see when I go to set up port forwarding:

I cannot actually see the NAS in the list of devices either, but I can go into the advanced settings option above and set up port forwarding that way, that is all the same, but it allows you to enter an IP address rather than select from a list of devices (which only shows up my phone, laptop and PC)

So which game or application do I choose? Ones that I think might be the correct ones are:
- HTTP Server (World Wide Web)
- HTTPS
- Secure Web Server (HTTPS)
- Web Server (HTTP)

Which one would it be? I want it to be secure of course. Or would it be one that I've missed?

Any ideas?

Also when I do select a game/application and device (or type an IP address), I just click add and apply, and it doesn't actually ask me to specify a port number? It just says 'applied' ... Is that correct :confused:

Hope you can help

EDIT: That image above IS actually the advanced settings

lukext · 22 May 2012 at 13:54

Can't you just use the ez-internet feature in the DSM menus?

I used it and it "spoke" to my router and sorted the ports for me. It did take me a while to get everything working fine (iphone apps, no-ip (although im using a synology address now) and ports). I have to go, but ill be abck later if you need help!! Hoepfully Welsh Dragon will be about too.

azibux1 · 22 May 2012 at 16:01

lukext said:
Can't you just use the ez-internet feature in the DSM menus?

I used it and it "spoke" to my router and sorted the ports for me. It did take me a while to get everything working fine (iphone apps, no-ip (although im using a synology address now) and ports). I have to go, but ill be abck later if you need help!! Hoepfully Welsh Dragon will be about too.

Right, not quite sure if I'm doing the right thing

I went into ezCloud and set up that, registered a hostname with Synology, verified my email address and it now says status 'Normal' and below it has my internal address and external IP address.

I then went into router configuration on the menu and clicked on 'set up router' told it I had a BT Homehub 2 (drop down list option) and chose HTTPS as the protocol. I then clicked 'create' and added all the options apart from the Mac ones and the mail server ones (as my router only let me have a max of 25), it tested the WebDAV ones but came back as failed, tested a few others too but they also failed, and the rest were 'not tested'

I have tried going from my phone's 3G connection and I have tried all the following without any luck, I just get web page not available errors, or server errors:

External IP:5006 (the WebDAV port)
External IP:443 (the HTTPS port that it said in the router setup automatically)

What address should I be entering?

I also went on the hostname I registered "myname.synology.me" but that just says server error

Any help?

lukext · 22 May 2012 at 17:46

"myname.synology.me" won't get you anywhere. you need:

"myname.synology.me:5000"

5000 is the port for the HTTP service) (use 5001 for the HTTPS service)

However, first you need to setup port forwarding of course.

In Control panel -> Router Config -> Create -> Built in applications.

Tick only port 5000 (or 5001 if you want HTTPS). Then hit apply. Click setup router and follow instructions. Once completed click test connection. Also make sure you enter the correct ports in Control Panel-> DSM settings.

I had trouble like you initially but perseverance prevailed. I found it easier to get to grips if I stated simple which just one port rather than a whole load of them. Just try to get the user interface working externally then move to all the others.

azibux1 · 22 May 2012 at 21:49

lukext said:
"myname.synology.me" won't get you anywhere. you need:

"myname.synology.me:5000"

5000 is the port for the HTTP service) (use 5001 for the HTTPS service)

However, first you need to setup port forwarding of course.

In Control panel -> Router Config -> Create -> Built in applications.

Tick only port 5000 (or 5001 if you want HTTPS). Then hit apply. Click setup router and follow instructions. Once completed click test connection. Also make sure you enter the correct ports in Control Panel-> DSM settings.

I had trouble like you initially but perseverance prevailed. I found it easier to get to grips if I stated simple which just one port rather than a whole load of them. Just try to get the user interface working externally then move to all the others.

Thanks for all that, just tried it though but couldn't get it working still :confused:

At one point, in the router setup part, I got a message saying that my UPnP router did not pass the compatibility test, even though BT Homehub 2 is in the list of compatible routers on their website

Luckily on www.portforward.com I found a page that shows how to port forward for a DS212j while using a BT Homehub 2, so that was good lol

They were instructions on how to do it from the Homehub settings, rather than from the NAS

Followed the instructions there, they said I needed to forward a whole load of ports, but based on what you said, I just done the 5000-5001 one to test it ... and it works!

Also now works when using myname.synology.me:5000, although it does say "This websites security certificate is not trusted, do you want to continue?"

Can't think of any more questions at the moment but I'm sure I will be back

Thanks for your help

lukext · 22 May 2012 at 21:55

No problem, just glad you got it sorted. Now to set up the last few things and you done!! time to start enjoying ya NAS drive.

Love streaming films and hd films off mine

azibux1 · 22 May 2012 at 21:58

lukext said:
No problem, just glad you got it sorted. Now to set up the last few things and you done!! time to start enjoying ya NAS drive.

Love streaming films and hd films off mine

Yeah I got the printer connected to it earlier too

Any ideas how to get rid of that security certificate message coming up? Or do you know why it is coming up?

It happens in IE and Chrome

EDIT: Like in Chrome, it has 'https' in the URL bar but it is crossed out and has a padlock with a 'X' on it, says the certificate is not trusted

deshepherd · 22 May 2012 at 22:31

azibux1 said:
Also now works when using myname.synology.me:5000, although it does say "This websites security certificate is not trusted, do you want to continue?"

Just a guess ... the connection is forwarded to your NAS which will respond with the security certificate etc to make the secure connection ... however as that is created by your NAS it will not appear to have been signed by the site (synology.me) that you browser thinks it is talking to. Basically your browser is checking for "man-in-the-middle" attacks and is flagging a potential problem as the security details it is sent have not been signed by the site it thinks it is talking to - this would be the case if someone intercepted a secure connection and eavesdropped on the data before forwarding it to the correct destination ... know all about this because at work they introduced a new web-proxy that inspects all packets including https and while the auto update system had rolled out the new certificate waivers to all PCs so that anyone using IE didn't notice, those of us rebelling an using firefox suddenly found any https connection now had a "man-in-the-middle" ... corporate IT assure us that they ahve no intention of stealing credit card details etc!

lukext · 23 May 2012 at 08:04

azibux1 said:
Any ideas how to get rid of that security certificate message coming up?

You will need to either just use http (not https (s standing for secure) which uses https SSL certificates to verify stuff (not my area of expertise)) or get an SSL certificate.

In fact take a look at this synology blog: http://blog.synology.com/blog/?p=32

azibux1 · 23 May 2012 at 11:38

lukext said:
You will need to either just use http (not https (s standing for secure) which uses https SSL certificates to verify stuff (not my area of expertise)) or get an SSL certificate.

In fact take a look at this synology blog: http://blog.synology.com/blog/?p=32

I'd rather use HTTPS

I have just checked that link and signed up for a free class 1 certificate from startSSL but I can't seem to log in to the control panel on their website at the moment to check the status, they said it will take up to 6 hours but it brings up an SSL error when trying to access the control panel of their website

I will wait and see what happens, thanks for your help

azibux1 · 23 May 2012 at 11:56

Just done it, I was trying to export the certificate from Chrome like the website says, but I need to browse for the file and I don't know where Chrome puts it?

Any ideas?

lukext · 23 May 2012 at 14:39

Dunno!! I am running HTTP currently so I will try this HTTPS and certificate malarky when I get back from work! Will post back later...

welshdragon · 23 May 2012 at 18:24

External access aside hows the enclosure going mate?

azibux1 · 24 May 2012 at 18:03

lukext said:
Dunno!! I am running HTTP currently so I will try this HTTPS and certificate malarky when I get back from work! Will post back later...

I couldn't get that website I said to work as you have to own the top level domain, which surely we don't own?

welshdragon said:
External access aside hows the enclosure going mate?

Really good thanks! Streamed a few TV shows to my PC the other day, going via the mapped drive in my computer, and it worked without any issues

I found the NAS on the PS3 the other day, went on photos (there is definitely one photo on the NAS) but the PS3 said 'no photos', still haven't tried it on anything else though (like the downstairs blu-ray player) as I've been quite busy, maybe it will work on there

azibux1 · 3 Jun 2012 at 14:35

All working well other than a couple of things:

- I cannot seem to play files using the GUI through the browser, it says that the file type is not supported by the plugin / browser. This is with avi's and other video files, haven't tried music

I followed instructions here and I only done the forwarding for port 5000. Could that be the reason?

- The NAS seems to be out of sleep mode, even when nobody is using it. The HDD's are set to hibernate after 20 minutes and advanced hibernation is enabled but even when I'm not accesing it on my phone, PC, laptop and neither is my brother, it is sometimes still NOT in sleep mode. Any ideas why?

Thanks

Khrest · 5 Jun 2012 at 09:42

Thought I would grab this thread rather than make a new one...

I'm ready to buy a DS212j as my first NAS. I cannot afford/justify the 4 bay version.

I have already a 2tb WDEARS drive that is 75% full in my media center.

I assume that when I create the volume in the NAS, it is going to want to format this and remove all my data?

So, assuming I am after maximum storage space, but cannot afford the luxury of redundancy, I could buy another WD 2tb drive (EARX) and start the NAS with that as the only drive. I then copy the data across onto that new drive.

Can I then just drop the old 2tb drive in (minus the copied files) to create 4tb of contiguous space? Or does this 2 stage process preclude the ability to merge the volumes into 1?

[EDIT]
Thought a bit more about this and decided I do want redundancy. So what about the 4 bay version fitted with 2x2x1 tb drives. The Synology site says this should give me 3tb with redundancy and I can then add another 2tb drive later for an additional 2tb. I do have a 512gb drive that I could drop in, but it seems if I do that, I wouldnt be able to increase capacity later and that would only give another 512gb. Am I thinking this through correctly?

welshdragon · 5 Jun 2012 at 21:12

azibux1 said:
All working well other than a couple of things:

- The NAS seems to be out of sleep mode, even when nobody is using it. The HDD's are set to hibernate after 20 minutes and advanced hibernation is enabled but even when I'm not accesing it on my phone, PC, laptop and neither is my brother, it is sometimes still NOT in sleep mode. Any ideas why?

Thanks

There is most likely an app or process keeping it active. Try disabling them one at a time or vice versa to identify which one.

Khrest said:
Thought I would grab this thread rather than make a new one...

I'm ready to buy a DS212j as my first NAS. I cannot afford/justify the 4 bay version.

I have already a 2tb WDEARS drive that is 75% full in my media center.

I assume that when I create the volume in the NAS, it is going to want to format this and remove all my data?

So, assuming I am after maximum storage space, but cannot afford the luxury of redundancy, I could buy another WD 2tb drive (EARX) and start the NAS with that as the only drive. I then copy the data across onto that new drive.

Can I then just drop the old 2tb drive in (minus the copied files) to create 4tb of contiguous space? Or does this 2 stage process preclude the ability to merge the volumes into 1?

[EDIT]
Thought a bit more about this and decided I do want redundancy. So what about the 4 bay version fitted with 2x2x1 tb drives. The Synology site says this should give me 3tb with redundancy and I can then add another 2tb drive later for an additional 2tb. I do have a 512gb drive that I could drop in, but it seems if I do that, I wouldnt be able to increase capacity later and that would only give another 512gb. Am I thinking this through correctly?

Yes in a nutshell. Check out my reviews HERE

Khrest · 8 Jun 2012 at 22:25

Useful reviews mate.

I have now got the 411j and whilst having a few problems with permissions and such, it seems very flexible.

I'm still agonizing over what to drop in it though (playing around with a 512gb drive at the moment). It will either be 2x2gb or 2x3gb Seagates as I have seen these for £80 and £116 each elsewhere. However, I also have access to a 1tb Samsung F4 which would add another 1tb to the array.

Can I put all three drives in now to give me the redundancy and either 2x2x1=3tb or 3x3x1=4tb capacity, and then rip out the 1gb later to replace it with another 2tb or 3tb drive, without any data loss? My understanding is that this would be the same situation as if the 1tb drive had failed and I replaced it with another of the same or higher capacity?

Finally, what happens if the NAS mainboard itself fails? Can the drive array be dropped into another to retain the data or is it 'game over man!'..

azibux1 · 8 Jun 2012 at 22:50

welshdragon said:
There is most likely an app or process keeping it active. Try disabling them one at a time or vice versa to identify which one.

Okay thanks, will try this (Y)

Also was trying to get the scheduled shutdown and startup the other day, only tried shutdown for now, set it to a time a couple of minutes away from the current time (then), but it didn't shutdown when it got to that time.

The checkbox for 'enable' was checked and it was saved, but it didn't shutdown, any ideas why? I don't understand why it didn't work lol

welshdragon · 9 Jun 2012 at 17:58

Khrest said:
Useful reviews mate.

I have now got the 411j and whilst having a few problems with permissions and such, it seems very flexible.

I'm still agonizing over what to drop in it though (playing around with a 512gb drive at the moment). It will either be 2x2gb or 2x3gb Seagates as I have seen these for £80 and £116 each elsewhere. However, I also have access to a 1tb Samsung F4 which would add another 1tb to the array.

Can I put all three drives in now to give me the redundancy and either 2x2x1=3tb or 3x3x1=4tb capacity, and then rip out the 1gb later to replace it with another 2tb or 3tb drive, without any data loss? My understanding is that this would be the same situation as if the 1tb drive had failed and I replaced it with another of the same or higher capacity?

Finally, what happens if the NAS mainboard itself fails? Can the drive array be dropped into another to retain the data or is it 'game over man!'..

Yes thats spot on regards the hard drives using the hybrid raid. Yes if the mainboard fails then just get a replacement unit and slot the drives back in in the same position as they were in the old one and it should be fine. Will probably be fine putting them back in any order. It may need to rebuiold depnding on how it shut down. That is an extremely unlikely scenario though mate.

azibux1 said:
Okay thanks, will try this (Y)

Also was trying to get the scheduled shutdown and startup the other day, only tried shutdown for now, set it to a time a couple of minutes away from the current time (then), but it didn't shutdown when it got to that time.

The checkbox for 'enable' was checked and it was saved, but it didn't shutdown, any ideas why? I don't understand why it didn't work lol

This is most likely linked to the reason it won't go to sleep. One app or process somewhere is keeping the drive awake. If somethings doing something the system most likely isnt shutting down to protect its integrity.