Synology DS215J disk hibernation

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Hi guys,

I'm having a few issues with the disk hibernation feature on my new DS215J. The disks do hibernate, but usually only for 2-3hrs. I've been reading the Synology forums and it seems that this could be caused by any number of issues. I've started some testing to see if I can isolate why the disks keep spinning up. The first test has been to disable all packages.

I do have the Synology DDNS service and quick connect setup, some people say that this can cause waking of the disks as these services have a 'heartbeat' check.

Also, my NAS has its IP assigned via DHCP. Some say that the ARP packets from a router could wake the disks. If this is the case should I assign my NAS a static IP? I have a Virgin Media Superhub 2, so not sure if it can do this (aside from reserving an IP via DHCP - which I understand is slightly different to direct allocation)?

Strangely, the logs this morning show that it managed to stay hibernated for 6 hours last night.

Just wondering if anyone here has any ideas?

Thanks.
 
I have the DS215j with 3TB WD RED mirror and the same setup to allow FTP. I have not noticed any issues. What disks do you use? Maybe this is related to the disks? Have you checked the disk serial numbers against the DS215j compatibility list?
 
Thanks for the reply.

I have installed a couple of hard disks I had collecting dust in the cupboard from an old PC. Both are 750GB, 7200RPM drives, one is a Hitachi and the other is a Seagate. They are from around 2007. I guess this is not ideal though.

Do you also have the VM Superhub 2?
 
I use a Asus DSL-N55U with Talk Talk basic BB. Did you read that Synology forum thread where people have hibernation issues after 5.2-5565 update 1/2?
Are you on the latest update? I am on 5.2-5592 update 4, so maybe as Bledd states above, this has been fixed in the latest update.
I have turned on my hibernation logging and will see what happens to mine. Its possible I have a problem, but never really noticed it. I have set my disks to hibernate after 20 mins, so will see what happens after 4 hours.
 
Hi guys, thank you.

I did see that thread on the Synology forum about people having issues with hibernation, however I thought it had been resolved?

I am also running the latest version of DSM.

mods, please do let me know what you notice in your logs. I have the same setting as you - hibernate after 20mins and logging enabled.

I was worried about stress on the disks with the spooling up and down several times a day. I'm now thinking I may buy a couple of WD Reds and just turn off hibernate for 24/7 running - which I understand those disks are designed for.

Would be good to get this solved though. Everything else about the DS215J has blown me away - one of the best pieces of kit i've bought in a long time.
 
I assume my unit is in hibernation now. Status, LAN, D1 and D2 = no lights/activity. Just the power blue light.
I will check the logs around 3pm and report back what I see in them.
 
Yes, the blue light on it's own indicates hibernation.

As part of my testing i've stopped all packages, disabled the 'Heartbeat' under DDNS and also unchecked the option to respond to ARP requests in advanced networking - basically anything (I could think of) that could cause it to wake. I'm going to see if that makes a difference today.

Might be worth leaving it a bit longer, i've had mine waking every hour to every 2-3 hours. I did have a couple of instances that it managed to stay hibernated for 6 hours over the weekend, just when I thought it was ok, it started waking every 2 hours again overnight!

Are the WD Reds quiet and would they use much less power than the two 2007 750GB 7200RPM rpm drives I have in it now?
 
Over 3 hours and nothing in the log, so it seems OK, so far. I think the best test is to leave it overnight as you said and give it over 8 hours and see what happens.
I have my DS215J below my TV, so I cannot hear any noise from it. I do not measure power usage, so I have no idea what difference the REDS would have to other disks. I went with them because they are designed for NAS use and I have never had any issues with WD drives.
 
I can quite clearly hear my current HDDs, so I imagine the reds must be much quieter, also, they have been fully tested with the DS215J, so I think I will get a pair of 3TB disks.

Thanks for testing btw, would be interested to hear if yours managed to stay sleeping overnight.
 
Interesting result for last night. It seems that my disks spin up during the night at various times. Then they hibernate again.

2015-09-2207:28:26 User [] logged in from [] via [DSM].
2015-09-22 07:28:25 Internal disks woke up from hibernation.
2015-09-22 06:56:41 Internal disks woke up from hibernation.
2015-09-22 05:34:26 Internal disks woke up from hibernation.
2015-09-22 03:58:19 Internal disks woke up from hibernation.
2015-09-22 00:00:28 Internal disks woke up from hibernation.
2015-09-21 18:49:20 Internal disks woke up from hibernation.

This seems to be random and not following any pattern I can see. Because I am open to the internet, I could understand that something could probe the connection and force the disks to wake as the NAS responds.
Turning off the ability to allow remote connections will no doubt highlight if this is the NAS itself or a remote connection coming in.
 
This is exactly what I have been seeing too. Last night mine managed 5 hours before randomly waking just before 5am. I'll see how it goes today while I'm at work and report back later. I don't really want to suspend remote access because it's one of the best features. This morning I've added Quickconnect and internet time synchronisation to my list of disabled items - will see how it goes.
 
It is also possible that something on the LAN is causing it to wake. The Synology website recommends testing to seeing if the unit will stay hibernated with the network cable unplugged - just to rule out an internal process waking it up.

This is worth a read, and the comments below too:
http://petestechblog.com/archives/74
 
I power down all devices at night, so only the router, the NAS and my wife's phone are active. It will be interesting to see what happens when you disable those services.
 
Might be a bit of a long shot. But have you tried swapping the network cable from your Synology to the Router? The Synoogy will "wake" when there's any network changes detected on it's own port, including if the cable is causing connect/disconnects because of faults.

Also, do you have a wifi dongle on the Synology? Something similar happens along the lines above with the wired connection, and it will wake from passing by devices with wifi.
 
From reading the Synology forums it seems that other devices on the network can also sometimes wake the NAS.

I'm wondering if it would be worth giving the Synology hibernation debug tool a go, but it looks quite complicated - I think I will try though.

I guess these NAS units are like mini servers, maybe expecting them to hibernate solidly is not realistic?

I've ordered a couple of 3TB WD Reds which look to be quiet and power efficient and also designed for 24/7 running, so I may well just leave it on with hibernation disabled.
 
I am I honest, I am not too concerned by this hibernation issue. The device is downstairs and so quite that I never hear it. The logs indicate that the disks hibernate again, so I think I can live with this.
 
Just arrived home and checked my log - the disks have been waking from hibernation every 2 hours or so. This is despite everything i've tried disabling so far. I think i'm going to go for continuous running with no hibernation during the day and scheduled power downs overnight - that might be the best compromise. I think the current spooling up and down of the disks around 10 times every 24hrs may not be good for them. Looking forward to my WD Reds arriving though, then I can continue setting up the disk station for the family to use.
 
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