a Synology alternative
Source: XPenology website
Synology NAS
For the second time my Synology NAS DS212j broke down. The first time one of the hard disks crashed; the second time the Synology system broke down. After the first crash, a computer shop in Zwolle helped me recover de RAID 1 hard disks. But the second time, when the system broke down, there was no easy rescue. For me, this was the best argument to buy a new Synology NAS, DS723+. Within two months, the DS723+ broke down! The shared folders where accessible through the LAN. But login to the Synology the normal way didn’t work. The error message was: “No system found, would you like to install the Synology system?” – Mind you that all data will be erased.
Reuse old hardware
The costs of buying a new Synology NAS are significant, because the NAS also needs memory/hard disks/cache memory cards (m.2). In the end one could argue that the investment is worth it, but it is costly nevertheless. So this is where my Idea originates from: ‘Is there a way to reuse old hardware and still make use of the clever Synology solutions’? When you do have the means, I would not bother to keep on reading this blog. I recommend to stick with the original Synology NAS!
Quick steps
- First you need to subscribe to their newsletter. You will receive a mail with a download link.
- Optional: prepare old computer (Check RAM, HD, internet connection, etc.)
- Download image
- Create a bootable USB
- Install XPenology
- Configure the system
Be aware that using Xpenology is illegal, because the system is the Intellectual Property of Synology.