Synology NAS User Guide 7.2: Complete Setup and Management Manual

What you need to know about Synology NAS and DSM 7.2

Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a centralized, high-performance, and secure way to manage data in personal, business, or enterprise settings. Synology’s operating system, DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.2, gives you advanced features for storage, backup, and file sharing while keeping your data safe and easy to access.

DSM 7.2 has hybrid cloud features, Active Backup, advanced file sharing, and full permission management, making it a flexible hub for all digital workflows.

Setting up and installing Synology NAS for the first time

1. Getting the hardware ready

• Take the NAS out of the box and put in drives that work with it (HDDs or SSDs).
• Plug the Ethernet and power cables into your switch or router.
• Turn on the device and wait for the status LED to turn solid blue, which means it’s ready to be set up.

2. Getting to the Synology Web Assistant

You can either use the Synology Assistant desktop tool or go to find.synology.com in a web browser.
The program finds all Synology devices on your local network automatically.

3. Setting up DSM 7.2

After you find the device, click Connect and then follow the installation wizard to:

• Install DSM or update it to the most recent version.
• Set up an administrator account and make a strong password.
• Give the device a name and set up the network (DHCP or manual IP).
• To access remotely, turn on QuickConnect.

Storage Setup and RAID Configuration

Synology supports multiple RAID types for data redundancy and performance optimization:

Through Storage Manager, create a Storage Pool and Volume, then assign shared folders. DSM’s Data Scrubbing and SMART Tests ensure consistent drive health monitoring.

Managing access and sharing files

1. Making a Shared Folder

In DSM, go to Control Panel and then Shared Folder. Create folders for team projects, backups, or multimedia libraries, and encrypt them if needed.

2. Permissions for Users and Groups

To control access, go to Control Panel → User & Group:

• Give people roles, like admin, user, or guest.
• Use Access Control Lists (ACLs) to set very specific permissions.
• For more security, turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

3. Rules for accessing files

Synology NAS works with a number of network protocols to make integration easy:

• SMB and CIFS are used to share files on Windows.
• AFP is for Mac computers.
• NFS is for Linux systems.
• WebDAV is for safe remote access.
• FTP and SFTP are used to move files between computers.

Data Backup and Recovery in DSM 7.2 with the Active Backup Suite

Active Backup for Business in DSM 7.2 protects the following without needing an agent:

• PCs running Windows and Linux
• Hyper-V and VMware are examples of virtual machines.
• Google Workspace and Microsoft 365

It lets you do incremental backups, deduplication, and recovery from bare metal.

Hyper Backup

A tool that lets you back up Synology data to:

• USB drives that are not built into the computer
• Remote Synology NAS devices
• Cloud from Synology
• AWS and Google Cloud are examples of public cloud services.

Versioning lets you have more than one restore point, which protects you from ransomware and accidental deletions.

Settings for Security and Encryption

DSM 7.2 has multiple layers of protection:

• AES-256 encryption for folders that are shared and iSCSI targets.
• Use a firewall and automatic blocking to stop brute-force attacks.
• Use HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt SSL for safe web access.
• The Security Advisor will check for weaknesses and suggest ways to fix them.

The Account Protection Policy keeps logins safe, and Audit Logs keep track of all administrative actions to make sure they are in line with the rules.

Packages and Application Center

With more than 100 official and third-party apps, the Package Center adds to the functionality of the NAS.

• Synology Drive Server lets you sync files.
• Surveillance Station lets you manage IP cameras.
• MailPlus Server is a service for hosting business email.
• Docker and Virtual Machine Manager are for workloads that are containerized or virtualized.

To keep the system stable and secure, each package is sandboxed.

Cloud Integration and Hybrid Deployment

The Synology Hybrid Share combines the Synology C2 Cloud with local NAS storage. Files are stored on your computer for quick access, and the cloud keeps copies in sync so that everyone can access them.

Main benefits:

• Synchronization of files across sites
• Cloud backup that can grow
• C2 Manager lets you manage everything from one place.

Keeping an eye on and maintaining the system.

Use the Resource Monitor and Storage Manager dashboards to keep an eye on how well your NAS is working. Set up automatic updates, turn on system notifications, and use UPS integration to keep your computer safe from power outages.

Snapshot Replication is also supported by DSM 7.2. This lets you take snapshots of volumes’ current states so you can quickly go back to a previous state if you don’t like a change.

Epis Technology is a company that.

We at Epis Technology are experts at setting up Synology, hybrid clouds, and enterprise-level data backup systems. Our professionals create safe, high-availability storage systems that bring together Synology NAS, C2 Cloud, and Microsoft 365/Google Workspace protection into a single management system. We make sure that businesses all over the world have data that is resilient, compliant, and always available, from setup to ongoing monitoring.