2 Bay Synology NAS - Some questions

[DarkTron]

Hey guys!

I currently own 2x 1TB WD Blue HDDs, they are in my main system. I recently started thinking about getting a Synology DS216J, but I have a few questions that I'd like to get answered first.
I would use it for my files, some games and for my parents laptops photos/music as backup.

1.) WD Blue in RAID 1 in this NAS?
Are these drives acceptable for this purpose? Or are they simply not made for that.

2.) Can I connect to my NAS and access its files when I am on the go?
For example when I am in school or on the bus with my smartphone/laptop.

3.) Can I save programs like Steam Games on my NAS and play them from there?
And can I set the download directory of software that downloads something to my NAS.

That's it. Thanks!

 

[ShadyHamster]

1. They aren't really built for that purpose but will work perfectly fine.
Just remember you will need to backup your data before plugging them into the NAS as the NAS will want to format them to setup its own raid 1.

2. Most NAS have this option built in, you will simply need to set it up. How? I'm not 100% sure, never used a Synology NAS.

3. For most things it will be easier if you use 'map network drive' in explorer and assign a driver letter to a folder on the NAS, most application will then be able to download/install directly to the NAS.
For steam, at least for me, needs dev mode enabled to be able to see/access mapped network drives.
To enable dev mode create a shortcut to steam.exe and add "-dev" (without quotes) to the end of target, you will need to run it in dev mode every time to access the mapped network drives, if anyone knows a better or easier way to do this please let me know.

 

[USAFRet]

1. They aren't really built for that purpose but will work perfectly fine.
Just remember you will need to backup your data before plugging them into the NAS as the NAS will want to format them to setup its own raid 1.

2. Most NAS have this option built in, you will simply need to set it up. How? I'm not 100% sure, never used a Synology NAS.

3. For most things it will be easier if you use 'map network drive' in explorer and assign a driver letter to a folder on the NAS, most application will then be able to download/install directly to the NAS.
For steam, at least for me, needs dev mode enabled to be able to see/access mapped network drives.
To enable dev mode create a shortcut to steam.exe and add "-dev" (without quotes) to the end of target, you will need to run it in dev mode every time to access the mapped network drives, if anyone knows a better or easier way to do this please let me know.

For Steam games and a mapped network drive, no -dev is needed.
That is built right into the Steam client.
Here, the highlighted Q drive is a mapped drive letter for a folder that lives on a whole different system

 

[ShadyHamster]

1. They aren't really built for that purpose but will work perfectly fine.
Just remember you will need to backup your data before plugging them into the NAS as the NAS will want to format them to setup its own raid 1.

2. Most NAS have this option built in, you will simply need to set it up. How? I'm not 100% sure, never used a Synology NAS.

3. For most things it will be easier if you use 'map network drive' in explorer and assign a driver letter to a folder on the NAS, most application will then be able to download/install directly to the NAS.
For steam, at least for me, needs dev mode enabled to be able to see/access mapped network drives.
To enable dev mode create a shortcut to steam.exe and add "-dev" (without quotes) to the end of target, you will need to run it in dev mode every time to access the mapped network drives, if anyone knows a better or easier way to do this please let me know.

For Steam games and a mapped network drive, no -dev is needed.
That is built right into the Steam client.
Here, the highlighted Q drive is a mapped drive letter for a folder that lives on a whole different system

I know how it works.
It just doesn't seem to work for me unless dev mode is enabled.

 

[AnarConn]

i wouldnt recommend running games from the nas, it got a tendency to lag a bit

 

[Deleted member 1771594]

Happened to own a Synology DS214play NAS for almost 3 years now. Here's my answer to your questions.

1) WD Blue will do just fine. If you want a true NAS drive then get the Red.

2) You can access it anywhere as long as you have internet connection. On smartphone using DS File app, etc.

3) No. Synology NAS will be visible on your PC marked as default "DiskStation" network storage but there's no way you can link your Steam game files & store it there. It won't allow it no matter what kind of read/write permission.

 

[AnarConn]

3) No. Synology NAS will be visible on your PC marked as default "DiskStation" network storage but there's no way you can link your Steam game files & store it there. It won't allow it no matter what kind of read/write permission.

actualy u can, just need to map it and steam will think its jsut another "local" drive, but as i said earlier, i wouldnt recommend it, could use it to back up the steam games tho if u play from several puters

 

[Deleted member 1771594]

3) No. Synology NAS will be visible on your PC marked as default "DiskStation" network storage but there's no way you can link your Steam game files & store it there. It won't allow it no matter what kind of read/write permission.

actualy u can, just need to map it and steam will think its jsut another "local" drive, but as i said earlier, i wouldnt recommend it, could use it to back up the steam games tho if u play from several puters

LOL, you can't. I can post image after image of DiskStation default visible folders (Video, Music, etc.). Even if you link your game files to install there it won't.

 

[USAFRet]

3) No. Synology NAS will be visible on your PC marked as default "DiskStation" network storage but there's no way you can link your Steam game files & store it there. It won't allow it no matter what kind of read/write permission.

actualy u can, just need to map it and steam will think its jsut another "local" drive, but as i said earlier, i wouldnt recommend it, could use it to back up the steam games tho if u play from several puters

LOL, you can't. I can post image after image of DiskStation default visible folders (Video, Music, etc.). Even if you link your game files to install there it won't.

While that may be true of Synology NAS boxes, that is absolutely NOT true of all NAS boxes.
I just tried it with my QNAP TS-453a, and a mapped drive works just fine.
Installed and played a demo, on a drive that lives in the NAS, across 2 1GB switches.

Here, the N drive is a mapped drive letter to a shared folder on the NAS box.

 

[Deleted member 1771594]

Hard to believe that a Qnap NAS would designate a network drive or even grant access to a network drive connected to Steam. Even if you Chmod a NAS default folders as fully readable, writable & executable (777) you can only access it via FTP or Telnet. Even in my wildest dream don't think Steam would allow FTP connection. You're talking here of an extremely unsecured NAS. What's even harder to believe is your claim of playing a demo. Loading alone on a local HDD (not SSD) sometimes suffer some latency (depending on file size) much more on a network drive. It's just impossible to think you can play at all. I can add a Steam library folder (on my Steam) marked NASGames but it doesn't mean a thing. I think you're just making things up.

 

[USAFRet]

Hard to believe that a Qnap NAS would designate a network drive or even grant access to a network drive connected to Steam. Even if you Chmod a NAS default folders as fully readable, writable & executable (777) you can only access it via FTP or Telnet. You're talking here of an extremely unsecured NAS. What's even harder to believe is your claim of playing a demo. Loading alone on a local HDD (not SSD) sometimes suffer some latency (depending on file size) much more on a network drive. It's just impossible to think you can play at all. I think you're just making things up.

Why would I make things up? I have no dog in this fight.

You stated categorically that it cannot work.
I have a similar quality NAS box, so I thought I'd try it.

It worked.

Create a shared folder on the QNAP
Open that from my Win 10 pc
Map a drive letter. N, in this case.
Go into Steam settings, and designate that 'drive/folder' as a game install location.
Find something free, install to that.
It worked.

No chmod, no weird settings...it just worked.

The demo is "Perfect Angle: The puzzle game based on an optical illusions Demo"

"extremely unsecured"?
username and strong password, inside my local LAN.

Believe it or don't.
No skin off my nose.

 

[Deleted member 1771594]

Map a drive letter. N, in this case.

This is the problem. A network drive (such as a NAS) would not be visible via Disk Management. Only System Reserve, Local Disk & attached drives. Even a thumb drive attacked on a local network printer would not be visible on Disk Management.

 

[USAFRet]

Map a drive letter. N, in this case.

This is the problem. A network drive (such as a NAS) would not be visible via Disk Management. Only System Reserve, Local Disk & attached drives. Even a thumb drive attacked on a local network printer would not be visible on Disk Management.

Who said anything about Disk Management?
This is in File Explorer. The built in application in Windows, to manage drives and data. Be they internal or external.

This NAS box is seen as just another system on the LAN. Like a tablet, Kindle, the HTPC over there under the TV, or whatever else my system might be connected to.

"Map a drive letter"
Poof, Windows see it as 'a drive letter'. And you can use that almost like an internal drive.
This has been a function in Windows for years.

In this case, Steam does not care. The OS tells it it is a drive letter, Steam says...No prob.

NAS boxes are no longer a simple braindead "box o drives" with a crappy commandline interface.
It is a Linux based PC, that also does traditional NAS functions. RAID, JBOD, backups.

Have you never mapped a network drive from a different system?