[section_title title=”Installation and Set up”]
Installation
Installation and setup of the DS216se is pretty easy, following the smart and quick guide provided but for your convenience, we will go on to further detail this process.
Once the device is removed from its original packaging and you are ready to set up your Synology NAS, you will need to start by installing your Hard Disk Drives (HDD’s) or other SATA based storage device. The Synology DS216se comes with the side panel screws uninstalled to assist with the installation a little bit better.
Sliding the side panel off, we highly recommend putting the solid side face down on the floor for easy installation; you will then have access to the twin 3.5” (inch) internal hard drive bays for your storage device of choice. We strongly suggest using a set of two to allow for regular back ups in a RAID configuration (more details later on in this review) and drives suited for NAS use (24/7 access & data stream) such as the WD Red Hard Drives. We will be using twin WD RED (NAS drives) 6tb drives which we looked at previousely for the purpose of keeping a solid variable of drives throughout our current and future NAS reviews.
Using the provided screws for the drives, carefully place each drive into the drive bay the correct way up and ensure they are connected with the solid connection seen at the back of the drive bay. Once secure, hold and use the provided screws to fit. Once your drives are installed, make sure they sit correctly and have not been fitted at an angle as this could cause damage to the SATA and power connector. Now place the cover back onto the NAS and secure with the other screws provided to do so, then turning the device upright you are ready to link up your device.
From here, installing the power and Ethernet cable is easy enough and once the device is all plugged in, hit the power button to begin. From there, a few moments will pass before the device lets out a loud audible beep to indicate it is fully booted. You will then see a visual indication on the front facing panel as to the status of your device, LAN connectivity and both disks. This is what we will refer to as the hardware reference point as it is the physical object you can check on for select statuses of the NAS. Now, with the hardware in place and set up, we can head on over to the Synology software side of things to set up the device.
Set Up
With the device being on the network and having an IP address assigned to it, we can connect to it. Now go to your PC and type in http://find.synology.com or http://diskstation:5000 for the system to then be discoverable on the network. The address will configure itself to an IP address and allow for instant access once the address or relevant link is connected to.
After a few moments, your browser will begin the set up stages that are required to operate the DiskStation from Synology. The Web Assistant will go ahead and install the DiskStation Manager or DSM for short, the operating system of your device. Installation will take place right after the download, please note the additional information provided and that if your installation is interrupted then to log into the device using username “ds216se” and password “admin” to continue operation. Although this may be an inconvenience, it allows for secure operation without any other user input errors if they try to access the system too early and a handy addition to any system administrators out there.
The DiskStation will restart after installation to boot with a fresh set up configured to it and allow for you to use the device. It may take a little while, it took about 10 mins for the reboot but in this time, it may be best to grab a cup of tea and watch time pass while munching on some hobnobs!
After the reboot is completed, you will be faced with an administration account creation sheet which we STRONGLY recommend completing and not rushing too far ahead so that you don’t forget the relevant details. Depending on the version of DSM, you may need to activate the account by clicking on a URL provided to you in an email.
With the account created, you will have the opportunity to set up an “Update & maintenance” schedule and believe us when we say this, you should take this stage into careful consideration. It is best to allow for automatic installation to keep up to date with the latest patches and potential bug fixes, ensuring that for the down time of the device won’t affect anyone using the device. As we will be running our NAS 24/7 and all 3 of the main users being asleep prior to 1:30, we set it up to complete the maintenance at this time. Health checks provided by the S.M.A.R.T system will also be of use in the future so ensure it is ticked!
Now that the general administration and maintenance settings have been set up specifically for our needs, we can set up a QuickConnect ID and have almost instant access wherever we go. This is especially handy for applications provided by Synology like “Video Viewer” and “FTP server” based capabilities as you simply add your QuickConnect ID to allow for access rather than needing to manually set up the device. We created a QuickConnect ID for testing the wonderful applications available but also because we can be very forgetful with all the different server addresses and system details required for manual configuration of the DiskStation to its plentiful apps.
Once everything is set up, we are then faced with the General User Interface of the NAS based system, DSM. It has a very user friendly system to allow for changes to be made with ease and resembles a simplified desktop. This is your command centre, your options, and your hub for everything you will need for your Synology NAS. We will be processing a few articles on this system as a standalone piece of software due to its many features so stay tuned for that and read on within this review as we cover the basic operations of the DS216se.
