Building My First Unofficial Synology NAS - 2

Now that my NAS is up and running, I need a few accessories and some configuration tweaks to make it comfortable to use.

Hard Drives

For storage, I bought 3 3T drives and set up an SHR array, similar to RAID5, with around 6T of usable space and 3T reserved for redundancy;
Since my H61 motherboard only has 4 SATA ports, I also plugged in my old 500G drive as a second storage pool in JBOD mode, used only to run Wangxin Cloud.

5.5T of space is enough for now. I'll add more if I need it later.

I bought used Seagate drives for around 230 each. One of the initial drives had lots of bad sectors, so I had the seller replace it.
Why didn't I go with enterprise or NAS drives? My budget wouldn't stretch that far.

Network Card

Since this is an old motherboard, its onboard network card only supports 100 Mbps and has an unreliable connection, so adding a PCIE network card was a must.
I initially bought a 2.5G 8125B network card, but it required at least version 6.2. I spent ages trying to upgrade the system and tried all sorts of methods, but couldn't get it to 6.2. I gave up and looked for a card supported by 6.1 instead. I settled on the RTL8111F: gigabit, good enough, and cheap at 18 with shipping included, so I bought it.
The network card was easy to use: plug it in, connect the Ethernet cable, and it works.

Memory

The original 2G of memory was actually enough, but I initially planned to use Docker to host websites and other things later. Worried it might not be enough, I bought a used Samsung 2G DDR3 stick on Taobao. Again, it worked as soon as I plugged it in.
Just make sure the new memory matches the model of the original stick.

Large 4PIN to 5 SATA Power Cable

This was a must-buy; otherwise, there would be no way to power the drives.

Quiet CPU Fan

The machine was always a bit loud, and I thought the CPU fan was the problem, so I bought a fan on Pinduoduo for 9.9.

It didn't help—it was still noisy. I later discovered it was the fan inside the power supply. If you can, try a 1U power supply.

Packages

For installing third-party packages, see: https://www.pcwnas.cn/70
For an unofficial Synology setup, my advice is to install as few packages as possible. DS3617 version 6.1 still has bugs. Installing lots of packages or using web station seems to make the system prone to breaking. Mine broke twice, so I decided to leave it alone.

These are the packages I currently use. I barely use cloud sync , photo station , cloud drive , and mainly use audio station. I use ddns go for remote access.

Remote Access

Public access is something you'll inevitably need when using a nas. I tried several methods.

1. Use frp with a cloud server to tunnel into the local network. This is too much hassle and inconvenient to use, so I don't recommend it;

2. Use nps. This is much simpler and more convenient than frp, but it also requires a cloud server with a static IP. If the third method doesn't work for you, try this one;

3. ddns go+dynamic DNS. This is the method I recommend most. Here's how to use it;

   ddns go+dynamic DNS

4. First, you need a public IP, which is usually dynamic. Log in to your router and compare the IP address it shows with the address you get by searching for your IP on Baidu from your computer. If they match, you have a public IP; otherwise, you don't;
   Your optical modem needs to be switched to bridge mode, with the router handling the PPPoE connection. These days, you generally can't change bridge mode yourself, so you'll need a China Telecom installation technician to change it for you on their end.

5. Install the DDNS GO package, or install it in docker. If you use docker, make sure it uses the nas network, not briage;

6. You'll need a domain. One from Alibaba, Tencent, or another provider will do. If you don't have an ICP filing, I recommend using cloudflare for DNS so you can access it without one;

7. Follow the tutorial on the ddns page to obtain and configure the API credentials, set your domain, and click Save. If everything works, the log on the right will show that the DNS configuration succeeded.
   I configured IPV4 here because the frustrating China Telecom connection at my company has no IPV6. If you have IPV6, it's best to use it.

8. On your router, use port forwarding or DMZ to expose the required ports or the nas to the internet. You should then be able to access it using your domain+port.

Total Cost

Overall, I think it's good value. As long as I don't mess with it unnecessarily, it should last a long time.
My mac can also back up to the nas using Time Machine, so my 128G pro can keep going for a few more years without storage worries.
With infuse installed on my phone, I can watch movies remotely. My broadband limits upload speeds to around 2.7M/S, but apart from the initial loading, playback is fine.
On the local network, a wired connection can reach 120M/S, making it very convenient to transfer files within the company.
I also keep chat files and other things I need to preserve long-term on the nas. Once mapped, it works just like a local folder.

These are all storage locations on the nas. I mainly use my personal directory and the shared directory.

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That's all for my Nas setup for now. This is my first time writing up my experience, so it's a bit disorganized. If you have questions, leave a comment or email me, and I'll do my best to reply.
Thanks to everyone who shares tutorials online—you make learning and tinkering so much easier.