Synology DSM 7: New features, supported NAS, how to install

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) is the operating system that runs on the company’s array of enclosures. We’re currently on version 7 with frequent updates pushed out packing new features for Synology NAS owners to enjoy. Here’s all you need to know.

• New features
• Supported NAS
• How to install

Synology DSM 7.1: New features

• Efficiently back up and restore all your configurations, applications, and data in DSM.
• Improvements to our SSD cache implementation and new options to simplify SMB file server access.
• Solutions for heavy VM use, multi-site data protection, and domain management in non-trusted environments.
• Gain better oversight of processes and statuses throughout your deployment with more information aggregated to your preferred DSM account.
• Be the first to benefit from the latest improvements in IT management, user experience, and security with new versions of our most-used applications.
• SSD Cache Groups can be allocated to multiple volumes, allowing for more flexible management of SSD cache capacity.
• Storage Manager now supports the management of the drives and storage of both active server and passive server in a Synology High Availability cluster.
• Added support for Btrfs (Peta Volume) in Active Backup for Business and Synology High Availability.
• If there is a file system error, DSM will unmount the volume to run file system checks without interrupting the services on other volumes.
• Reduced the minimum threshold for low capacity notification from 5% to 3%.
• Added support for custom OIDC (OpenID Connect) settings to integrate DSM with external SSO servers.
• Added support for the RTF editor to allow users to preview notification message content and style in real-time when editing.
• Added support for bypass traverse checking at Control Panel > File Services > Advanced to allow users to traverse folders and access permitted files or subfolders.
• Supports specifying domains from the list of trusted domains to synchronize domain data.
• Added the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+00:00) time zone option at Control Panel > Regional Options > Time.
• Added the synchronization status between DSM and NTP servers at Control Panel > Regional Options > Time.
• Added icons on the taskbar to indicate ongoing background tasks that might affect system performance.
• Users can now open tabs directly from search results in Control Panel.
• Supports automatically updating the domain database and syncing domain data regularly. For Synology NAS that are used to create domains, the “Update User Groups/Lists” option in Control Panel > Domains/LDAP will be disabled by default after updating to DSM 7.1.

Synology DSM 7.0

The following features were added in DSM 7.0:

• USB hardware, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth dongles, will no longer work.
• DSM 7.0 will end NAS support for ext3.
• DSM 7.0 disables NTLMv1 by default in favor of NTMLv2, which may prevent SMB clients from connecting.
• SSD caches on block-level LUNs are no longer supported.
• NT4 domains are no longer supported.
• DSM URLs have been modified. (Check firewall rules if in use.)
• iSCSI Manager is now SAN Manager in DSM 7.0.
• TLS/SSL profile level in Modern Compatibility will auto change to Intermediate Compatibility for better TLS support and compatibility.
• EZ-Internet has been merged with Router Configuration within Control Panel.
• Python3 has been merged into DSM 7.0 as a built-in service.
• QuickConnect is secured with a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.
• Security Advisor enables login analysis and custom account detection check items by default.
• The following DDNS providers have been removed:
  • CloudNS.
  • DNO-O-Matic.
  • DNSEXIT.
  • Dynamic DO!.jp.
  • Joker.com.
  • RU-CENTER.
  • TwoDNS.de.
  • Variomedia.
  • Zoneedit.com.
• Video conversion to FLV and MPEG-4 Part 2 formats are no longer supported on:
  • DS120j.
  • DS119j.
  • DS216se.
  • DS215j.
  • DS115.
  • DS115j.
  • RS814.
  • RS214.
  • DS414.
  • DS414slim.
  • DS414j.
  • DS214+.
  • DS214.
  • DS214se.
  • DS114.
  • DS213j.
• Active Insight and Hybrid Share Service are built into DSM 7.0 and will be automatically installed.
• Storage Manager:
  • Added visuals of Synology NAS models with their drive slots, expansion units, and built-in M.2 slots to help users view drive status.
  • Enhanced usability with a clearer display of the relationship between storage pools, volumes, and SSD caches.
  • Enhanced the setup process of Hot Spare and Data Scrubbing.
  • Added a feature to guide users through configuring newly inserted drives.
  • New features of storage pools, volumes, and drives:
  • Supports performing different tasks on different storage pools simultaneously.
  • Supports updating the firmware for Synology drives.
  • Enhanced the access performance of degraded RAID 6 by 70%.
  • Added display of the storage usage of each category item on Btrfs volumes.
  • Added a new Fast Repair mechanism to reduce the time needed for RAID repair based on storage usage and thus reduce the time of RAID degradation.
  • Added the ability to replace a drive in a healthy storage pool with an unused one without interrupting services or causing storage-pool degradation.
  • Added the ability to automatically replace “Critical” or “Failing” drives in protected storage pools with Hot Spare. 　
  • Added the Auto Repair feature to automatically run a RAID repair when a malfunctioned drive is replaced with a healthy one in the same drive slot.
  • Added the ability to eject a storage pool on an expansion unit to ensure the safe removal of drives without interrupting system services.
  • Added the ability to mount storage pools from drives that are inserted after the device has been powered on without interrupting system services.
  • Supports customizing the low-capacity notification for individual volumes when their available space drops below the specified value.
  • Added support for space reclamation schedules for Btrfs volumes.
• SSD Cache:
  • Added the ability to create and remove SSD caches without interrupting system services.
  • Added the new SSD Cache Advisor to monitor I/O accesses and provide more accurate capacity recommendations.
  • Added the ability to pin all Btrfs metadata to SSD caches to enhance the performance of accessing small files and shorten the response time when accessing files regularly.
  • Added the ability to activate automatic protection on SSD read-write caches with multi-drive fault tolerance.
  • Added support for the quick write-back mechanism, delivering a 30% faster synchronization from SSD caches to HDDs when automatic protection is activated.
• Resource Monitor
  • Revamped the display of recorded performance metrics with a finer granularity of data points and the ability to focus on certain time points.
  • Enhanced monitoring transparency of system services by separating larger, unrelated processes.
  • Added the ability to manage currently accessed files and their connected users to better handle locked files.
  • File System/File Services.
  • Supports enabling/disabling file compression for shared folders created on DSM 7.0.
  • Enhanced file compression ratio and added display for the current ratio for each shared folder.
  • Added support for cross-protocol locking between SMB and AFP.
  • Supports accessing encrypted shared folders via NFS.
  • Enhanced Btrfs performance and lowered I/O latency.
  • Modularized the SMB file service into a package.
  • Allows users to enable/disable SMB transfer logs for permission changes, providing more flexible transfer logs.
  • Enhanced the encryption performance by up to 10% on certain models with the x86 platform.
  • In Windows File Explorer, users can now search for the files and their content in indexed folders.
• User Management
  • Enhanced the password policy. Passwords must exclude username and description, include both upper-case and lower-case letters as well as numerical digits. The minimum password length is eight characters.
  • Added the ability to delegate predefined administrator roles to non-administrator user accounts and allow them to manage certain services and system settings, offering more flexible permission management.
  • Added the ability to require imported users to change their passwords after their initial DSM logins.
  • Added the ability to assign user accounts from import lists to specific groups.
  • Domain/LDAP Integration
  • Enhanced LDAP client authentication performance by reducing the number of queries sent with a caching mechanism.
  • The following services and packages now support UPN logins: Synology Assistant, Hyper Backup, Synology Mail Server, Synology Calendar, and Shared Folder Sync.
  • Enhanced domain database synchronization performance by syncing only altered data.
• Security
  • Added the ability to block USB and console ports.
  • Enhanced QuickConnect connection process to strengthen security.
  • Provides only TLS 1.3 support for the Modern Compatibility option for TLS/SSL profile level.
  • Added the ability to set 2-factor authentication as mandatory for specific users or groups.
• User Experience
  • Enhanced user experience for DSM first-time installation and Synology Account related service setup (e.g., QuickConnect).
  • Added the ability to automatically install important DSM and package updates.
  • Added information and usage tips about security, notification, and other recommended settings in DSM Help.
  • Added the ability to back up DSM system configuration to a connected Synology Account.
  • Added the ability to export folder permissions reports.
  • Added support for application webhook integration to send system notifications to Synology Chat and other third-party applications.
  • Added severity levels to notifications for better categorization of events.
  • Enhanced user interface responsiveness to launch installed packages and services faster.
  • Enhanced login performance when connecting from external networks.
  • Enhanced user experience for package update processes by displaying the update status with package icons on the DSM desktop.
  • Supports resetting the passwords of all user accounts in the administrators group by pressing the RESET button on Synology NAS for four seconds.
  • Revamped the Service tab at Control Panel > Info Center. The tab focuses on the status of enabled services and packages, including local ports, router ports, and firewall permissions.
  • Enhanced Control Panel usability by reorganizing related functionality together.
  • Added a new Synology Account tab to consolidate future services provided through Synology Account.
  • Consolidated Domain/LDAP options to be configured in a new unified wizard.
  • Consolidated QuickConnect settings into the External Access tab.
  • Consolidated User and Groups settings.
  • Consolidated Theme and Application Portal options into Login Portal tab.
  • Consolidated email notification options into Notification > Email tab.
  • Consolidated WS-Discovery into File Services > SMB.
  • Consolidated Network > DSM Settings into Login Portal > Web Services.
  • Relocated the SMB Server Signing option to File Services > SMB > Advanced Settings.
  • Moved Shared Folder Sync into the File Services tab.
  • Moved the Enforce 2-factor authentication option into the Security tab.
  • Modularized DHCP Server into a package.

Synology DSM 7.1: Supported NAS

If you don’t have a NAS at hand but want to try out DSM 7, you’ll need to pick up one of the best NAS available.

Synology DSM 7.1: How to install

Ready to give the latest release of DSM 7.1 a try? It’s currently out as a beta and can be installed manually by following these steps:

• Visit Synology Download Center.
• Select your NAS model using the drop-down menus.
• Click on Download under DSM 7.1.
• Log into your NAS.
• Go to Control Panel > Update & Restore > Manual DSM Update.
• Click Browse and select the downloaded DSM 7.1 update file.
• Click OK to update DSM.