Synology Inc. is a Taiwanese corporation that specializes in Network-attached storageappliances. Synology’s line of NAS is known as the DiskStation for desktop models, FlashStation for all-flash models, and RackStation for rack-mount models. Synology's products are distributed worldwide and localized in several languages. Synology's headquarters are located in Taipei, Taiwan, with subsidiaries located around the world. In 2018, product review website Wirecutter described Synology as a longtime "leader in the small-business and home NAS arena", albeit still a newcomer in the field of Wi-Fi routers.
Company history
Synology Inc. was founded in January 2000 when Cheen Liao and Philip Wong left Microsoft to pursue an independent project. Liao was a development manager in the Microsoft Exchange Server Group, while Wong was a Sales Director for Microsoft in Taiwan. The two began to write a new operating system called Filer OS based on Berkeley Software Distribution, which was to be used with Fastora NAS hardware to create a NAS solution. To integrate their NAS software tightly with hardware, Synology released its first complete solution in 2004, the DiskStation DS-101. Since the release of its first DiskStation, Synology Inc. has grown to about 650 employees worldwide. Liao and Wong are still with the company, with Liao serving as President of Synology America Corp. and Wong serving Chairman of Synology Inc.
* First Synology 4-bay NAS is released, christened the Cube Station CS-406 along with a rack-mounted version, the RackStation RS-406. The RS-406 is Synology’s first product where its hard drives are hot-swap capable.
** The name "Cube Station" is currently no longer used on Synology's products and was present only for products released during 2006 and 2007.
* Launch of Synology Community Forum, a place where users can gather and post tips, tricks, and ask questions regarding how to use the DiskStation in their environments.
October 2007
* Launch of Synology wiki, an extension of the Synology Community Forum, a place where community users, and Synology, can document various procedures in using the DiskStation on the network.
* Release of DSM 2.0, first DSM to feature AJAX-based technology and a complete redesign of the DSM GUI. Added an additional capability, Surveillance Station, effectively converting the DiskStation into a network video recorder.
April 2008
* First DiskStation to feature 5-bays, the DS508, is released. The DS508 is the first DiskStation to have its hard drives be hot-swap capable.
* DSM 2.3 is released. New features: Synology Hybrid RAID, encrypted shared folders, support for mobile surveillance.
September 2010
* DSM 3.0 is released, the first desktop-style, Multitasking DSM GUI. New features: completely revamped GUI supporting multi-tasking management, WindowsACLs, ext4, improved iSCSI Support, support for ONVIF and PSIA cameras, and IP cameras up to 5 MP.
March 2011
* DSM 3.1 is released. New features: support for virtual volumes, new backup synchronization, improved support for iOS and Android devices, and updated search analytics for Surveillance Station.
April 2011
* Synology – The Official Blog launches, where opinions and editorials of IT technology are discussed by various Synology employees.
* Synology released the XS Series for DiskStation/RackStation, capable of 10GbE, reaching over 100,000 IOPS, over 1,000 MB/s, and scalable to over 100 TB
September 2011
* DSM 3.2 is released. New features: LDAP directory support, integrated HTML5 & CSS3, improved SHR-volume build speed, improve support for Mac OS X Lion.
February 2012
* Synology launches DS1812+, Synology’s first native 8-bay scalable DiskStation that can scale to 18-bays worth of storage, up to 72 TB with 4TB hard drives
March 2012
* DSM 4.0 is released. New features: GUI refresh, Cloud Station to synchronize files between various client computers, Package Center for managing modular DSM Applications, enhanced mobile device support including Amazon Kindle Fire, and fisheye camera support in Surveillance Station.
* DSM 4.1 is released New features: Full VMware ESXi 5.0 VAAI Support, Cloud Station Syncs files up to 5 GB in size, FXP support, additional resource management tools, additional analytics, GUI update for Surveillance Station, updated multimedia streaming capabilities.
* DSM 4.2 is released New Features: LUN Snapshot and Clone, Global Hot Spare Disks, S.M.A.R.T. Test Scheduler, Volume Creation and Expansion Enhancements, performance improvements on AFP, network backup, rysnc, Share Folder sync, addition of SMB2, TFTP, PXE, Two-step verification, and other management improvements.
August 2013
* DSM 4.3 is released New Features: Support for Windows ODX, SSD Cache, SSD TRIM, Trust Domain Support for ADS, Improved LDAP Support, NFSv4, IPv6 for NFS v3 and NFS v4, HFS+ Support, SMB improvements for directory listing and DFS, and other DSM Management improvements.
Synology’s primary product is the Synology DiskStation Manager, a Linux-based software package that is the operating system for the DiskStation and RackStation products. The Synology DSM is the foundation of the DiskStation, which integrates the basic functions of file sharing, centralized backup, RAID storage, multimedia streaming, virtual storage, and using the DiskStation as a network video recorder. Synology also provides free mobile applications for its users, including support for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Kindle Fire.
Synology DiskStation
The Synology DiskStation is the network attached storageappliance which is produced to run the Synology DSM OS. The DiskStation is a pedestal/tower embedded NAS appliance, which ranges from one bay to as many as twelve bays within a single enclosure. Some models feature storage scalability, where physical units may be tethered together for additional storage, without the need for volume recreation or loss of availability.
Synology FlashStation
The Synology FlashStation is an all-flash version of the DiskStation.
Synology RackStation
The Synology RackStation is a rack-mounted version of the DiskStation. It features all of the same abilities of the DiskStation with the exception that it is meant to be enclosed in a 19-inch rack cage. Some of Synology's rack models feature redundant power supplies. As with its desktop-oriented brethren, select models of the RackStation also feature storage scalability.
Synology Router Manager
The Synology Router Manager was derived from the DiskStation Manager. The Wi-Fi router RT1900ac comes without a modem, but users can connect an ADSL or cable modem on the WAN port, or a variety of 3G/4G modems on the USB port. The RT2600ac supports up to 2.53Gbps while running a 1.7 GHz dual core CPU. It uses MU-MIMO and beamforming with a hardware acceleration engine.
DSM extensibility
Synology's software architecture allows for third-party add-on application integration. Hundreds of third-party applications are available in addition to Synology's own catalog. Command line access via SSH or Telnet is available. Access to development tools and APIs are also available on Synology's website. Third-party applications can be written in an interpreted programming language such as PHP or compiled to binary format. Public APIs allow custom applications to integrate into Synology's web-based user interface. Installers using the SPK format can install third-party applications directly on the DSM operating system.
Vulnerabilities
In 2014, a piece of ransomware emerged, dubbed "Synolocker", that targeted Synology devices.
