What Synology NAS is
Synology NAS is the umbrella term for Synology’s network-attached storage product range, covering data storage, file sharing, synchronization, and backups from home to enterprise scale. Hardware is divided into series by positioning: the J series for entry-level file consolidation, the Value series for private cloud and secure sharing, the Plus series for enhanced data protection and management, XS/XS+ for high-performance enterprise scenarios, the all-flash FS series, the enterprise and high-density SA, HD, and PAS series, the UC series for SAN environments, and the AI-powered NVR DVA series. DS-prefixed DiskStations are tower/desktop models; RS-prefixed RackStations are rackmount models. The full catalog is on the official products page.
DSM and key packages
Synology NAS runs on DiskStation Manager (DSM), which Synology describes as “the intuitive operating system that powers every Synology NAS.” Common packages include Synology Drive (sync and access files across devices), Hyper Backup (a comprehensive backup solution), Synology Photos (organizing and sharing photos), Surveillance (monitoring and video management), and the Active Backup family; supported models can also run containers through the Container Manager package. DSM versions and package availability change over time; check the official DSM page and the Package Center.
Discussion in the show
In Weekly #001’s chapter “NAS 会不会成为个人 AI 上下文的家” (Will the NAS become the home for personal AI context?), the hosts discussed syncing personal AI memory and multimodal data to a home NAS. Yang Pan mentioned Synology when listing NAS options in the Chinese transcript; Guizang said “they play with Synology a lot”; Orange said “Synology is too hard to use,” adding that he had handed his unit to his company. The chapter also touches on Xiaomi’s NAS and Docker support. These are the participants’ own experiences, not a product review.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the official Synology website?
The global site is synology.com, with the Chinese site at synology.cn; both carry the product catalog and package documentation.
What is DSM?
DSM (DiskStation Manager) is the operating system of Synology NAS — officially described as the intuitive OS powering every Synology NAS. File management, backup, photos, and surveillance run on it as packages.
How do I choose a Synology NAS?
Series map to purposes: entry-level home file storage starts at the J and Value series; advanced data protection and performance move up to Plus and XS; all-flash and enterprise workloads use FS, SA, HD, and PAS. Compare models in the official catalog.
Can Synology NAS run Docker?
Synology offers the Container Manager package for running containers on supported models; see the official package page for applicable models and features.