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Synology Assistant

Synology Assistant is an easy-to-use tool for managing storage systems in the local area network (LAN), especially when you have multiple devices working within the LAN.

To download and install Synology Assistant on your computer, go to Download Center and select your model. Next, go to the Desktop Utilities tab to find Synology Assistant.

Basic Control

Synology Assistant runs in the background when minimized to the system tray. Right-click the icon for the following options:

  • Attach/Release printers: Up to 2 printers
  • Open/Close Assistant

Management

To search storage systems in LAN:

Click Search to refresh the list of storage systems in your LAN.

To connect to a server:

You can connect to your server in either of the following ways:

  • Select a server and click Connect.
  • Double-click on a server.

To map a drive:

Click Map Drive to map a shared folder as a network drive for local access.

To set up WOL:

You can set up Wake on LAN (WOL) to wake up your Synology storage systems remotely if you have enabled this feature in Control Panel > Hardware & Power > General. Select a server from the list and click Set Up WOL. For more information, refer to the WOL section.

Status

This table lists device statuses in Synology Assistant and explains what each status means.

Status Status Indication
Booting System is booting up.
Check progress System is being installed or configured. Click to check the progress.
Checking quota System is checking drive quota. This could be a result of improper shutdown.
Checking file system (X minutes remaining) System is checking file system. The process will be finished in the displayed number of minutes. This usually occurs when the system detects file system errors and prompts you to perform a file system check.
Configuration error Error occurred during configuration. Double-click on the sever to re-apply the settings.
Configuration lost This usually occurs after a Mode 2 Reset, which is by pressing and holding down the RESET button on the device. You may double-click on the server and re-install the operating system (OS) to get a fresh start without impacting the data in the volume. If you did not press the RESET button, check other possible causes for this error message.
Connection failed Network configuration error. Double-click on the server or click Setup to configure network settings.
Getting connection status System is checking connection status.
Migratable System configurations on the drives can be migrated to this device. This usually indicates that the OS version recorded on the motherboard is newer than the OS version on the drives. It's likely to occur after RMA service. Double-click on the server to complete the migration process.
N/A WOL is set up but the current status is unknown. Refer to the WOL section for more information.
Not configured The initial OS configurations (i.e., admin password) after installation have not been completed. Double-click on the server to finish the configuration.
Not installed Possible causes: no drives are detected on your server; the OS has not been installed; the OS has not been detected on the drives; or you have clicked Erase All Data in Control Panel > Update & Restore > System Reset.
Solution: Make sure the drives are healthy, inserted properly, and can be detected by the server. Then, double-click on the server to start installing the OS. If the OS was already installed on the drives and you have been using the drives for some time, this message indicates that the server cannot recognize the OS data on the drives. In this case, abort the installation, shut off the server, learn why the drives are not recognized, and run diagnostic tests on a computer to check the health of the drives.
Offline System is offline.
Performing Memory Test (X%) The progress of the memory test is at X%. If you are asked to run a memory test, run it at least 3 times. The test results will be saved in the system log. Please generate a debug.dat log and attach it in the support ticket for Synology to investigate.
Ready System is installed and ready to use. Double-click on the server or click on Connect to access the server.
Recoverable System is recoverable. This usually indicates that the OS version recorded on the motherboard is older than the OS version on the drives. This is likely to occur after RMA service. Double-click on the server to complete the recovery process.
Starting services System is starting services. It can take up to 10 minutes for all services to fully start up.
Upgrading The device is updating the OS. Please wait for the update process to complete.

WOL

To set up WOL:

  1. Go to Control Panel > Hardware & Power > General and enable WOL.
  2. On Synology Assistant, go to the Management tab. Select a Synology NAS and click Set Up WOL to view the MAC address available for WOL.
  3. After setup, the server's WOL status on the Management tab will change to "WOL".

Note:

  1. The WOL feature is supported only on some Synology NAS models. Refer to your server's product manual for more information.
  2. You can also right-click on a server and select WOL > Set Up.

To wake up a server:

  1. Right-click on a server and click WOL > Wake Up.
  2. The server's WOL Status will change to "Progress X%", indicating the wake up progress.
  3. When WOL is complete, the WOL status will change to "WOL". For more information on WOL statuses, refer to the following table.
    4. WOL Status Status Indication
    WOL
    1. WOL is set up.
    2. Server is turned on.
    --
    1. WOL is not set up.
    2. Server does not support WOL function.
    Progress X% Server is turning on. Wake up progress is X%.
    Off Server is turned off.
    N/A WOL is set up but the current status is unknown.

To disable WOL for a server:

  1. Right-click on a server and click WOL > Remove.
  2. The WOL status of the server will change to "--".

Printer Device

In Synology Assistant, you can centrally manage printers attached to your Synology NAS on the Printer Device tab. Both basic and multifunctional printers are supported. To share a printer connected to Synology NAS in LAN by Synology Assistant, follow these instructions.

To add a printer:

  1. Attach the printer to your Synology NAS.
  2. Set up printer mode in Control Panel > External Devices. A list of attached printers is displayed here.
  3. Select the printer, click USB Printer Manager, and choose Set Up Printer to select the operation mode for your printer. Choose Network Printer mode if you use print function only. Choose Network MFP* if you want to use either print, scan, or fax functions.
  4. In Synology Assistant, go to the Printer Device tab. Click Add and follow the Setup Wizard to add printer to your computer. If this is the first time you are adding the printer, have your printer driver ready for installation.

To attach/release a printer:

When printing and sending fax, you can perform the operations without manually attaching the printer in Synology Assistant. However, when you want to use the scanner function or to receive fax on a multifunction printer, you have to attach the printer to prevent print jobs from being interrupted by other users.

When a printer is manually attached in Synology Assistant, other users who share the same printer in LAN cannot access the device. Make sure to release the printer when you finish your print job.

You can follow these instructions to attach or release the printer.

  1. In Synology Assistant, go to the Printer Device tab.
  2. Select the printer you want to attach and click Attach. Synology Assistant will start to connect the printer. The status column will show the operation state.
  3. When a printer is attached, the Attach button will become Release. You can click it to release the attached printer.

Note:

  • In the status column, if the printer's status is Available, you can attach the printer for your sole use.
  • If the status is Attached, the printer is already attached to your computer.
  • If the printer is not available for the time being, click Attach will add you to the waiting list for connection.

To remove a printer:

  1. Select the printer you want to remove from the list.
  2. Click Remove to delete the printer from the list.

To edit printer information:

When Synology Assistant cannot automatically catch the IP of your printer, you can manually set up the IP here.

  1. Select the printer you want to edit.
  2. Click Edit and input the correct IP of your printer.

Note:

  • Network MFP is only for Windows users.
  • Before setting up a printer, refer to the list of compatible printers.
  • USB hub is not supported when connecting a printer for sharing.
  • The memory card function of the connected printer is not supported.

Preferences

You can click the gear icon labeled Preferences at the upper-right corner to configure the following settings.

  • Default Functions Tab: Select the function tabs to appear in Synology Assistant.
  • Language: Choose a default language for Synology Assistant's user interface. You need to restart Synology Assistant for the new setting to take effect.
  • Memory Test: If you select the checkbox, the Memory Test button will appear on the Management tab the next time you launch Synology Assistant. You can select a server and click the button to perform a memory diagnostic test. The server will be rebooted and the test will begin. The testing progress will be shown in the Status column of the server list.

Note:

  • It might take some time to complete the memory test, depending on the physical memory size of your server. On dual controller models, only test one controller at a time so that the system can still provide services during the test.
  • Troubleshoot issues connecting to your server via Synology Assistant with this article.

Basic Control
Management
Status
WOL
Printer Device
Preferences