Synology Assistant
Synology Assistant is an easy-to-use tool for managing Synology NAS in the local area network (LAN), especially when you have multiple machines working within the LAN. With Synology Assistant, you can share printers, set up Wake on LAN (WOL), and configure network drives.
To download and install Synology Assistant on your computer, go to Download Center and select your Synology NAS model. Next, go to the Desktop Utilities tab to find Synology Assistant.
Contents
Basic Control
You can minimize Synology Assistant to the system tray. Synology Assistant operations will continue running in the background. Right-click on the Synology Assistant icon to quickly access the following options.
- Attach/Release printers: You can attach up to 2 printers
- Open Synology Assistant
Management
On the Management tab, you can perform the following operations.
- Search Synology NAS in LAN
- Connect to a Synology NAS
- Map Drive
- Set Up WOL
- Check Synology NAS Status
Search Synology NAS in LAN
You can refresh the list by clicking Search.
Connect to a Synology NAS
In Synology Assistant, you can connect to your Synology NAS in either of the following ways.
- Select a Synology NAS from the list and click Connect
- Double-click on a Synology NAS from the list
When your Synology NAS is successfully connected, your browser will take you directly to the Synology DSM login page.
Map Drive
You can map a shared folder as a network drive and access it as an internal drive on your local computer.
Set Up WOL
You can set up WOL to wake up your Synology NAS remotely.
- Select a Synology NAS from the server list and click Set Up WOL.
- Follow the Setup Wizard to complete the setup.
- Refer to WOL section for more information.
Check Synology NAS Status
The following table lists device statuses displayed in Synology Assistant and what these statuses indicate. Refer to this list when performing various operations.
Status Indication Table
| Status | Status Indication |
|---|---|
| Booting | System is booting up. |
| Check progress | Synology NAS 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 DSM 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 Synology NAS. You may double-click on the server and re-install DSM 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 Synology NAS. This usually indicates that the DSM version recorded on the motherboard is newer than the DSM 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 DSM 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; DSM has not been installed; DSM 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 DSM. If DSM 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 DSM 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 DSM version recorded on the motherboard is older than the DSM version on the drives. This is likely to occur after RMA service. Double-click on the server to complete the recovery process. |
| Starting services | DSM is starting services. It can take up to 10 minutes for all services to fully start up. |
| Upgrading | Synology NAS is updating DSM. Please wait for the update process to complete. |
WOL
You can turn on a server remotely by setting up its WOL (Wake on LAN) function.
Set Up WOL Within LAN
Before setting up WOL on Synology Assistant, make sure you have ticked Enable Wake on LAN in DSM Control Panel > Hardware & Power > General.
- On the Management tab, select a Synology NAS from the server list and click Set Up WOL. The pop-up box will display the network type and the MAC address of the Synology NAS.
- Tick Wake up the server to turn on the Synology NAS immediately after WOL setup.
- Click OK to complete the setup.
- On the Management tab, the server's status under WOL status will change to "WOL".
Note:
- The WOL function is only supported on some Synology NAS. Refer to the WOL Status Table and your server's Hardware Installation Guide for more information.
- You can also right-click on a Synology NAS and choose WOL > Set Up.
- You can set up WOL for multiple servers by pressing "Shift" or "Ctrl". The system will skip the dialog box and add all selected servers onto WOL list.
Wake Up a Server
- On the Management tab, right-click on the server you want to turn on, and then choose WOL > Wake Up.
- The server's WOL Status will change to "Progress X%", indicating the wake up progress.
When WOL is complete, the WOL status will change to "WOL". Refer to the WOL Status Table for more information.
WOL Status Table
| 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. |
Remove WOL Function for a Server
- On the Management tab, right-click on the server from which you want to remove the WOL function, and then choose WOL > Remove.
- 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.
Add Printer
- Attach the printer to your Synology NAS.
- Set up printer mode in DSM Control Panel > External Devices. A list of attached printers is displayed here.
- 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.
- 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.
Attach/Release the 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.
- In Synology Assistant, go to the Printer Device tab.
- 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.
- 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.
Remove Printer
- Select the printer you want to remove from the list.
- Click Remove to delete the printer from the list.
Edit Printer Information
When Synology Assistant cannot automatically catch the IP of your printer, you can manually set up the IP here.
- Select the printer you want to edit.
- 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 tick 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.
- Allow compatibility with devices that do not support password encryption: Servers with software versions that do not support password encryption will not be displayed on Synology Assistant. Ticking this option allows these servers to be displayed. Please note that enabling this option is not secure because when you execute functions that require entering user credentials in Synology Assistant, the password transmission is not encrypted. We recommend updating your server to DSM 6.2.4 and above or DSM UC 3.1 and above to solve this issue.
Note:
- It might take some time to complete the memory test, depending on the physical memory size of your server. During the test, the server is unable to provide services.
- Troubleshoot issues connecting to your server via Synology Assistant with this article.