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NAS Setup

Quick Overview

What: Prepare a Synology NAS (and optional UNAS) for homelab use. Why: NAS is the foundation for VM storage, PBS backups, media, and container data. Time: 60–120 minutes. XP: Up to 90 points.

Entry Checks

  • Synology NAS reachable on the network
  • Admin credentials available
  • Workstation can reach DSM web console

Outcomes

  • Shares and permissions codified via UI or automation
  • NFS/iSCSI/SMB exports ready for Proxmox, PBS, and other hosts
  • Snapshot policy baseline defined and validated
  • NAS01 NTP service enabled for LAN fallback
  • Optional: lightweight Docker environment enabled for seed services (Portainer, CI/CD tools)

Storage is where your homelab lives. This chapter gets your Synology and UNAS ready for shares, snapshots, and even container workloads.

Labs

Lab 1: Detect & import existing shares and NFS exports

Validation

  • Existing exports detected and mounted 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Legacy shares imported!

Lab 2: Create required shares and LUNs grouped by NFS or iSCSI roles (media, backups, workloads).

Validation

  • New shares and LUNs created 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Storage provisioned!

Lab 3: Define and apply snapshot policy

Validation

  • Snapshot policy applied 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Snapshots secured!

Lab 4: Setup Portainer (UI for managing containers)

Validation

  • Portainer accessible 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Portainer helm on deck!

Lab 5.1: Planned NAS Layout (iSCSI, NFS, default shares)

iSCSI Shares

  • vm-store (Proxmox VM datastore, default)
  • pbs-backups (Proxmox Backup Server datastore)
  • db-lun (Databases needing block storage, optional)
  • docker-lun (Persistent container data, optional)
  • k8s-pv (Kubernetes persistent volumes, optional)

NFS Shares

  • /Homes (user home directories, Synology default)
  • /Photo (Synology Photos service)
  • /Download (general downloads, optional)
  • /Media (Plex and related media storage, served from NAS02)

NAS01 is primary for VM/backup workloads. NAS02 is reserved for media (NFS only).

Default Synology Shares - /home and /homes (keep – user private directories, family network homes) - /photo (keep – required for Synology Photos app) - /music (drop – only used by Audio Station, not needed with Plex) - /video (drop – only used by Video Station, Plex/UNAS will be used instead) - /surveillance (skip – only created if Surveillance Station is enabled) - /docker (drop – only used for Synology Docker, not needed with Portainer/Proxmox)

Validation

  • Layout documented and approved 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: NAS blueprint created!

Lab 5.2: Detect & import existing shares and NFS exports

Validation

  • Existing exports detected and mounted 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Legacy shares imported!

Lab 5.3: Create required shares and LUNs grouped by NFS or iSCSI roles (media, backups, workloads).

Validation

  • New shares and LUNs created 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Storage provisioned!

Lab 5.4: Define and apply snapshot policy

Validation

  • Snapshot policy applied 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Snapshots secured!

Lab 5.5: Setup Portainer (UI for managing containers)

Validation

  • Portainer accessible 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Portainer helm on deck!

Lab 5.6: Deploy Consul (service discovery and configuration, backend for Vault)

Validation

  • Consul running 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Consul online!

Lab 5.7: Deploy Vault (secrets management)

Validation

  • Vault running 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Vault sealed and ready!

Lab 5.8: Deploy Homepage (landing page for services)

Validation

  • Homepage reachable 🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Dashboard launched!

Lab 5.A: Introduction to RAID, NFS, and iSCSI (explanation and why they matter in homelab setup)

Lab 5.B: Best practices for setting up a NAS/Synology (covering user management, folder structure, snapshots, and backups) Also configure the NAS to provide NTP service for the LAN (Control Panel → Regional Options → Time → NTP Service).

Background Concepts

  • RAID: A method of combining multiple hard drives into a single unit to improve performance and/or provide redundancy to protect data in case of drive failure.
  • NFS (Network File System): A protocol that allows a computer to access files over a network as if they were on local storage, commonly used for sharing files in Unix/Linux environments.
  • iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface): A protocol that enables block-level storage over a network, allowing systems to use remote storage devices as if they were locally attached disks.

Exit Criteria

  • Shares and exports are configured and validated
  • Snapshot and replication policies active
  • NAS01 NTP service enabled and validated
  • Optional container workloads deployed (if enabled)
  • UNAS exports validated
  • Docker workloads deployed via Portainer
  • Core workloads (Portainer, Homepage, Vault, Consul, PBS integration) deployed and validated

🎉 Chapter Complete! You’ve earned up to 90 XP. Storage fortress online!

Quick Overview

What: Shared abbreviations and hover tooltips for the campaign. Why: Ensures acronyms and jargon stay consistent across all docs. Time: Ongoing; update whenever a new term is introduced. XP: +5 per new acronym (like Whose Line, the points are made up but the fun is real).

Think of this file as your universal translator—every acronym here powers hover definitions site-wide.

🎉 Abbreviations updated! You’ve earned +5 XP for each new term (points don’t matter, but consistency does).