Synology introduced an entirely redesigned DiskStation Manager (DSM) in the online event, 2021 AND BEYOND. DSM is the unified operating system powering Synology data management solutions, and version 7.0 brings new technologies for storage, backup, and hybrid cloud.
“Unprecedented quantities of data have undergone processing, whether for data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, telemedicine, or for countless more innovations. All of this is making a huge impact on our lifestyle and the way we do business, forming a “data economy” where owning more data gives you a competitive edge against others,” said Philip Wong, Synology founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Synology is dedicated to building upon DSM, our core platform to solve security, reliability and management challenges. We design our solutions for individuals, all the way up to large enterprises, for even massive datasets. All of this so that our customers can focus on utilizing the data to create more value. I am excited to announce that DSM 7.0 will reach general availability in 2021, bringing you a brand-new experience in data management.”
DSM 7.0 improves all aspects of the operating system, from storage management and the user interface, to cloud-supported functionality such as large-scale device monitoring and on-demand storage.
On-premises Technologies
“Our development teams worked hard to improve usability, reliability, performance, and scalability, the key pillars DSM 7.0 is shaped on,” said Derren Lu, Executive VP of Operating System & Application Group. “Starting with the fundamentals, we completely revamped the storage subsystems, management interface, and even went back to the drawing board on how to make the authentication process easier and more secure. We focused our innovations on building powerful applications and tools that are easy to use, empowering our customers to more easily manage their data and to extract the most value out of it.”
The new storage features in DSM will simplify and greatly accelerate system administrator workflows, making good maintenance practices more accessible than ever.
Smarter, more flexible drive tools
The new drive replacement feature greatly simplifies the process of replacing drives, while making it less taxing on the system. When a drive is nominated to be replaced and a new one is inserted into a spare drive bay, DSM will clone the old drive to the new one without degrading the storage pool.
The auto-repair feature makes remote management of storage pools easier. When a pool is degraded and a drive needs to be replaced, simply login and mark the pool for auto-repair. Instruct an onsite engineer to replace the faulty drive and DSM will immediately start rebuilding the array.
SSD cache is a great way to increase performance, and DSM 7.0 now allows users to add or remove it anytime, without affecting services. The new SSD Cache Advisor is more accurate, analyzing I/O patterns over time, resulting in better suggestions to the user.
Additional storage improvements
DSM 7.0 also brings serious optimizations to subsystems, resulting in:
Up to 80% faster RAID 6 performance
Up to 200% faster SSD cache write-back speeds
Smarter and faster RAID repair by repairing only used space
Increased performance with SSD caching with the option for metadata pinning
Support for up to 1 PB volumes for archival workloads
(Arriving later) Per-volume deduplication for significant storage efficiency gains
Faster and more secure authentication
In DSM 7.0, authentication is more flexible and convenient thanks to Synology Secure SignIn, a new mobile app that enables system administrators to secure accounts effortlessly. Using Secure SignIn, users can do away with passwords and authorize login requests directly from their phones.
Secure SignIn can also be used as a secondary authentication method in two-factor mode, reducing the frustration of copying codes around that is typical of one-time password (OTP) methods. Backups to Synology Account enable continuity when replacing mobile devices.
FIDO2 will also be introduced to offer a secure authentication method that can be used with USB hardware security keys, Windows Hello, and macOS Touch ID. Like Secure SignIn, FIDO2 can replace or supplement passwords, providing users with added security but minimal interference.
Fibre Channel Support & SAN Manager
DSM 7.0 now supports fibre channel protocols for the lowest latency and overhead deployments. We’re also introducing new host alias features that remove the need to remember IQNs or WWPNs and simplify setting up permissions. With that, SAN Manager replaces iSCSI Manager for unified management of block storage.
Better photo management
The all-new Synology Photos builds on top of Moments’ AI-powered features and the organizational flexibility of Photo Station. Users can easily back up photos from their mobile devices or cameras, browse, filter with extensive options, and organize them through Timeline or Folder views. Alternatively, they can create conditional albums to have photos matching specific criteria be automatically added in.
Granular sharing controls, including password protection and expiry dates, ensure that sharing life’s best memories is simple and secure. What’s more, Photos is an entirely on-premises solution, meaning that no network connectivity is required to perform tasks like facial recognition — a must for absolute privacy.
Additional DSM and application improvements
DSM 7.0 includes a host of usability and functionality improvements, giving existing users new management options and capabilities.
Synology Drive Admin Console shows clearer and more detailed information on which devices are connected as well as which files are being shared externally and how frequently
Admin delegation enables IT to have fine-grained control over administrative function permissions, avoiding potential security risks
Permissions exporting and change tracking greatly improve administrators’ auditing capabilities
(Arriving later) Active Backup for Business will support full backups for macOS and Synology DSM platforms
Synology C2 Cloud
“We see the future of IT infrastructure as a combination of both cloud and on-premises solutions. Different challenges require different approaches, and Synology is in a position to create innovative products that maximize the unique potentials of both,” said Jia-yu Lu, Executive VP of Cloud and Backup Group. “Our Synology C2 cloud platform has grown considerably since its inception over three years ago, and we’re excited to now unveil our next-generation features that will help augment both our existing and future solutions.”
On-demand cloud storage
Hybrid Share provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for merging on-prem storage with cloud storage. It allows users to expand their on-prem arrays with on-demand cloud storage at any time, synchronize data quickly over multiple sites by leveraging the bandwidth of those sites, and locally cache frequently downloaded cloud data for faster access.
Monitoring the entire fleet
Active Insight allows monitoring of aggregated performance and usage metrics of all Synology NAS from a single portal. Customized notifications can be created to alert admins of potential issues involving processor loads, storage usage, write latency to LUNs and more. Administrators can also create custom groups and communication channels based on host servers and funnel alerts to specific teams so they can respond in the shortest time possible.
Distributed user directories over branch offices and subsidiaries is a common but tedious process. Synology’s directory as a service (DaaS) solves this by leveraging Synology C2 cloud infrastructure, enabling administrators to combine remote offices into the same directory securely. C2 Directory can leverage on-prem Synology NAS and computers with the dedicated agent installed for caching, ensuring minimal authentication latency and continued access even when offline. C2 Directory will also support device management through Windows group policies and installable agents on macOS based computers.
C2 Directory will arrive later in 2021
Backup without limits
Building on the robustness of Synology C2, we will be introducing a new data protection solution that enables backups directly to Synology C2. Support for Windows and Windows Server, Linux, macOS, VMware and Hyper-V hypervisors, and popular SaaS platforms will ensure comprehensive support for most IT environments. Storage capacity can be scaled for maximum cost-efficiency, and subscribers will enjoy pay-as-you-go flexibility.
The new C2-powered backup solution will enable employees in remote offices and at home to maintain robust bare-metal data protection using their own networks, while bandwidth from head offices will remain available for providing access to internal files and web services.
Additional information will be announced in 2021
Availability
DSM 7.0 will be available as a free update to compatible Synology devices. The public beta will be released tomorrow, December 8, 2020, at https://sy.to/dsm7beta.