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Synology Client - Start Guide
Synology Client - Start Guide

Getting Started Guide for Backup Intelligence on Synology

Updated over a year ago

To backup Synology is charged per device and per TB.

At https://bi.loopbackup.com offers two downloads for Synology: one for DSM 6 and one for DSM 7. Due to Synology packaging rules, these SPKs are not interchangeable.

SPKs are available for Synology NAS' which meet the following requirements:

  • CPU: x86_64, i686, ARMv7, or ARMv8

  • DSM version: 6 or 7

The Synology SPK does not include a graphical client. Instead, creating Protected Items and running backups and restores can be done from https://bi.loopbackup.com.

Installation​

DSM 6 only: Installation of packages published by any publisher must be allowed before Backup Intelligence can be installed. This setting can be enabled from the Package Center; in Settings > General > Trust Level, select the "Any publisher" radio button and accept the settings.

Installation of Backup Intelligence on a Synology NAS follows the same process as installing any other SPK:

  1. Open the Package Center

    • If on DSM 6, ensure the settings noted above have been applied.

  2. Click "Manual Install" in the top right

  3. Upload the .spk file downloaded from https://bi.loopbackup.com

    • If on DSM 7, accept the prompt to allow the installation of a third-party package.

  4. Accept the license agreement

  5. Enter credentials the server address bi.loopbackup.com and user

    • If a previous version of Backup Intelligence has been installed on the NAS and its settings were not removed when it was uninstalled, the installer will automatically detect the credentials. Leaving all fields blank will reuse the existing credentials; new credentials can also be entered as usual and will take precedence.

  6. Click "Apply" to complete the installation

Permissions​

On DSM 7, Backup Intelligence runs a special package-specific user named backuptool. In order to perform backups and restores, this user must be granted permissions to access the appropriate Shared Folders. This does not apply to DSM 6.

  1. Log in to the Synology NAS

  2. Open the Control Panel and go to Shared Folders

  3. Select the Shared Folder containing the data to be backed up and click Edit

  4. In the Permissions tab, select "System internal user" from the dropdown menu on the left

  5. For the user backuptool, click the checkbox in the Custom column

  6. In the dialog that appears, ensure the following:

    1. "Apply to:" is set to "All"

    2. All permissions are checked

Limitations​

Due to restrictions placed on packages by Synology for DSM 7, Backup Intelligence runs as a special package-specific user, which results in some limitations:

  • Remote upgrade/uninstall is not supported. This is because third-party SPKs are no longer allowed to run as root, which means Backup Intelligence cannot initiate a package upgrade/uninstall from within a package itself.

  • When performing a restore to a Synology NAS, permissions/ownership may not be restored correctly. This is because a package user is not allowed to chown to a user other than themselves.

After installation​

The Synology SPK does not provide a graphical client for Backup Intelligence. Creating Protected Items and manually running backups or restores is done from https://bi.loopbackup.com

Creating a Protected Item can be done from the Protected Items tab on the user's page:

Backups and restores can be run by selecting the connection to the online Synology device from the Devices tab on the user's page:


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