Non-specialist struggling with a Synology NAS
Posted: 2022-12-12 23:28:41
The following is partly a question, partly an exercise in letting off steam. Any reactions welcome, but I'll understand if nobody has a solution.
As noted in my recent message [https://www.nisus.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12159] on the Nisus Writer Pro forum, I've become the not-so-proud owner of a Synology network attached storage device.
It didn't take long after the technician who installed it had left the house for me to realise that I was going to be seriously out of my depth, and that it wasn't at all what I'd expected. I think I'm in large part responsible for this situation, although I also feel that the folks who sold me the new gadget were keener to make a sale than to understand my specific needs.
I'd asked the tech company that's reliably maintained my Macs for several years now for a system that would allow me to synchronise my two computers (a desktop and a portable) without having recourse to the cloud. They thereupon suggested Synology. On paper, or rather on the screen, it all sounded very cool.
Among my requests to them, I specifically mentioned that I needed to be sure that my computers could continue to function independently of the NAS, in the event of the latter being unavailable for some reason.
It was only when their technician arrived to set up the system—ie after I'd accepted their estimate—that I understood that for each computer to function, it would need to first connect to the NAS, which was where the master copies of all of my files would be located. If I wanted to use one of my machines offline, for example, I'd first need to make sure that all the relevant files had been copied onto it from the NAS, and then once back in the office, I'd need to copy them back to the latter before doing anything else.
Furthermore, I hadn't realised that not all of my software systems could be managed by the NAS. If I correctly understood the technician, Apple Mail, for example would need to reside separately on each computer, with its own files. And as for Photos or Bookends, my heart sinks at the prospect of trying to get them to work via the new system.
I was naively expecting to get a system that "just worked", and instead I find myself having to struggle with an entire new system, external to my Macs, when I already don't even understand the latter well enough.
I've stopped updating the NAS, which sits there sulking in a corner of my office, and am wondering what might be the best way to recoup even a small part of my expenses, without it taking up too much more time.
Any advice?
As noted in my recent message [https://www.nisus.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12159] on the Nisus Writer Pro forum, I've become the not-so-proud owner of a Synology network attached storage device.
It didn't take long after the technician who installed it had left the house for me to realise that I was going to be seriously out of my depth, and that it wasn't at all what I'd expected. I think I'm in large part responsible for this situation, although I also feel that the folks who sold me the new gadget were keener to make a sale than to understand my specific needs.
I'd asked the tech company that's reliably maintained my Macs for several years now for a system that would allow me to synchronise my two computers (a desktop and a portable) without having recourse to the cloud. They thereupon suggested Synology. On paper, or rather on the screen, it all sounded very cool.
Among my requests to them, I specifically mentioned that I needed to be sure that my computers could continue to function independently of the NAS, in the event of the latter being unavailable for some reason.
It was only when their technician arrived to set up the system—ie after I'd accepted their estimate—that I understood that for each computer to function, it would need to first connect to the NAS, which was where the master copies of all of my files would be located. If I wanted to use one of my machines offline, for example, I'd first need to make sure that all the relevant files had been copied onto it from the NAS, and then once back in the office, I'd need to copy them back to the latter before doing anything else.
Furthermore, I hadn't realised that not all of my software systems could be managed by the NAS. If I correctly understood the technician, Apple Mail, for example would need to reside separately on each computer, with its own files. And as for Photos or Bookends, my heart sinks at the prospect of trying to get them to work via the new system.
I was naively expecting to get a system that "just worked", and instead I find myself having to struggle with an entire new system, external to my Macs, when I already don't even understand the latter well enough.
I've stopped updating the NAS, which sits there sulking in a corner of my office, and am wondering what might be the best way to recoup even a small part of my expenses, without it taking up too much more time.
Any advice?