How do you migrate data when upgrading to a new Synology NAS? No need to remove any old drives; 206GB can be moved in two hours, and remember to manually restock all four items
my mom's DS220j is an entry-level model from 2020. Realtek's dual-core chips and 512MB memory can fully load the CPU with rsync running. Back then, used it as a backup device for different locations, pulled a copy of the 206GB photo from my Feiniu every early morning. It did this job for over two years without ever failing. What really made me decide to upgrade was that my mom's phone was almost full of 128GB and I wanted to install Synology Photos for automatic backup of phone photos—a 512MB memory, so don't make things difficult for her.
I got home on the eleventh day and packed a DS220+ (J4025 dual-core, 2GB RAM, much more decent than the old machine) in my backpack (J4025 dual-core, 2GB RAM, much more decent than the old machine), plus two new 4TB Cool Wolf 1,100 yuan. This time, I didn't remove a single old listing; I took the path of network migration, which took two hours in total. Record the process and pitfalls for others who want to upgrade their phones for reference.
first distinguish between two moving paths, don't jump right in and pull the tray
Synology upgrades to new machines, how will data be transferred? Ultimately, there are two paths. The first rule is to unplug drive and plug it directly into the : turn off the old machine, insert the hard drives one by one into the new machine in their original positions, and let it recognize them when you power them on. This path is fast, but only if the old machine is no longer working or you're about to sell it, and the discs are still the same old ones, meaning you only changed the body but never the discs.
The second is the network migration I was doing this time. The official suite is called Migration Assistant, but in the Chinese interface, it's called Migration Assistant. The old machine was left untouched, and data was pulled over the network to the new machine's new hard drive. This is perfect for my situation: I want to replace the hard drive with a new one. The old machine can still boot and transition, but if the new machine has a problem, the old machine can instantly take over. The 3-2-1 backup bottom line never broken.
| Comparison Items | Unplugging and Plugging in | Network Migration (Migration Assistant) |
| Hard Drive | Continue Using Old Disk | New machines paired with new drives |
| old machine condition | must be able to shut down and be discontinued | relocating while running the machine |
| system configuration and user | follow the overall drive | select who to bring |
| during migration | old machine is broken or will be discarded | changing phones and discs, leaving a way out |
three things before I started, I almost wasted one
the first item, the DSM versions of both machines are aligned first. The official requirement is that the source machine starts at DSM 6.0, with recommended 6.2.2 or above, and the target machine must be no lower than the source machine. I directly upgraded both her old machine and my newly acquired DS220+ to the latest 7.2 version, so I wouldn't have to fight over the versions. the usual pre-upgrade photo , take a snapshot first.
the second item, the new machine only does two things: install the system and build the storage pool. I plugged in two new 4TB Cool Wolf drives, set up the pool and storage space, and selected Btrfs for the file system—older machines already use Btrfs, so snapshot capabilities can't be lost when switching devices. Here's a pitfall that the official technical specifications clearly state, but I almost fell into: during migration, the data and system settings already on the target machine will be completely overwritten. In other words, on a new machine, all you can do is install the system and build the pool—don't add anything else. I was itching to set QuickConnect and time zone settings first, but luckily I held back. Even if I did, it was for nothing—the coverage was completely gone.
third, upload a backup configuration from the old machine. Control Panel, update and restore, configure backups, export the bin file and save it on my phone. This is a life-saving move—network migration doesn't involve data from old machines, but it's important to keep a backup before configuring the system, which my stingy habit I've developed three years ago .
entire online migration: two hours, the old machine never stopped
the kit goes in the opposite direction of what many people think: it's installed on a new machine, not on an old one. At first, I thought I had to go to the kit center for an old machine, but after searching for a long time, I couldn't find it. Later, I realized it after checking the official documentation. Step 3: Install Migration Assistant in the center of the new machine package, confirm the storage pool is created, and open the package.
opens a wizard. First, select the source, enter the old machine's IP and administrator account password, and after connecting, it will list the items you can transfer for you to check: shared folder with data, system configuration, users and user groups, and installed packages. I ticked them all. I casually checked the capacity—the target pool must be greater than or equal to the source pool, so I have 4T against 4T, which is safe.
Starting at
, the progress bar started running. 210GB or so, both machines were on my mom's restaurant table, running on gigabit intranet. The first hour was fast, but later the small files slowed down, taking just over two hours in total. During this time, the old machine stayed on standby, and my mom even glanced at the photos on her phone and wasn't affected. The official call this 'maximizing service availability during migration.' In plain terms, old machines are used while migrating, and after the migration starts, the newly generated data is recovered at the end.
the new machine restarted, I was stunned for a few seconds when I logged in—the interface, username, shared folder, even the read-only account I set for her were all there, as if the old machine had been brought over as is. My mom's Huawei phone installed Synology Photos, logged in with her old account, and the photo library went straight to view. auto-backup of photos on her phone she also turned it on. 2GB of RAM runs this without breath.
migration isn't all good; four things need to be manually replaced
Migration Assistant manages the stuff inside the machine; it doesn't handle external relationships. After moving, I checked each one by one, and there were four things I had to do myself.
| be supplemented | why | what should I do |
| the counterside of synchronization tasks | my Feiniu's rsync even pointed to the old machine | changed the push target to the new machine's IP, restarted the check, and checked |
| mobile and computer clients | address changes, and the app connects to the old machine | DS Finder, Photos, and all new containers and license packages are re-added to the new machine |
| Docker and the authorization suite | containers may not crawl on their own | check each status one by one. The monitoring suite authorization requires reactivation |
| timer and power schedule | tasks must be checked with your own eyes before you can count | re-check the clock on and off from the early morning setup |
head is the most important. The official documentation specifically mentions: if the source machine is one end of the shared folder synchronization, after migration, the synchronization relationship must be reconnected on the target machine. My scenario is Feiniu pushing photo copies to her home every early morning. I change the other side's IP, check the logs the next day, the alert push quietly goes no sound, and the new volume is being sold normally, only then can I finally relax.
Old machine, don't rush to make a move
new machine ran steadily for a week before I switched to the old machine. It now has a new role: after clearing redundancy, it is used as local cold reserve downgrade, since two 4T units can still fight. If you plan to sell second-hand, remember to clean the hard drive data before shipping. Quick formatting means nothing was deleted. For mechanical drives, just write zero honestly. I did this for my cousin's old drive once the process is the same.
here's a quick reminder for the transition period: during the days when both machines are on the internet simultaneously, make sure your IP addresses don't overlap. For my new machine, I first use a temporary IP and only change it to the old machine's original address after confirming the old machine is offline, so I won't have to update the push tasks at home again.
what circumstances are worth taking this path
boils down to one thing: old machines can still be turned on, you want to replace the entire unit at once, or if you don't want to lose service during the move, move online; If the old machine is already dead or about to be sold out, there's no choice—just pull out the drive and plug it in. This time, I moved the 206GB in two hours, and the user permissions weren't reconfigured at all. My mom didn't feel the switch, so the 2,500 was worth it.
to wrap things up in order: version alignment, new device pools without any combos, old console backup configurations, then installation and migration; After migration, first add the synchronous end-to-end, then the client, and pass containers and scheduled tasks one by one; Leave the old machine for a week for observation, then clean it before making a move. If you follow this path, you can sleep soundly on the day you change phones.
