OT: Ping Synology NAS users.

Hi all,

So, based on the advice given here previously (thanks guys) I recommended my elderly friend get a Synology NAS (DiskStation DS216se) with two WD 4TB Red drives in the Synology equiv of RAID1.

One of the WD drives died very early on but has since been replaced and now they both seem to be working well.

So, because I don't have it in front of me and when I am there I'm generally trying to sort out a list of other questions and issues for him, I was just wondering if any Synology users here might advise of any must have apps or just point us in the right direction re our general questions please.

The first was the idea of him allowing his other PC and he and his wife's laptops to be able to share his Epson Photo Stylus 1400 printer. I first set him up a test RPi as a PS and whist that works well, it's doesn't seem to allow the status monitor and apparently that's essential to him (to save on ink during cartridge swaps) and it was the same outcome when using the NAS as a PS. Anyone successfully sharing an Epson USB printer and getting the stats monitor?

Workstation backups to NAS: Ideally I'd like to give him as near as possible 'bare iron' OS and data recovery for his 4 machines.

I'm going to try Macrium Reflect wit him (thanks Chris) but I noticed mention of the NAS being able to do something itself? Bottom line it needs to be as automated as possible as I know it will never get done?

He also uses uTorrent to get hold of old films and I wondered if the Torrent app I spotted in the list of apps on the NAS itself was useable (load the torrent link on the NAS and let it get on wit it etc)?

Cheers T i m

Reply to
T i m
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If he is using torrents, best get a very good anti virus program. I once downloaded a respectable album of Childrens Carols with an embedded trojan in the unzipper. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Haven't used it as a print server, but have you looked at the compatibility list?

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The Download Station seems to do a good job of downloading stuff unattended. Stick in a text file with URLs and it does its thing.

Media Server and Video Station are adequate for my needs.

Reply to
Richard

Install and setup the VPN so you can log in remotely.

Reply to
dennis

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Not used it as I use file history.

Reply to
dennis

We did, yes (but thanks) and whilst the model isn't specifically listed, it found it straight away and we were able to print to it first time. The issue is that I believe most of these print server functions aren't bi-directional and that's what it seems the Print Status Monitor requires to show the cartridge levels.

Ah yes, that was what I spotted (when searching for 'Torrent')

and I suggested to my friend that's how it worked. ;-)

I'm not sure he would make use of those.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Maybe something here?

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See second post from Stuartmds115 with comments about firewall rules.

Reply to
Richard

Unless I've missed the reference in the link, the issue isn't the actual printing but the Epson 'Status Monitor' that shows you the ink levels etc?

FWIW, I temporarily suspended the Firewall on both his PC's (W7/10) but that didn't make the status Monitor work.

Manually allowing the Synology app though the FW (Zonealarm) did allow that to find the NAS though. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Is that a facility provided by the NAS?

Traditionally print servers didn't have a way of reading ink levels, because they're all proprietary and aren't standards-based like printing is (PCL, PS, ESC/P, etc). It seems like CUPS has some support for it, but it's also required in the backend, using something like escputil to chat to the printer over USB.

I don't know how to set up CUPS to enable what they call 'supplies' (ie ink/toner) to be read from the printer at the remote end, and I can't find much documentation about how to set it up. It may be that installing an Epson backend in CUPS (gutenprint?) might do it, but most of the tools seem to assume they're running on the machine the printer is connected to via USB.

So, unless you can occasionally hook in the printer to another machine to check levels, or you can install escputil on the NAS and use it over SSH, I don't think it's going to work.

Theo

Reply to
Theo

It was this bit which I thought may be of use: SYNOLOGY FIREWALL CHANGE FOR PRINTING: Go to your Synology device and the Synology DiskStation. From the MAIN MENU, Select CONTROL PANEL. In the CONTROL PANEL, find and select the SECURITY icon. In SECURITY, select FIREWALL, from the Tabs across the top. In FIREWALL, make sure that LAN is selected in the 2nd line from the top, on the far right. Click on CREATE, which brings up a "Create Firewall Rules" box. Under PORTS, there are 2 options:

1) You can leave Ports set to ALL - this is less secure than option 2. 2) Choose "Select from a list of Applications", click on SELECT, then select the Printer Application you are using--there are 3 so if you are unsure, check all 3 of them: Network Printer, Application Network Printer Network MFP Under SOURCE IP, Select SPECIFIC IP, then click on SELECT Click on IP RANGE, then enter the range of IP addresses for your internal network: Common Internal Network Addresses: From: 10.0.0.1 To: 10.0.0.254 From: 192.168.0.1 To: 192.168.0.254

Under ACTION, select ALLOW Click on OK. You will then see this Firewall Rule listed with a Check mark showing it is Enabled. Now click on SAVE, to save this Firewall Rule.

I was thinking that, maybe, the Epson status monitor is a separate "Network Printer, Application"

Reply to
Richard

Yes, I can't remember the name but you run it and it scans the network for available (Synology) NAS's and once found, gives access to all the other tools / panel etc. I think it worked once when the NAS was picking up it's ip address from DHCP.

I did install some extra stuff on the Pi with that in mind but it didn't seem to help.

Because I didn't find that much to suggest that it was something done easily or predictably I gave up for then (as we had plenty of other stuff to do and he then decided that the 'cost' of going without the status monitor wasn't worth the advantage of network printing for him).

And we might just try that again as he later suggested the machine the printer was attached to was 'on most the time anyway' (so could share the printer).

Or not going to work without the 'special set of (Linux) skills' Theo. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Thanks for the thought Richard.

I did look in the list of applications managed by the firewall (Zonealarm) for the one mentioned in something I Googled to that suggested it was to do with the Status Monitor but couldn't see it. However, 'sleeping' the entire firewall didn't help matters either so I was fairly sure it was something bigger than a firewall issue.

As mentioned elsewhere, when I'm up there next I will try sharing the printer from the PC that hosts it as I have a funny feeling that

*might* provide the remote Status Monitor function (I think I've done it before and it did work).

I'll let you know. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

I could always go in via Teamviewer and one of his PC's if required.

Any idea if these Synology boxes can indirectly support an (APC Smart) UPS?

He has one on the 'Main' PC with apcupsd over the LAN supporting another (and the router / switch) but it would make even more sense to have the NAS protected?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

No, I mean does 'Status Monitor' on the NAS allow users to see ink levels? There are many things a 'status monitor' could do, and it's a bit of a leap that it will do ink levels - unless you have a source confirming it?

Running an Epson app on a PC that isn't attached to the printer isn't going to help, unless it's a network printer.

That's probably your answer.

The other option is to see if you can share the printer from the PC it's plugged into - you still need to be at that PC to read the ink levels, and have it turned on to print, but you can print to it from other machines.

Theo

Reply to
Theo

This?

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Reply to
Richard

Ah, no, this isn't 'a' status monitor Theo but Epsons 'Status Monitor' that monitors the status of the print cartridges (probably along with the status of the last print job etc).

Well, that was my fear but hoped that putting it on a PS might make it a network printer (and it did). ;-)

As it turns out. ;-)

Quite ... and because I *think* I've seen instances of the Status Monitor working on a remote (Epson) printer, I'll test that out when I go there next.

I got him to order a Aten 2 way KVMA switch as his existing one was PS2 and was running a USB to PS2 adaptor on one of the machines. I also unified both his Logitech keyboard and mouse onto one dongle so that it makes it easier to switch (and frees up a USB port) and hopefully means he will be able to switch K & M along with V & A (rather than having two keyboards and mice). ;-)

I also got him to order a 2m Cat5e patch cable with a 90 Deg plug on one end to save him having to make a notch out of the backboard of his PC desk to allow the Synology NAS to sit far enough back. It has to go the right way so as to not foul the two USB sockets on the NAS.

I think I'm going to have to get a Synology NAS for myself as there are a couple of people who I think might appreciate the increased resiliance they should provide.

OOI, would something like the 216se be able to 'push' it's contents onto a fileserver (I think it can, or a USB drive)?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

manage-shut-down/

Erm, yes, that's the idea (thanks) but it's not exactly clear if it will only network to other Synology boxes or talk to other network UPS solutions like apcupsd?

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eg, My mate currently has an ACP Smart UPS powering two PC's and the router (for it's switch function). As only one PC can 'talk' to the UPS (over USB), it becomes the apcupsd 'Server' and the other pc the apcupsd client. As soon as the server machine detects a power outage, it also informs the slave of the same and it starts shutting down straight away, followed by the server, when the battery reaches a certain discharge threshold.

Now what would be nice is to be able to install a suitable app on the Synology box and make that the UPS server and then run compatible apps on both the PC's to follow it's lead?

I was wondering that if the NAS can use 3rd party apps to do all sorts of things, it was possible it could do what I covered above.

Your link suggests it can in principal and between the same boxes, just doesn't state if their protocol conforms to any other (like apcupsd)?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Synology Assistant?

Chris

Reply to
Chris J Dixon

Yes, that sounds like it Chris.

You start it, it 'scans' the network for Synology devices and when it finds one / them, you click on one to be connected to it?

It wasn't an issue as I was connecting to it directly but I wanted to leave it all working as it should for my friend. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

This?

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Reply to
Richard

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