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Synology drives cannot simply be pulled from a DiskStation and slotted into a UGREEN NASync. The filesystem layout, the RAID metadata and the application databases all belong to DSM, and UGREEN’s UGOS Pro does not read them. That means every migration is a copy operation, not a transplant, and the plan you build around that fact determines whether the move is calm or stressful.
This guide is for Synology owners who have already decided to move and now need a sequence that protects the data. It covers what carries over cleanly, what has to be rebuilt by hand, how to choose between staging to an external drive and copying NAS-to-NAS over the network, and how to keep both units running during cutover so there is never a single copy of anything important.
If you are still weighing the decision itself rather than executing it, our comparison of Synology, UGREEN and QNAP is the better starting point. Everything below assumes the new hardware is on the way.
What Moves Directly and What Does Not
Plain files move without drama. Documents, photo originals, video projects, ISO libraries and anything sitting in a shared folder are just bytes, and they copy over SMB or rsync exactly as they would between two computers. Folder structures and filenames survive intact.
The parts that do not move are the layers Synology built on top of those files. Synology Hybrid RAID is a Synology volume manager; UGOS Pro offers standard RAID levels instead, so the array has to be created fresh on the new unit. Snapshot history from Btrfs snapshots stays on the old volume and cannot be exported as snapshots.
Application Data Needs Rebuilding
Synology Photos keeps its face-recognition data, albums and sharing links in its own database. The JPEGs and RAW files copy across fine, but albums, tags and public links do not. UGOS Pro will re-index the imported library with its own AI photo features, including recognition of faces, objects, scenes and locations, and build its own album structure from scratch.
Active Backup for Business is the same story. Its backup repositories are a proprietary format tied to DSM, so existing restore points are not portable. Treat them as archive data you keep on the Synology, or on an external drive, until the retention window you care about has passed.
Users, Permissions and Scheduled Tasks
Accounts, group memberships, folder ACLs, SMB share settings and every cron-style scheduled task are configuration rather than data. Screenshot the DSM control panel before you touch anything. A list of users, their groups, which shares they can see and at what permission level takes ten minutes to capture and saves hours of guesswork later.
Choosing the Target Hardware
Bay count matters more during a migration than afterwards, because for a while you want both the old and new copies alive. A two-bay unit mirrored for redundancy gives you one usable volume; a four or six-bay unit gives room to land the data and still add capacity later without a rebuild.
The DXP2800 is the straightforward swap for anyone leaving a two-bay DiskStation. It pairs an Intel N100 quad-core with 8GB of DDR5, 2.5GbE networking, two drive bays and two M.2 NVMe slots, for a stated ceiling of 80TB. The 4K HDMI output and Docker support cover the media and container workloads most DSM users were already running.
- 【Advanced Home Data & Media Hub】For advanced home users who need phone backup, file storage, and centralized data man…
- 【Built for Creators, Media Servers & Advanced Apps】Powered by the Intel N100 Quad-Core CPU, 8GB DDR5 RAM, 2.5GbE netw…
- 【Up to 80TB for Growing Digital Libraries】 Supports up to 80TB of storage using two HDD bays and two M.2 NVMe SSD slo…
If the Synology you are replacing held four or more drives, the DXP4800 Plus is the closer match, with a stated capacity of up to 144TB and a 10GbE port alongside 10Gbps USB. That 10GbE port is genuinely useful during the copy phase if your old NAS and switch can feed it.
- High-Performance NAS with Powerful Procesor: DXP4800 Plus is ideal for small offices, & More. You can enjoy smooth pe…
- Better Way to Store Than External Drives: NAS offers centralized storage, automatic backups, remote access, and a wid…
- Super-Fast Transfers: Back up 1GB in less than a second using either the 10GbE network port or the 10Gbps USB ports.
For larger libraries or small-business workloads, the DXP6800 Pro moves up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 with 10 cores, six SATA bays plus two M.2 slots for a stated 208TB maximum, two 10GbE ports that can be aggregated, and Thunderbolt 4. It supports JBOD, Basic, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10.
- Enterprise-Grade NAS: The 6-bay NAS is engineered for demanding businesses looking for a high-performance NAS with ma…
- Dual 10GbE Network Ports: Two 10GbE high-speed network ports that can be aggregated into 20G bandwidth for download s…
- Unparalleled Processing Performance: With a 12th Gen, 10-core 12-thread Intel Core i5 Processor, processing performan…
Comparing the Migration Routes
| Method | Needs old NAS online | Preserves timestamps | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync over SSH, NAS to NAS | Yes | Yes, with archive flags | Large libraries, resumable transfers |
| SMB mount and drag-copy | Yes | Partially, depends on client | Smaller shares, non-technical users |
| Stage to USB external drive | Only for the export half | Yes, if archive tool used | Slow or saturated networks |
| Hyper Backup target then restore | Yes | Yes, inside the archive | Keeping a verified fallback copy |
| Fresh upload from client devices | No | No | Phone photo rolls and small datasets |
Why rsync Usually Wins
rsync with -avh keeps permissions, ownership and modification times, and it resumes where it stopped rather than restarting a 12TB transfer from zero. Run it from a terminal on the Synology, pointed at an SMB or NFS mount of the UGREEN unit, or over SSH if both have shell access enabled. Run it twice: the second pass catches anything that changed during the first.
When Staging on an External Drive Makes Sense
On a gigabit network a multi-terabyte library can take days. A USB 3.0 external drive sidesteps the network entirely and doubles as a temporary extra copy while you rebuild the array. A high-capacity unit like the 20TB WD Elements Desktop holds most home libraries in one pass, though it ships formatted for Windows and needs reformatting for macOS.
- High-capacity add-on storage.Compatibility : Windows 10 plus, Reformatting required for use with MacOS.
- Fast data transfers
- Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs
The Cutover Sequence
- Verify your existing backup. Not the NAS array, which is redundancy rather than backup, but an off-NAS copy you have actually test-restored a file from.
- Document users, groups, share permissions and scheduled tasks in DSM.
- Install drives in the UGREEN unit and create the array. Our guide to choosing a RAID level covers the RAID 5 versus RAID 6 versus mirror decision now that SHR is off the table.
- Create matching shares and user accounts on UGOS Pro before copying anything, so permissions land correctly.
- Copy data, largest and least-used shares first. Leave active working folders for last.
- Run a final delta pass, then spot-check file counts and open a handful of files from each share.
- Repoint clients: drive mappings, Plex libraries, Time Machine targets, Docker bind mounts.
- Leave the Synology powered on and read-only for two to four weeks before wiping it.
That final waiting period is the part people skip and regret. Missing files tend to surface when someone looks for a tax document or an old video, not during the copy.
New Drives or Old Drives
Buying fresh drives for the UGREEN lets you keep the Synology array intact as a complete fallback, which is the safest configuration available. NAS-rated drives such as the 12TB WD Red Plus are built for multi-bay enclosures running continuously, with CMR recording, a 512MB cache and a stated 180TB per year workload rating.
- Available in capacities ranging from 1-14TB with support for up to 8 bays.Data Transfer Rate:6Gbps.Specific uses: Bus…
- Supports up to 180 TB/yr workload rate | Workload Rate is defined as the amount of user data transferred to or from t…
- NASware firmware for compatibility
Phone Photos, Macs and Other Clients
Phone backup is the most visible change for family members. Copy the existing Synology Photos directory into the UGREEN photo share first, then install the UGREEN mobile app and point auto-upload at the same location. Duplicates can appear where filenames differ; UGOS Pro’s duplicate removal handles most of it, and a short manual review handles the rest.
Mac backups need reconfiguring rather than migrating. Existing sparsebundles are tied to their old target, and the cleanest approach is a new backup destination on the UGREEN unit, as covered in our Time Machine to a NAS walkthrough. Keep the old sparsebundle until the new chain has a few weeks of history.
Docker containers are easier than they look. Compose files move across, environment variables move across, and only the volume paths need editing. Containers holding their own databases should be stopped before their data directories are copied.
Trade-offs and Who Should Stay Put
Moving away from DSM means giving up tooling that has no direct equivalent, in exchange for UGOS Pro’s hardware and a different application set. If your workflow depends on Active Backup for Business for PC imaging, Synology Drive’s sync clients, or deep Btrfs snapshot scheduling, the rebuild cost is real and worth pricing out before you commit.
Anyone whose current DiskStation performs well and whose drives are young has little to gain from the churn. A RAM upgrade often addresses the sluggishness that prompts the idea in the first place. Builders who want full control over the filesystem might skip both platforms and look at a DIY TrueNAS build instead.
The Practical Recommendation
Buy new drives, keep the Synology intact as your fallback, and copy with rsync in two passes. For a two-bay replacement the DXP2800 covers the common home workload; step up to the DXP4800 Plus if you want headroom or the 10GbE port, and to the DXP6800 Pro for larger arrays and link aggregation.
Budget a weekend for setup and documentation, then let the copy run as long as it needs. Rebuild users and shares before data lands, verify by opening real files rather than trusting a progress bar, and give yourself a month of overlap before anything gets erased. If you are adding a UPS or rearranging power for two NAS units during the overlap, follow local electrical code and use a licensed electrician for any in-wall work.
How these picks were chosen: HomeNode compares products using manufacturer specifications, current Amazon listing details and published owner feedback. Products are not tested in-house, and listings change often, so confirm current specifications on the product page before buying.
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