Connecting Synology NAS to Ubuntu Server via NFS

This guide outlines how to mount a shared folder from a Synology NAS to an Ubuntu Server using the NFS (Network File System) protocol.

Prerequisites

• Synology DSM Administrator access
• Sudo privileges on Ubuntu Server
• IP Address of the NAS (e.g., xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)
• Volume path on the NAS (e.g., /volume1/Data)

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1. Synology NAS Configuration

Before configuring the Ubuntu server, you must enable NFS on the NAS.

1.1. Enable NFS Service

1. Log in to DSM.
2. Go to Control Panel > File Services > NFS tab.
3. Check Enable NFS service.
4. Click Apply.

1.2. Shared Folder Permissions

1. Go to Control Panel > Shared Folder.
2. Select the target folder (e.g., Data) and click Edit.
3. Go to the NFS Permissions tab and click Create. | Item | Value | |——|——–| | Hostname/IP | IP Address of the Ubuntu Server | | Privilege | Read/Write | | Squash | Map all users to admin | | Security | sys |

Note the “Mount path” displayed at the bottom of the edit window (e.g., /volume1/Data). Linux is case-sensitive!

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2. Ubuntu Client Configuration

2.1. Install NFS Client

Install the necessary packages to handle the NFS filesystem.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-common -y

2.2. Create Mount Point

Create a local directory where the NAS folder will be connected.

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas_data

2.3. Manual Mount

sudo mount -t nfs xxx.xxx.xxx.xx:/volume1/Data /mnt/nas_data

2.4. Automatic Mount Configuration (/etc/fstab)

Configure the system to automatically mount the folder upon restart.

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the following line to the bottom of the file:

xxx.xxx.xxx.xx:/volume1/Data /mnt/nas_data nfs defaults,nofail,_netdev 0 0

• defaults: Uses default mount settings (rw, suid, dev, exec, auto, nouser, and async).
• nofail: The boot process will continue even if this mount fails (essential for headless servers).
• _netdev: Tells the system that this mount requires network access, so it waits until the network is up

After configuration, run sudo mount -a to ensure it mounts without errors.