Synology DSDownload Mac App client. Download Station is the client. This allows easy management directly from their desktop instead of opening their browser, logging into the NAS, and going to Download Station. Most of these were off of an NVME drive before the move. I used Steam to create a library on an SMB share mapped to a drive. The latest version of Synology Drive Client is 6.0 on Mac Informer. It is a perfect match for Cloud Services in the Productivity category. The app is developed by Synology Inc.
Now, Synology makes it possible for every home and office to host your own cloud – with 100% data ownership and no subscription fees. See how this changes the way we live and work, access and share data.
Powerful private cloud storage with no recurring fees
With large storage capacities from one to hundreds of terabytes (depending on your choice of Synology NAS and hard drives), Synology Drive makes files readily available whenever and wherever you need them.
Synology Drive
Synology Drive Client
Synology Drive
Synology Drive ShareSync
Seamlessly syncing & backing up
Work across computers in continuity using the desktop app. It's still your native Windows, macOS, or Ubuntu interface, but any changes you make to a file are automatically synced to other devices as soon as they're connected.
- Save the disk space and bandwidth of your PC with On-demand Sync1. See all your files in the synced folders, yet they’re only streamed to the desktop when you open them. Of course, you can always exclude certain subfolders, file formats or put a limit on the file size.
- Still prefer that design you created a week ago? Simply right-click to restore a previous version. Synology’s Intelliversioning algorithm pinpoints the most significant changes over a longer period of time, ensuring that the versions aren’t taken up by all those small recent changes.
- Enable real-time or scheduled backup of important folders so that you always have a copy in case of accidental deletion. The same versioning protects you from ransomware, too.
Collaborate on documents in real time
Say goodbye to the old days when you and your colleagues take turns to edit a file. With Synology Office, you can all work on the same documents, spreadsheets, or slides simultaneously to get the job done much faster.
- Supports converting from and to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in case you still need to collaborate with external clients.
- Review changes made by each user if you wish to restore or lock a specific version.
- Integration with Synology Chat lets you talk to other collaborators directly inside the document.
Streamline cross-office file sharing
For companies that have branch offices in different parts of the world, file sharing can be messy. Synology Drive automates the process by keeping selected folders on different Synology NAS in sync. Employees in each office can then upload or download files from those folders via SMB/AFP at LAN speeds. Learn more
Create your own cloud today
Join a community of over one million who have deployed Synology Drive at their homes or offices.
Notes:
- The On-demand Sync feature is available to Windows 10 clients only.
A few years ago, I decided to go all-in with iCloud Photos. My library was just over 1TB at the time, so I’ve been paying for the 2TB plan ever since (I’ve been collecting photos in my library since 2001 and while it could definitely use a bit of trimming, I don’t think there’s much I want to get rid of).
It’s super convenient to have all my photos everywhere at all times (what’s the point in taking them if you can’t enjoy them?), but I did want to find a way to have a secondary backup solution that doesn’t rely on Photos or iCloud.
I already have a Synology NAS for other backups and as a general storage system, so I wanted to find a way for it to always have an up-to-date copy of my Library.
Why back up the cloud?
So since I’m already paying Apple, why would I want another backup?
Well it basically boils down to wanting an independent backup: what if I lose access to my iCloud account? Or Apple loses my data somehow? Both unlikely, but it can happen.
Options considered
Direct backup
First I looked into ways to get the Synology to pull my photos down directly. There are a few command line scripts that can talk directly to your iCloud account, but they all looked a bit fragile – I want a setup that is going to work reliably and doesn’t require maintenance.
Via Windows
The next option I tested was using a cheap miniPC running Windows 10 and Apple’s iCloud software to copy the files onto the mounted Synology drive.
In hindsight, I’m not sure what I was expecting: the cheap miniPC was temperamental, Windows never stopped updating and Apple iCloud for Windows seemed… well not their main focus, lets put it that way.
It sort of worked, but quickly felt like more hassle than it was worth.
Synology Drive Client Mac Download Mac
Via a Mac
Ok so this is by far the easiest way of doing it, but it does require you have a desktop Mac or a MacBook that
a) has a full copy of your photos library
Synology Drive Download Mac
and
b) Is awake and connected to your network at regular intervals to run the backup
Since my MacBook is usually closed / not plugged in and doesn’t have a full copy of my photo library, I bought a used Mac Mini and hooked it up to an external 2 TB drive. Then I configured Photos.app to store a full local copy of my library.
(Note: Why isn’t this enough backup? My concern is that if my photos are wiped on one device accidentally, the Mac Mini’s library would also be wiped)
Finally I installed Synology’s Backup Mac client on the Mac Mini and told it to monitor the photos directory and mirror those files to the Synology. It’s configured to only add files, not delete them. That way, if my library is ever accidentally wiped, it won’t also delete the files from the Synology backup.
So now I have the following setup;
Synology Drive Desktop Client
- I take or import a picture on my iPhone
- It gets uploaded to iCloud Photos
- The Mac Mini downloads a copy to its Photos Library
- The Synology app copies the photo into its backup
I’ve configured the Mac Mini and Synology to wake up for a few hours every day to do this and so far it’s working really well.
Stuff used
- Synology Drive client app