Knowledge Center

Server

With CMS, you can add multiple managed servers to the CMS Host, which means you'll be able to monitor and manage configurations of your entire fleet of Synology NAS servers from one place. Once CMS has been installed on the CMS Host, you can start adding managed servers according to the instructions below.

To add a server with DiskStation Manager (DSM) installed:

  1. Log into the CMS Host (i.e. the Synology NAS server on which CMS is installed).
  2. Go to CMS > Server.
  3. Click Add.
  4. When setup wizard appears, choose Add server.
  5. Choose one of the following methods to continue:
    • Add servers from local network: Choose this option to add one or multiple servers that are located in the local network. This option requires the administrator account and password are the same on every server, and the administrator account cannot have 2-step verification enabled.
    • Add single server according to IP address, FQDN, or QuickConnect ID: Choose this option to add a single, remote server by entering the IP address, FQDN, or QuickConnect ID of the server.
    • Upload server list: Choose this option to add multiple servers with a list in csv. format. Please go to To create a server list section for detailed steps.
  6. Follow the instructions of the wizard to finish.

Naming and Password Rules:

When installing DSM on new servers, you'll be prompted to specify a prefix for managed server names and password for the administrator account on each server. Please note the following:

  • Server name prefix can include 12 letters, numbers, underscores, and dashes. The first character must be a letter.
  • Admin passwords can include 127 letters, numbers, symbols, etc.

Note:

  • Once a server has been added, the following events occur:
    • A system user account SynologyCMS is created on the managed server. This account is used for the CMS Host to access and modify settings on the managed server. It is added to the administrators group and cannot be deleted until the server is removed from the CMS Host.
    • A tab appears at Control Panel > CMS on the managed server. This tab includes options to disjoin from the CMS Host or enable centralized CMS notification.
  • Only users belonging to the administrators group have permission to add or disjoin a managed server.

To create a server list:

  1. Open a new Excel spreadsheet.
  2. Enter server's information in the following order and seperate them by column in a single row.
    • Protocol (http, https, or quickconnect)
    • IP address
    • Port
    • Username
    • Password
    • Description
  3. Repeat step 2 to enter multiple servers' information into the list. Each row represents a server.
  4. Save the spreadsheet in .csv or .txt format.

Note:

  • Description field is optional.
  • File encoding must be in UTF-8 format.

To import the server list:

  1. Follow steps 1 to 4 in section To add a server with DiskStation Manager (DSM) installed.
  2. Choose Upload server list.
  3. Click Browse to choose the file of the server list. After the file is uploaded, the list of imported server will be shown in the preview.
  4. Click Next to allow system to perform authentication check.
  5. Click Apply to proceed.

Note:

  • If a server didn't pass the authentication check, an alert window will pop up to inform you the possible cause of such failure. Under this circumstances, you can click Yes to ignore the unanthenticated server or click No and go back to previous step to modify your server list.
  • Password will not be shown in the preview for security purpose.

To add a server and install DiskStaiton Manager (DSM) simultaneously:

  1. Log into the CMS Host (i.e. the Synology NAS server on which CMS is installed).
  2. Go to CMS > Server and click Add.
  3. When the setup wizard appears, choose Add server and install DiskStation Manager (DSM).
  4. Follow the instructions of the wizard to finish.

To remove a managed server:

  1. Select the server to remove.
  2. Click Remove.

Note:

  • CMS related logs remain after the server is removed.

Managed Servers

A list of managed servers displays basic information related to the status of each server and simple management options, including the following buttons:

  • Edit: Includes options to modify the connection settings for the selected server.
  • Connect: Allows you to log into the selected server in a new browser window or tab. The system user account SynologyCMS is used to login.
  • Action: Includes options to shutdown or reboot the selected server.
  • Refresh: Fetches the most recent status and information of all servers.

When a server is selected, the following tabs appear and display information related to the server:

  • General: Basic system and hardware information, such as model name, CPU, physical memory, DSM version, and external devices.
  • Network: Network information, such as server name, DNS server, and IP address.
  • Volume: Storage related information, such as the number of volumes, volume capacity, and free space.
  • HDD/SSD: Hard drive related information, such as model, temperature, interface, and capacity.
  • Applications: Applications and packages installed on the server. You can click an application or package to open it. Some packages, like Control Panel or Resource Monitor, can be opened in the same browser window.

Note:

  • Only users belonging to the administrators group can view all managed servers. Other users can view managed servers to which they have been delegated management permission.
  • Information related to the server is periodically fetched and updated. Leaving this page open prevents the managed server from entering hibernation.