This section lists the required and optional tools used in the installation procedures.

1. Phillips #2 screwdriver (with a cross tip)
2. At least one 3.5" or 2.5" SATA/SAS drive (See here for compatible models)

Before installing or removing any components in your Synology NAS, review all safety information.

Before working inside your Synology NAS

1. Power off the Synology NAS, including all attached peripherals.
2. Disconnect the Synology NAS from the electrical outlet and disconnect the peripherals.

After working inside your Synology NAS

1. Reconnect the peripherals and connect the Synology NAS to an electrical outlet.
2. Power on the attached peripherals and then power on the Synology NAS.

Preventing electrostatic discharge

Static electricity discharge from a finger or other conductors might lead to system halt, loss of data, or other damages to system boards or other static-sensitive components. This type of damage may also reduce the life expectancy of the Synology NAS.

Prevent exposure to static electricity by doing the following:

1. Avoid hand contact by transporting and storing hardware components in static-safe containers.
2. Keep electrostatic-sensitive hardware components in their containers until they arrive at static-free workstations.
3. Place hardware components on a grounded surface or touch them before removing them from their containers.
4. Avoid touching joints, pins, leads, or circuitry.
5. Always be properly grounded when touching a static-sensitive hardware component or assembly.
6. When handling a hardware component, carefully hold it by the edges or the frame.
7. Use an electrostatic-discharge wrist strap or other ground systems. The Synology NAS should be placed on an anti-static mat (ESD mat).
8. The Synology NAS will provide standby power when it is connected to AC power even if it is powered off. Damage can be done to the NAS if a conductor is accidentally touched and parts are short-circuited under this condition. Before removing the top rear cover, make sure the AC power supply is disconnected.

System reliability guidelines

To guarantee adequate system cooling and reliability, follow the system reliability guidelines listed below.

1. Leave adequate space around the Synology NAS to ensure that its cooling system works well. Leave approximately 50 mm (2 inches) of open space around the front and rear of the Synology NAS. Do not place objects in front of the fans.
2. For proper cooling and airflow, install the Synology NAS cover before you power it on. Operating a Synology NAS without its cover might damage Synology NAS components.
3. If your Synology NAS has air ducts or air baffles, do not remove them while the Synology NAS is running. Operating the Synology NAS without the air ducts or air baffles might cause your system to overheat.
4. Opening or removing the Synology NAS top cover while the system is powered on may expose you to a risk of electric shock.
5. If you must power on the Synology NAS without its top cover, ensure that no one is near the Synology NAS and that no tools or other objects have been left inside it. Do not operate the system without Synology NAS cover for a duration exceeding five minutes.
6. When replacing a hot-swap drive, install the new hot-swap drive as soon as possible.
7. Back up all important data before you make changes to drives.

1. Open the front top cover.
   1. Press the small buttons located on both sides of HD6500.
   2. Slide open the front top cover, then lift it up and put it aside.
      
2. Pull the drive tray out by its handle as shown below.
   
3. Load drives in the drive trays.
   • For 2.5" drives: Place the drive in the drive tray (R5, sold separately). Tighten screws into the four spots indicated below to secure the drive in place.
     
   • For 3.5" drives: Place the drive in the drive tray.
     
4. Insert the loaded drive tray into the empty drive bay.
   

Notes:

• Make sure the tray is completely inserted. Otherwise, the drive might not function properly.
5. Push the handle inward to secure the drive tray.
6. Repeat the steps above to install the other drives you have prepared.
7. Drives are numbered as shown below.
   

1. Unlock the drive tray.
   
2. Open the drive tray.
   1. Find the small button located on the drive tray handle. Press the button down, and the drive tray handle will pop out.
   2. Pull the drive tray handle out as illustrated below.
      
3. Install 2.5" drives: Place the drive in the drive tray. Tighten screws into the four spots indicated below to secure the drive in place.
   
4. Insert the loaded drive tray into the empty drive bay. Push the handle inward to secure the drive tray.
   
5. Lock the drive tray.
   

Optional Synology memory modules are designed to expand the memory of your Synology NAS. Follow the steps below to install, check, or remove a memory module on your Synology NAS.
The following table shows the memory configuration for best practice:

Follow the steps below to install, check, or remove a memory module on your HD6500.

To install the memory module

1. Shut down your HD6500. Disconnect all cables connected to your HD6500 to prevent any possible damage.
2. Open the rear top cover.
   1. Remove the screw on the back of you HD6500.
   2. Press the small buttons located on both sides of HD6500.
   3. Slide open the rear cover, then lift it up and put it aside.
      

Notes:

• When you remove the rear top cover, sensitive internal components are exposed. Avoid touching anything other than the network interface cards when removing or adding them.
3. Remove the screws that secure the ventilation duct cover, pull up the ventilation duct cover, and put it aside.
   
4. Insert the new memory module in the slot:
   1. Push the retaining clips on the slot out to the sides.
   2. Align the notch on the gold edge of the module with the notch in the memory slot.
   3. Apply firm and even pressure to push down the memory module. The retaining clips will snap into position when the module is inserted correctly.
      

Notes:

• Hold the memory module by its edges and avoid touching the gold connectors.
5. Put back the parts you removed in previous steps:
   1. Put back the ventilation duct cover, and fasten the screws you removed in step 3.
   2. Put back the rear top cover, and fasten the screw you removed in step 2.

To make sure Synology NAS recognizes the new memory capacity

1. Install DiskStation Manager (DSM). Please see "Install DSM on Synology NAS" for more information.
2. Sign in to DSM as admin or a user belonging to the administrators group.
3. Go to Control Panel > Info Center and check Total Physical Memory.

If your Synology NAS does not recognize the memory or does not start up successfully, please make sure that the memory module is installed correctly.

To remove the memory module

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of the "To install the memory module" section to shut down your HD6500, disconnect the cables, and then remove the rear top cover as described above.
2. Cut the cable tie before removing the memory module. (The pre-installed memory module is cable-tied to prevent it from loosening during delivery.)
   

Notes:

• Avoid touching any components on the motherboard when cutting the cable tie.
3. Push the retaining clips on the slot out to the sides. The memory module will pop out of the slot.
4. Follow step 5 of the "To install the memory module" section to fasten the top cover back in place.

HD6500 provides two PCIe x8 slot for optional add-in card expansion, allowing network interface cards to be installed.

To install the network interface cards

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of the "To install the memory module" section to shut down your HD6500, disconnect the cables, and then remove the rear top cover as described above.
2. Remove the screw that secures the expansion slot’s cover. Remove the cover from the expansion slot.
   
3. Install the network interface card:
   1. Align the card's connector with the expansion slot and insert the card into the slot.
   2. Fasten the screw that you removed in step 2 to secure the newly inserted card in place.
      

Notes:

• Confirm that the connector is fully inserted. Otherwise, the network interface card might not be able to function properly.
4. Replace the rear top cover by following step 5 of the "To install the memory module" section.
5. Reconnect the cables that were removed, then press the power button to turn on your Synology NAS.

Here we use RKS-03 as an example to illustrate how to install or remove the rail kits. For more information about the rail kit installation, please refer to the Quick Installation Guide that comes with the rail kit.

To install the rail kit

1. Install the rail kit to the rack:
   1. Attach the rear end of the rail kit assembly to the rack.
      
   2. Slide the front latch outward and insert the brackets into the rack holes.
      
   3. Secure the rail screws and install cage nuts as illustrated.
      
2. Extend the inner rail:
   1. Fully extend the inner rail outwards until you hear a click sound.
   2. Pull and hold the rear latch on the inner rail, as illustrated, and continue to pull out the inner rail from the assembly.
      
3. Attach the rail kit to the Synology NAS:
   1. Align the fixing holes of the inner rail to the side of the chassis and slide backward to attach the inner rail.
   2. Secure the rail screws as illustrated.
      
4. With the help of another person, carefully align the inner rails to the outer rail assembly, and push the chassis towards the rack.
   
5. Pull the front latch of the inner rail as illustrated to unlock the inner rail, and continue pushing the chassis towards the rack.
   
6. Push the chassis into the end of rack and use the 4U screws to secure the chassis to the rack.
   

To remove the rail kit

1. Loosen and remove the screws from the rack.
   
2. Pull out the chassis from the rack.
   
3. Remove the chassis from the rack:
   1. Slide outwards the rear latch of the inner rail to unlock the inner rail from the outer rail assembly.
   2. With the help of another person, carefully remove the chassis from the rack. (You may remove all drives first to reduce the weight of the chassis.)
      
4. Remove the rail kit from the Synology NAS:
   1. Loosen and remove the rail screws.
   2. Pull out the middle latch as illustrated.
   3. Slide forward to remove the inner rail.
      
5. Hold the rear latch on the inner rail, as illustrated, and continue to push back the inner rail to the assembly.
   
6. Loosen and remove the rail screws.
   
7. Pull out the brackets as illustrated, and slide the front latch backwards.
   
8. Remove the rail kit from the rack.
   

HD6500 supports RX6022sas (60-bay) expansion units, providing seamless storage expansion when needed. HD6500 also supports multipath I/O for better stability and performance. This section will guide you through how to connect the expansion units to your Synology NAS. Please follow our instructions below strictly to avoid system error.

To connect RX6022sas with HD6500

1. Connect one end of the expansion cable to the primary port of your HD6500 and the other to the expansion port of RX6022sas. Make sure the release band of the cable faces rightward when plugging into the HD6500, and that of the cable faces upward when plugging into RX6022sas; otherwise, the HD6500 and expansion unit will not be correctly connected.
   • For 1 HD6500 and 1 RX6022sas:
     
   • For 1 HD6500 and 2 RX6022sas:
     
   • For 1 HD6500 and 3 RX6022sas:
     
   • For 1 HD6500 and 4 RX6022sas:
     
2. Connect one end of the power cord(s) to the power port of RX6022sas, and the other to the power outlet(s). RX6022sas will automatically power on once the power cords are correctly connected.
   

Notes:

• Your RX6022sas is equipped with a redundant power supply system, allowing for two power cords to be connected. The system may be powered on with only one power cord, but we recommend using both cords to avoid unexpected power failures.
• After you unplug the power cord, please make sure all indicators are off before plugging in the power cord again. Otherwise, the system may fail to boot.
• If you accidentally remove the expansion cable, DO NOT plug it back in right away. When this occurs, the Synology NAS executes a number of tasks to prevent system error. Please wait a few seconds before plugging in the expansion cable again. The time required is 30 sec for 1 connected expansion unit, 60 sec for 2 connected expansion unit, 90 sec for 3 connected expansion unit, or 120 sec for 4 connected expansion unit.
• After you plug the expansion cable back in, please wait a few seconds for Synology NAS to recover data path and work properly. The time required is 60 sec for 1 connected expansion unit, 120 sec for 2 connected expansion unit, 180 sec for 3 connected expansion unit, or 240 sec for 4 connected expansion unit.
• If any expansion unit malfunctions, please remove the malfunctioning expansion unit and replace it with a new one by following the steps in "Connect with Synology NAS".
3. Press the power button on the front panel to power on your HD6500. The expansion unit ID of RX6022sas connected to HD6500 will be displayed in sequence on the back panel.