Using LabSat 3 Wideband with Synology NAS

Introduction #

To improve the replay functionality on LabSat 3 Wideband units, we have developed the ability to replay a GNSS scenario and load the file store at the same time. This is specifically developed for use with the Synology 918+ 4bay NAS using 4 Western Digital 10 TB WD Red drives (WD100EFAX) giving you 40 TB data storage.

Hardware Connections #

LabSat 3 Wideband is connected to the Synology NAS though a Gigabit Network Switch. This ensures that maximum bandwidth is available between the LabSat unit and the Synology NAS unit while also allowing control of the LabSat unit via LAN. The secondary LAN port on the Synology NAS unit provides a data path to the rest of the user network, allowing files to be copied to and from the NAS.

Initial Setup #

Synology 918+ 4-Bay NAS with DSM 6.2 - 4x newly installed Western Digital 10 TB WD Red drives (WD100EFAX) with LabSat 3 Wideband #

Install the relevant Hard Drives as described in the user documentation for your Synology 918+ NAS unit.
Connect to the website http://find.synology.com/ to locate the NAS on the network.

This page will search for Synology drives on your network and display them.
Select the correct device and click Connect.

When it has connected, you should see a picture of the connected NAS unit.
Click Set up.

If you are prompted to install the latest DiskStation Manager (DSM) software, click Install Now.

This will ensure that the NAS is up-to-date.
Set up a server name along with a username and password.

Example: We use Labsat40TB for the server name, labsat for the username and racelogic for the password.
Click Next.
On the DSM update page, click Notify me of DSM updates and let me install them manually.
Click Next.
When you get the option to set up QuickConnect, you should click Skip this step.
You should now see Synology's Windows-style web interface.

At this point, the Synology unit has 4 disks installed but doesn’t know what format to use or which RAID type to use. The different RAID modes give different benefits such as maximum performance or maximum redundancy.
Follow the instructions on the Synology website to create a storage pool and volume: Storage Manager Quick Start Guide - Synology Knowledge Center

Note: You must select RAID 0 for the RAID Type.
Make sure to select all disks.
Click Next.
Click OK to confirm that all data on the disks will be erased.
The Synology unit will now format and check the disks.

Note: This process is very slow and depending on disk size, can take up to a day to complete.

Click on File Station -> Create -> Create new shared folder.
Set up a name and description for the shared folder
Click Next.

Click Next to skip the encryption settings.
Click Next to confirm the default selection on the Advanced settings page.
Click Apply to create the shared folder.
Click OK on the shared folder page to accept default permissions.
With the share setup, you must enable NFS.

To do this, select Control Panel -> File Services.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, tick the Enable NFS box and click Apply.

Go to Control Panel -> File Services and select Advanced settings.

Select SMB3 for maximum SMB protocol.
Select SMB1 for minimum SMB protocol.

Note: The latest Synology DSM sets the minimum SMB protocol to 2.0 and max to 3.0. This stops LabSat units from mounting as it uses SMB 1.0. Therefore it is necessary to configure Synology for a minimum SMB version of 1.0 (SMB1).
Click Apply.

Connecting to Synology #

When you have configured the Synology NAS, you can connect the LabSat unit to the shared folder. Use the following steps to add an NFS (Network Filing System) mount on the LabSat Web Server.

Select SYSTEM SETUP in the navigation menu.
Click on the Add new button in the NFS Mounts section.
Add the following connection details into the pop-up box.

Name: Give a meaningful name for the connection. For example, MyNAS.

Note: You cannot use spaces.
Server: Enter the IP address of the Synology and the name of the shared folder that you configured in the Synology Setup.

Example: 192.168.0.48/LabsatNAS.

Note: The IP address will change depending on network settings.
Username: Enter the username for the NAS server you want to connect to.
Password: Enter the password for the NAS server you want to connect to.
Click OK to save the settings.

With the new mount configured, you should be able to tick the Connected box in the NFS mounts section to connect the LabSat unit to the shared network folder.

Recording to Synology #

Recording directly to the Synology NAS has limited capability so we recommend that you use the internal SSD for this.

Bandwidth (MHz)	Quantisation	Channels
10	1	1
		2
		3
	2	1
		2
		3
	3	1
		2
		3
30	1	1
		2
		3
	2	1
		2
		3
	3	1
	3	2
56	1	1
		2
		3
	2	1
	2	2
	3	1

Note: This table is based on GNSS only scenarios – capability may change if external data is included!

Indicates an option which requires the current storage device to run comfortably within its operating limits.
Indicates an option which requires the current storage device to run at over 90% of its maximum.
Indicates an option which requires the current storage device to run at over 100% of its maximum.

Replaying from Synology #

The Synology NAS provides 40 TB of storage for LabSat scenarios. You can access the storage via the LabSat 3 Wideband unit, giving you the ability to replay scenarios directly from the Synology NAS.

Bandwidth (MHz)	Quantisation	Channels
10	1	1
		2
		3
	2	1
		2
		3
	3	1
		2
		3
30	1	1
		2
		3
	2	1
		2
		3
	3	1
	3	2
56	1	1
		2
		3
	2	1
	2	2
	3	1
	3	2

Note: This table is based on GNSS only scenarios – capability may change if external data is included!

Indicates an option which requires the current storage device to run comfortably within its operating limits.

Indicates an option which requires the current storage device to run at over 90% of its maximum.

When you have connected to the Synology NAS, you can access the scenario storage directly from the LabSat unit via the Web Server. Select Record and Replay from the navigation menu, to display the currently mounted media content.

You can view the mounted media by clicking on the Current Directory file path at the top of the Record and Replay page. This will display the currently available media locations.

You can view and replay scenarios stored on the Synology NAS by selecting the NAS in the directory table (e.g MyNAS). The page will repopulate with the relevant file structure.

Data Transfer with Synology #

For fast transfer to and from the Synology NAS, we recommend that you attach a USB 3.0 SSD caddy. You can remove the SSD from the LabSat unit, insert it into the SSD caddy and attach the caddy to the NAS for fast file transfer.

You can access the Synology NAS storage via two different methods when you are transferring data, either via the Synology web interface or via Windows File Explorer:

To access the Synology web interface, you must enter the Synology NAS IP address into an internet browser.
To view the Synology NAS storage in Windows File Explorer, enter \\ in the address bar followed by the Synology NAS IP address.