Updating Xpenology to DSM7.2

Only use this for test purpose. If you really like Synology DSM and want to use it private or for business you should buy a Synology NAS and pay for the hardware and software.

So, I’m still having my Xpenology setup running. This is for testing purpose only before updating my real Synology NAS, so I can validate the stuff I use is still working or if new features solves my wishes or needs.

I originally install DSM 7.1 on my Xpenology, but I wanted to update to DSM 7.2. Totally forgetting that it was my Xpenology instance, I just updated through the DSM Updater. This did not go well. The update looks like it actually installed, but when it rebooted the DSM 7.2 did not load.

I’m running Xpenology on a VMWare server, which I presented a small guide on “how to install” here.

I solved this quite easy (after reading a lot before hand), and I would like to share how:

1. I downloaded Arc it the latest release. I downloaded the file ending with “vmdk-flat.zip”.
   
   Arc is a customized Redpill Loader for DSM 7.x (Xpenology). It offers enhanced hardwaresupport, addons and semi-automated installation (automated SataPortMap and Diskconfig).
   
2. I unzipped the zip file and uploaded the content to my VMWare server via the “Datastore browser” built-in the Storage section.
   
3. I found my Xpenology virtual machine on my VMWare and I shut it down, so I could change the settings of it.
   
4. I went into settings of the Xpenology virtual machine and deleted the hard disk using the SATA controller 0 and with location “SATA (0:0)”.
   
5. I added an “existing hard disk” to the virtual machine, and pointed the chose the vmdk file uploaded in point 2.
   I made sure that the new hard disk attached was set to use SATA controller 0 and with the location “SATA (0:0). Just like the hard disk I deleted.
   
6. I saved the settings and started the virtual machine again.
   
7. When it booted up, I just inputted by wanted settings in Arc (it’s a GUI wizard), saved and booted again.
   
8. My Xpenology started up perfect again, however with a different IP address than before (before it was fixed through setup in the DSM).
   Because of my original update through the DSM Updater, it also said that there was difference between the version of DSM on the disks and on the loader, and therefore I should run an installer of DSM again. I did – this was just two clicks on the wizard page showing up in the browser.
   
9. After the reboot, my Xpenology was running just like before with all my data and services. I only needed to fix the IP address of the server and everything was found as expected.

So it was quite a “simple” fix for my issue, however took me some time reading about the specific reasons for the issue to occur in the first place. I hope this posts help you for the extra reading hours.