This page will take a look at DSM's important applications and settings. You will have to deal with all of these at least once.

Control Panel

The most important icon on the desktop is that of the Control Panel because it contains DSM's settings and functions. All choices are categorized into four main categories: File Sharing, Connectivity, System, and Application. All icons are also quite self-explanatory and nicely designed.

Shared Folders - Guest Account

You will have to create some folders and give permissions to them in order to give specific users or groups access. This can be done through the Shared Folder menu of the Control Panel. This menu also allows you to modify access privileges in shared folders, delete them, or encrypt them with AES 256-bit encryption, which makes all unauthorized access attempts impossible.


You will have to enable the guest-user-account option if you want some of your shared folders to be accessible by guests.

File Services

You will have to enable the corresponding file service for the OS your client PC(s) use for the shared folders on the NAS to be seen by the network. You can also enable the FTP and TFTP services in the Files Services menu.

Network Settings

The Network Settings tab allows you to team two Ethernet ports for a boost in reliability or speed. You can also manage and implement traffic-control rules should you wish to pre-determine which outgoing traffic is allowed when clients access services on your Synology NAS—these options also allow you to configure HTTPS settings or change port number(s) for DSM access.

Info Center

Info Center lists the NAS' hardware specifications and comes with an overview of its services, the network, and its storage devices. A green icon under Thermal Status in its first tab denotes a normal state, while orange is indicative of high internal temperatures that will cause the NAS to shut down at any moment to prevent components from overheating. Hover over these icons with your cursor and the CPU's temperature will be displayed.

Resource Monitor

Use the Resource Monitor to monitor your system's resources—these include CPU usage, memory usage, disk utilization, and network transfer speeds. You can monitor resources in real time or view bygone data.

DSM Update

Updating the DSM OS is a real piece of cake because of the above menu. Every time a new version is available, you will get a notification that sits on top of the Control Panel's icon. At the time of review, the most recent DSM was 5.2, and Synology lists all its improvements here.