05-16-2025, 11:32 AM
Thank you for your thoughtful message, and I really appreciate your kind words! You're absolutely right — many users are now re-evaluating their options as Synology's ecosystem becomes more closed and restrictive, and UGreen’s new NAS lineup is stirring interest.
To answer your questions point by point:
1. Data Migration from Synology to UGreen
Direct migration by moving drives from a Synology NAS (like the DS218+) to a UGreen NAS won’t work — the file systems, partition layout, and OS-level structures are completely different. Synology uses a customized version of Linux and SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which UGreen won’t recognize.
Instead, you’ll want to copy the data over the network:
Use rsync, SFTP, or SMB to transfer files from the DS218+ to the UGreen NAS.
You can also use Synology Hyper Backup to back up your data to a temporary external drive, then copy it manually to the UGreen.
This method ensures clean data migration without breaking anything.
2. Can You Move a Drive One-by-One?
Unfortunately, no — you cannot remove one drive from a Synology NAS, put it into a UGreen NAS, and expect to access the data. SHR is not supported on UGreen, and even standard ext4 partitions are often structured in ways that other NAS platforms don’t natively support.
If your DS218+ is using SHR or RAID1:
You can connect the Synology drive to a Linux machine and try to mount it manually for read-only access — but this is a more advanced method.
The safest approach is to use the network to migrate, as described above.
3. Using Synology as a Backup for UGreen
Yes, this is actually a great idea!
While UGreen doesn't currently have an equivalent to Synology’s Hyper Backup, you can:
Mount your UGreen shared folders via NFS or SMB on the Synology and use Hyper Backup to copy data from Synology to UGreen or vice versa.
Or, from the UGreen side, set up rsync or scheduled file sync tasks to push backups to the Synology.
There are also third-party tools you can run in Docker (if the UGreen NAS supports it), like:
Duplicati
Restic
Rclone
These can help automate versioned backups to local or cloud destinations.
Final Thoughts
You're absolutely not alone — a lot of users are exploring ways to break away from Synology’s walled garden without losing reliability or features. UGreen is promising, especially with its support for Docker and open Linux base, but it’s still maturing in terms of software.
Your idea of using the DS218+ or even the old DS213j as a backup NAS is solid — it keeps your older devices useful and adds an extra layer of safety.
To answer your questions point by point:
1. Data Migration from Synology to UGreen
Direct migration by moving drives from a Synology NAS (like the DS218+) to a UGreen NAS won’t work — the file systems, partition layout, and OS-level structures are completely different. Synology uses a customized version of Linux and SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which UGreen won’t recognize.
Instead, you’ll want to copy the data over the network:
Use rsync, SFTP, or SMB to transfer files from the DS218+ to the UGreen NAS.
You can also use Synology Hyper Backup to back up your data to a temporary external drive, then copy it manually to the UGreen.
This method ensures clean data migration without breaking anything.
2. Can You Move a Drive One-by-One?
Unfortunately, no — you cannot remove one drive from a Synology NAS, put it into a UGreen NAS, and expect to access the data. SHR is not supported on UGreen, and even standard ext4 partitions are often structured in ways that other NAS platforms don’t natively support.
If your DS218+ is using SHR or RAID1:
You can connect the Synology drive to a Linux machine and try to mount it manually for read-only access — but this is a more advanced method.
The safest approach is to use the network to migrate, as described above.
3. Using Synology as a Backup for UGreen
Yes, this is actually a great idea!
While UGreen doesn't currently have an equivalent to Synology’s Hyper Backup, you can:
Mount your UGreen shared folders via NFS or SMB on the Synology and use Hyper Backup to copy data from Synology to UGreen or vice versa.
Or, from the UGreen side, set up rsync or scheduled file sync tasks to push backups to the Synology.
There are also third-party tools you can run in Docker (if the UGreen NAS supports it), like:
Duplicati
Restic
Rclone
These can help automate versioned backups to local or cloud destinations.
Final Thoughts
You're absolutely not alone — a lot of users are exploring ways to break away from Synology’s walled garden without losing reliability or features. UGreen is promising, especially with its support for Docker and open Linux base, but it’s still maturing in terms of software.
Your idea of using the DS218+ or even the old DS213j as a backup NAS is solid — it keeps your older devices useful and adds an extra layer of safety.