DS1511+ running Xpenology

[FlorisVN 2]

Hi All,


Currently I have got Xpenology and other operating systems running on my spare DS1511+ Synology diskstation.
It seems that other diskstations like the DS1010+ , DS710+ and some others also have a fully working VGA port which let's you acces the bios and use it as a normal pc.

I have carefully made an back-up of the flash drive module (which contains the grub bootloader) , which is inside the diskstation, and mounted directly on a internal USB header on the motherboard.
See picture for more info about the Flash module.

I want to experiment further with Xpenology, (which run's fine btw) 
 

I made an back-up with acronis (sector by sector), aswell as with CloneZilla before messing with the system.
Right now I have also disconneted and removed the Synology Flash drive module, and tried running it on my own usb flash key.
When restoring the back-up to my own usb flash drive, so far so good.
The diskstation starts up, and can be seen with the synology assistant, but unfortiontly when installing DSM I always get error (13), saying that the files are corrupted.
When searcher online, I can accros that it might be the VID / PID valeus that are different and need to be changed in the grub boot loader.

 

 

Please see following example of my current GRUB config file, I have added my own USB flash drive VID and PID Valeus to id.

title SYNOLOGY_1
root (hd0,0)
hw_model
kernel /zImage root=/dev/md0 ihd_num=0 netif_num=1 syno_hw_version=DS1511+ vid=0x0930 pid=0x6544 l
initrd /rd.gz


title SYNOLOGY_2
root (hd0,1)
cksum /grub_cksum.syno
vender /vender show
hw_model
kernel /zImage root=/dev/md0 ihd_num=0 netif_num=1 syno_hw_version=DS1511+ vid=0x0930 pid=0x6544 l
initrd /rd.gz

 

 

 

How many of you are expermineting with this ?

 

Thanks in advance for your time and support,

 

With kind regards,
Floris from the Netherlands
 

[HellG 0]

Hi Floris,

I have an DS710+ which is running on DSM 6.0. For this I made a special update file from a DS712+ which I described here: https://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=128&t=79640&start=225#p426748 . This worked quite well, but the newer DSM versions use different checking methods and the update to any higher version using this method fails. Now I think it should be possible to run a higher version using the Xpenology approach of a custom bootloader. You say that you install and run it on your system by using the build-in flash module but it fails if you install the system when use another USB stick? I would just like to run a more recent DSM and would like to try the Xpenology bootloader. If this means that I have to install it on the internal flash drive I am fine with that but it would be much easier to switch back to my working system if I could test it with another USB stick and a spare harddisk first. Any further information of how to follow the instructions would be helpful. Thank you.

 

Best regard,

HellG

 

[FlorisVN 2]

8 hours ago, HellG said:

Hi Floris,

I have an DS710+ which is running on DSM 6.0. For this I made a special update file from a DS712+ which I described here: https://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=128&t=79640&start=225#p426748 . This worked quite well, but the newer DSM versions use different checking methods and the update to any higher version using this method fails. Now I think it should be possible to run a higher version using the Xpenology approach of a custom bootloader. You say that you install and run it on your system by using the build-in flash module but it fails if you install the system when use another USB stick? I would just like to run a more recent DSM and would like to try the Xpenology bootloader. If this means that I have to install it on the internal flash drive I am fine with that but it would be much easier to switch back to my working system if I could test it with another USB stick and a spare harddisk first. Any further information of how to follow the instructions would be helpful. Thank you.

 

Best regard,

HellG

 

Hi HellG,

Xpenology should run fine on your DS710+ , which gives a lot more life to your diskstation !
I really recommend making a back-up of your original Synology USB flash module, and taking it out of the diskstation.
This way you can never damage it, so the diskstation will be bricked, keep in mind some users on the web repported that they have accidentally erased or damaged their original flash module.
If it's damaged (formated or ereased) your diskstation can't never boot again into the original firmware..

So making a good back-up, and putting the flash module out of the motherboard, and put it safe away is reccommended !

I have made a sector by sector back-up of the original flash module..
 

 

As far as booting, your diskstation has a VGA port, which gives you the option to boot and see the bios screen, and select the a Xpenology usb stick for example too boot from.
You can also hook-up a usb keyboard, should be no problem..

I'm also pretty sure you can just migrage your disks to Xpenology, should't be a problem..
Make a back-up of course, and configuration back-up before you start is reccomended..

Please let us know if Xpenology also works on your DS710+

And feel free to ask questions...

[FlorisVN 2]

p.s

Another way of a more clean approach of running newer DSM versions on your DS710+ would be to clone a DS712+ or DS713+ flash module to a USB Stick, with the correct VID/PID values.
This way you are not running Xpenology, but original firmware on a higher model number...
You can try this of course, but it can be very hard I guess to find back-ups of the DS712+ or DS713+ flash module..
 

I'm currently in the progress of testing this with my DS1511+
One of these these IG-88 has send me over a modded flash drive, which has the same PID/VID as the original Synology flash module...

[HellG 0]

Hi Floris,

I think the USB flash is also updated during the update so it should be possible to extract the kernel and initial ramdisk and boot from these. Maybe I will try this with a usb stick.

[FlorisVN 2]

@HellG ,

Its only possible to succesfully boot your clone with a USB flash drive with the Synology PID/VID valeus on it.
You need to modify your usb drive, in order to make this possible.

But I always reccomend making a back-up of your original USB flash module, and putting it a side, so no harm can be done and bricking becomes impossible.

 

But indeed extracting the kernel and initial ramdisk could, be worth trying !
I have another DS1512+ and want to try the it on my DS1511+..
 

How is your testing going so far.. ?

I'm pretty sure Xpenology bootloader will btw run just fine btw on your DS710+
Since it works fine on my DS1511+

Best regards,
Floris