Synology Drive Admin Console

Synology Drive Admin Console is a package automatically installed along with the installation of Synology Drive Server. It is designed to centralize sync settings for administrators to better monitor business properties and resources stored/shared on Synology Drive. To seamlessly sync data among users' different devices, a Synology NAS has to be designated as the host server, and the rest of the paired computers, mobiles, and Synology NAS devices will act as the clients. Before syncing files with client devices, Synology Drive Server is required to be installed on the host server, while a desktop application has to be installed on each client device you would like to sync with.

Note:

Contents

Monitoring Server Status

Administrators can get a glimpse of the overall server usage on the Overview page, including information about connected clients, breakdown by client type, file access information, and usage trend.

Client Device Info offers information on the total number of connected clients as well as a breakdown by client type. This information helps administrators monitor connection status and evaluate the bandwidth usage of each connected device.

Synced Client Last Connection Time ranks the synced clients by connection time, which offers the syncing and pairing status of each device. You can click the arrow at the upper right-hand corner of the Client Device Info section to jump to the Client List page to manage the clients.

Top Accessed Files by External Users allows the administrator to monitor the sharing status of files. Since only publicly shared files will appear in this section, the administrators will be able to take action quickly if the sharing settings of confidential files were set incorrectly. The administrator can choose to rank the files within a specific time period and by either preview counts, download counts, or both.

Package Usage Trend displays usage trends for 3 types of data - file versions, database usage, and Synology Office files.

Note:

Managing Client Connections

Client List allows you to see a list of client devices that have been set up to sync files with your Synology NAS using Synology Drive service. You can see the clients' computer names, the device names used for service authorization, IP addresses, and syncing status between Synology NAS and the clients.

To manage client connections, do any of the following:

Note:

Managing Synology Drive Admin Console Files with File Station

Synology Drive files are saved in your home/Drive folder or Team Folders that have been enabled in Synology Drive Admin Console. You can browse and download historical files via historical versions in Synology Drive as well as in File Station.

To manage Synology Drive files:

  1. Go to File Station, and then browse to home/Drive or shared folders.
  2. Right-click on the file, and then choose Browse previous versions. Here you can see and download the previous versions of the file.

Note:

Log

Log allows you to keep track of what actions have been performed by users within a specific period. You can view the log in its entirety with all events or view events by different folders, which can be selected from the drop-down menu at the top.

To filter logs:

  1. Click the arrow in the search bar at the upper-right hand corner.
  2. In the drop-down menu, you can filter events by:
  3. To reset your filtered log, click Reset and then Search again.

Note:

To export logs:

  1. Open the All Events drop-down menu and select a shared folder from which you would like to export logs. Click Export, and the logs will be exported as a CSV file1.
  2. Exported logs are organized into several categories and actions. Please refer to the tables below for an explanation of the logs.

Data categories included in exported log files:

Category Description
Date Time The date and time when the change takes place
Operator The account that conducts the change
Action The change2
Related Path The file path of the affected file
Related User The home folder of the affected user
Related Share The affected shared folder
Device Name The name of the device on which the change is carried out
Additional Attributes Additional parameters related to the change in JSON format

Action types in exported logs and the corresponding parameters:

Type Description
Start service The Drive package service is launched.
Stop service The Drive package service is stopped.
Enable share [Related Share] is enabled for the Drive service.
Disable share [Related Share] is disabled for the Drive service.
Changed sharing link permissions The file's permission at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is changed from [Additional Attributes:old_permission] to [Additional Attributes: permission] via [Device Name]3.
Created a public link A public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is created via [Device Name]3.
Deleted a public link A public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is deleted via [Device Name]3.
Allow options to download and copy for a public link A public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] created via [Device Name] is allowed to be downloaded and copied.
Disallow options to download and copy for a public link A public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] created via [Device Name] is not allowed to be downloaded and copied.
Set password protection A public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is set with password protection via [Device Name]3.
Remove password protection The password protection of a public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] has been removed via [Device Name]3.
Set link expiration A public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] has been set with expiration via [Device Name]3.
Remove link expiration The expiration of a public link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] has been removed via [Device Name]3.
Set a user / group [Related User] has been set as a [Additional Attribute: role] to a sharing link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] via [Device Name]3.
Remove a user / group [Related User] has been removed as a [Additional Attribute: old_role] from a sharing link of the file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] via [Device Name]3.
Client link [Device Name] is linked to the Drive server.
Client unlink [Device Name] is unlinked from the Drive server.
Restore version The file at the path [Related Path] is restored on the client [Device Name]3.
Restore copy The file at the path [Related Path] is restored to the path [Additional Attributes: restore_to] on the client [Device Name]3.
Restore from Recycle Bin The file at the path [Related Path] is restored from the Recycle Bin.
Delete all versions All history versions of deleted files in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] are deleted in Drive Admin Console.
Rotate version count The number of maximum history versions in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is set to [Additional Attributes: count].
Database volume The volume storing the database is changed from [Additional Attributes: old] to [Additional Attributes: new].
Log rotate count enable The maximum number of logs to be preserved is set to [Additional Attributes: count].
Log rotate count disable The limit on the maximum number of logs to be preserved is disabled.
Log rotate span enable The maximum duration for logs to be preserved is set to [Additional Attributes: count].
Log rotate span disable The limit on the maximum duration for logs to be preserved is disabled.
Log delete All logs are deleted from Drive Admin Console.
Export logs Logs are exported from Drive Admin Console.
Add The file at the path [Related Path] is added to the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] via [Device Name]3.
Remove The file at the path [Related Path] is deleted from the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] via [Device Name]3.
Modify The file at the path [Related Path] is modified in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] via [Device Name]3.
Move The file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is moved to [Additional Attributes: move_to] via [Device Name]3.
Rename The file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is renamed from [Additional Attributes: old_name] to [Additional Attributes: new_name] via [Device Name]3.
Copy The file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is copied to [Additional Attributes: copy_to] via [Device Name]3.
Download file The file at the path [Related Path] is downloaded to the local device.
View file The file at the path [Related Path] in the "home" folder of [Related user] or the Team Folder [Related Share] is viewed via [Device Name]3.
Log rotation policy enabled The rotation policy of logs has been enabled.
Cleaned up Recycle Bin The files are deleted from the Recycle Bin.
Delete from Recycle Bin The file at the path [Related Path] is deleted from the Recycle Bin.

Note:

  1. The character encoding of exported CSV log files is UTF-8. You will need to open the files with a program that supports the UTF-8 character encoding.
  2. For the definition of each file change, please see the above table Action types in exported logs and the corresponding parameters.
  3. The device name is only available if the action was carried out on a computer/mobile/NAS client.

Setting Log Delete Rules

To set log delete rules:

  1. Go to Log > Settings and in the pop-up window, tick Number of logs is greater than to enable the rule and select the number of logs you do not want to exceed in the drop-down menu.
  2. Tick Log time is older than to enable the rule and select the length of time you want to keep logs from the drop-down menu.
  3. You can click Delete All Logs if you wish to delete all logs.
  4. Click Apply to save your settings.

User's My Drive

Administrators are able to enable or disable users' My Drive on Synology Drive by adjusting the option of whether to enable home service.

To enable user's home service and My Drive:

  1. Go to Control Panel > User > Advanced.
  2. Tick Enable user home service.

Note:

Team Folder

Administrators are able to enable or disable syncing specific Team Folders on Synology Drive. If a Team Folder is enabled for syncing, a user with read and write permissions to this folder can sync the regular files as well as the Synology Office files contained within.

To enable the Team Folder sync feature:

  1. Go to Team Folder.
  2. Use the search field at the upper-right corner of Synology Drive Admin Console to find Team Folders.
  3. Select the Team Folder you want to enable and click Enable.

Note:

Managing Historical Versions of Team Folders

Synology Drive Admin Console saves historical versions of each modified file exclusive of Synology Office files.

  1. Go to Team Folder.
  2. Select the Team Folder which you want to edit historical versions and click Versioning.
  3. Enter a value between 1 and 32 in the Maximum Versions field.
  4. Select a Rotation Policy.
  5. Tick Rotate versions regularly and choose a time frame for the regular rotation policy from the drop-down menu.
  6. Click OK to save your settings.

Note:

Managing Files in Synology Drive with Version Explorer

Version Explorer allows administrators to view and manage previous versions of modified or deleted files in synced folders. Administrators can view the history of data by selecting a specific date and time, allowing you to restore data to a point in time altogether.

To manage the historical versions of all the files in Synology Drive:

Version Explorer in Synology Drive Admin Console enables administrators to trace back to previous versions of files and folders under users' My Drive as well as Team Folder on Synology Drive.

  1. In Team Folder, click Version Explorer to launch Version Explorer.
  2. You can browse files from different users' My Drive folders or Team Folder at different historical points by selecting a specific date and time.
  3. At the upper-right corner, click Change after the username in View role to switch viewing identity.
  4. Tick Show deleted files to make deleted files visible in Version Explorer.
  5. Choose a file or a folder, and click any of the following buttons:
  6. You can do more by clicking More and choose any of the following from the drop-down menu:

Note:

Settings

Administrators can customize and fine-tune the syncing settings based on user profiles, log rotation rules, and database location on the Settings page.

Managing Package Usage

To specify the database and Synology Office files locations:

  1. Go to Settings > General, and under Package Usage, select a volume from the Location drop-down menu.
  2. Click Apply to save your settings.

Note:

To check database space usage:

  1. Go to Settings > General, and under Package Usage, click Calculate to calculate real-time Synology Drive package usage.
  2. Click Cancel to cancel the calculation.

To clean recycle bins in Synology Drive:

Adjusting Content Indexing Option

To adjust content indexing option:

  1. Go to Settings > General, and under Content Indexing, tick the checkbox to enable content indexing for newly-added users' My Drive or Team Folder on Synology Drive.
  2. Click Customized indexing settings to edit indexing folders and scope for Synology Drive files.

Note:

Improving System Performance

To improve system performance with unused memory:

  1. Go to Settings > General, and under Performance, tick the checkbox to utilize unused system memory as database cache for performance improvement.
  2. Fill in the percentage you would like to reserve for other applications.
  3. Tick the checkbox to prevent other applications from racing for the memory used as database cache for Synology Drive.

Note:

Configuring Email Notification Service

To configure email notification services:

Go to Settings > General, and under Email Notification Service, click Set up and the system will take you to Control Panel to configure the email notification service.

Changing Users' Display Name

To change the display name:

Managing File Access for Non-admin Users

To manage server resources such as lowering the server load, the administrator can choose to disallow non-admin users to connect to Synology Drive server and sync or back up data from any sync devices such as Synology Drive Client and Synology Drive ShareSync.

Preserving Files Created by Deleted Users

In situations where an user account is to be deleted (e.g., when an employee leaves the company), administrators can use File Ownership Transfer to transfer all the files from their My Drive to an active user.

  1. Go to Settings > General, and under File Ownership Transfer, enter the usernames from and to whom you'd like the files transferred. An autocomplete list will appear as you start typing.
  2. Click Transfer Files to start the transfer.

Managing Sync Profiles

Administrators can configure different sync profiles for each user, and use this function to further refine user privileges.

To manage detailed sync behaviors and privileges:

  1. Go to Settings > User Sync Profiles and click Create.
  2. In the File Filter tab, give your sync profile a name and specify the file sizes and types you don't want to sync.
  3. Go to the Applied User tab and tick the checkbox next to the users you want to add to your sync profile.
  4. Click Apply to save your settings.

Note:

Managing Sharing Permissions

To manage non-admin users' sharing permissions:

Go to Settings > Sharing, and under Sharing Settings for Non-admin Users, tick the checkboxes if you would like to grant non-admin users sharing permissions, including the ability to share files publicly and internally, only internally, or disallow users to share files. Under Sharing Permissions, the administrator can select specific users or groups to grant public sharing permissions, and enforce password or expiration date protection rules for higher security level for public sharing links. Under Internal Sharing Rule, the administrator can select how users can share internal files, either through links, by inviting DSM users or groups, or either.

Note:

Customizing Sharing Link

To force the use of HTTPS:

To enable sharing link customization

  1. Tick Enable sharing link customization and select available domains from the Domain drop-down menu for generating sharing links.
  2. If you wish to customize your own domain for the sharing links, you may select Customized from the above drop-down menu and fill in the desired domain in the Customized domain field.
  3. Click Apply to save your settings.

Note:

For Advanced Users

Storage space utilization:

Synology Drive Admin Console retains historical versions of every change in your Synology Drive so you can easily restore a specific file that has been damaged or deleted by accident to an older version. These historical data will need extra storage on your Synology NAS. Versions of a file are based on the file's base version. As for the following versions, only the differential data will be kept among different historical file versions.

Note:

Properties that are actually synchronized:

Platform File data Mac extended attributes Execution bit Last modified time UNIX permissions Synology ACL Team Folder privilege
Windows - - - - -
Mac OSX - - -
Linux - - - -
DSM (Drive)

The default action for file conflicts:

If two users make changes to the same file simultaneously, Synology Drive Admin Console will compare the last modified time of the two clients and retain the newest version.

Note: