🚀 NAS – P6 Synology NFS Setup for Proxmox

Mount NAS Storage Step by Step (Complete Guide)

In modern virtualization environments, shared storage plays a critical role in flexibility, scalability, and high availability.

If you are running Proxmox VE and want centralized storage for VMs, backups, or ISO files, integrating Synology NAS via NFS is one of the most efficient solutions.

In this tutorial, we will configure:

• 📦 Synology NFS Service

• 🔐 NFS Permission Settings

• 🖥️ Mount NAS Storage on Proxmox

• ⚙️ Best Practices for Production

This guide is ideal for:

• 🖥️ Virtualization administrators

• 🏢 SMB infrastructure deployments

• 🏠 Home lab engineers

• 🔧 IT professionals building private cloud

📌 Why Use NFS for Proxmox?

When integrating NAS with Proxmox, you typically choose between:

• NFS

• iSCSI

• SMB

For many environments, NFS is preferred because:

✅ Simple configuration
✅ Native support in Proxmox
✅ Lightweight protocol
✅ Stable performance
✅ Easy troubleshooting

For home labs and SMB virtualization, NFS provides the best balance between simplicity and reliability.

🖥️ Step 1 – Enable NFS Service on Synology

Before mounting storage in Proxmox, NFS must be enabled on Synology DSM.

1️⃣ Login to DSM (DiskStation Manager)
2️⃣ Navigate to Control Panel → File Services
3️⃣ Go to the NFS tab
4️⃣ Enable NFS Service

💡 Recommended: Keep default NFS version unless your environment requires specific compatibility settings.

Once enabled, Synology is ready to export shared folders via NFS.

📂 Step 2 – Configure NFS Permission on Shared Folder

Enabling NFS service alone is not enough. You must grant NFS permission to the specific shared folder.

1️⃣ Go to Control Panel → Shared Folder
2️⃣ Select your desired folder
3️⃣ Click Edit → NFS Permissions → Create

Configure the following:

• 📌 Hostname or IP: Proxmox server IP

• 📌 Privilege: Read/Write

• 📌 Squash: No mapping

• 📌 Security: sys

⚠️ Important:

Make sure you enter the correct Proxmox IP address. Incorrect configuration will result in mount errors.

Best Practice:
Restrict access to specific IP addresses instead of allowing all clients.

🖥️ Step 3 – Add NFS Storage in Proxmox VE

Now we move to the Proxmox side.

1️⃣ Login to Proxmox Web Interface
2️⃣ Navigate to Datacenter → Storage → Add → NFS

Fill in the required fields:

• 📌 ID: Storage name (e.g., Synology-NFS)

• 📌 Server: Synology IP address

• 📌 Export: Select the shared folder

• 📌 Content: Choose storage types (Disk image, ISO, Backup, etc.)

Click Add.

If everything is configured correctly, the NFS storage will appear immediately.

🔍 Step 4 – Verify Mount Status

After adding NFS storage:

• Check if storage shows as Active

• Try uploading an ISO file

• Test VM disk creation

• Test backup job

You can also verify from Proxmox shell:

If mounted successfully, your NAS storage is now integrated with Proxmox.

⚙️ Performance & Best Practices

For production or stable home lab environments, consider:

🔒 Use dedicated storage network (separate VLAN if possible)
🔒 Use Gigabit or 10Gb network
🔒 Enable Jumbo Frames (if supported)
🔒 Monitor latency and throughput
🔒 Avoid running heavy backup and VM workloads simultaneously

Additionally:

📈 Monitor NAS performance via DSM Resource Monitor
📊 Monitor Proxmox I/O delay

🏢 Real-World Deployment Example

Example environment:

• Proxmox VE cluster (2 nodes)

• Synology NAS with RAID 5

• NFS used for:

  • VM backups

  • ISO repository

  • Template storage

Benefits achieved:

✔ Centralized storage
✔ Easier backup management
✔ Reduced local disk usage
✔ Simplified infrastructure

For SMB environments, this setup is cost-effective and highly practical.

🔐 Security Considerations

When using NFS:

• Avoid exposing NAS directly to the internet

• Restrict NFS access by IP

• Disable unnecessary services

• Regularly update DSM firmware

• Schedule automatic backup

Security is often overlooked in home labs — but should never be ignored in production.

🎯 Final Thoughts

Integrating Synology NAS with Proxmox via NFS is one of the most powerful and practical storage solutions for virtualization environments.

Whether you’re building a home lab or deploying infrastructure for a small business, this setup provides:

• Scalability

• Simplicity

• Stability

• Professional-grade storage management

Mastering NFS integration is an essential skill for any IT infrastructure engineer.