Also FWIW, you can run the Synology OS itself (DSM) on general x86 hardware or VMs via the Xpenology [1] bootloader which is pretty awesome. The DSM is a fairly

Also FWIW, you can run the Synology OS itself (DSM) on general x86 hardware or VMs via the Xpenology [1] bootloader which is pretty awesome. The DSM is a fairly single-admin friendly network applicance OS anyway with a decent GUI and support. Of course, their NAS hardware offerings make the whole thing more appliance-like and with official support, but if the matrix doesn't fit your needs or desires (I wanted my data on ZFS for example) DSM on your own hardware may still be worth giving a look. I actually like Synology's software in some ways more than their hardware for many use cases, kind of wish I could just officially buy a license for that (though I guess it works for them in that familiarity means I have recommended them to some small businesses). ---- 1: https://xpenology.org/ https://xpenology.org/