Usbmap Tutorial

[Heartbreak Writhe]

RedPillis the core technology that enables DSM 7.x to run on non-Synology hardware. This post is intended to serve as a definitive tutorial/reference for configuring @pocopico's TinyCore RedPill (TCRP) loader. It explains how to install TCRP on baremetal, i.e. with DSM as the only operating system on your NAS hardware. A tutorial to install TCRP using the ESXi hypervisor is located here. There are other hypervisor tutorials in the Tutorials and Guides forum.

TCRP uses a two step-process. First, a Linux OS (TinyCore) boots and evaluates the NAS hardware configuration. Therefore, it is best to have the hardware you plan to use (disk controllers and network cards in particular) installed prior to starting the TCRP setup.

Then, an individualized loader (RedPill) is created. This loader is used to install and run DSM. After that, you can switch between starting DSM with RedPill, and booting back into TinyCore to adjust and rebuild the loader as needed.

Basic Linux command line skills are needed to complete the installation. The tutorial provides examples of the commands that are needed, but exact syntax and capitalization are critical. If unfamiliar, research and review the following minimal list of commands:

This tutorial is maintained for consistency with the pocopico stable repository. Since TCRP is completely open-sourced, anyone can fork their own repo and contribute to development, and pocopico now maintains a separate development repo. As the best features and ideas are fully vetted and tested, they may be incorporated into the stable repo over time.

If you use a repo, script or shell other than the pocopico stable repo, the loader may behave quite differently and the instructions and troubleshooting steps in this tutorial might no longer apply. In an open-source community, you can use any development resource you want, but you add the additional responsibility of understanding, vetting and testing that code on your system.

NOTE: Depending on which DSM version was previously installed, the migration process may override the manual option for DSM updates and set it to automatic. Restore the manual option from Control Panel as soon as possible - it might be necessary to shutdown the Internet connection until that is complete.

Write down the selected platform (e.g. DS918+), the corresponding architecture (e.g. apollolake) and whether the platform uses SataPortMap/DiskIdxMap or Device Tree for slot mapping. This information will be needed later.

Select the boot image that matches the boot capability of the NAS motherboard. If unsure, choose BIOS/CSM/Legacy boot. Save the gzip file to your personal computer, then open it with a zip archive manager and save the uncompressed version.

Write the uncompressed image to the USB flash drive using Win32DiskImager or other appropriate tool.

The USB flash drive is used to store TinyCore and the RedPill loader that it generates. It is a permanent component of an operational XPEnology system. Do not remove it, even after the DSM installation is complete and the NAS is fully up and running.

If the port count is not what you expect, it may be due to the motherboard design servicing physical ports with multiple controllers, or because of M.2 SATA slot support. If necessary, the port count can be overridden with whatever you like. NOTE: If you see a WARNING message, it is certain that either some of your drives are inaccessible or the DSM install will encounter problems. Evaluate and investigate the issue. The satamap command can be rerun as many times as needed to understand the system.

Manual Review: With prior loaders (such as Jun's), the configuration of these parameters was completely manual. There is no single setup that works for all hardware. Even after using the tools above, please review and verify the parameters, understand what they do, and manually edit if needed.

Whatever changes rploader.sh makes to the user_config.json file can be reviewed by displaying the file contents

TCRP will download resources from the Internet to complete the complex process of the loader build. When finished, it will write it to the USB flash drive and add new items to the GRUB boot menu. Review the output for any errors and make corrections if necessary.

The loader will show some initialization information and silently boot DSM. Nothing else will be displayed unless a serial console is attached (see the Troubleshooting section below). Wait a few minutes, then launch either or the Synology Assistant desktop utility. If the loader is working properly, a new "SynologyNAS" will be displayed as Not installed (for a new build) or the name of your existing Migratable NAS (if upgrading from a previous version).

Otherwise, browse to the Synology Download Center and download the DSM install PAT file that matches the platform and release number specified in the loader build. Do not use the PAT file stored in TinyCore. It has modifications that are incompatible with DSM installation. However, its name may help identify the correct PAT file to download below.

There can be several files that appear to be candidates. PAT files marked VirtualDSM will not work. Also there can be patch PAT files with the same numbering. These will not work and will usually be smaller than 50MB. The correct PAT file is 300MB or larger.

FOR UPGRADES ONLY: If Synology Assistant shows Not installed, or if prompted to erase the disks during the upgrade, STOP! Some or all of your array disks are not visible to DSM. This must be resolved via troubleshooting and reconfiguration before installing DSM 7.x.

IMPORTANT: During the install, always select DSM manual updates. If a new install completes normally, but then fails after the reboot, it may be that DSM has attempted to auto-update itself with incompatible code.

This involves configuring a physical serial port from the NAS hardware to your personal computer and using a terminal emulation program for access. The serial console is also mirrored to a special TCRP network console. If the network is functioning (i.e. you can see the IP in Synology Assistant), it can be accessed via a browser at :7681

If DSM has not been installed, "SynologyNAS login:" will be displayed. If DSM has been installed but cannot start, "DiskStation login:" will be displayed. This is Junior mode. You can log in with root (you won't be prompted for a password).

At a minimum, state the hardware configuration, selected platform, DSM version, user_config.json information (delete or redact the serial number and configured MAC address) and any information from debugging analysis that you have done.

In the case of migration, if all of the disks are visible, Same DS918+ dsm 6 to DSM918+ dsm 7

was the migration possible message confirmed in the above process?

I haven't tried it a few times, so I can't remember.

doesn't seem to be asking how to build to 7.1.

If you update patch from 7.0.1, there are cases where you fall into a loop, but I don't think I've seen a complete solution to this part.

In the end, the choice seems to be either migrating to another platform or choosing to update to 7.1.

RedPill is the core technology that enables DSM 7.x to run on non-Synology hardware. It has gone through an extensive alpha development process that has been very public and visible. This has resulted in many installation posts and tutorials, some of which are out of date, incorrect or incomplete.

This post is intended to serve as a definitive tutorial/reference for installing DSM 7.x using the TinyCore RedPill (TCRP) loader, superseding the limited README documentation in the TCRP github. It explains how to install TCRP on baremetal, i.e. with DSM as the only operating system on your NAS hardware. Discussion of the differences associated with using a hypervisor is accomplished in a different tutorial.

TCRP installs with a two step-process. First, a Linux OS (TinyCore) boots and evaluates the NAS hardware configuration. Therefore, it is best to have the hardware you plan to use (disk controllers and network cards in particular) installed prior to starting the TCRP setup.

Basic Linux command line skills are needed to complete the installation. The tutorial provides examples of the commands that are needed, but exact syntax and capitalization is critical. If unfamiliar, research and review the following minimal list of commands:

Write down your chosen platform (e.g. DS918+), the corresponding architecture (e.g. apollolake) and whether the platform uses SataPortMap/DiskIdxMap or Device Tree for slot mapping. This information will be needed later.

Select the appropriate boot image, depending upon the boot capability of the NAS motherboard. If unsure, choose BIOS/CSM/Legacy boot. Save the gzip file to your personal computer, open it with a zip archive manager and save the uncompressed version.

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