This is one of the most common real-world use cases for Proxmox VE (PVE) — mounting an existing Synology NAS as a storage pool, allowing PVE to directly use NAS space for VMs, containers, ISOs, and backups.
🧭 1. Architecture Overview
Proxmox supports multiple remote storage protocols:
| Type | Supported by Synology | Recommended Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFS (Network File System) | ✅ | Most common. Suitable for VM images, backups, and ISOs | Stable performance, simple setup |
| SMB/CIFS (Windows Share) | ✅ | Suitable for ISOs and backups | Not recommended for VM disks |
| iSCSI | ✅ | Best for high-performance VM disks | More complex; requires LVM setup on PVE |
| rsync / SSHFS | 🔸 Requires extra package | Backup only | Not for live mounts |
🧰 2. Recommended Setup: Mount via NFS
This is the simplest and most stable approach.
Below is the step-by-step setup for Synology + Proxmox.
Step 1: Create an NFS Shared Folder on Synology NAS
Go to Synology DSM → Control Panel → Shared Folder → Create a new folder, e.g.:
- Name:
pve-storage - Path:
/volume1/pve-storage
After creation → click Edit → NFS Permissions → Create
- Host/IP: Enter your PVE host IP, e.g.
10.0.100.10 - Privilege: Read/Write
- Squash: No mapping
- Security:
sys - Enable NFS v3 / v4 (you can check both)
Step 2: Enable NFS Service on NAS
In DSM: Control Panel → File Services → NFS → Check “Enable NFS service”
Step 3: Add NFS Storage in PVE Web GUI
Go to Proxmox VE web interface → Datacenter → Storage → Add → NFS
Fill in the following:
- ID:
synology-nfs - Server: NAS IP (e.g.
10.0.100.20) - Export: Automatically detected, e.g.
/volume1/pve-storage - Content: Select usage types (e.g. Disk image, ISO image, VZDump backup file)
- Nodes: Choose the node(s) to mount on (if single node, select that one)
Click Add.
PVE will automatically mount it to /mnt/pve/synology-nfs.
Step 4: Verify Mount Status
SSH into your PVE host and run:
mount | grep synology
You should see something like:
10.0.100.20:/volume1/pve-storage on /mnt/pve/synology-nfs type nfs ...
Or check available space:
df -h /mnt/pve/synology-nfs
💡 3. Optional: Using SMB (CIFS)
If your NAS is already sharing via Windows SMB, you can mount it as follows:
# Install CIFS utilities
apt install cifs-utils
# Test mount
mount -t cifs //10.0.100.20/pve-share /mnt/pve/smb-test \
-o username=nasuser,password=yourpass,vers=3.0
Then, in the GUI:
Datacenter → Storage → Add → CIFS
Set the following:
- Server:
10.0.100.20 - Share:
pve-share - Username/Password: your NAS credentials
- Content: ISO / Backup
⚠ Note: SMB is suitable for ISO or backup storage only.
Do not use it for VM disks due to poor performance and lack of file-locking.
🚀 4. For High-Performance VM Disks
Use iSCSI + LVM mode:
- On Synology:
- Go to Package Center → Install “iSCSI Manager”
- Create a Target and a LUN
- On PVE:
- Add → iSCSI → connect to the target
- Then Add → LVM → map to that iSCSI volume
Your VM disks will now behave like local drives, with much better performance — ideal for production workloads.
🧩 5. CLI Quick Mount (NFS)
If you prefer command-line configuration:
pvesm add nfs synology-nfs \
--server 10.0.100.20 \
--export /volume1/pve-storage \
--content images,iso,vztmpl,backup \
--options vers=3
✅ Summary & Recommendations
| Requirement | Recommended Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General VM images, backups, ISOs | NFS | Simplest and most stable |
| ISO & backup only | SMB/CIFS | Slightly slower read/write |
| High-performance VM disks | iSCSI + LVM | More complex, best performance |
| Simple backup transfer | rsync / SSHFS | Not suitable for live mounts |