[Samba] Using rsync command to sync changed/new files from old Synology NAS to new Synology NAS

[Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming]

Subject: Using rsync command to sync changed/new files from old Synology NAS to new Synology NAS

Good day from Singapore,

Phase 2: Cut-over day (final sync)

✔ Correct approach

On cut-off day:

Stop or restrict user access on old NAS (important!)

Run rsync from old NAS → new NAS

Only changed/new files are copied

Very fast compared to full copy

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⚠️ Important Rules Before rsync

Before you run rsync:

Disable user access on old NAS

Or at least make shared folders read-only

Disable scheduled tasks

Hyper Backup

Synology Drive

Docker containers

Ensure:

Same shared folder names exist on new NAS

Permissions already restored via Hyper Backup

This avoids file changes mid-sync.

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🔑 Enable rsync Access on New NAS

On DS1522+:

Control Panel → File Services → rsync
✔ Enable rsync service
✔ Enable rsync account

You can either:

Use an admin account, or

Create a dedicated rsync user

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✅ Recommended rsync Command (SAFE & PROVEN)

Run this on the OLD NAS:

rsync -avh --progress --delete \
--numeric-ids \
/volume1/SharedFolderName/ \
rsyncuser at NEW_NAS_IP::SharedFolderName/

Example

rsync -avh --progress --delete \
--numeric-ids \
/volume1/Finance/ \
rsyncuser at 192.168.1.20::Finance/

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🧠 What Each Option Does (Important)

Option	Why it matters
-a	Archive mode (permissions, timestamps, symlinks)
-v	Verbose output
-h	Human-readable sizes
--progress	Shows live transfer status
--delete	Deletes files on NEW NAS that were deleted on OLD NAS
--numeric-ids	Preserves UID/GID exactly (critical for NAS permissions)

⚠ --delete is correct here because:

New NAS already has a full restore

You want both sides to be identical

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🧪 Optional: Dry-Run First (Strongly Recommended)

Before the real run:

rsync -avh --progress --delete --numeric-ids --dry-run \
/volume1/Finance/ \
rsyncuser at 192.168.1.20::Finance/

✔ Shows what would change
✔ Zero risk

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📁 Multiple Shared Folders

Run one rsync command per shared folder:

for f in "Sales" "Finance" "IT" "Admin"; do
  rsync -avh --progress --delete --numeric-ids \
  "/volume1/$f/" \
  rsyncuser at 192.168.1.20::"$f/"
done

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❌ What NOT to rsync

Do NOT rsync:

/volume1/@*

System folders

Application data (Drive, Photos, Docker)

Those should already be restored via Hyper Backup.

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✅ Final Outcome

After rsync:

Data is 100% identical

Permissions preserved

New NAS ready

Old NAS can be powered off or repurposed

Regards,

Mr. Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming
Extremely Democratic People's Republic of Singapore
26 Jan 2026 Monday 11.21 pm Singapore Time