Various NAS-focused news outlets are buzzing with news that Synology is quietly walking back from the disastrous hard drive policy introduced earlier this year.

As we covered, Synology introduced a change to its Disk Station Manager (DSM) software which no longer recognized any hard drives other than those made by Synology as valid, starting with 2025 NAS models.  This meant that if you were accustomed to buying your favorite Western Digital or Seagate drive and sticking it in your Synology kit, you could expect it either to not be recognized or at best, to see an avalanche of warnings and a polite hang-up from support if you ever had a problem.

However, according to various NAS blogs (for example, nascompares.com), this policy is being rolled back with the arrival of DSM 7.3, which is expected soon.

I was not able to independently confirm this, as the latest changelog I could find on Synology’s site was for 7.2.2-72806 Update 4.

If this news is indeed true, it’s a smart move for Synology.  How much money can it really be making on low-margin hard drives?  Not enough to offset the fury of upset users.  Not all marketing can be boiled down to a spreadsheet.  Someone probably thought “hey, if we put this restriction in place, our hard drive sales will increase, which means more profit,” without thinking of the reputational and relationship damage.

If you’re a Synology user, keep your eyes peeled for DSM 7.3!

raindog308

Raindog308 is a longtime LowEndTalk community administrator, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, Raindog runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.

Beyond the command line, Raindog is a lover of German Shepherds, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.

His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.

You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.