Which OS, where to start

[bobs]

Hi
I have a 2 bay qnap (with a Celeron J1900 4-core) and have the idea that I could replace the qnap OS with some open software.
I use the qnap as a hub with a number of computers syncing (via Syncthing) to their respective home folders on the qnap and also syncing some folders to other computers via the qnap.
The qnap doesnt go online and it does an incremental backup once a day to an external drive.
The other computers are a mixture of Mate 22.04 and windows 10.
My issue is that it has been a very long time since I set the qnap up with syncthng but qnap doesnt have syncthing anymore so I thought I might try something different.
I have been trying OMV on a laptop with the OS is on a ssd connected via a usb3 dongle thing. I have portainer installed and have even had Syncthing running, but then it wasnt, then it was and now I cant get to the Gui again... it has been an uphill battle, to a beginner OMV is a troublesome and confusing place.
My question is simply, taking into account what I need, is there a better suited (simpler) os that will achieve what I am trying to do?

Regards

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @bobs.

In my estimation, no.

 

[TheLostSwede]

You can not install a third party OS on most pre-built NAS devices.
QNAP (and others) rely on a USB DOM which contains a compressed image of the OS.
At first boot, this is extracted and installed onto a partition on one of the hard drives that you've installed in your NAS.
As these devices have a locked BIOS/UEFI, there is no way to boot from a user selectable device and as such, you can't install a different OS on most pre-built NAS appliances.

I've been running OMV on a DIY NAS for a few years and it's rock solid for what I use it for, but I think you're better off asking in the OMV forums about the issues you're having.

 

[sfx2000]

I have a 2 bay qnap (with a Celeron J1900 4-core) and have the idea that I could replace the qnap OS with some open software.

In a short sentence - just don't, seriously, don't do this...

There are some hacks where you can get debian up and running on a QNAP device, but it's just that - a hack.

Stick with QTS - it's reliable and it works - more importantly, if something breaks, you have community support on the QNAP forums, and if it is still supported by QNAP, you have their tech support.

If you want to cook up a setup for a DIY NAS box, there are plenty of other options out there.

 

[bobs]

Hi
Thanks for the info
Ok, I guess qnap will do while I spend some time figureing out (fighting with) my laptop omv install and look for an alternative box.

The points about installing a new os on a qnap are interesting and a shame, I have seen some mention of those issues before.

I tried it and didnt have a problem installing a new os on mine, I used a usb3 mounted ssd which became a dualboot OMV and Mate drive. I do not know what the difference - issue is, perhaps it is simply that the install works with some qnap models and not others.

Thanks again,

Regards