Description
Synology DX517 Drive Enclosure - eSATA Host Interface External
The Synology DX517 Drive Enclosure is a purpose-built, five-bay external expansion unit designed to seamlessly extend the storage capacity of your Synology DiskStation. By connecting via the reliable eSATA host interface, this enclosure delivers fast, scalable growth for large media libraries, backups, virtual machines, and surveillance data. Built to complement your NAS, the DX517 makes it easy to expand capacity without reconfiguring existing drives or migrating data, empowering you to plan your storage strategy with confidence. Whether you're building a media server for 4K streaming, running a growing backup repository, or maintaining vast project archives, the DX517 gives you a robust, future-proof path to more space, smarter storage management, and improved data resilience.
- Seamless NAS expansion with eSATA: Connect the DX517 to a compatible DiskStation using the reliable eSATA interface and instantly unlock five additional drive bays. This setup enables non-disruptive capacity growth, letting you scale your storage pool as your data grows while DSM handles the RAID and volume management. With eSATA, you often gain higher throughput than USB-based enclosures, making it a solid choice for backup jobs, large media libraries, and virtual machine storage. The DX517 also supports expanding existing arrays without moving drives between enclosures, preserving your data structure and minimizing downtime.
- Five hot-swappable drive bays: The DX517's tray-based design makes it simple to add, replace, or upgrade drives without powering down your NAS. Each bay is designed for snug, tool-less installation and features drive activity indicators to help you monitor performance at a glance. The trays are keyed to prevent accidental removal, and the enclosure's airflow pattern maintains cool operation even under sustained workloads. This setup is ideal for incremental expansion as your archive or media library grows.
- DSM-driven storage management: There is no complex manual juggling of disks—expand your DiskStation storage through DSM. The DX517 integrates with Synology Storage Manager, enabling online capacity expansion, flexible RAID configurations, and streamlined data protection across your expanding storage. You can concatenate volumes, extend storage pools, or reassign space to different shares without interrupting active users. Combined with Synology's robust snapshot and backup features, the DX517 helps preserve data integrity during growth.
- Reliability and cooling: The unit is built to operate in typical NAS environments with efficient ventilation and a compact footprint. It uses an external power adapter and is designed for quiet, dependable performance as you scale up your data. The DX517's sturdy metal enclosure dissipates heat effectively, and the front LED indicators provide at-a-glance status so you can monitor drive health. For businesses, the enclosure offers a scalable, dependable foundation for long-term storage strategies.
- Versatility for diverse workloads: Ideal for media libraries, backups, archive projects, and surveillance video storage. The DX517 makes it easy to grow your NAS capacity, maintain performance, and manage large volumes of data with confidence. Businesses can leverage this expansion to implement on-site backups, disaster recovery preparations, and multi-user collaboration with minimal risk. This external expansion is designed to complement your NAS investments and help you plan scalable storage for years to come.
Technical Details of Synology DX517
- Interface: eSATA host interface
- Bays: 5 external drive bays with hot-swappable trays
- Power: External power adapter included
- Compatibility: Designed to work with Synology DiskStations that include an eSATA expansion port; DSM handles storage management
- Indicators: Front-panel drive activity and status LEDs
How to Install Synology DX517
- Confirm compatibility: Ensure your Synology DiskStation has an available eSATA expansion port and that DSM is up to date.
- Power down: Turn off both the DiskStation and the DX517 before connecting to avoid data loss or hardware damage.
- Connect: Attach the DX517 to the DiskStation using the supplied eSATA cable, ensuring a secure connection to the expansion port on the NAS and the DX517.
- Power up and detection: Restore power to both devices. The DiskStation should automatically recognize the expansion; follow on-screen prompts in DSM if required.
- Configure storage: Open DSM > Storage Manager to create or extend storage pools and volumes, allocate the new space to existing arrays, and set up any desired RAID configurations according to your data protection needs.
Frequently asked questions
- Q: Is the DX517 a standalone NAS? A: No. It is an external expansion unit that attaches to a Synology DiskStation to add capacity while data protection and management remain under DSM.
- Q: What do I need to use the DX517? A: A Synology DiskStation with an available eSATA expansion port, an appropriate eSATA cable, and a power source; ensure DSM is installed and up to date.
- Q: Can I mix drives from different manufacturers? A: Yes, the DiskStation's Storage Manager handles drive pooling and RAID configurations, so mixed drives are supported as per your NAS setup.
- Q: Can I hot-swap drives in the DX517? A: The DX517 uses hot-swappable drive trays, allowing drive replacement without powering down, depending on NAS settings and RAID configuration.
- Q: Is there any additional software license? A: No extra licenses are required; expansion is managed through Synology DSM on your DiskStation.
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