$cd ../guides/
Storage TierSynology DSM~30 min setup

The Storage Brain:
Synology NAS OpenClaw Setup

/** Bring your intelligence to where your data already lives. */

// Why run OpenClaw on a NAS?

If you own a 4-bay+ Synology (DS923+ or DS1522+), you have an always-on AMD Ryzen server. Running OpenClaw directly on your NAS means zero latency for reading your terabytes of PDFs and documents via local volume mounts.

0 ms
File Latency
// Direct Volume Mount
32 GB
Recommended RAM
// Absolute minimum 16GB
8.5 t/s
Llama 8B Speed
// Ryzen R1600 CPU
Docker
Container Station
// 1-click deployment
1_memory_upgrade.md

1. The Non-Negotiable RAM Upgrade

Most Synology NAS units come with 4GB or 8GB of ECC RAM. This is barely enough for DSM. You must upgrade your RAM before proceeding.

  • Purchase compatible, unbuffered ECC DDR4 SODIMM RAM (e.g., 2x16GB Crucial or Kingston sticks).
  • Power down the NAS, remove the drive trays, and pop in the new memory.
  • Boot up and verify DSM recognizes the new 32GB capacity.
2_docker_setup.md

2. Setup Container Manager

  • Open the Package Center in DSM.
  • Search for and install Container Manager (formerly Docker).
  • Create a subfolder named openclaw inside /volume1/docker.
  • Inside openclaw, create two subfolders: data and ollama_models.
3_docker_compose.yaml

3. Deploy the Compose Project

In Container Manager, define a new Project to orchestrate OpenClaw and Ollama.

version: '3.8'
services:
openclaw:
image: openclaw/core:latest
volumes:
- /volume1/MyDocuments:/mnt/documents:ro
WARNING_SECURITY.md

A Note on Synology Firewall

Never expose port 3000 to the public internet directly via router port forwarding. Always use a deeply authenticated reverse proxy (Cloudflare Zero Trust Tunnels or Tailscale) to remotely access OpenClaw.

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