This article will show step by step how to install Synology DSM 6.1.x on a Proxmox (KVM) Virtual Machine using a Xpenology DSM bootloader.

Requirements (at the time of the writing):

• Proxmox 5.x installed
• Xpenology loader (jun or quicnick)
• DSM 6.1.x PAT file

Create a new virtual machine

Tab General

Choose VM settings:

• VM ID: 103
• Name: XpenoDsm61x

Click NEXT

Tab OS

Choose OS settings:

• • Do not use any media

Guest OS settings:

• Type: Linux
• Version: 4X/3X/2.6 Kernel

Click NEXT

Tab Hard Disk

Choose hard disk settings:

• Bus/Device: SATA 0
• Storage: local
• Disk size (GB): 16
• Format: QEMU image format (qcow2)

Click NEXT

Tab CPU

Check your cpu settings:

• Sockets: 1
• Cores: 1
• Enable NUMA: uncheck
• Type: Default (kvm64)

Click NEXT

Tab Memory

• Check Use fixed size memory
• Memory (MB): 1024
• Ballooning: uncheck

Click NEXT

Tab Network

Choose the networking options:

• • Choose Bridged mode
  • Model: Intel E1000

Click NEXT

Tab Confirm

Click FINISH

Go to Options and choose BIOS

Select:

• SCSI Controller: Default (LSI 53C895A)
• BIOS : OVMF (UEFI)

Go to Hardware and Add EFI Disk

Click on Add button, then Select EFI Disk and  click on Edit.

select:

• Storage: local
• Format : QEMU image format (qcow2)

Edit VM conf file

Open a shell on proxmox server as root, and execute the following command: (Substitute your <VM ID> if not 103)

# Add synoboot.img as USB drive

echo "args: -device 'piix3-usb-uhci,addr=0x18' -drive 'id=synoboot,file=/var/lib/vz/images/103/synoboot.img,if=none,format=raw' -device 'usb-storage,id=synoboot,drive=synoboot'" >> /etc/pve/qemu-server/103.conf

# Change boot option in vm conf
# Little hack to get the UEFI BIOS persistent change

sed -i 's/boot:.*/boot: z/g' /etc/pve/qemu-server/103.conf

In the end, /etc/pve/qemu-server/103.conf file should look like this:

args: -device 'piix3-usb-uhci,addr=0x18' -drive 'id=synoboot,file=/var/lib/vz/images/103/synoboot.img,if=none,format=raw' -device 'usb-storage,id=synoboot,drive=synoboot'
balloon: 0
bios: ovmf
boot: z
bootdisk: sata0
cores: 1
efidisk0: local:103/vm-103-disk-1.qcow2,size=128K
ide2: none,media=cdrom
memory: 1024
name: XpenoDsm61x
net0: e1000=DE:CE:4A:E4:BD:FB,bridge=vmbr0
numa: 0
ostype: l26
sata0: local:103/vm-103-disk-2.qcow2,size=16G
smbios1: uuid=a3e9e6b6-ab2d-4634-980f-d593dea8e53f
sockets: 1

Transfer the loader img to proxmox server

Copy Jun’s/quicknicks loader (the img file) as /var/lib/vz/images/103/synoboot.img. For that you can use winscp for windows to move the file to the correct location.

Rename the file to –> synoboot.img

Now we are ready to install Synology DSM.

 

Please Note:

Sata controller card can set to directly pass through to the VM in order to get Synology DSM to have direct access to the sata disks.

This can be done by adding these kind of lines to the vm conf: (your pci port can be different)
– machine: q35
– hostpci0: 05:00,pcie=1

For VirtIO network, you maybe find on xpenology.com some loader mod with VirtIO driver added. If you do, please reply here..