Running a Memory Test on my Synology DS920+

Having just picked up a new Synology DS920+ to replace my ageing HP N40L MicroServer I decided that the included 4GB of memory may be a bit tight once I migrate all of my docker containers over. Therefore, I had a quick look around for a stick of RAM that fits in the single accessible memory bay.

At the time of writing, the recommended compatible modules (other than Synology own brand memory which is a bit more expensive) were;

Memory	Total Usable	Price
Crucial CT8G4SFS8266 8GB	12GB	£30
Crucial CT16G4SFD8266 16GB	20GB	£68

I decided that for the price, 8GB additional memory would be more than adequate for my needs (Plex, File Server and Home Assistant). I installed the memory and booted it up. Luckily there were no errors, however it did take a while to boot and was sitting with the blue power LED flashing for a good minute or so.

Once in, I thought it best to run a memory test. To do this, you will need to download the Synology Assistant from the Synology website. Open the Synology Assistant and click the cog button on the top right and enable to Memory Test option. Then, go back to the list of devices, select the DS920+ and click Memory Test on the menu bar. Now, sit back and prepare to wait a few hours. The progress will get updated in the Status column of Synology Assistant but its by no means quick at doing so!

Once finished, you can check your results by connecting to the NAS by SSH and running the following command;

sudo cat /var/log/messages | grep 'Memtest'

This command will search the log file for the word Memtest. Assuming there are no issues you should get results similar to the following;

2020-07-16T35:47:42 DS920 findhostd: util_fhost.c:1351 Memtest passed!
2020-07-16T35:47:42 DS920 findhostd: util_fhost.c:1351 Memtest passed!
2020-07-16T35:47:42 DS920 findhostd: util_fhost.c:1351 Memtest passed!

If there are any issues you should remove the memory and order a replacement as the potential for data loss will be greater!