How to set up and using Entware on Synology device?

13 min read

Entware is a package manager for embedded devices like routers and Synology NAS. It enables users to install and run various software packages on their device, directly from the command line. Here’s how to set up and use Entware on your Synology device:

  1. Check your Synology model: Not all Synology models support Entware installation. Please check if your Synology device is compatible with Entware.

  2. Download the Entware-ng-xxx.tar.gz file: The first step is to download the Entware-ng-xxx.tar.gz file that matches your Synology device’s architecture. You can find the download link and instructions on the Entware website.

  3. Enable SSH access: To install Entware, you need to enable SSH access on your Synology device. Go to Control Panel > Terminal & SNMP > Enable SSH service.

  4. Connect to your Synology device: Use an SSH client like PuTTY on Windows or Terminal on macOS to connect to your Synology device. Enter the IP address of your Synology device and log in using your admin credentials.

  5. Install the Entware-ng package: Run the following command to install the Entware-ng package on your Synology device:

cd /
mkdir opt
cd opt
wget -O - http://bin.entware.net/armv7sf-k2.6/installer/generic.sh | sh

This command will download and install the Entware-ng package on your Synology device.

  1. Add the Entware-ng bin directory to your PATH: After the installation is complete, you need to add the Entware-ng bin directory to your PATH environment variable. Run the following command to add it:
echo 'export PATH=${PATH}:/opt/bin:/opt/sbin' >> /root/.profile

This will add the Entware-ng bin and sbin directories to your PATH environment variable, which means you can run Entware-ng packages just like any other command.

  1. Test Entware: To test if everything is working properly, run the following command:
opkg update

This will update the package list for Entware-ng. If you don't see any errors, Entware-ng is working correctly.

That’s it! You’ve successfully installed and set up Entware-ng on your Synology device. You can now install various software packages like Python, OpenVPN, and many more. Use the opkg command to search for and install packages.