How to Install and Update Tailscale Manually on a Synology NAS

To install or update Tailscale on a Synology NAS, download the package file that matches your NAS and install it through DSM’s Package Center. DSM is Synology’s operating system. Its package installer uses files with the .spk extension. Tailscale’s current Synology instructions recommend installing this package manually because the Package Center release is no longer supported and does not include the latest Tailscale version.

Choose a package that matches your NAS model’s processor architecture, or processor family, and DSM version. After installation, sign the NAS in to your tailnet, the private network that connects your Tailscale devices. The steps below explain how to choose and install the package, update it later, and check that the NAS is connected.

Choose the SPK for your NAS

Before downloading, find your Synology model and DSM version in DSM. Check your model’s processor architecture, which identifies the processor family, in the Synology and SynoCommunity architecture list. Tailscale publishes separate SPK files for different architectures and for DSM 6 and DSM 7. You need both your processor architecture and DSM version to choose the right file.

Open Tailscale’s Synology installation instructions and follow the link to the package that matches your DSM version and processor architecture. Choose the stable track for a standard installation. The unstable track is for people who want newer releases that have had less testing. Tailscale lists current stable packages on its stable package server.

Install Tailscale through DSM

Use DSM’s Manual Install option to install a downloaded SPK package. Synology also documents how to install packages and apply updates through Package Center.

1. Sign in to DSM and open Package Center.
2. Select Manual Install.
3. Browse to the downloaded SPK and select it.
4. Review the package information shown by DSM, then follow the installer prompts to complete installation.
5. Open Tailscale’s package interface and sign in to authorize the NAS to join your tailnet.

Tailscale’s Synology instructions also explain how to use its command-line interface over SSH. The command-line interface lets you control Tailscale by entering text commands, and SSH provides remote access to the NAS. For a standard installation, sign in through the package’s DSM interface. Tailscale’s background service, tailscaled, should run after installation.

Update Tailscale with a newer SPK

To update Tailscale manually, download a newer SPK that matches your DSM version and NAS architecture. Then upload it through Package Center > Manual Install. Synology documents this update method in its Manual Install as a package update method instructions, and Tailscale recommends downloading and installing its DSM package to update the Synology client.

Follow the instructions DSM shows while it installs the package. The prompts depend on the package already installed and your DSM version, so the steps can vary between updates. After the update, open Machines in Tailscale’s admin console and check the NAS. The page shows the installed client version and whether Tailscale reports that an update is available, as described in its client update instructions.

Optional: schedule updates with a DSM task

Tailscale documents a user-configured scheduled task that runs the update command. You create this task in DSM; Synology does not provide it as a built-in auto-update feature. Tailscale’s general update documentation says automatic updates are unsupported on Synology, while its Synology instructions describe this scheduled task. The task can check for and install updates automatically. Install an SPK manually when you want to choose when to update.

To create the task, open Control Panel > Task Scheduler and create a Scheduled Task > User-defined script. Set it to run as root, the system administrator account, choose a schedule, and enter:

tailscale update --yes

The command tells Tailscale to download and install an update without asking for confirmation. If you create the task, check the NAS’s client version in the Tailscale admin console afterward.

DSM 7 outbound access is a separate setup

Installing Tailscale lets other devices on your tailnet reach the NAS. On DSM 7, apps running on the NAS do not automatically get outbound access through Tailscale. To give those apps outbound access, you need extra configuration. DSM package restrictions affect whether Tailscale can create a TUN device, a virtual network interface that routes traffic.

If apps on the NAS need to connect to other devices through Tailscale, follow Tailscale’s instructions to create a root-triggered boot-up task that runs:

/var/packages/Tailscale/target/bin/tailscale configure-host; synosystemctl restart pkgctl-Tailscale.service

After you upgrade the Tailscale package, run the script again or reboot the NAS to keep the TUN settings in place. If DSM’s built-in firewall is enabled, Tailscale says to add an exception for 100.64.0.0/10. You can skip this configuration if you only need other Tailscale devices to reach the NAS.

Plan separately for a DSM 6-to-7 upgrade

To move a NAS from DSM 6 to DSM 7, uninstall and reinstall the Tailscale package, as Tailscale explains in its Synology instructions. Do not upgrade DSM over Tailscale. The connection will be lost if the upgrade interrupts Tailscale, so arrange another way to access DSM before you start.

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