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AutoPilot allows you to execute any shell script instructions that are automatically executed after connecting an external disk to your Synology DiskStation. Existing Basic Backup tasks and Hyper Backup tasks (from version 4) are clearly displayed in AutoPilot and can be linked to pre-configured shell scripts and thus also executed. After execution, the external disk can be ejected automatically if desired.
To identify an external disk later, the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) of the selected partition or the file system on it is read out in an initial setup. An empty file with the name autopilot (without file extension) is then stored in the root directory of the previously selected partition. In the next step, the name and location of the shell script to be executed must be specified, which should ideally be located in a shared folder on the DiskStation. Finally, the UUID determined in this way is permanently linked to the shell script details and saved internally. This completes the initial setup.
As described above, AutoPilot uses the UUID of the selected partition or the file system on an external disk for unique identification. The UUID determined in this way is stored in the AutoPilot package folder provided by Synology in the form of a file name and is therefore largely protected from unauthorized access. The path and file name of the actual shell script to be executed is then stored as a variable in this file. The shell script itself should be located within the folder structure of a shared folder on the DiskStation to protect it from unauthorized access. Although it is possible to store the shell script on the external disk itself, this is not recommended for security reasons. In the future, the prepared external disk will be uniquely identified by AutoPilot when connected to your Synology DiskStation. A so-called UDEV rule searches all existing partitions of the external disk for the empty autopilot file. If the search was successful, the determined UUID of the externally connected disk is compared with the internally stored UUID and, if it matches, connected to the associated shell script and executed. This procedure ensures that no malicious code can be executed via the external data carrier in conjunction with AutoPilot.
AutoPilot for external disks was specially developed for use on Synology NAS systems that use the DiskStation Mangager 7.0 operating system or higher. Version 4** of Hyper Backup, which was released together with DiskStation Manager 7.2, is required for the display and further processing of **Hyper Backup tasks.
Download the latest version of AutoPilot from the Releases section. Then open the Package Center in the DiskStation Manager (DSM), select the Manual Installation button at the top right and follow the Wizard to install the new Package or upload and install the corresponding .spk file. This process is identical for both an initial installation and for performing an update.
After starting AutoPilot, the locally installed version is compared to the version available on GitHub. If an update is available, the user will be informed about it via the app and a corresponding link to the corresponding release will be displayed. The download and the subsequent update process have already been explained above.
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Under DSM 7, a 3rd_Party application such as AutoPilot (referred to as App in the following) is provided with highly restricted user and group rights. Among other things, this means that system-related commands cannot be executed. For the smooth operation of AutoPilot, however, extended system rights are required, e.g. to be able to access the system folder structure. To extend the app permissions, AutoPilot must be added to the administrators' group, but this can only be done by the user himself. The following instructions describe this process.
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Log in to the console of your Synology NAS as user root.
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Command to extend app permissions
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/permissions.sh "adduser" -
Command to restrict app permissions
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/permissions.sh "deluser"
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Open the Task Scheduler in DSM under Main Menu > Control Panel.
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In the Task Scheduler, select Create > Scheduled Task > Custom Script via the button.
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In the pop-up window that now opens in the General > General Settings tab, give the task a name and select root as the user: root as the user. Also remove the tick from Activated.
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In the Task Settings tab > Execute Command > Custom Script, insert the following command into the text field...
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Command to extend the app permissions
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/permissions.sh "adduser" -
Command to restrict app permissions
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/permissions.sh "deluser" -
Save the entries with OK and confirm the subsequent warning message with OK.
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Mark the task you have just created in the overview of the task planner, but do not activate it (the line should be highlighted in blue after marking).
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Execute the task once by pressing the Execute button.
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Log in to your DiskStation's console as root user and run the following command
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Command to activate the udev device driver via the console
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/driver.sh "install" -
Command to disable the udev device driver from the console
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/driver.sh "uninstall"
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Open Task Scheduler in DSM under Main Menu > Control Panel.
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In the task scheduler, select Create > Scheduled Task > Custom Script button.
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In the pop-up window that opens, give the task an individual name in the General > General settings tab and select root as the user. Then uncheck the Enabled box.
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In the Task settings tab > Run command > Custom script, paste the following command into the text field...
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Command to activate the udev device driver via the task scheduler
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/driver.sh "install" -
Disable command to disable udev device driver via task scheduler
/usr/syno/synoman/webman/3rdparty/AutoPilot/driver.sh "uninstall"
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Confirm your entries with the OK button and also accept the subsequent warning message with OK.
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In order for the task to be added to the task scheduler, you must finally enter the password of the user who is currently logged in to the DSM and confirm the process using the Send button.
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In the overview of the task planner, you must now mark the task you have just created with the mouse (the line should have a blue background after marking), but do not tick the checkbox to activate the task permanently.
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Execute the task once by pressing the Execute button.
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Close and re-enter AutoPilot for the changes to take effect.
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In the AutoPilot app, under the Help menu item, you will find detailed instructions on how to set up an external data carrier either via the console or via the DSM task scheduler.
- You can find details on the version history in the CHANGELOG file.
- Backend details: Synology DSM 7.0 Developer Guide
- Frontend details: Bootstrap Framework
- Details about jQuery: jQuery API
- Help and discussion are welcome via The German Synology Support Forum or via heimnetz.de
This program is free software. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either Version 3 of the License or (at your option) any later version
This program is released in the hope that you will find it useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, even without the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License file for details.