Taking advantage of the analysis of the QNAP TS-433 NAS , we have also made this tutorial where we explain a very interesting topic such as configuring the notification center in QNAP NAS . We will be able to take advantage of the permanent connection to the network of our personal cloud to know at all times what events occur in our NAS without us being present or logged in to it.
Index of contents
- Notification Center in QTS
- Configure Email Notifications for NAS
- Configuring an event notification rule
- Create rules for a single event
- Configure SMS notifications for NAS
- Set up instant messaging notifications for NAS
- Configure push service notifications for NAS
- Final conclusions about QNAP notifications
The notification system is an element present in all devices, but one that we practically never pay attention to unless we run into problems while working with them. In a NAS it will have special relevance because it is a device that can perform critical functions related to data integrity, backup copies, database storage, servers, etc.
On the other hand, it is not usual to be logged in and within the graphical interface of the NAS as it is a device that works through the network with services to which applications or clients are connected in the background. So we need a system that allows viewing notifications outside the browser , and QTS has several solutions for this .
The user who manages his NAS will be practically forced to transfer the notifications and alerts that the NAS throws to a more accessible or generic interface , for example an E-mail , SMS service , the manufacturer’s own Qmanager App or even a service of instant messaging such as Skype. Much more direct mechanisms than having to authenticate with the NAS, access its control panel and see notifications in a windows environment.
Notification Center in QTS
QTS is the operating system that runs on all QNAP NAS, available in two variants such as QTS 5.0 for home users, and QuTS Hero, adding exclusive features such as ZFS file system and more power for businesses. In both cases the interface and menu design is the same , so this tutorial is suitable for either version .
Access to the notification center of a QNAP NAS is in the tools menu which we will access by clicking on the icon in the upper left corner located in the taskbar. In the “Applications” section we will find said application.
It has a total of 5 sections , all of them important in this article, but it will be in the first one where a summary of all the content is made and of course where we see the notifications themselves, whether they are error alerts or information . Absolutely everything we do on the NAS will launch a notification to this program.
In the second section , the queue and history of notifications that the center has sent to other places, for example an email, will be listed. The third section is very important because it is where we will configure 4 different ways to send the NAS alerts . In combination with the previous one, the rules configuration section is basic to filter what alerts, what type and where they will be sent.
Finally, the last section shows a complete list of services and applications installed on the NAS with sections for each type of delivery method . In this way we will activate only those that interest us for each of them in case we do not want to create specific rules.
Configure Email Notifications for NAS
The first sending system and surely the most used will be to see the notifications in our E-mail through the SMTP service that integrates the QTS operating system itself. The idea is simple; make the SMTP server with an associated mail send alerts to it or any other mail of the user or users in charge of the administration .
We go to the third section where we will open the E-mail configuration wizard . We select the type of server , for example Gmail, keeping the option below activated.
We must give permissions to the mail to accept the activation of the service, appearing in a browser window to authenticate ourselves in said mail, and then accept the conditions.
Ready, we already have the service activated and with an associated email, we go to the next step.
Configuring an event notification rule
Now we should configure the rules for sending notifications so that our mail is not crazy with continuous notifications in the tray. This will allow us to filter what event we want to view and from what service, for example everything related to File Station, in order to see if snapshots are taken, files are uploaded or deleted.
We create a new alert and in the drop-down list we select the service in question , as well as the events that we want to send to the E-mail.
In the next step we will select only those severity levels that we want to view , with the possibility of filtering by keywords and even assigning a time slot of activity. This is useful, for example, to monitor notifications only during the working day, times when the system is not used and there may be security breaches, or activity of certain services at a specific time .
After this we must assign the email where the SMTP service will send the notifications , in our case it will be the sender’s own email, but you can put as many as we have added.
The new rule will be added to the list, and it will be time to test if it really works.
Indeed, we verified that the emails arrive almost instantly to the E-mail.
Create rules for a single event
There is another possibility to create notification rules on QNAP NAS by directly selecting the log event and clicking “Settings” . In the dropdown menu we choose “ Create event notification rule ” and we will save some steps of the previous way.
Configure SMS notifications for NAS
This method allows the user to view notifications directly in the SMS service of a cell phone , but requires registration in one of the payment services available on the list, such as Clickatell.
It has the advantage of using the traditional messaging system , and thus being compatible with any terminal , whether or not it is a smartphone, as long as it is connected to the telephone network. However, it involves the payment of a service , while the other three methods do not.
Set up instant messaging notifications for NAS
The next method to set up notification center on QNAP NAS is to send notifications to an instant messaging service , specifically Skype , which is the only one available for now.
It makes a lot of sense, since Skype is the most used platform in the professional environment, it is integrated into practically all platforms and therefore can be used on PC, Mac, Android, iOS or Linux.
Note that to activate this service we need an account in the free myQNAPcloud service and have the NAS associated with that account to provide the link between the NAS and Skype as a third-party provider.
So the next step would be precisely to set up myQNAPcloud , first by creating an account, and then accessing it from the myQNAPcloud app on the NAS . Additionally, we can enable myQNAPcloud Link to access the NAS remotely in a secure way.
Returning again to the configuration of the instant messaging service, now it allows us to advance in the wizard. A window will open in the browser to access Skype, and then add a Bot as a contact , which will be in charge of sending us notifications as if it were another chat.
As a security method, the NAS will show a verification code that we must write in the QNAP Bot chat in Skype to confirm the synchronization. From now on, Skype will be our notification center for QNAP NAS.
The next step would be to configure the notification rules as in the previous case , so we will follow the same steps except for the detail of selecting “ Instant Messaging ” in the “ Methods and recipients ” step.
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Configure push service notifications for NAS
The latest notification service for QNAP NAS will be push notifications , which sends such alerts directly to the browser , or to the Qmanager app available for Android or iOS smartphones.
In the case of the browser , we only need to click on the Pair button and make sure we do not have Adblock activated so that the notifications go off.
We recommend the use of Qmanager as it is a specific application that also allows you to monitor the complete status of the NAS and access myQNAPcloud among other actions. Well, in this case we will install the application , which will detect the NAS in the local network immediately.
From the configuration of the App we will register with a username and password to access the NAS , and then it will ask us if we want to activate Push notifications . If it does not go to the first one, it will show an error, but we simply press again and it will be done in pairing.
Final conclusions about QNAP notifications
The notification center on QNAP NAS will be a powerful tool for those who have even a modicum of interest in keeping their NAS in perfect condition and exploiting its possibilities.
We leave you with more posts related to NAS:
- Docker – installation and configuration on QNAP NAS
- NAS vs Cloud, which option to choose? Which is more profitable?
- How to set up a private cloud with a QNAP NAS step by step
Being able to create rules and filter the important messages that arise from the use of our NAS is essential so that errors do not accumulate every time we access the device. If we combine this with an E-mail, Skype or simply Qmanager, we will improve our workflow by having physical access only when strictly necessary.
