nas-sync-script-builder: a small tool for a very specific NAS problem
Most backup and sync tools assume one of two models:
- Mirroring: source and destination must be identical
- Backup systems: versioned, snapshot-based, or cloud-oriented
There is a common use case that falls between these models and is poorly served by existing tools:
Keep a NAS continuously updated from a local machine, one-way, while preserving existing files on the NAS.
This is the problem nas-sync-script-builder exists to solve.
The niche it fills
The target scenario:
- A Linux workstation or server
- One or more local disks (often NTFS or mixed filesystems)
- A NAS (Synology or any SMB-compatible device) as a sink
- Files flow local → NAS only
- Existing NAS files remain …
nas-sync-script-builder: a small tool for a very specific NAS problem
Most backup and sync tools assume one of two models:
- Mirroring: source and destination must be identical
- Backup systems: versioned, snapshot-based, or cloud-oriented
There is a common use case that falls between these models and is poorly served by existing tools:
Keep a NAS continuously updated from a local machine, one-way, while preserving existing files on the NAS.
This is the problem nas-sync-script-builder exists to solve.
The niche it fills
The target scenario:
- A Linux workstation or server
- One or more local disks (often NTFS or mixed filesystems)
- A NAS (Synology or any SMB-compatible device) as a sink
- Files flow local → NAS only
- Existing NAS files remain untouched
Many tools approximate this behavior, but none provide it directly:
rsyncrequires careful flag managementlsyncdis powerful but tricky to configure- Backup tools (Borg, Restic, Duplicati) are versioned or snapshot-based
- NAS vendor tools enforce mirroring or proprietary agents
What’s missing is a safe, repeatable way to set up:
- Incremental initial sync
- Continuous real-time sync
- Systemd-aware mounts
- Persistent credentials
How it works
nas-sync-script-builder is a configuration generator, not a daemon.
It provides:
- A Python GUI (and optional CLI) for configuration
- Automatic detection of eligible local partitions via UDisks2
- A generated Bash script that:
- Installs required packages (
rsync,lsyncd,cifs-utils) - Creates local and NAS mount points
- Configures CIFS mounts using systemd automounts
- Writes a managed
/etc/fstabblock - Performs an initial one-way sync with
rsync - Configures
lsyncdfor continuous updates - Handles systemd dependencies, logs, and inotify limits
- Is safe to re-run at any time
The Python tool exists to make this setup explicit, reviewable, and reproducible.
Who this is for
- Linux users with a NAS needing continuous updates
- Users migrating from Windows disks to a NAS
- Anyone who wants controlled, append-only sync without snapshot or backup tools