How to host a Globalping probe on your Synology NAS

Globalping is a global network measurement platform that enables anyone to run commands like ping or dig from any location in the world. To make this possible, the platform relies on a network of probes distributed globally, primarily running within Docker containers managed by individuals and partner organizations in their homes and offices.

If you're keen on contributing to the Globalping network and enjoying benefits like increased API limits while putting your Synology NAS to good use, this blog post is for you!

We'll guide you through setting up a Globalping probe on your Synology NAS and connecting it to the Globalping Dashboard to reap some rewards for your contribution to the network.

Prerequisites

You'll only need your Synology NAS device for this guide.

Setting up a Globalping probe on Synology

In most cases, Globalping contributors host probes within Docker containers. In this guide, we will use Synology's Container Manager to basically do the same.

Step 1: Install Container Manager

First, let’s set up Synology’s Container Manager:

1. Open the "Package Center" on your Synology NAS.
2. Search for "Container Manager", install it, and then launch it.

Step 2: Create a new project in Container Manager

In Container Manager, click "Projects" and then "Create".

1. In the "Create project" overlay, set the "Path" to a directory where you want the Docker compose file saved. Note: if this file is deleted, your container won’t run.
2. Copy the following YAML snippet to configure the container into the text field:

version: "3"  
services:
  globalping-probe:
    image: globalping/globalping-probe
    restart: always
    network_mode: host

3. Click "Next" to proceed to the "Web portal settings". There's nothing to do here, so leave this section empty.

4. Click "Next" to review the "Summary", making sure that "Start the project once it's created" is enabled before you click "Done" to finish the setup.

The Container Manager now pulls the probe's Docker image, builds the container, and starts your Globalping probe. Once it's done, the terminal output should look something like this:

Step 3: Verify the probe is running

Let's confirm everything is working as expected:

1. In Container Manager, navigate to "Projects" and find your newly created project.
2. Click on your probe project to view its details – you should see that the probe is active:

3. Click on your probe and go to the "Logs" tab to see the logs created by the probe. For example, when someone runs a network measurement using your probe, you’ll see it logged here.

You're now hosting a Globalping probe on Synology and are officially part of the community – welcome!

Step 4: Updating your probe (optional)

You don't need to worry about updating the probe since it updates itself once a new version is available. The Docker container, on the other hand, does not update automatically, and we recommend updating the container regularly:

1. Open Container Manager and check if an "Update" button is displayed with the probe image.
2. If an update is available, rebuild the project by clicking the respective button in the project settings.

Step 5: Learn more about Globalping probes

If you want to learn more about our Globalping probes, such as information about limitations and security, check out the probes' GitHub README.

Connecting your probe to the Globalping Dashboard

While adopting your probe through the Globalping Dashboard is optional, we highly recommend doing so.The Globalping Dashboard provides you with features and benefits, including:

• Viewing probe activity
• Assigning tags for grouping probes and targeting them in measurements
• Earning credits to run more requests
• ... and more features coming in the future

To adopt your probe:

1. Head to the Globalping Dashboard and sign in with your GitHub account.
2. Navigate to the "Probes" section and click "Adopt a probe".
3. Select "I'm already running a probe" and follow the instructions displayed.
4. Globalping will send a code to your probe. Go to your probe logs to copy this code.

Once connected, your probe will be visible on your dashboard, and you'll start generating credits for contributing to the network.

Running a measurement on your probe

Finally, let's see your new probe in action by running a measurement on it.

Step 1: Assign a custom tag

To run a measurement on your probe, you can assign a custom tag to it that you can then provide as the probe location in your measurement request.

1. Select your probe to edit its details.
2. At the bottom, you can provide a custom tag, a combination of your GitHub user name and a custom string.

Step 2: Run your first measurement

We'll use the Globalping website to run a measurement, but you can use any other Globalping integration or tool.

1. Go to the Globalping website
2. Fill out the measurement form at the top to create a measurement
3. Specify your custom tag in the "Location" field
4. Click the "Run test" button

You'll see the measurement result below in just a moment. When you examine the probe details, you will see that they match your probe's information, such as the location of your NAS device.

Conclusion

By hosting a Globalping probe on your Synology NAS, you've become a valuable member of the Globalping community. Your contribution helps us provide free, reliable global network measurements accessible to everyone worldwide! Hosting a probe is a great way to give back, and it also allows you to collect credits to spend on additional API requests.

Want to run another probe? Explore hosting a Globalping probe on other platforms, such as DigitalOcean.