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Virtual Machine Manager – Synology makes an Oops

Summary of Synology Virtual Machine Manager console showing it in a healthy state.

I updated my main NAS today and unfortunately found that none of my virtual machines running on it would start. Unfortunately my main DNS server and filtering software was running on that.

A quick internet search found this:

Users upgrading to DSM 7.4.1-90080 have reported that Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) fails to initialize correctly, specifically causing the virtual network switch and storage pool to remain inactive.  This issue was observed on models like the DS723+ running VMM version 2.7.0-12229, where virtual machines lost network connectivity and the system reported errors despite the underlying binaries being present. 

The root cause was identified as a version incompatibility, with Synology support suggesting that the stable package branch was insufficient for the new DSM release. The resolution involved manually installing the VMM 2.8.0-12322 beta package.  After installing this beta version and recreating the virtual machine configuration, network and storage functionality was restored. 

  • Symptom: Virtual network switch and storage pool fail to initialize; VMs lose connectivity. 
  • Affected Version: VMM 2.7.0-12229 on DSM 7.4.1-90080. 
  • Fix: Install VMM 2.8.0-12322 (Beta) and reconfigure the virtual machine.
  • Warning: Ensure you have backups, as DSM 7.4.1 does not allow downgrading to previous versions.

First issue the beta was not available just an error message, then I remembered my DNS would be in fall back mode and some things might not be available. So I quickly pointed the NAS at an alternative and then beta software was available. I updated my virtual machine manager fixed the issues that caused and could then bring back up my virtual servers.

Bad testing from Synology but I suppose as this was a security update they may have had to rush it out. But some notes on the documentation would have been nice.

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VPN’s can you trust them

https://franklinetech.com/vpn-industry-2026

Black haired model with glasses, white blouse and pink jacket. She is sat typing onto a laptop

With authorities clamping down on what you can do on line, authoritarianism rising across the world, black hat hackers, scammers etc, the big tech companies spying on us; being on the internet can be a dangerous thing.

You may say; “I have nothing to hide, I am not doing anything illegal.”

But laws can change what today may be legal may not in five or ten years and what gets logged about you on the internet stays on the internet.

Using a private DNS, a privacy focused browser and reputable VPN can make you safer on line. A quick search will bring up options for DNS and browsers, but VPN’s are tricky. many are owned by the same parent company and there motives are suspect. Many of the review sites are also owned by the parent companies so the results are often their own vpn brands.

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Weekly Visit to Lincoln

Guild Hall area of Lincoln, the Stonebow arch can be seen as people on the high street walk through it.

As the summer continues, I still try and get into Lincoln as least once a week. This is a view I have taken shots of many times. In the high contrast of the summer sun its not an easy shot but will join my collection as I document the area over the years.

A view of Lincoln high street towards steep hill. It will soon be lunch so the tables are now out at the bars and coffee shops.
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Rumours of an updated Nikon Z30?

Blonde model in the studio. Plain white background. She is wearing a black dress with the back open and she is facing away from the camera.

With the rush to full frame, the cropped DX format is not getting a lot of love.

The above shot was taken in the studio with a Nikon D200 DX format sensor. The format especially for people wanting smaller and lighter is tempting.

I see now on the rumour sites people are saying a new viewfinder less Z is coming so will this be a replacement for the Z30. I am not into cameras without viewfinders but with upgrades to focus and video this could make a great B roll camera for people shooting video, or a camera to setup at a remote location. Or even a spare body that tucks into a small space in the camera bag.

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Solar Eclipse 2026 – Partial in the UK

Last night we were in the garden with our little home made pin hole projector.

Piece of white paper, with a project from a pinhole showing the eclipse of the sun

The last solar elipse in the UK was back in 1999. I got up at 3am in the morning and rode the few hundred miles down to the line of totality. Then pointed the motorcycle at the bluest and clearest bit of sky and road to the south coast.

Piece of white paper, with a project from a pinhole showing the eclipse of the sun

Parked up in a pub carpark sitting in full biker leathers with a glass of cold lemonade I enjoyed my first and only total solar eclipse.

Piece of white paper, with a project from a pinhole showing the eclipse of the sun

Last night it was about 90% in the uk, so with a piece of card, that we had punched a small hole into, and a piece of white paper, we projected the sun onto the paper to view it safely.

It did go darker and it was a great experience.

The next one is about 50 years away so its looking doubtful that I will make that one.

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Cinema Lens

Nude blonde model kneeling on a bed, she has black hold up stocking on and is covering herself up with a sheet.

There has been a Long tradition with movie makers to find classic old lens with a certain look and have them re-cased as cinema lens.

Nikon announced a while ago they would be releasing a range of cinema lens and recently Cooke announced that their SP3 and AP3 cinema lens would now be available for the Nikon Z mount.

As is generally the case, these will be outside most people’s budgets.

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The World Wide Web

I have a had a long career in IT. From mainframes to the start of the PC revolution and the start of networking computers. I have memories from the 1990’s of pulling up the floor to find where the good old coax cable had become broken and brought the whole network down.

I was browsing Mastodon and came across a reminder that last week that we are in the 35th anniversary of the World Wide Web.

Back then the first web browser just ran on powerful Next Machines at Cern, but they developed a universal command line browser similar to w3c that I use sometimes on one of my Linux ThinkPad.

A screen capture of the w3c command line browser I sometimes use on one of my ThinkPads running Arch.

Now with restrictive laws and age verification we are killing the open web; forcing people to use Facebook and other gatekeeping closed systems that steal from us and feed us a lie.

Thank you Tim Berners-Lee and the team, lets hope the open web survives.

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Street Photography – sneaking a shot or asking?

An older couple sat in the corn hill square in Lincoln. Both are sat resting after doing some shopping.

I see a few styles of street photography. The shot above, a general scene, people in the shot. Its a shot that people do not mind too much being in shot.

A charity working in a pretty dress collecting money. She has blond hair with a blue hair tie and a blue dress.

For the more street portrait style, I go up and ask people. It’s only polite. But I know some people just shove a camera in peoples faces.

Young blond model in green trousers and black top stood next to an old lamppost. She os stood in an old street in Lincoln.

Of course the opposite to street photography, when I hire a model and take her for a photo walk on a city street.

What’s your way of working?