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# Synology HDD compatibility policy explained
- URL: https://www.blackvoid.club/synology-hdd-compatibility-policy-explained/
- Published: 2021-09-15T17:50:04.000Z
- Updated: 2021-12-22T13:00:31.000Z
- Author: Luka Manestar
- Tags: nas

Beginning in 2021, Synology rolled out their HDD HAT5300 series of drives, and following that they have changed their **HDD compatibility policy**.

Now [I did write about those drives](https://www.blackvoid.club/new-synology-hdd-s-spotted/) and those policy changes a bit back in January and March of 2021, but I wanted to reflect on this a bit more considering there are some concerned users out there as to what models will be affected here and what does and incompatible drive mean exactly.

### Validation and compatibility

Following the launch of RS3621RPxs, RS3621xs+, and RS4021xs+ models in January, Synology rolled out its **new policy**.

These are the following changes that apply to the three models mentioned above and **any upcoming devices of the same class**:

- Drives not listed **can** be used, in an **unsupported** state
- Drives listed as **incompatible** will **not be able to be used**
- DSM will notify users that their storage drives are *unverified* or *incompatible*
- Technical **support will be limited** when using *unverified* or *incompatible* drives.

So what are **compatible**, **unverified**, and **incompatible** drives?

**COMPATIBLE**  
Drives tested and verified to work by Synology

**UNVERIFIED**  
Any drives not listed on the [compatibility list](https://www.synology.com/en-global/compatibility?ref=blackvoid.club)

**INCOMPATIBLE**  
Any drive explicitly listed as incompatible on the list, due to serious issues found during testing

![](https://www.blackvoid.club/content/images/2021/09/Screenshot-2021-09-15-at-19.28.37.png)

\*Usable only when drives are migrated from a **pre-policy** device

### DSM demeanor depending on the HDD definition

Depending on the type of drive that DSM will detect you can expect different outcomes from both DSM itself and Synology support if you will ever need it.

**DSM with unverified drives**

- Any unverified drive’s status would show **unverified**
- Warnings will be displayed when selecting **unverified drives** to create a storage pool
- Storage pools with **any unverified drives** would show a **danger** status
- DSM will send warning emails about unverified drives
- **Removes** the display of certain drive information:  
Allocation status  
Bad sector count  
Temperature  
Serial number  
4K native HDD

**DSM with incompatible drives**

In case of a drive migration scenario, these policies will apply:

- Can be used, but limited to **only repair** (expand or modify actions blocked)
- Any storage pool with an incompatible drive displays a **danger** status
- Will send warning emails about incompatible drives
- **Removes** drive information (same as unverified)

If you are running a NAS with a fresh DSM install, then these rules apply:

- Not listed during storage pool creation wizard – **cannot be used**
- Shown in Storage Manager list as **incompatible**, lacks the same fields

### Technical support

For devices that apply the new policy, the amount of technical support provided will be **limited** for customers that have decided to use unverified or incompatible drives.

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Hope this clears up some questions about the new policy. Now, this will be mainly applied to new devices in the **FS/XS/XS+** and **UC** category, but still, if you are getting new drives and have a NAS already or are planning to get a new one, it would be best to stick to the officially supported list to avoid any problems regarding stability, functionality and in the end, support.