Where Does Xpenology Keep Bootloader Config?
Xpenology config lives on the USB stick FAT partition as grub.cfg with VID, PID and serial edits.
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Xpenology boots DSM from a USB stick whose first FAT partition holds the loader. A grub folder there contains grub.cfg with the hardware impersonation lines: vendor and product IDs, serial number and MAC addresses. Editing those values personalizes each install.
Loader generations differ, so check which one the stick uses before following any guide. Modern ARC, ARPL and RR variants replace grub.cfg with their own JSON and env formats. The synoinfo.conf with live MAC data lives inside DSM itself after install, never on the stick.
Where Xpenology stores this, by platform
<USB stick>/grub/grub.cfg (synoboot partition)
Mount the first FAT partition to reach it with bzImage and EFI beside. Edit vid, pid, sn and mac lines per stick. Modern loaders use user_config.json or grubenv instead; synoinfo.conf lives in DSM rootfs post-install, not here.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the Xpenology serial and MAC?
Mount the USB first partition and edit grub.cfg vid, pid, sn and mac lines, keeping formats valid. Newer loaders use their own JSON config instead. Reboot to apply; DSM reads them at every boot.
Where is synoinfo.conf on the USB stick?
Nowhere: it lives inside DSM at /etc/synoinfo.conf after installation. The stick holds loader config only. Edit DSM-side network identity through the DSM UI or SSH once booted.
Why is there no grub.cfg on my loader USB?
Modern ARC, ARPL and RR loaders replaced it with their own formats. Follow that loader docs for user config and env files. Jun-era guides quoting grub.cfg apply to older sticks only.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.