How to Host VMs on UGREEN NAS

A UGREEN DXP NAS can run Windows, Linux, and other guest operating systems directly through the UGOS Pro Virtual Machine app. It is unavailable on the DH2300 and DH4300 Plus.

This guide covers virtual machines that run directly on the NAS. If Proxmox, VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, or another hypervisor runs on a separate server and uses your NAS only for VM storage, see How to Choose VM Storage for a Homelab.

Video Walkthrough

If you’d rather watch than read, check out the tutorial video below.

For more detailed step-by-step instructions, just keep reading.

Understand UGREEN VM Networks

UGOS Pro manages VM connectivity through virtual subnets. When the NAS uses its normal network configuration, the Virtual Machine service generates virtual networks for the available physical LAN interfaces.

Before creating the VM, open Virtual Machine > Manage > Network and review the available virtual subnets.

If the VM must reach services hosted by the NAS itself, configure LinuxBridge as described below.

Configure Virtual Bridging When the VM Must Reach the NAS

Complete this section only when you need Bridge Mode–LinuxBridge. Creating or changing a bridge can briefly interrupt the NAS network connection, so schedule the change around active transfers and services.

1. Open Control Panel in UGOS Pro.
2. Go to Network > Network Connection.
3. Open Network Bridging > Virtual Bridging.
4. Enable Virtual Bridging and select the physical LAN port that carries the NAS connection.
5. Apply the change and continue when UGOS Pro displays the network-interruption notice.
6. Wait for UGOS Pro to create the VBR network adapter.
7. Open Virtual Machine > Manage > Network.
8. Locate the virtual subnet that the VM will use. Depending on the interface, it may appear as LAN1, LAN2, vnet-bridge0, or vnet-bridge1.
9. Change that subnet to Bridge Mode–LinuxBridge and map it to the new VBR adapter.
10. Select that virtual subnet in the VM’s network settings.

If you change the network mode of an existing VM, shut the guest down completely and start it again. A guest operating system restart alone may not apply the virtual hardware change.

How to Create a New VM From an ISO File

Use an ISO when you want to perform a clean operating system installation.

1. Add the Installation Image

Open the Virtual Machine app and go to the image section. Add the ISO from a folder on the NAS or upload it from your computer. Keep the image on a volume with enough free space for both the installation file and the new virtual disk.

2. Start the Manual Creation Wizard

Choose the option to create a VM manually. Enter a clear name and select the guest operating system family and version that most closely match the image.

3. Select the Boot Mode

Choose the firmware mode expected by the guest operating system. Modern Windows installations should use UEFI. An older imported or legacy operating system may require BIOS mode instead.

4. Assign CPU and Memory

Leave enough resources for UGOS Pro, file services, backups, indexing, containers, and any other VMs.

UGREEN NAS Tip: overcommitting the NAS can make both the VM and normal NAS services less responsive.

5. Create the Virtual Disk

Choose the storage volume, virtual disk size, and disk settings. Place active VM disks on SSD-backed storage when low latency and frequent random reads and writes matter. \

6. Select the Virtual Subnet

Choose one of the virtual subnets shown in the creation wizard. The name may correspond to a physical interface, such as LAN1 or LAN2, or appear as vnet-bridge0, vnet-bridge1, or vnet-nat0.

7. Review and Start the VM

Confirm the virtual hardware, installation image, disk, and network settings. Create the VM, start it, and open the console. Follow the operating system’s normal installation process.

After installation, detach the installation ISO or change the boot order if the VM returns to the installer instead of starting from its virtual disk.

Install Windows 10 or Windows 11 With Guest Tools

Use this workflow for a Windows 10 or Windows 11 VM:

1. Create the VM with UEFI as its boot mode.
2. Mount the Windows installation ISO.
3. Mount the Guest Tools ISO as an additional virtual optical drive.
4. Start Windows Setup.
5. If Windows Setup cannot see the virtual disk, choose Load driver and browse the Guest Tools media for the appropriate VirtIO storage driver.
6. Complete the Windows installation.
7. Open the Guest Tools media inside Windows and run its installer.
8. Restart the guest and verify its network adapter, display, and storage devices in Windows.

If the virtual disk still does not appear, confirm that the driver matches the guest architecture and Windows version. If networking is missing after installation, install the Guest Tools package and then recheck the selected VM network mode.

How to Import an Existing Virtual Machine

The correct import path depends on whether you have a packaged appliance or only a virtual disk.

Import an OVA Package

1. Open the Virtual Machine app and choose the OVA import option.
2. Select an OVA stored on the NAS or upload one from your computer.
3. Review the imported CPU, memory, storage, boot, and network settings.
4. Choose the destination volume and network mode.
5. Complete the import and start the VM.

An appliance created on another hypervisor may need adjustments before it boots correctly. Check the firmware mode, virtual disk controller, network adapter, and available guest drivers if startup fails.

Create a VM From an Existing Disk Image

1. Add the IMG, VMDK, QCOW2, or VDI file to the image library.
2. Start the manual VM creation process.
3. Choose the operating system type and the correct boot mode.
4. Attach the existing image as the VM’s system disk.
5. Assign CPU, memory, and network settings.
6. Create the VM and open the console for the first boot.

This workflow is different from OVA import because a standalone disk image may not include the source VM’s complete hardware configuration.

Manage the VM After Setup

Once the guest is running, the Virtual Machine app provides the controls needed for routine administration.

• Console access: Open the VM console to install the operating system, complete local setup, or diagnose a guest that has lost network access. A shared console link can be useful when another authorized person needs temporary access.
• Power controls: Start, shut down, restart, or force-stop the VM as appropriate. Prefer the guest operating system’s normal shutdown process when it remains responsive.
• Resource monitoring: Watch CPU, memory, disk, and network use to see whether the VM is constrained or affecting other NAS services.
• Image and volume management: Track where installation media and virtual disks are stored, especially before moving, renaming, or removing source files.
• Logs: Review the app logs for VM creation, deletion, startup, shutdown, configuration changes, and startup failures.
• Snapshots: Capture a rollback point before a risky guest update or configuration change.
• OVA export: Export a compatible VM when you need a portable package for migration or archival purposes.

Improve VM Performance Without Starving the NAS

A VM’s speed depends on the complete path from the guest workload to the NAS hardware. Check the following areas before increasing resource allocations:

• Guest requirements: Match CPU, memory, and disk capacity to the operating system and application rather than using one fixed allocation for every VM.
• NAS headroom: Preserve enough CPU and memory for UGOS Pro and other active services.
• Storage latency: Use SSD-backed storage for active VM disks when the workload performs frequent random I/O.
• Free capacity: Keep adequate space on the destination volume for snapshots, updates, temporary files, and storage maintenance.
• Competing work: Schedule heavy backups, media indexing, RAID maintenance, and other intensive jobs away from the VM’s busiest periods where practical.
• Guest drivers: Install Guest Tools for supported Windows guests so the VM can use the intended paravirtualized drivers.
• Network path: Check the selected VM mode, physical link speed, switch, and client connection before attributing a network bottleneck to the guest.

For a deeper performance diagnosis, work through How to Fix Slow VM Performance on a NAS.

Troubleshooting UGREEN NAS Virtual Machines

The Virtual Machine App Is Missing

Confirm that the NAS is a supported DXP-series model. For example, the DXP2800 GT supports virtual machines through UGOS Pro. Virtual Machine support is unavailable on the DH2300 and DH4300 Plus. Then update UGOS Pro and check the App Center again.

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A New VM Cannot Be Created

Check available memory, CPU capacity, destination-volume space, and the selected image file. Confirm that the image format is supported and that the account has permission to use the required storage location.

The VM Was Created but Will Not Start

Open the Virtual Machine app logs first. A startup failure may result from a missing image, an unavailable storage volume, or a USB device already assigned to another VM. Also verify that the configured CPU, memory, disks, and attached devices are still available.

The Operating System Installer Cannot Find a Disk

For Windows 10 or Windows 11, mount the Guest Tools ISO and load the appropriate VirtIO storage driver during setup. For an imported guest, check whether its existing operating system includes a driver for the selected virtual disk controller.

The VM Has No Internet or LAN Access

Confirm that a virtual network adapter is enabled and connected. Then verify that the chosen network mode matches the goal:

• Use a valid NAT subnet for translated network access.
• Use the normal LAN-backed MacVTap network when the VM should appear as a device on the LAN but does not need direct access to the NAS host.
• Use LinuxBridge on a compatible NAS bridge when the VM should appear on the LAN and communicate directly with the NAS host.
• Check the guest’s IP configuration, DNS settings, and firewall after confirming the virtual adapter.

If a NAT subnet such as vnet-nat0 appears in red or becomes invalid after changing the NAS network configuration:

1. Open Virtual Machine > Manage > Network and select Add Network.
2. Enter a recognizable name, such as NAT1.
3. Select NAT as the mode.
4. Map it to the compatible BR- or VBR-prefixed NAS bridge.
5. Keep automatic IPv4 allocation enabled unless the network requires a custom address range.
6. Save the subnet and confirm that its status is normal.
7. Open the VM’s settings and select the new NAT subnet under Basic > Network.

The VM Can Reach the Internet but Cannot Reach the NAS

This behavior is expected with Bridge Mode–MacVTap because the guest cannot communicate directly with the NAS host through that architecture. Open Virtual Machine > Manage > Network, identify the subnet assigned to the guest, and change it to Bridge Mode–LinuxBridge on a compatible NAS bridge. If no compatible bridge exists, configure Virtual Bridging to create a VBR adapter. Fully shut down and start the VM after changing its virtual network.

An Imported VM Does Not Boot

Match the firmware mode to the source VM, then verify the system disk, boot order, storage controller, and guest drivers. An OVA or standalone disk created on another hypervisor may need different virtual hardware before its operating system can start.

The VM Is Running Slowly

Review NAS CPU and memory use, guest resource use, storage latency, volume free space, and concurrent NAS tasks. Confirm that supported Windows guests have Guest Tools installed. A larger CPU or memory allocation helps only when that resource is actually the bottleneck.

Can a Built-In VM Use an iSCSI LUN From the Same NAS?

A VM running inside the UGOS Pro Virtual Machine app cannot use a NAS-created iSCSI LUN directly as its virtual disk. Store the VM disk on an eligible NAS volume through the Virtual Machine app. If the guest needs access to additional NAS data, connect to an appropriate network share, such as SMB, from inside the guest.

iSCSI is relevant when an external hypervisor connects to the UGREEN NAS as shared storage. That is a different architecture from the direct-on-NAS setup covered here.

Final Takeaway

Once the VM is running, use logs for diagnosis, snapshots for short-term rollback, OVA exports for portability, and independent backups for durable protection.