Drobo 5C Getting Started Guide
Table of Contents 1: Before You Begin .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.1 Product features at a glance .......................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Checking box contents .................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Checking system requirements ...........................
: What To Do Next ............................................................................................................................ 31 3.1 Using best practices for protecting data ..................................................................................... 32 3.2 Keeping your software up to date ............................................................................................... 32 3.2.1 Checking for software updates ...........................................................
1: Before You Begin Before you begin to set up your Drobo 5C, it is recommended to check the operating system and hardware requirements. This section covers the following topics: Product features at a glance Checking box contents Checking system requirements Checking hardware requirements 1.1 Product features at a glance For a quick overview of the features of Drobo 5C, refer to the following images. Figure 1: Front view of Drobo 5C with the bezel (faceplate) removed.
Figure 2: Back view of Drobo 5C 1.2 Checking box contents Ensure that your product's box contains all the components listed below. Drobo 5C 3.3 ft. (1 m) USB Type A to Type C cable 6.6 ft. (1.8 m) power cord with power adaptor Quick Start Card Safety and Warranty Guide 1.3 Checking system requirements Check to ensure whether your operating system and cable interface are supported.
1.3.1 Operating systems supported Operating systems supported for Drobo 5C device are as follows. Apple® Macintosh® 10.9 or later Microsoft® Windows® 7 Service Pack 1 or later Microsoft® Windows® 8/8.1 Microsoft® Windows® 10 Notes: - For best performance and interoperability, ensure that you are running the latest service packs for the appropriate Windows operating systems.
1.4.1 Selecting drives The Drobo 5C supports both standard 3.5” SATA III hard disk drives (HDDs) as well as solid-state drives (SSDs) for added performance. You can choose HDDs from any manufacturer and with any capacity. For choosing SSDs, please visit our web page to view the compatible drive options. Note: Even though Drobo 5C supports SDDs, we do not recommend using them. Warning: When you insert the drives into Drobo 5C, the pre-existing data on the drives will be erased. 1.4.
1.4.3 Determining drive space requirements In order to protect your data from drive failure, your Drobo 5C requires more space than what you will use for your data. It may, sometimes, use as much as double or more the amount of space. 1.4.3.1 Capacity calculator The best way to determine how much usable and protected storage space is available for your data, based on the number and capacity of your drives, is to use our Capacity Calculator.
2: Setting Up Drobo 5C Once you have unpacked your Drobo 5C device from its box and ensured that you meet all the operating system and hardware requirements, it is time to set up your device for use. You also need to upgrade the firmware to the latest version before using the Drobo 5C device, as the device shipped out will not have the latest firmware. Note: - The Drobo 5C device will not be usable until you have upgraded the firmware. You can perform the setup of Drobo 5C in few steps by: 1.
1. Remove the magnetic front bezel (faceplate) from the front of your Drobo 5C by pulling it off. 2. Hold the HDD with its connectors positioned at the device and toward the left (usually the labels will be on the top). Refer to the images below. 3. With your other hand, use your thumb to depress and hold open one of the drive locks to a selected drive bay. Refer to the image below. 4. Slide the drive into the drive bay, release the drive lock and push the drive into place until you feel it connect.
1. Plug the Type C USB cable into the back of your Drobo 5C. 2. Plug the other end of the cable into your host computer. 3. Connect the power supply to the power connection at the back of your Drobo 5C. 4. Connect the other end of the power supply to a power source. Note: We recommend plugging into an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or surge protector. For more information, see Using power protection. 2.
2. After downloading, double-click the Drobo Dashboard Installer to launch it. 3. A pop up will appear asking you to choose the language for installation. Select the language of your choice and click OK. 4. The Drobo Dashboard Installer (or Installation Wizard) will appear. 5. Click the Next button to proceed. 6. Follow the instructions of the Installation Wizard by clicking the Next button after each page. 7. Once you reach the installation page, click the Install button.
8. In some Windows operating systems, the Windows Access Control dialog box appears, asking if you want to allow changes to your computer. Click the Allow or Yes button. This installs the Drobo Dashboard. 9. After the installation is complete, be sure the Launch Drobo Dashboard checkbox is selected and then, click the Finish button. 10. The Drobo Dashboard application launches and you will be prompted to register your Drobo 5C. You can either register the Drobo 5C or skip the step and register it later.
Note: We highly recommend to register your product in order to obtain support. 11. Click the Next button to view the All Drobos page. After a few seconds, Drobo "discovers" all Drobo devices currently connected and displays them on this page.
Note: After the Drobo Dashboard launches, you may be asked if Drobo can collect anonymous information on your usage. Click Yes or No, as desired. 12. If you have no Drobo device connected to the computer or powered on, a "No Drobos Detected" message displays until you do. 13. Your Drobo 5C will not work until you update the firmware. For information on updating the firmware to the latest version, see Updating your Drobo 5C to the latest firmware. 2.3.
5. The Firewall Warning page appears. Click Continue. 6. Next, the Installation Wizard page appears. Click Continue to proceed.
7. The Software License Agreement page appears. From here, you can choose the language in which you want to proceed the installation process. 8. After choosing the desired language, Click Continue. 9. A dialog box will appear asking you to Agree or Disagree the terms of the license agreement. Click Agree to proceed.
10. You will reach the Installation Type section. Click Install to proceed. 11. You will be prompted to enter the administrator password. Enter the password and click Install Software. 12. Then, you will be prompted to restart your computer in order to complete the installation. Click Continue Installation to proceed.
13. When the installation completes, you will see the following screen to restart the computer to finish the installation. Click Restart. 14. Once the computer restarts, launch the Drobo Dashboard application. 15. The application will prompt you to register your Drobo 5C. You can either register it or skip the step and register it later. Select an option based on you preference. Note: We highly recommend to register your product in order to obtain support. 16.
Important Notes: - The Drobo 5C device will not be usable until you have upgraded the firmware. - If you are a first-time Drobo user, then install the latest version of Drobo Dashboard. If you are an existing Drobo user and have a Drobo Dashboard version earlier than 2.8.2 installed, then you must follow the instructions to uninstall Drobo Dashboard prior to installing the latest version.
formatting the disk with pinhole method, see How can I clear all my data off my Drobo storage device and start anew? This is for new setups only where the drives have no data. Warning: This procedure will erase all data from all drives and return your Drobo 5C to default settings. Note: If you need to assess that the process is moving smoothly, see Guide to meaning of indicator lights (LEDs). 2.
3. In the Drobo Registration area, click the Register my Drobo devices link. This opens the Registration page. 4.
If you do not have a Drobo account, click the Create a new Drobo account link. The Login page opens in your web browser. Then, click the Create an Account button to open the Signup page. Enter the required information and create your account, and then return to this step to log in to your account. If you already have a Drobo account, then select the Register new Drobo with my Drobo account option and enter your Drobo username and password. You can click the Forgot username or password link if needed.
2.6 Formatting drives After installing the Drobo Dashboard, inserting the drives into your Drobo 5C and connecting cables, you are ready to turn on your device and format the drives. Before doing so, it is important to know what file system format and volume size you will choose when you format the drives. 2.6.1 Selecting a file system and volume size When you turn on your Drobo 5C, you will be prompted to format the drives in your Drobo 5C with a particular file system.
2.6.2 Formatting drives for your Drobo 5C With Drobo Dashboard installed on your host computer and cables connected, you are ready to turn on your Drobo 5C and format the drives. Important Notes: Some of the Windows and Mac operating systems will prompt you to format the drives. Click Cancel or Ignore, as appropriate, and continue with the formatting procedure from the Drobo Dashboard. To format the drives: 1. Double-click on the Drobo 5C icon on the All Drobos page in the Drobo Dashboard.
3. Then, click the Next button. This opens the Volume Name page (see image below). 4. If applicable, from the Drive Letter drop-down list, select the drive letter to assign to the volume. 5. In the Name text box, modify the default name for the volume as you like.
Tip: We recommend using a descriptive name stating the purpose to avoid confusion. 6. Click the Next button. The Confirm Format page opens. 7. Click the Format button. A message appears informing you that it can take up to five minutes to format your drives, and that this may require rebooting your Drobo 5C. 8. After formatting, the Format dialog box opens. 9. Click the OK button. The newly created volume will appear under the Volumes tab for your Drobo 5C.
2.7 Using Drobo 5C with Time Machine or backup software 2.7.1 Overview Drobo 5C introduces the ability to create a dedicated backup volume for use with OS X Time Machine, Windows Backup and Restore, or other backup software. The backup volume is compatible with encrypted backup options. This article will show you how to set it up. 2.7.2 Creating a backup volume These steps will create a fixed-size backup volume that will appear as a new disk, separate from your main Drobo volume.
5. Enter a name for your backup volume and the desired size (GB). 6. Click the OK button. 7. When you see the "Confirm Restart" dialog, take a moment to stop any activity on the Drobo 5C, because it must restart. When you are ready, click Yes to continue. 8. Wait until you receive the message that "Volume management changes have been made successfully," then click the OK button. 9. Now you will see the backup volume you created listed under Volumes. You may now close the Drobo Dashboard. 10.
2.8 Safely shutting down your Drobo 5C If you plan to shut down your Drobo 5C for any reason, it is very important that you always do so safely. Improper Drobo device shutdowns may cause file corruption and/or data loss. This section covers the following topics: When to shut down your Drobo 5C Shutting down your Drobo 5C using Drobo Dashboard 2.8.
Important Note: If one or more drive bay lights are red, you need to add capacity or replace the current drive. However, you can still safely shut down your Drobo 5C. 3. In the Drobo Dashboard, select the Drobo 5C that you would like to shut down from the All Drobos page, and click the Tools option on the Navigation menu. The Tools page opens. 4. In the Drobo Operations area, select the Shutdown option. A message box opens, asking you to confirm the shutdown. 5. Click the Yes button. 6.
Using best practices for data protection Keeping Drobo Dashboard and Drobo 5C ’s firmware up to date Using Online User Guide Using Context-Sensitive Help Using the Knowledge Base Registering your Drobo 5C Getting Technical Support 3.1 Using best practices for protecting data While Drobo protects 5C your data from a single drive failure and concurrent 2 drive failures (when used in Dual Disk Redundancy setting) our data can still be lost.
Note: If needed, ensure that you are logged in to this Drobo 5C. 4. If a software update is available, a dialog box opens, asking if you would like to install the update. Click the Yes button and follow the prompts to install the update. 3.3 Using online user guide After you have set up your Drobo 5C, you are ready to use it to store and back up data. To learn how to manage and use your Drobo 5C, refer to the Online User Guide for your product available at the Drobo 5C page.
Note: You can access our knowledge base from the Drobo Support page. 3.6 Registering your Drobo 5C If you did not register your Drobo 5C during setup, you can do so from the Drobo Dashboard. For more information on registering your Drobo 5C, see Registering your Drobo 5C. 3.7 Getting technical support To get technical support from Drobo, make sure you have registered your Drobo 5C at the Drobo Log In page. If not registered yet, go to Drobo Support page for details on how to contact support.
3.8 Guide to meaning of indicator lights (LEDs) Your Drobo 5C provides a variety of status information via its indicator lights, as described in the table below. 3.8.1 Indicator light messages Light Color Meaning Drive Bay Status Indicator Green (solid) Drive is healthy. No action required. Yellow (solid) Add a drive or replace the current drive with a larger drive soon. Your Drobo is running out of disk space. See Adding disk capacity.
