Drobo 5C User Guide
Contents 1 Drobo 5C Online User Guide .............................................................................................. 6 1.1 Before You Begin........................................................................................................ 7 1.1.1 Product Features at a Glance ............................................................................... 8 1.1.2 Checking Box Contents ...................................................................................... 10 1.1.
1.2.6.2 Turning On Your Drobo 5C and Formatting the Drives .............................. 46 1.2.7 Migrating a Disk Pack from Another Drobo Device ........................................... 51 1.2.8 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C ................................................................ 53 1.2.8.1 1.3 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard ................. 54 Where to Go Next ..............................................................................................
1.4.3 Formatting Your Drobo 5C ................................................................................. 91 1.4.4 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C ................................................................ 95 1.4.4.1 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard ................. 96 1.4.5 Resetting Your Drobo 5C.................................................................................... 98 1.4.6 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity ................................
1.7.5.2 Checking Current Version on Mac ............................................................ 128 1.7.6 Checking System Information .......................................................................... 129 1.7.7 Checking Drive Information ............................................................................. 131 1.7.8 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5C ............................................................ 133 1.7.9 Understanding the Indicator Lights .....................
1 Drobo 5C User Guide Congratulations on your new Drobo! This Getting Started section will help you get your Drobo 5C set up and running in just a few steps.
1.1 Before You Begin Before you begin setting up your Drobo 5C, it’s a good idea to check system and hardware requirements.
1.1.1 Product Features at a Glance For a quick overview of the features of Drobo 5C, refer to the following images. Figure 1: Front of the Drobo 5C with the bezel (faceplate) removed.
Figure 2: Back of the Drobo 5C Related topics: Checking Box Contents Before You Begin Drobo 5C User Guide 9
1.1.2 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.
1.1.3 Checking System Requirements Check to ensure your operating system and cable interface are supported.
1.1.3.1 Operating Systems Supported For the most current list of supported operating systems, check the specifications for your products online at www.drobo.com/products/index.php. For best performance and interoperability, ensure you are running the latest service packs for the appropriate Windows operating systems.
1.1.3.2 Connectivity Interface Supported for the Drobo 5C Your Drobo 5C device has USB 3.0, Type C interface. Drobo provides USB Type A to Type C cable with the device. Depending on the model of your computer, it may have USB Type A or Type C interface. You have to buy a Type C to Type C cable if your computer has a Type C interface. Speed of data communication is limited by the slowest interface of your computer and the Drobo device. Notes: If your computer only has a USB 2.
1.1.4 Checking the Hardware You Need To use your Drobo 5C, you will need at least two drives. If you plan to use Dual Disk Redundancy, which protects your data against two drive failures, you will need at least three drives.
1.1.4.1 Selecting Drives The Drobo 5C supports standard 3.5” SATA hard disk drives (HDDs). For HDDs, these drives can be from any manufacturer and with any capacity. In summary, here are the recommended number and type of drives you can use with your Drobo 5C. Note that you need at least two drives in the drive bays to ensure your data is protected in the event of drive failure.
Related topics: Determining Drive Space Requirements Checking the Hardware You Need Drobo 5C User Guide 16
1.1.4.2 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, sometimes as much as double or more the amount of space. The best way to determine how much usable, protected storage space you will have available for your data, based on the number and capacity of your drives, is to use our Drobo Drive Capacity Calculator.
Related topics: Selecting Drives Managing Capacity (Drive Space) Checking the Hardware You Need Drobo 5C User Guide 18
1.1.4.
1.1.5 Getting Started Guide The Getting Started Guide for your Drobo 5C includes the topics: ● Before You Begin ● Setting Up in Just a Few Steps! ● Where to Go Next To print the Getting Started Guide of your Drobo device: 1. Visit the Docs page of the Drobo website and click on Drobo 5C. 2. Then, click the Getting Started Guide link. This opens the guide of your product in PDF format. 3. Click the Print button at the top right corner to print the document.
1.2 Setting Up Your Drobo 5C Once you have unpacked your Drobo 5C from its box and ensured you meet all system and hardware requirements, it is time to set up your Drobo 5C for use. This can be done in just a few easy steps! 1. Inserting the drives 2. Connecting USB and power cables 3. Installing Drobo Dashboard 4. Turning on the power and updating your Drobo 5C with the latest firmware 5. Registering your Drobo 5C 6. Formatting the drives 7.
1.2.1 Inserting the Drives As a first step to set up your Drobo 5C, insert the drives into your device. For more information on drive requirements, see Selecting Drives. Also, see this link on the Drobo website: http://www.drobo.com/storageproducts/choose-drive/. Warning: Any pre-existing data on the drives will be erased, as the drives will be formatted. If you wish to keep the data, copy it to another drive or medium before using with your Drobo 5C.
4. Slide the drive into the drive bay, release the drive lock and push the drive into place until you feel it connect. The drive lock snaps behind the drive, securing it into place. 5. Insert additional drives in the same manner, following steps 2 through 4. 6. When finished, replace the bezel right side up, so that when your Drobo device is turned on, you will be able to see the indicator lights. For more information on Indicator lights, see Guide to meaning of indicator lights (LEDs.
1.2.2 Installing Drobo Dashboard The Drobo Dashboard application will help you to set up and manage your Drobo 5C. After installation of the Dashboard, you can configure the settings to automatically install version updates, which is highly recommended. Drobo software and firmware updates can also be installed from Start Drobo 5C page.
1.2.2.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Windows To install the Drobo Dashboard on a Windows machine: 1. Go to the Start Drobo 5C page and download the Drobo Dashboard installation file for Windows. 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 that 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.
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.
1.2.2.2 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Mac To install the Drobo Dashboard on a Mac machine: 1. Go to the Start Drobo 5C page and download the Drobo Dashboard installation file for Mac. 2. After downloading, double-click the Drobo Dashboard Installer to launch it. 3. A pop up will appear asking whether to open the Installer. Click Open. 4. The Install Drobo Dashboard page will appear. Click Continue to proceed to the next screen. 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 the Continue button. 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 the Install button 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. 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.
1.2.3 Connecting Cables on Your Drobo 5C After inserting the drives into your Drobo 5C, you are ready to connect the power and data cables on your Drobo 5C. You can connect the Drobo 5C directly to your computer using the USB 3.0 port. For information on the different connectivity interfaces available and their requirements, see Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5C. As you follow the steps below, refer to the following image. 1. Plug one end of the USB cable into the back of your Drobo 5C.
Drobo 5C User Guide 37
1.2.4 Updating your Drobo 5C to the latest firmware When you first receive a new Drobo 5C device, you must use the Drobo Dashboard app to update it to the latest firmware release. To update the firmware of your Drobo 5C to the latest one: 1. Connect the Type C USB cable and power cable to your Drobo 5C. 2. Ensure that the Mac or PC you are using for this setup has a valid Internet/network connection. 3.
For more info, please see: How do I contact technical support? 9. After the device reboots, follow the on-screen instructions on the Drobo Dashboard to format the volume. 10. If the red drive lights are seen again (e.g. "Unknown Disk Set"), please go to the Drobo Dashboard's Tools section and choose ERASE (reset), allowing reboot of the Drobo 5C. 11. Alternatively, you can use the pinhole method to format the disk.
1.2.5 Registering Your Drobo 5C If you did not register your Drobo 5C during setup, you can do so from within Drobo Dashboard. Note: You will need to be connected to the Internet to perform this action. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo 5C you need to register and click the Help and Support option on the Navigation menu. The Help and Support page for that Drobo device opens. 2. In the Drobo Registration area, click on the Register my Drobo devices link.
3. Do one of the following: ● If you do not have a Drobo account, click the Create a new Drobo account link. A one-page form opens in your web browser. Fill this in and click Create Account. Fill this in and create your account, and then return to this step to log into your account. ● If you already have a Drobo account, select the Register new Drobo with my Drobo account option, and then enter your Drobo username and password. You can click the Forgot username or password link if needed.
Tip: You can click the Skip this step for now check box at any time. 6. Click the Register Drobo button. The next page shows with a check mark that your product has been registered. Note: You can choose to purchase a DroboCare license by clicking on that link. 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to register additional Drobo devices. 8. When finished, click the Done button. You are returned to the Help and Support page.
1.2.6 Formatting the Drives After installing Drobo Dashboard, inserting the drives into your Drobo 5C and connecting cables, you are ready to turn on your Drobo device and format the drives. Before following steps for this, however, it is important to know what file system format and volume size you will choose when you format the drives. Note: If you have migrated an entire disk pack from another Drobo device to this one, you do not need to format the drives, as they have already been formatted.
1.2.6.1 Selecting a File System and Volume Size for Your Drobo 5C When you turn on your Drobo 5C, you will be prompted to format the drives in your Drobo 5C with a particular file system. What file system formats are available to you depend on your operating system. (See Figure 1 below.) You will also be formatting your Drobo 5C into at least one volume, and you will need to choose a size for that volume.
Dashboard will notify you when this occurs and ask you to format and name the new volume(s). Tip: For most customers, we recommend choosing the largest volume size available for the selected file system. However note that smaller volume sizes can be more efficient and manageable in certain situations, such as when indexing, scanning or searching volumes.
1.2.6.2 Turning On Your Drobo 5C and Formatting the Drives With Drobo Dashboard installed on your host computer and cables connected, you are ready to turn on your Drobo 5C and format the drives. Note: Some of the Windows and Mac operating systems will also prompt you to format the drives. Click Cancel or Ignore, as appropriate, and continue with formatting from Drobo Dashboard. To format the drives: 1.
Figure 1: File Format page for Drobo 5C in OS X Figure 2: File Format page for Drobo 5C in Windows 4. Select the appropriate file format for your operating system and click the Next button. The Volume Name page opens.
5. If applicable, from the Drive Letter drop-down list, select the drive letter to assign to the volume. 6. In the Name text box, modify the default name for the volume as you like. Tip: We recommend using the word “volume” in the name so as not to confuse the volume name with your Drobo device’s name. 7. Click the Next button. The Confirm Format page opens. 8. Click the Format button.
9. Click the OK button. Your Drobo 5C appears on the Status page of the Drobo Dashboard, as follows. See Understanding indicator lights (LEDs) if you need to assess that the process is moving smoothly.
Drobo Dashboard automatically assigns “Drobo” as the default name for your Drobo device, which you can rename later. If you would like to use Drobo's Dual Disk Redundancy feature, you will need to enable it. For more information on enabling dual disk redundancy, see Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy.
1.2.7 Migrating a Disk Pack from Another Drobo Device The Drobo 5C supports migrating entire disk packs from a Drobo/Drobo S, preserving all the data and volumes you created. You can also migrate disk packs from one Drobo 5C to another. To ensure a safe and successful migration, carefully follow the steps below. Notes: A disk pack functions as a unit. When you migrate a disk pack, you move ALL the drives from one Drobo device to another.
● In the Software Updates area of the Tools page, click the Check for Updates option. ● If needed, follow the same steps to ensure the Drobo 5C has the latest firmware. 3. Safely shut down the Drobo/Drobo S and the Drobo 5C. For steps, see Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C 4. Remove ALL drives from the Drobo or Drobo S and insert ALL drives into the Drobo 5C. 5. Turn the Drobo 5C back on by pressing its power toggle button. The Drobo 5C may take a few minutes to boot up.
1.2.8 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.
1.2.8.1 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard This is the recommended method for safely shutting down your Drobo device. 1. Check that the activity light on your Drobo device is off, indicating that no data is actively being transferred to or from your Drobo device. Note: If data is actively being transferred, the activity light will be blinking green. 2. Also check to ensure the drive bay action indicator lights are not blinking alternately between yellow and green.
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. It can take up to two minutes for your Drobo 5C to power down. Afterwards, the power light turns off, indicating your Drobo device has shut down.
1.3 Where to Go Next After you have set up your Drobo 5C, you are ready to store and back up data onto it. Click on each topic to learn more.
1.3.1 Using Best Practices for Protecting Data While Drobo 5C protects 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. Drive head crash, damage to the whole 5C device and disk pack, files corrupted before being saved to the Drobo 5C, unsafe shutdowns, and other traumatic events can result in data loss. So to know more specific guidelines on how to best protect your data, please visit our Best Practices page.
1.3.2 Keeping Your Software Up to Date To ensure optimal performance, we highly recommend that you set your Drobo device to automatically check for software updates(you may have already done this during the initial set up). This feature keeps both the Drobo Dashboard and your device’s firmware up to date. You can also install updates from the Start 5C page. If you would like to install a firmware update from the Drobo website, see Manually Updating Firmware from the Website.
1.3.2.1 Checking for Software Updates The following steps ensure that Drobo Dashboard and your Drobo device’s firmware are up to date. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, select the appropriate Drobo 5C device on the All Drobos page. 2. Click the Tools option on the Navigation menu to open the Tools page. 3. In the Software Updates area of the Tools page, click the Check for Updates option. Note: If needed, ensure that you are logged in to this Drobo device. 4.
1.3.3 Using the 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 5Cpage. You can also access the user guide from the Drobo Dashboard by clicking the Help & Support option on the Navigation menu. This will lead to the Help and Support. page. From here, click the View Drobo User Guide link to open the Online User Guide in a web browser.
1.3.4 Using Context-Sensitive Help On the top right corner of the Drobo Dashboard, you will find the Help button (?). Click this button to view the context-sensitive help. The Help window opens in your Internet browser providing information particular to the page from which you clicked for help.
1.3.5 Using the Knowledge Base Our searchable knowledge base provides answers to almost any question related to your Drobo device that you cannot find in the Online User Guide. To access our knowledge base follow the steps below. 1. In the Drobo Dashboard, click the Help and Support option on the Navigation menu. The Help and Support page opens. 2. In the Check Drobo online resources! area, click the Search Knowledge Base link to open the Drobo Knowledge Base web page.
1.3.6 Registering Your Drobo 5C If you did not register your Drobo 5C during setup, you can do so from within Drobo Dashboard. Note: You will need to be connected to the Internet to perform this action. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo 5C you need to register and click the Help and Support option on the Navigation menu. The Help and Support page for that Drobo device opens. 2. In the Drobo Registration area, click on the Register my Drobo devices link.
3. Do one of the following: ● If you do not have a Drobo account, click the Create a new Drobo account link. A one-page form opens in your web browser. Fill this in and click Create Account. Fill this in and create your account, and then return to this step to log into your account. ● If you already have a Drobo account, select the Register new Drobo with my Drobo account option, and then enter your Drobo username and password. You can click the Forgot username or password link if needed.
Tip: You can click the Skip this step for now check box at any time. 6. Click the Register Drobo button. The next page shows with a check mark that your product has been registered. Note: You can choose to purchase a DroboCare license by clicking on that link. 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to register additional Drobo devices. 8. When finished, click the Done button. You are returned to the Help and Support page.
1.3.7 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. You can also use the Help and Support page in the Drobo Dashboard for registration. The Help and Support page opens and allows you to register your Drobo, access the online user guide and knowledge base, contact the Drobo support team and create a diagnostics file.
Related topics: Using the Online User Guide Using Context-Sensitive Help Using the Knowledge Base Drobo 5C User Guide 67
1.4 Using and Managing Your Drobo 5C Once you have set up your Drobo 5C, you are ready to use and manage it.
1.4.1 Using Drobo Dashboard Drobo Dashboard is the software companion to your Drobo 5C, enabling you to easily set up, manage and use your Drobo device.
1.4.1.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard The Drobo Dashboard application will help you to set up and manage your Drobo 5C. After installation of the Dashboard, you can configure the settings to automatically install version updates, which is highly recommended. Drobo software and firmware updates can also be installed from Start Drobo 5C page.
1.4.1.1.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Windows To install the Drobo Dashboard on a Windows machine: 1. Go to the Start Drobo 5C page and download the Drobo Dashboard installation file for Windows. 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 that 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.
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.
1.4.1.1.2 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Mac To install the Drobo Dashboard on a Mac machine: 1. Go to the Start 5C page and download the Drobo Dashboard installation file for Mac. 2. After downloading, double-click the Drobo Dashboard Installer to launch it. 3. A pop up will appear asking whether to open the Installer. Click Open. 4. The Install Drobo Dashboard page will appear. Click Continue to proceed to the next screen. 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 the Continue button. 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 the Install button 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. 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. 17.
1.4.1.2 Keeping Your Software Up to Date To ensure optimal performance, we highly recommend that you set your Drobo device to automatically check for software updates(you may have already done this during the initial set up). This feature keeps both the Drobo Dashboard and your device’s firmware up to date. You can also install updates from the Start 5C page. If you would like to install a firmware update from the Drobo website, see Manually Updating Firmware from the Website.
1.4.1.2.1 Checking for Software Updates The following steps ensure that Drobo Dashboard and your Drobo device’s firmware are up to date. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, select the appropriate Drobo 5C device on the All Drobos page. 2. Click the Tools option on the Navigation menu to open the Tools page. 3. In the Software Updates area of the Tools page, click the Check for Updates option. Note: If needed, ensure that you are logged in to this Drobo device. 4.
1.4.1.2.2 Manually Updating Firmware from the Website To manually update the firmware from the website, take the following steps. 1. Go to Start Drobo 5C page and download the appropriate firmware file for your Drobo product (a zip file for the PC or a dmg file for the Mac), saving it to a folder that is not located on your Drobo 5C. If there is only one firmware file (a zip file), this file functions for both the Mac and Windows-based computers.
6. Please do so and then click the Open or OK button. Drobo installs the firmware. When finished, a message opens, asking you to reboot your Drobo device to complete the installation. 7. Click the Yes button. Drobo shuts down and restarts after the new firmware is installed.
1.4.1.3 Touring Drobo Dashboard In this topic, the two main areas of Drobo Dashboard are defined for the Drobo 5C: the All Drobos page and the Navigation menu. The All Drobos Page When you first open Drobo Dashboard, the All Drobos page opens, displaying all Drobo devices connected to your computer and/or network.
● View as List – This button provides a view of your Drobo devices in table format. Information in the list includes total protected capacity available for data, used capacity, free capacity, your device’s serial number and whether you are currently logged in or out (if applicable). The currently selected Drobo device has a blue border. For more information on understanding capacity values, see Checking Storage Usage. You click on a button to change the view.
Tip: You can double-click on a Drobo device on the All Drobos page to open the Status page for that device. The Navigation Menu The Navigation menu appears on the left side of the screen. Options and commands in this menu apply to the currently selected Drobo device. (You can select a Drobo device on the All Drobos page.) Menu options include the following: ● All Drobos (#), where # is the number of Drobo devices you have connected – Opens the All Drobos page.
email settings. (Email settingsenable you to receive email alerts on the status of your Drobo devices.) ● Help and Support – Opens the Help and Support page, which provides access to various forms of help, including the Online User Guide and the Drobo knowledge base.
1.4.2 Renaming Your Drobo 5C In order to rename your Drobo 5C, you need to modify network settings. To do so, follow these steps: 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo device that you would like to rename. 2. Click the Tools option on the Navigation menu. The Tools page for that Drobo device opens. 3. In the Drobo Operations area, click the Rename Drobo option. The Rename Drobo dialog page opens. 4. Click in the Drobo Name text box and modify the text as desired. 5.
1.4.3 Formatting Your Drobo 5C When you first set up your Drobo 5C, you are soon prompted to format the drives in your device (see Formatting the Drives for Your Drobo 5C). You may choose to re-format the drives at anytime thereafter. Follow the steps below to do so. Warning: Any data on the drives will be lost when you re-format. Be sure to move the data to another location first. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo device that you would like to format. 2.
Figure 1: Format Type page for Drobo 5C in Windows Figure 2: Format Type page for Drobo 5C for Macintosh Drobo 5C User Guide 92
5. Select the appropriate file format for your operating system and click the Next button. The Volume Name page opens. 6. If applicable, from the Drive Letter drop-down list, select the drive letter to assign to the volume. 7. In the Name text box, modify the default name for the volume as you like. Tip: We recommend using the word “volume” in the name so as not to confuse the volume name with your Drobo device’s name. 8. Click the Next button. The Confirm Format page opens.
9. Click the Format button. A message opens, informing you that it can take up to five minutes to format your drives, and that this may require rebooting your Drobo 5C. Afterwards, the Format dialog box opens. 10. Click the OK button. Your Drobo 5C displays on the Tools page in the Drobo Dashboard.
1.4.4 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.
1.4.4.1 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard This is the recommended method for safely shutting down your Drobo device. 1. Check that the activity light on your Drobo device is off, indicating that no data is actively being transferred to or from your Drobo device. Note: If data is actively being transferred, the activity light will be blinking green. 2. Also check to ensure the drive bay action indicator lights are not blinking alternately between yellow and green.
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. It can take up to two minutes for your Drobo 5C to power down. Afterwards, the power light turns off, indicating your Drobo device has shut down.
1.4.5 Resetting Your Drobo 5C You can reset your Drobo device back to its factory defaults. Warning: Resetting your Drobo device erases all the data on the drives. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, select the appropriate Drobo device on the All Drobos page, and click the Tools option on the Navigation menu. The Tools page for that Drobo device opens. 2. In the Drobo Reset area, click the Drobo Reset option. The Confirm Erase dialog page opens. 3.
1.4.6 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity A simple test to verify that your Drobo 5C is connected, directly or indirectly, to your host computer is to use Drobo Dashboard to blink the lights on your Drobo device. 1. In the All Drobos page, select the Drobo 5C whose connectivity you would like to check. 2. Click the Tools option on the Navigation menu. The Tools page for that Drobo 5C opens. 3. In the Drobo Operations area, click the Turn Blink Lights ON option.
1.4.7 Enabling or Disabling the System Tray By default, the Drobo icon appears in your system tray. When you right-click the Drobo icon, a shortcut menu opens enabling you to: ● Launch Drobo Dashboard. ● Find out the version of Drobo Dashboard. ● Hide or show alerts for your Drobo device. You can choose to disable the Drobo shortcut in the system tray and later enable it at any time. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, click the Dashboard Preferences option on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens.
Note: If the system tray is disabled, on-screen alerts are not displayed.
1.5 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo 5C You can modify various settings for your Drobo device.
1.5.1 Enabling Automatic Check for Software Updates If the Automatic check for software updates feature is not enabled on the Drobo Dashboard, then follow these steps to enable it to keep your Drobo Dashboard and your Drobo 5C’s firmware up to date automatically. 1. Launch the Drobo Dashboard from the host computer and select the Drobo 5C device on the All Drobos page. 2. Click Dashboard Preferences on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens. 3.
You can also deselect the Enable automatic check for updates check box, though we recommend that you keep it selected. 4. When one or more software updates are available, a message opens, asking if you would like to install the update(s). If so, click the Yes button and follow the prompts to install them.
1.5.2 Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy Dual Disk Redundancy protects your Drobo 5C in the event of two simultaneous drive failures. Although it provides additional protection, it requires more disk space. To learn more about how much more disk space is required, see Determining Drive Space Requirements. Notes : Enabling dual disk redundancy will not erase your data. To use Dual Disk Redundancy, you will need a minimum of three drives.
3. Select the Dual Disk Redundancy check box to enable it, or clear it to disable Dual Disk Redundancy. A message box automatically appears, asking you to confirm the change and letting you know that the protected capacity on your Drobo device will decrease (if enabling Dual Disk Redundancy) or increase (if disabling). 4. Click the Yes button in the dialog box to continue. 5. In the General Settings page, click the OK button.
1.5.3 Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5C On the Drobo 5C, you have the option to dim the lights on your device. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo device. 2. Click the Drobo Settings option on the Navigation menu, and click General. The General Settings page opens. 3. Click and drag to slide the pointer for the Dim Lights to the level of brightness you want, where 10 is the brightest and 1 is the dimmest. The default is “10.” 4. Click the OK button.
1.6 Managing Capacity (Drive Space) In order to protect your data from drive failure, your Drobo 5C requires more drive space, or capacity, than what you will use for your data, sometimes as much as double or more the amount of space. You may need to calculate how much capacity you need for your Drobo device in order to ensure your data is protected. You may also be ready to add or remove capacity.
1.6.1 Calculating Capacity to Use The best way to determine how much usable, protected storage space you will have available for your data, based on the number and capacity of the drives you use in your Drobo device, is to use our Capacity Calculator at www.drobo.com/calculator. A shortcut to estimating the capacity available for your data is to omit the largest drive and then add the capacity of the remaining drives. If you plan to use Dual Disk Redundancy, omit the largest two drives.
1.6.2 Adding Capacity (or Drives) When you find your Drobo 5C is running low on space, you can easily add capacity by either replacing a smaller capacity drive with a larger one, or by inserting a new drive in an empty drive bay of your Drobo device. Note that once you add the new drive, it becomes part of the overall storage pool, with all drives functioning as a unit or “pack.” You can use drives from any manufacturer and with any capacity. For more information, see Selecting Drives.
The drive ejects from the drive bay. Carefully remove it. Note: The drive light turns a solid red, meaning you need to add a drive or replace the current drive with a larger drive. It may stay red for up to 15 minutes after you replace the drive. 4. With one hand, hold the drive so that the label on the top of the drive faces up (and its connectors are positioned at the device and toward the left). Refer to the image below. 5.
Related topics: Managing Capacity (Drive Space) Calculating Capacity to Use Checking Storage Usage and Device Status Information Understanding the Indicator Lights Drobo 5C User Guide 112
1.6.3 Removing Capacity (or Drives) You may wish to remove one or more drives from your Drobo 5C, thereby reducing overall capacity. Before doing so, keep the following in mind: ● Your Drobo device requires a minimum of two drives, or three drives if you are using Dual Disk Redundancy, to ensure your data is protected. See Managing Capacity for more information.
4. Use your thumb to depress (and open) the drive lock for the drive bay that contains the drive you would like to remove. Refer to the image below. The drive ejects from the drive bay. Carefully remove it. 5. Repeat step 4 to remove additional drives. 6. Replace the bezel when finished.
1.7 Checking Storage Usage and Device Status Information You can check how your storage is being used, the status of your Drobo 5C when in particular states, and other important information. Your Drobo device’s indicator lights also provide important key information.
1.7.1 Checking Storage Usage There are different ways to view how your Drobo 5C's storage capacity is being used. Viewing the Capacity Chart The capacity chart gives you a quick glance of how much total space is being used, how much space is allocated for data storage, and finally, how much free space is available for additional data. Viewing Storage Usage This page displays a capacity breakdown bar, which provides more detailed information about how your drive space is being used.
1.7.1.1 Viewing the Capacity Chart The capacity chart gives you a quick glance, and visual, of how your drive space is being used on the Drobo 5C. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo device whose capacity chart you would like to view. 2. Click the Capacity option on the Navigation menu. The Capacity page for the Drobo device opens. 3. If the capacity chart is not currently displayed, click the Capacity button to open the Capacity page.
● Free Space – The part of the total protected capacity available for use. Tip: To view this information for other connected Drobo devices (if applicable), you can click the up or down arrow key that displays to the left of the Drobo device name, which is in the upper-left corner of the page. See the arrows in the image below.
1.7.1.2 Viewing Storage Usage The Storage Usage view of the Capacity page displays a capacity breakdown bar, which provides more detailed information about how your drive space is being used on the Drobo 5C. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo device whose storage usage you would like to view, and click the Capacity option on the Navigation menu. The Capacity page for that Drobo device opens. 2. Click the Usage button. The Storage Usage view of the Capacity page displays.
● Used for protection – Capacity used by the Drobo device to protect your data in the event of drive failure. ● Overhead – Capacity used by the Drobo device to manage the drives and how your data is stored. Tip: To view this information for other connected Drobo devices (if applicable), you can click the up or down arrow key that displays to the left of the Drobo device name, which is in the upper-left corner of the page. See the arrows in the image below.
1.7.2 Checking the Status of Your Drobo 5C The Status page in Drobo Dashboard provides in-depth information on the status of your Drobo 5C. To view the Status page, do the following. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo device. 2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens.
● Health - the health of the selected Drobo device. It displays as Good (in green) when healthy or Warning (in orange) when you need to add capacity. ● Firmware - the firmware version running on the selected Drobo 5C. ● Hot Data Cache - If the value for this is "on," it indicates that you have all HDDs in the standard drive bays. ● Active Interface - the connectivity interface currently being used.
1.7.3 Checking Your Drobo 5C's Serial Number You can check for your Drobo 5C’s serial number on the Status page in Drobo Dashboard. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo 5C. 2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens. 3. Select System Information from the drop-down list to view the serial number for the selected Drobo device.
1.7.4 Checking Your Drobo 5C's Firmware Version You can check for your Drobo 5C’s firmware version on the Status page in Drobo Dashboard. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo 5C. 2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens. 3. Select System Information from the drop-down list to view the firmware version for the selected Drobo device.
1.7.
1.7.5.1 Checking Current Version on Windows If you are using a Windows machine, follow these steps: 1. Locate the Drobo icon in your system tray. Note: You may need to enable your system tray. 2. Right-click on the icon and a shortcut menu will appear. 3. Select About Drobo Dashboard from the shortcut menu. 4. A message box opens, displaying the Drobo Dashboard version number. 5. Click the OK button.
Drobo 5C User Guide 127
1.7.5.2 Checking Current Version on Mac If you are using a Mac, follow these steps: 1. Locate the Drobo icon in your system tray. Note: You may need to enable your system tray. 2. Click on the icon and a shortcut menu will appear. 3. Select About Drobo Dashboard from the shortcut menu. 4. A message box opens, displaying the Drobo Dashboard version number. 5. Click the OK button.
1.7.6 Checking System Information The System Information view in the Status page of the Drobo Dashboard provides information such as the serial number, firmware version and health of the Drobo 5C. 1. In the Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo device. 2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu and be sure that System Information is selected from the drop-down list. The Status page opens.
● Health - the health of the selected Drobo device. It displays as Good (in green) when healthy or Warning (in orange) when you need to add capacity. ● Firmware - the firmware version running on the selected Drobo 5C. ● Hot Data Cache - If the value for this is "on," it indicates that you have all HDDs in the standard drive bays. ● Active Interface - the connectivity interface currently being used.
1.7.7 Checking Drive Information 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo 5C. 2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens. 3. Select Drive Information from the drop-down list at the top. 4. Select the disk drive whose information you need by clicking the associated drive bay in the image of the Drobo device. Notes: You can also traverse the different drive bays using the arrows on the table header.
● Product ID - The product ID for the selected drive. ● Serial # - The serial number of the selected drive. ● Firmware - The firmware version for the selected drive. ● Health - The health status of the drive, based on the errors identified by Drobo while using the drive. Values include: • Failed (blinking red) - Indicates that the drive has failed and needs immediate replacement. • Warning (orange) - Indicates that the drive is almost full and you need to add capacity soon.
1.7.8 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5C You can view and print an encrypted diagnostic file about your Drobo 5C. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, click the Help & Support option on the Navigation menu. The Help and Support page opens. 2. Near the bottom of the screen, select the appropriate Drobo device from the dropdown list, and then click the Get Diags button. 3. In the Problem Description box type in a description of your issue, if you have support incident number please include, then click Send button. .
The Upload Diags Successful dialog box opens, indicating that the diagnostics file has successfully uploaded to your desktop.
Related topics: Checking Storage Usage and Device Information Understanding the Indicator Lights Drobo 5C User Guide 135
1.7.9 Understanding the Indicator Lights Your Drobo 5C is equipped with various indicator lights which provide valuable information. Refer to the image below. Drive Green: No action is required. All drives are healthy. Lights Solid Yellow: Add a drive or replace the current drive with a larger drive soon. Your Drobo device is running out of disk space. See Adding Capacity (or Drives). Blinking Yellow and Green: Do not remove these drives or power down. Your Drobo device is working to protect your data.
Red: Your Drobo device has overheated. Safely power down your Drobo 5C, disconnect the data cable and then the power cable. Let it cool down and then restart. Activity Blinking Green: Data is actively being transferred between your computer Light and your Drobo device. Do not remove or add drives during this process. Capacity Blue: Displays the percentage of your Drobo device that is full, in 10% Gauge increments. There are 10 capacity gauge lights.
1.8 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts In Drobo Dashboard, you can have email alerts sent to one or more email addresses with relevant information about all your connected Drobo devices. This helps you anticipate potential issues or critical situations that could arise with one or more of your Drobo devices, such as the need to increase capacity. You can also set on-screen alerts. You can set email or on-screen alerts to one of three levels, from informational to critical.
1.8.1 Setting Up or Modifying E-mail Alerts Enabling e-mail alerts in Drobo Dashboard keeps you informed of the status of all your Drobo devices, as well as critical issues such as drive failures, low capacity etc. Once you have set up e-mail alerts, you can also modify these settings. Drobo provides users with two options: ● Drobo Email Relay ● Custom Email Server To configure the e-mail alerts follow the steps given below 1.
Only one of the Mail Servers can be configured at a time. Drobo Email Relay To configure Drobo Email relay Sever, follow the steps given below: 1. Select the Use Drobo Email Relay radio button and click Configure. 2. Enter the e-mail address in the space provided at which you wish to receive the notifications and click the Send Verification Email button. Note: If you already have a key, click the Skip button. Then enter the code in the text area and click Validate. 3.
5. If successfully configured, the the Drobo Email settings page will show Drobo Email Relay configured. Note: Once a key is generated, you can reuse it the next time. It is not possible to configure the Drobo Email Relay Server using the same emailid if the validation code has already been sent to the email-id recently. Custom Email Server To configure Custom Email Server, follow the steps given below: 1. Click the radio button for Use Custom Email Server and click Configure.
2. In the To E-mail Address text box, enter e-mail addresses, separated by commas, to which you want the alerts sent. 3. In the From E-mail Address text box, enter an e-mail address from which the alerts are sent. 4. In the Mail Server text box, enter the server from which to send the alerts. This can be specified as a server name (e.g., smtp.company.com) or a server’s IP address (e.g., 127.0.0.1). If you are unsure, contact your network administrator or your e-mail service provider.
Note: If you are unsure, please contact your network administrator or e-mail service provider. Tip: You can send a test message by clicking the Send Test E-mail button. 5. In the Port text box, modify the TCP/IP port through which your server expects SMTP submissions, if needed. The default is 25. 6.
● On critical situations only – Alerts will be e-mailed only to warn of a critical status with one or more of your Drobo devices that could lead to potential data loss. These are Critical Drobo Alerts, which can include when your Drobo device cannot currently protect your data against drive failure, when your Drobo device doesn’t recognize one or more of the drives installed, when your Drobo device does not detect any drives or when too many drives have been removed.
1.8.2 Modifying When to Send Email Alerts You can modify when to send email alerts on all your connected Drobo devices, such as only when the situation is critical. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, click the Dashboard Preferences option on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens. 2.
● When a situation is important – Alerts will be emailed only to warn of an important change to one or more of your Drobo devices that could lead to a critical situation in the near future. These are Drobo Warnings and can include, for example, when you convert to Dual Disk Redundancy on your Drobo device. ● On critical situations only – Alerts will be emailed only to warn of a critical status with one or more of your Drobo devices that could lead to potential data loss.
1.8.3 Disabling Email Alerts You can disable email alerts at any time without changing your email alert settings.To disable email alerts, follow these steps: 1. From the Drobo Dashboard, click the Dashboard Preferences option on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens. 2. In the Drobo Dashboard Email Alerts area, ensure the Send email alerts check box is cleared.
1.8.4 Modifying When to Send On-Screen Alerts You can modify when to send on-screen alerts on all your connected Drobo devices, such as only when the situation is critical. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, click the Dashboard Preferences option on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens. 2.
● On all useful information – All alerts related to the condition of your Drobo devices will be displayed on your screen. These are Drobo Notifications and can include, for example, when a new drive is added to or removed from your Drobo device. ● When a situation is important – Alerts will display on your screen only to warn of an important change to one or more of your Drobo devices that could lead to a critical situation in the near future.
1.8.5 Disabling On-Screen Alerts You can disable on-screen alerts at any time. To do so, follow these steps: 1. From the Drobo Dashboard, click the Dashboard Preferences option on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens. 2. In the Drobo Dashboard Onscreen Alerts area, ensure the Show visual alerts check box is cleared. Related topic: Modifying When to Send On-Screen Alerts.
