Drobo 5D3 User Guide
1 Drobo 5D3 User Guide ....................................................................................................... 6 2 Before You Begin................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Product Features at a Glance ..................................................................................... 7 2.2 Checking Box Contents ..............................................................................................
.6.2 4 3.7 Registering Your Drobo 5D3 .................................................................................... 42 3.8 Migrating a Disk Pack from Another Drobo Device ................................................. 45 3.9 Using Drobo 5D3 with Time Machine or Backup Software ..................................... 47 Where To Go Next ........................................................................................................... 51 4.
6 7 8 5.5 Resetting Your Drobo 5D3 ....................................................................................... 73 5.6 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity ......................................................................... 74 5.7 Enabling or Disabling System Tray ........................................................................... 75 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo 5D3 ............................................................... 77 6.
9 8.8 Checking Performance Information....................................................................... 101 8.9 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5D3 ................................................................ 102 8.10 Understanding the Indicator Lights ....................................................................... 104 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts ................................................................................ 106 9.1 Setting Up or Modifying E-mail Alerts ..
1 Drobo 5D3 User Guide Congratulations on your new Drobo! This Getting Started section will help you get your Drobo 5D3 set up and running in just a few steps.
2 Before You Begin Before you begin setting up your Drobo 5D3, it’s a good idea to check system and hardware requirements. Topics: Product Features at a Glance Checking Box Contents Checking System Requirements Checking the Hardware You Need 2.1 Product Features at a Glance For a quick overview of features of the Drobo 5D3, refer to the following images. Figure 1: Front of the Drobo 5D3 with the bezel (faceplate) removed.
Figure 2: Back of the Drobo 5D3 2.2 Checking Box Contents Check your product's box to ensure it contains all the components in the list below. ● Drobo 5D3 ● 1 m (3.3 ft) Thunderbolt 3 cable (compatible with USB Type-C as well) ● 1.8 m (6.
2.3 Checking System Requirements Check to ensure your operating system and cable interface are supported. Topics: Operating Systems Supported Connectivity Interfaces Supported for Drobo 5D3 2.3.1 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. 2.3.
Figure 1: Back of the Drobo 5D3 Notes: You can only use one connection at a time. Drobo provides Thunderbolt 3 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 TypeA to Type-C cable if your computer has a Type-A interface. Speed of data communication is limited by the slowest interface of your computer and the Drobo device.
There are three options for connecting your Drobo device using its Thunderbolt interface. 1. Your Drobo device directly connected to a computer (with no daisy-chain). 2. Multiple Drobo devices connected in a chain with a DisplayPort monitor at the end. 3. Your Drobo device connected to an external Thunderbolt monitor that is then connected to a computer (with the Drobo device at the end).
USB 3.0 Type-C Your Drobo 5D3 device has USB 3.0 Type-C interface. Drobo provides Thunderbolt 3 cable with the device, which is compatible with USB Type-C as well. Depending on the model of your computer, it may have USB Type -A or Type-C interface. You have to buy a Type-A to Type-C cable if your computer has a Type-A interface. Speed of data communication is limited by the slowest interface of your computer and the Drobo device. 2.
2.4.1 Selecting Drives The Drobo 5D3 supports both standard 3.5” SATA hard disk drives (HDDs) as well as SATA solid state drives (SSDs) for added performance. For HDDs, these drives can be from any manufacturer and with any capacity. For SSDs, please visit our web page for compatible drive options. In addition, the Drobo 5D3 has a Drobo Accelerator Bay, which accepts an industrystandard mSATA SSD.
Important Notes: If an incompatible SSD is inserted into the Drobo device, the drive light will blink red, indicating the need to replace that drive. Please refer to our web page on compatible drive options for more information. The mSATA SSD is not part of the disk pack of your Drobo 5D3, allowing you to leave it installed even if you transfer drives from the drive bays to another Drobo device, for example. To achieve better performance, we recommend to use high performance drives in your device.
2.4.2 Determining Drive Space Requirements In order to protect your data from drive failure, your Drobo 5D3 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 Capacity Calculator at www.drobo.com/calculator.
2.4.3 Using Power Protection Drobo device has an internal battery to protect critical data during sudden or unexpected power failures. The device will shutdown without any loss of data, so UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is not required.
3 Setting Up Your Drobo 5D3 Once you have unpacked your Drobo 5D3 from its box and ensured you meet all system and hardware requirements, it is time to set up your Drobo 5D3 for use. This can be done in just a few easy steps! 1. Downloading and Installing Drobo Dashboard 2. Inserting Drives 3. Connecting Cables on Your Drobo 5D3 4. Initializing and Updating Your Drobo 5D3 to the Latest Firmware 5. Formatting the Drives for Your Drobo 5D3 6. Registering Your Drobo 5D3 7.
This section covers the following topics: ● Installing Drobo Dashboard on Windows ● Installing Drobo Dashboard on Mac Note: You need a full admin user account and internet access on the computer on which you are going to install the Drobo Dashboard. 3.1.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Windows To install the Drobo Dashboard on a Windows machine: 1. Go to the Start 5D3 page and download the Drobo Dashboard installation file for Windows. 2.
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.
10. The Drobo Dashboard application launches and you will be prompted to register your Drobo 5D3. You can either register the Drobo 5D3 or skip the step and register it later. Select an option based on your preference. The serial number is printed on the compliance label at the bottom of the device. For more information see Registering Your Drobo 5D3.
Note: Do not flip the device to record the serial number while it is still ON. 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. 12. If you have no Drobo device connected to the computer or powered on, a "No Drobos Detected" message displays until you do. Note: Your Drobo 5D3 will not work properly until you update the firmware. 3.1.
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 5D3. 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.
3.2 Inserting Drives As a first step to set up your Drobo 5D3, 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 5D3.
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. Note: Once you insert the drives into your Drobo 5D3, they function as a unit or “pack.” To access the data on them, you will need the entire pack. 6.
another Drobo device or a display monitor) in a daisy-chain manner. The Drobo 5D3 can be the first in the daisy-chain (directly attached to your computer), in the middle, or at the end. For more information and steps, see Connecting Your Drobo 5D3 in a Daisychain. Next in the Setup for Your Drobo 5D3: Connecting Directly to Your Drobo 5D3 or Connecting Your Drobo 5D3 in a Daisychain Return to Setting Up Your Drobo 5D3 3.3.
1. Plug one end of the Thunderbolt cable into the back of your Drobo 5D3. 2. Plug the other end of the cable into your host computer. 3. Connect the power cord to the power connection at the back of your Drobo device. 4. Connect the other end of the power cord to a power source. 5. You are now ready to turn on your Drobo device and format the drives. Note: We recommend connecting a surge protector to protect against power surges. For more information, see Using Power Protection.
2. Multiple Drobo devices connected in a chain with a DisplayPort monitor at the end. 3. Your Drobo device connected to an external Thunderbolt monitor that is then connected to a computer (with the Drobo device at the end).
As you follow the steps below, refer to the following image. 1. Plug one end of the Thunderbolt cable into the back of your Drobo 5D3. 2. Do one of the following: ● Plug the other end of the cable into your host computer, so that the Drobo 5D3 is the first peripheral in the daisy-chain. Be sure to connect the next Thunderbolt-enabled peripheral or non-Thunderbolt display monitor to the second port on your Drobo 5D3, as needed to extend the chain.
● Plug the other end of your cable into another Thunderbolt-enabled device that is attached to your host computer. You can optionally connect another Thunderbolt-enabled peripheral or non-Thunderbolt display monitor to the second port on your Drobo 5D3, as needed to extend the chain. 3. Connect the power cord to the power connection at the back of your Drobo device. 4. Connect the other end of the power supply to a power source. You are now ready to turn on your Drobo devices in the chain.
3.5 Initializing and Updating Your Drobo 5D3 to the Latest Firmware When you first receive a new Drobo 5D3 device, you must use the Drobo Dashboard application to update it to the latest firmware release. Note: Make sure that you have installed the Drobo Dashboard on your system before following the steps given below. For more information see Downloading and Installing Drobo Dashboard. To update the firmware of your Drobo 5D3 to the latest one: 1.
6. Your Drobo should begin updating to the latest firmware. Please allow Drobo up to 20 minutes for the total initialization process. Note: Leave the Dashboard idle while the initialization process is going on. 7. Here is what you will see happen: During initialization, all of the drive slot LEDs will be yellow and the capacity LEDs will blink blue. When initialization is complete, your Drobo 5D3 will restart to finish the firmware upgrade process.
device icon in the main dashboard screen and follow the on-screen instructions on the Drobo Dashboard to format your Drobo device. 9. If the red drive lights are seen again (e.g. "Unknown Disk Set"), please go to the Drobo Dashboard's Tools section and choose Drobo Reset. This process will erase all the data on the disk set. If the issue still continues, please contact support. For more information see Getting Technical Support.
3.6 Formatting the Drives for Your Drobo 5D3 After installing Drobo Dashboard, inserting the drives into your Drobo 5D3 and connecting cables, you are ready to turn on your Drobo device and format the drives. Before formatting the drives, it is important to determine the proper file system format and volume size suitable for your device. Note: If you have migrated the entire disk pack from another Drobo device to this one, you do not need to format the drives as they have already been formatted.
Important Notes: The term Volume does not represent how much actual storage space is available on your Drobo 5D3. It represents virtual storage space. For example, your Drobo 5D3 may be loaded with 2TB of drive space, but you can create a volume of 64TB.What this enables you to do is, add more capacity to your Drobo 5D3 (by inserting an additional drive or replacing a smaller capacity drive with a larger capacity one) without having to format an additional volume.
1. Open the Drobo Dashboard on your computer and press the power toggle button on the back of your Drobo device once. Your Drobo device powers on and appears on the All Drobos page in Drobo Dashboard. Note: Some of the Windows and Mac operating systems will prompt you to format the drives. Click Cancel or Ignore, as appropriate, and continue with formatting from Drobo Dashboard. 2. Double-click on the Drobo 5D3 icon on the All Drobos page. A message appears, asking if you would like to format the device.
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. 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 device. Afterwards, the Format dialog box opens. 9. Click the OK button. The volumes page of Drobo 5D3 will appear.
Notes: Drobo Dashboard automatically assigns “Drobo” as the default name for your Drobo device, which you can rename later. To use the Drobo's Dual Disk Redundancy feature, you will have to enable the Dual Disk Redundancy checkbox in the General Settings page. For more information see Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy Next in the Setup for Your Drobo 5D3 Where to Go Next Return to Setting Up Your Drobo 5D3 3.
You will need to be connected to the Internet to perform this action. To register your Drobo 5D3 follow the steps shown below: 1. Open the Drobo Dashboard and from the All Drobos page, click the Drobo device you need to register. 2. Then, click the Help and Support option in the Navigation menu. This opens the Help and Support page for that Drobo device. 3. From the Drobo Registration area, click on the Register my Drobo devices link to open the Registration page.
4. Then, 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. Then return to the Registration page 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. Continue with step 5. 5.
Tip: You can click the Skip this step for now check box at any time. 7. Once done, click the Register Drobo button. 8. The next page shows with a check mark that your product has been registered. Note: You can purchase a DroboCare license by clicking on the Buy additional license link. You will be redirected to the DroboCare page. 9. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to register additional Drobo devices. 10. When finished, click the Done button. You will return to the Help and Support page. 3.
Note: A disk pack functions as a unit. When you migrate a disk pack, you move ALL the drives from one Drobo device to another. Only after migration of the disk pack is complete can you add additional drives to the new Drobo device, one at a time, if desired. If you are migrating the disk pack from a Drobo 5C, Drobo Gen3, Drobo 5D or Drobo S to a Drobo 5D3, note that this is a one-way migration. After the migration, you will not be able to use the disk pack in the Drobo 5C, Drobo Gen3, Drobo 5D or Drobo S.
● If needed, follow the same steps to ensure the Drobo 5D3 has the latest firmware. To migrate a disk pack from another Drobo device to Drobo 5D3: 1. Safely shut down the Drobo 5C, Drobo Gen3, Drobo 5D or Drobo S and the Drobo 5D3. For steps, see Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5D3 2. Remove ALL drives from the Drobo 5C, Drobo Gen3, Drobo 5D or Drobo S and insert ALL drives into the Drobo 5D3. 3. Turn the Drobo 5D3 back on by pressing its power toggle button. 4.
1. Open the Drobo Dashboard and wait for your Drobo 5D3 to appear in the All Drobos page. 2. Double-click the image of your Drobo 5D3. 3. Then, click Volumes from the menu. Volume details of the selected Drobo will appear. 4. Click the Enable Backup button. 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 5D3, 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.
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4 Where To Go Next After you have set up your Drobo 5D3, you are ready to store and back up data onto it. Next steps include the following. Click on a topic below to learn more. Using Best Practices for Data Protection Keeping Drobo Dashboard and Drobo 5D3’s Firmware Up to Date Using the Online User Guide Using Context-Sensitive Help Using Knowledge Base Registering Your Drobo 5D3 Getting Technical Support 4.
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 5D3 page. If you would like to install a firmware update from the Drobo website, see Manually Updating Firmware from the Website. 4.2.1 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 5D3 device on the All Drobos page. 2.
From here, click the View Drobo User Guide link to open the Online User Guide in a web browser. 4.4 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.
4.5 Using Knowledge Base Our searchable knowledge base provides answers to almost any question related to your Drobo 5D3 that you cannot find in the Online User Guide. To access our knowledge base, follow the steps below. 1. From the Drobo Dashboard, click the Help and Support option on the Navigation menu. This opens the Help and Support page. 2. Under the Check Drobo online resources! area, click the Search Knowledge Base link to open the Drobo Knowledge Base web page.
Note: You will need to be connected to the Internet to perform this action. To register your Drobo 5D3 follow the steps shown below: 1. Open the Drobo Dashboard and from the All Drobos page, click the Drobo device you need to register. 2. Then, click the Help and Support option in the Navigation menu. This opens the Help and Support page for that Drobo device. 3. From the Drobo Registration area, click on the Register my Drobo devices link to open the Registration page.
4. Then, 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. Then return to the Registration page 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. Continue with step 5. 5.
Tip: You can click the Skip this step for now check box at any time. 7. Once done, click the Register Drobo button. 8. The next page shows with a check mark that your product has been registered. Note: You can purchase a DroboCare license by clicking on the Buy additional license link. You will be redirected to the DroboCare page. 9. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to register additional Drobo devices. 10. When finished, click the Done button. You will return to the Help and Support page. 4.
You can also find support in Drobo Dashboard. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo device for which you need to get support, and then click the Help and Support option on the Navigation menu. 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. You can also obtain additional hardware and phone support by purchasing DroboCare.
5 Using and Managing Your Drobo 5D3 Once you have set up your Drobo device, you are ready to use and manage it. Topics: Using Drobo Dashboard Renaming Your Drobo 5D3 Formatting Your Drobo 5D3 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5D3 Resetting Your Drobo 5D3 (erasing all data on the drives) Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity Enabling or Disabling the System Tray 5.
Manually Updating Firmware from the Website 5.1.1.1 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 5D3 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. 4.
4. A warning message opens, asking you to complete or stop any data transfers. 5. Ensure that the Drobo device is not actively transferring data (blinking yellow and green), and then click the OK button. A dialog box opens, asking you to locate the zip file on your computer. 6. Please do so and then click the Open or OK button. 7. Drobo installs the firmware. When finished, a message opens, asking you to reboot your Drobo device to complete the installation. 8. Click the Yes button.
When you first open the Drobo Dashboard, by default, the All Drobos page appears displaying all Drobo devices connected to your computer and/or network. View ● The View buttons in the upper-right corner of the page enable you to view your Drobo devices in one of the two following ways: ● View by Icon– This button provides a view of the connected Drobo devices displaying each device as an icon. The selected Drobo device is highlighted with a green border.
Sort By The Sort By buttons enable you to sort your Drobo devices in one of the following ways: ● Health – This button sorts Drobo devices by their health, with Drobo devices in red displayed first, followed by yellow, and then green. This is the default view. ● Red - indicates the Drobo device is 95% full and you need to add capacity (or drives), or a drive needs to be replaced, or your data is currently busy working to protect your data right now.
Menu options include the following: ● All Drobos (#), where # is the number of Drobo devices you have connected – Opens the All Drobos page. ● Status – Opens the Status page, where you can view a variety of status information for the selected Drobo device, such as drive information, device serial number and more. ● Capacity – Opens the Capacity page, where you can view how your Drobo device’s storage capacity is being used.
mail settings. (E-mail settings enable you to receive e-mail 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.
4. Click in the Drobo Name text box and modify the text as desired. 5. When finished, click the OK button. You will return to the Tools page with the new name displayed on the top. 5.3 Formatting Your Drobo 5D3 When you first set up your Drobo 5D3, you are soon prompted to format the drives in your device. (See Formatting Drives for Your Drobo 5D3).You may choose to re-format the drives at anytime thereafter. Warning: Any data on the drives will be lost when you re-format.
3. In the Drobo Operations area, click the Format option. A dialog box opens, warning that your data on the drives will be lost and asking if you would like to continue. 4. Click the Yes button to continue. The Format Type page opens. Depending on your operating system the page displays with different options.
This is the Format Type page for Drobo 5D3 for Macintosh 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 to not 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 device. Afterwards, the Format dialog box opens. 10. Click the OK button. Your Drobo device displays on the Tools page in Drobo Dashboard.
5.4 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5D3 If you plan to shut down your Drobo 5D3 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.
2. Also check to ensure the drive bay action indicator lights are not blinking alternately between yellow and green. This indicates that your Drobo device is busy working to protect your data. Wait until these lights are a solid green. Note: If one or more drive bay lights are red, you need to add capacity or replace the current drive (see Understanding the Indicator Lights). However, you can still safely shut down your Drobo 5D3. 3.
6. It can take up to two minutes for your Drobo 5D3 to power down. Afterwards, the power light turns off, indicating your Drobo device has shut down. 5.5 Resetting Your Drobo 5D3 You can reset your Drobo device back to its factory defaults. Warning: Resetting your Drobo device erases all the data on the drives. To reset your Drobo 5D3: 1. Open the Drobo Dashboard and select the appropriate Drobo device from the All Drobos page. 2. From the Navigation menu, click the Tools option.
5. Your Drobo device gets reset to its factory settings, which can take a few minutes. Once complete, this Drobo device will no longer appear in the Drobo Dashboard. Note: If the Drobo device remains powered on and connected to your host computer, the Drobo Dashboard will re-discover the Drobo device as if it were new. 5.
3. In the Drobo Operations area, click the Turn Blink Lights ON option. 4. The drive lights on your Drobo device blink red and green alternatively for 15 seconds. 5.7 Enabling or Disabling System Tray By default, the Drobo icon appears in your system tray. When you right-click the Drobo icon, a short-cut 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. To enable/disable the system tray: 1. Open the Drobo Dashboard and click the Dashboard Preferences option on the Navigation menu. The Dashboard Preferences page opens. 2. If the system tray feature is already enabled, then you will see a tick mark in the Enable System Tray Application check box.
6 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo 5D3 You can modify various settings for your Drobo device, such as IP addresses. Topics: Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy Modifying the Disk Drive Spin Down Time Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5D3 6.1 Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy Dual Disk Redundancy protects your Drobo 5D3 in the event of two simultaneous drive failures. Although it provides additional protection, it requires more disk space.
3. Select the Dual Disk Redundancy check box to enable it, or de-select 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. 6.
6.2 Modifying the Disk Drive Spin Down Time When the disk drives spin down, it helps to save electricity and can prolong the life of the drives. Note, however, it will take your Drobo 5D3 a few moments to spin the drives back up again when accessed. The default setting for this feature is 15 minutes on most Drobo devices. Note: When drives spin down, the lights on the Drobo device will dim. When the drives spin back up again, the lights will fully illuminate. To modify the disk drive spin down time: 1.
6.3 Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5D3 On the Drobo 5D3, you have the option to dim the lights on your device. To do so, follow these steps: 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.
7 Managing Capacity (Drive Space) In order to protect your data from drive failure, your Drobo 5D3 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, or install or remove an mSATA SSD.
Dual Disk Redundancy Notes: Actual capacity may vary from the value shown in the above example due to different systems used for rating capacity. This has nothing to do with Drobo devices. Based on your operating system, 64TB of volume is shown as 64TB in Windows and 70 TB in Mac. Windows uses 2^10 while Mac uses 10^10 for calculating the volume. Approximately 91% of the stated capacity will be available for data storage purpose.
In the event that your Drobo device becomes nearly full and all the drives are of the same capacity, you will need to replace two drives, one at a time, in order to increase the overall amount of protected capacity. Replacing one drive will not increase your overall protected capacity in this situation. 1. Ensure the drive lights on your Drobo device are not blinking yellow and green, which indicates that your Drobo device is working to protect your data. Wait until the blinking stops.
6. With your other hand, use your thumb to depress and hold open the drive lock to an empty drive bay. 7. Slide the drive into the data bay, release the drive lock and push the drive into place until you feel it connect. The drive lock will snap behind the drive, securing it into place. 8. Add or replace additional drives in the same manner, following steps 3 through 6. 9.
To remove the capacity or drives from you Drobo 5D3: 1. Ensure the drive lights on your Drobo device are not blinking yellow and green, which indicates that your Drobo device is working to protect your data. Wait until the blinking stops. Warning: Removing a drive during this process may result in loss of data. 2. If you are removing all drives from your Drobo device, first safely shut it down and unplug it from the power source. Warning: Not shutting down safely may result in loss of data. 3.
Important Notes: It is important to ground yourself before installing the mSATA SSD in order to discharge static electricity. To do so, touch a grounded metal object just before installation. Warning: If there is any pre-existing data on the mSATA SSD, it will be erased. If you wish to keep the data, copy it to another drive or medium before using with your Drobo device. To install an mSATA SSD, perform these steps: 1. Your Drobo device must be powered off and unplugged before the mSATA installation. 2.
5. When finished, close the Drobo Accelerator Bay door and return the Drobo 5D3 to its normal position. Next in the Setup for Your Drobo 5D3: Inserting Drives Return to Setting Up Your Drobo 5D3 7.5 Removing an mSATA SSD Because the mSATA SSD card is not part of your device's disk pack, you can remove it from your Drobo 5D3 at any time. Note: Your Drobo device must be powered off and unplugged before removing the mSATA card.
3. Unclip the mSATA card, and remove it. Refer to the image below. 4. When finished, close the Drobo Accelerator Bay door and return the Drobo 5D3 to its normal position.
8 Checking Storage Usage and Device Status Information You can check how your storage is being used, the status of your Drobo 5D3 when in particular states, and other important information. Your Drobo device’s indicator lights also provide important key information.
device is available for data, used for data protection, reserved for expansion, and used for overhead administration. 8.1.1 Viewing Capacity Chart The capacity chart gives you a quick glance, and visual, of how your drive space is being used on the Drobo 5D3. To view the capacity chart: 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.
● Total – The total available protected capacity. ● Used Space – The part of the total protected capacity that is currently being used for data storage. ● 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. 8.1.
2. Click the Usage button. The Storage Usage view of the Capacity page displays. The capacity breakdown bar displays the following: ● Available for data – The total protected capacity available on which to store your data. ● Reserved for expansion – The capacity reserved for future use. When one drive is larger than the others, the difference between the largest and the second largest drive is reserved for future 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. 8.2 Checking the Status of Your Drobo 5D3 The Status page in Drobo Dashboard provides in-depth information on the status of your Drobo 5D3. To view the Status page, do the following: 1.
3. From this screen, you can view the status of different aspects of the Drobo 5D3, such as system information, drive information and performance information, by selecting one of the options in the drop-down list. The information you can view on this page includes: ● Name - The name of the selected Drobo 5D3. ● Serial # - The serial number for the selected Drobo 5D3. ● Health - The health of the selected Drobo device.
3. Select System Information from the drop-down list to view the serial number for the selected Drobo device. 8.4 Checking Your Drobo 5D3's Firmware Version You can check for your Drobo 5D3’s firmware version on the Status page in Drobo Dashboard. To view the firmware version of your Drobo device: 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo 5D3. 2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens. 3.
8.5 Checking the Current Version of Drobo Dashboard To check the current version of Dobo Dashboard installed on 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. 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 to close the message box. To check the current version of Dobo Dashboard installed on a Mac machine, follow these steps: 1. Locate the Drobo icon in your system tray. Note: You may need to enable your system tray, see Enabling or Disabling the System Tray 2. Click on the icon and a shortcut menu will appear. 3. Select About Drobo Dashboard from the shortcut menu. 4.
5. Click the OK button to close the message box. 8.6 Checking System Information The System Information view provides information such as the serial number, firmware version, and health of your Drobo 5D3. If you use SSDs, their positions are identified in the image of the Drobo 5D3. To check the system information of your Drobo 5D3: 1. Open the Drobo Dashboard and select the appropriate Drobo device from the All Drobos page. 2. Click the Status option from the Navigation menu. This opens the Status page.
3. If the page is not displaying the system information, make sure that you have selected the System Information from the drop-down list. The information you can view on this page includes: ● Name - The name of the selected Drobo 5D3. ● Serial # - The serial number for the selected Drobo 5D3. ● 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 5D3.
Notes: You can also traverse the different drive bays using the arrows on the table header. If no disk exists in the selected drive bay, the disk status pane will be empty. You can view the following drive information for the selected drive bay: ● Vendor ID - The manufacturer of the selected drive. ● 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.
● Critical (red) - Indicates that the drive is full and you need to add capacity now. ● Good (green) - Indicates that the drive is healthy and no action is needed. Note: In addition, if the drive is a Solid State Drive (SSD), the percentage of wear is reported. ● Capacity - The drive size. ● Drive Type – Options include SSD or HDD. ● Drive Interface – The drive type. It can take one of the following values: SATA/SSD. 8.8 Checking Performance Information 1.
8.9 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5D3 You can view and print an encrypted diagnostic file about your Drobo 5D3. 1. In Drobo Dashboard, click the Help & Support option on the Navigation menu. The Help and Support page opens. 2. Select the appropriate Drobo device from the drop-down list at the bottom of the screen and then click the Get Diags button.
3. In the Problem Description text box type in a description of your issue, if you have support incident number please include it and then click Send button.
The Upload Diags Successful dialog box opens, indicating that the diagnostics has been successfully uploaded to support. Generating a diagnostics this way does not automatically create support incident, you will need to create a support incident if you require assistance. If you cannot generate a diagnostics file because your Drobo device does not mount, see: What should I do if my Drobo storage device will not mount? 8.
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. Solid Red: Add a drive or replace the current drive with a larger drive immediately. Your Drobo device is critically low on space.
9 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts In Drobo Dashboard, you can have e-mail alerts sent to one or more e-mail 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 e-mail or on-screen alerts to one of three levels, from informational to critical.
3. Drobo email settings can be configured using one of the two options, Use Drobo Email Relay or Use Custom Email Server. Note: If you had already configured the mail server before and upgraded to the latest Dashboard version now, by default the Use Custom Mail Server option remains configured as shown in the figure below. 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.
Note: If you already have a key, click the Skip button. Then enter the code in the text area and click Validate. 3. A message appears informing that you will receive a test email shortly. Click OK. 4. You will receive an email from Drobo in your mailbox which contains the Validation code. Enter the code in the text area and click Validate. 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.
6. If your SMTP server requires authentication, select the Authentication check box and enter the following information for the “from” e-mail address: ● In the Username text box, enter the username used to retrieve incoming email. ● In the Password text box, enter the password used to retrieve incoming email. ● If your SMTP server uses an encrypted connection, select the Use SSL check box. 7. Click the OK button. The Dashboard Preferences page opens.
uncheck the Send email alerts checkbox in the Dashboard Preferences page to stop receiving any e-mail alerts. 9.2 Modifying When to Send E-mail Alerts You can modify when to send e-mail 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 e-mailed 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 e-mailed only to warn of a critical status with one or more of your Drobo devices that could lead to potential data loss.
9.4 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.
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. These are Drobo Warnings and can include, for example, when you convert to Dual Disk Redundancy on your Drobo device.
