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Drobo 5C User Manual

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Drobo 5C User Guide

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Summary of Contents for Drobo 5C

  • Page 1 Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Updating your Drobo 5C to the latest firmware ..........38 1.2.5 Registering Your Drobo 5C ................. 40 1.2.6 Formatting the Drives ..................43 1.2.6.1 Selecting a File System and Volume Size for Your Drobo 5C...... 44 Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 3 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 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard ....54 Where to Go Next ....................
  • Page 4 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 ..............99 1.4.7...
  • Page 5 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 ..............136 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts ................ 138 1.8.1 Setting Up or Modifying E-mail Alerts ............. 139 1.8.2...

  • Page 6: Drobo 5C Online User Guide

    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. Related topics: Before You Begin Setting Up Your Drobo 5C in Just a Few Steps!

  • Page 7: 1.1 Before You Begin

    1.1 Before You Begin Before you begin setting up your Drobo 5C, it’s a good idea to check system and hardware requirements. Related topics: Product Features at a Glance Checking Box Contents Checking System Requirements Checking the Hardware You Need...

  • Page 8: Product Features At A Glance

    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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 9 Figure 2: Back of the Drobo 5C Related topics: Checking Box Contents Before You Begin Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 10: Checking Box Contents

    ● 3.3 ft. (1 m) USB Type A to Type C cable ● 6.6 ft. (1.8 m) power cord with power adaptor ● Quick Start Card ● Safety and Warranty Guide Related topics: Checking System Requirements Before You Begin Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 11: Checking System Requirements

    Checking System Requirements Check to ensure your operating system and cable interface are supported. This section covers the following topics: Operating Systems Supported Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5C Related topics: Checking the Hardware You Need Before You Begin...

  • Page 12: Operating Systems Supported

    For best performance and interoperability, ensure you are running the latest service packs for the appropriate Windows operating systems. Related topics: Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5C Before You Begin Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 13: Connectivity Interface Supported For The Drobo 5C

    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.

  • Page 14: Checking The Hardware You Need

    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.

  • Page 15: Selecting Drives

    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.
  • Page 16 Related topics: Determining Drive Space Requirements Checking the Hardware You Need Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 17: Determining Drive Space Requirements

    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...
  • Page 18 Related topics: Selecting Drives Managing Capacity (Drive Space) Checking the Hardware You Need Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 19: Using Power Protection

    1.1.4.3 Using Power Protection We recommend using the following power protection with your Drobo device: ● An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which protects against sudden losses in power ● A power surge protector to protect against power surges Related topic:...

  • Page 20: Getting Started Guide

    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.

  • Page 21: 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!

  • Page 22: Inserting The Drives

    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/storage- products/choose-drive/. Warning: Any pre-existing data on the drives will be erased, as the drives will be formatted.
  • Page 23 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...

  • Page 24: Installing Drobo Dashboard

    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...

  • Page 25: Installing Drobo Dashboard On Windows

    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 4.
  • Page 26 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 27 10. The Drobo Dashboard application launches and you will be prompted to register your Drobo 5C. You can either register the Drobo 5C or skip the step and register it later. Select an option based on you preference. The serial number is printed on the compliance label at the bottom of the device.
  • Page 28 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.
  • Page 29 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.

  • Page 30: Installing Drobo Dashboard On 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.
  • Page 31 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 32 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 to proceed. Agree Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 33 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 to proceed. Continue Installation Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 34 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 35 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.

  • Page 36: Connecting Cables On Your Drobo 5C

    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...
  • Page 37 Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 38: Updating Your Drobo 5C To The Latest Firmware

    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.
  • Page 39 This is for new setups only where the drives have no data. Warning: This procedure will erase all data from all drives and return your Drobo 5C to default settings. Note: If you need to assess that the process is moving smoothly, see...

  • Page 40: Registering Your Drobo 5C

    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.
  • Page 41 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.
  • Page 42 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.

  • Page 43: Formatting 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. For...

  • Page 44: Selecting A File System And Volume Size For Your Drobo 5C

    (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. A volume is a storage area that has been formatted with a file system format your operating system can recognize.
  • Page 45 Next in the Setup for Your Drobo 5C Turning On Your Drobo 5C and Formatting the Drives Return to Setting Up Your Drobo 5C Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 46: Turning On Your Drobo 5C And Formatting The Drives

    To format the drives: 1. With Drobo Dashboard open on your computer, press the Power toggle button on the back of your Drobo 5C once.The Drobo 5C powers on and appears on the All Drobos page of the Drobo Dashboard.
  • Page 47 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.
  • Page 48 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 49 9. Click the OK button. Your Drobo 5C appears on the Status page of the Drobo Dashboard, as follows. Understanding indicator lights (LEDs) if you need to assess that the process is moving smoothly. Notes: Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 50 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...

  • Page 51: Migrating A Disk Pack From Another Drobo Device

    Drobo device, one at a time, if desired. If you are migrating the disk pack from a Drobo/Drobo S to a Drobo 5C, note that this is a one-way migration. After the migration, you will not be able to use the disk pack in the Drobo/Drobo S.
  • Page 52 5. Turn the Drobo 5C back on by pressing its power toggle button. The Drobo 5C may take a few minutes to boot up. When finished, all the data and volumes will be available on the Drobo 5C as it was on the Drobo/Drobo S.

  • Page 53: Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C

    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.

  • Page 54: Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard

    Lights). However, you can still safely shut down your Drobo 5C. 3. In the Drobo Dashboard, select the Drobo 5C that you would like to shut down from the All Drobos page, and click the Tools option on the Navigation menu.
  • Page 55 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.

  • Page 56: 1.3 Where To Go Next

    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. Using best practices for data protection Keeping Drobo Dashboard and Drobo 5C’s firmware up to date...

  • Page 57: Using Best Practices For Protecting Data

    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.

  • Page 58: 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.

  • Page 59: 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.

  • Page 60: Using The Online User Guide

    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...

  • Page 61: Using Context-Sensitive Help

    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.

  • Page 62: Using The Knowledge Base

    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.

  • Page 63: Registering Your Drobo 5C

    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.
  • Page 64 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.
  • Page 65 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.

  • Page 66: Getting Technical Support

    1.3.7 Getting Technical Support To get technical support from Drobo, make sure you have registered your Drobo 5C at 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.
  • Page 67 Related topics: Using the Online User Guide Using Context-Sensitive Help Using the Knowledge Base Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 68: 1.4 Using And Managing Your Drobo 5C

    1.4 Using and Managing Your Drobo 5C Once you have set up your Drobo 5C, you are ready to use and manage it. This section covers the following topics: Using Drobo Dashboard Renaming Your Drobo 5C Formatting Your Drobo 5C...

  • Page 69: Using Drobo Dashboard

    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. Related topics: Installing Drobo Dashboard Keeping Your Software Up to Date Touring Drobo Dashboard...

  • Page 70: Installing Drobo Dashboard

    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...

  • Page 71: Installing Drobo Dashboard On Windows

    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 4.
  • Page 72 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 73 10. The Drobo Dashboard application launches and you will be prompted to register your Drobo 5C. You can either register the Drobo 5C or skip the step and register it later. Select an option based on you preference. The serial number is printed on the compliance label at the bottom of the device.
  • Page 74 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.
  • Page 75 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.

  • Page 76: Installing Drobo Dashboard On 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.
  • Page 77 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 78 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 79 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 80 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.
  • Page 81 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.

  • Page 82: 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.

  • Page 83: 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.

  • Page 84: Manually Updating Firmware From The Website

    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.
  • Page 85 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.

  • Page 86: Touring Drobo Dashboard

    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.
  • Page 87 ● Yellow - indicates the Drobo device is more than 85% full, but less than 95% full. ● Green - indicates that the Drobo device is less than 85% full and that your data is protected. ● Name – This button sorts Drobo devices alphabetically by the names you gave them, with Drobo devices which are directly attached listed first.
  • Page 88 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. ● 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.
  • Page 89 Drobo devices (if applicable) by clicking 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. For example, see the arrows in the following image:...

  • Page 90: Renaming Your Drobo 5C

    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.

  • Page 91: Formatting Your Drobo 5C

    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.
  • Page 92 Figure 1: Format Type page for Drobo 5C in Windows Figure 2: Format Type page for Drobo 5C for Macintosh Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 93 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.
  • Page 94 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 95: Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C

    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.

  • Page 96: Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard

    Lights). However, you can still safely shut down your Drobo 5C. 3. In the Drobo Dashboard, select the Drobo 5C that you would like to shut down from the All Drobos page, and click the Tools option on the Navigation menu.
  • Page 97 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.

  • Page 98: Resetting Your Drobo 5C

    3. If you are sure you would like to proceed, in the text box, type ERASE and click the Confirm button. Your Drobo device gets reset to its factory settings, which can take a few minutes. Once complete, this Drobo device no longer displays in Drobo Dashboard.

  • Page 99: Blinking Lights To Test Connectivity

    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.

  • Page 100: Enabling Or Disabling The System Tray

    ● 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.
  • Page 101 Note: If the system tray is disabled, on-screen alerts are not displayed. Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 102: Modifying Device Settings For Your Drobo 5C

    1.5 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo You can modify various settings for your Drobo device. Related topics: Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5C Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 103: Enabling Automatic Check For Software Updates

    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.
  • Page 104 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. Related topic: Keeping Your Software Up to Date Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 105: Enabling Or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy

    First, you may need to capacity. 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select Drobo 5C for which you would like to enable or disable Dual Disk Redundancy. 2. Click the Drobo Settings option on the Navigation menu, and click General.
  • Page 106 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.

  • Page 107: Dimming The Lights On Your Drobo 5C

    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.

  • Page 108: Managing Capacity (Drive Space)

    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.

  • Page 109: Calculating Capacity To Use

    Actual capacity is often less than what is shown in the examples above due to the different systems used for rating capacity. This has nothing to do with the Drobo 5C. Know that your Drobo 5C enables you to easily increase storage capacity at any time by simply inserting additional drives or replacing smaller drives with larger ones.

  • Page 110: Adding Capacity (Or 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.”...
  • Page 111 7. Add or replace additional drives in the same manner, following steps 3 through 6. 8. When finished, replace the bezel right side up, so that you will be able to see the indicator lights whenever your Drobo device is turned on. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 112 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...

  • Page 113: 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 more information.
  • Page 114 The drive ejects from the drive bay. Carefully remove it. 5. Repeat step 4 to remove additional drives. 6. Replace the bezel when finished. Related topics: Managing Capacity Adding Capacity Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Understanding the Indicator Lights Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 115: Checking Storage Usage And Device Status Information

    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.

  • Page 116: Checking Storage Usage

    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.

  • Page 117: 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.
  • Page 118 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.

  • Page 119: Viewing Storage Usage

    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.
  • Page 120 ● 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.

  • Page 121: Checking The Status Of Your Drobo 5C

    2. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens. From this screen, you can view the status of different aspects of the Drobo 5C, such as system information and drive information, by selecting one of the options in the drop- down list.
  • Page 122 ● 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.

  • Page 123: Checking Your Drobo 5C's Serial Number

    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.

  • Page 124: Checking Your Drobo 5C's Firmware Version

    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.

  • Page 125: Checking Your Current Version Of Drobo Dashboard

    1.7.5 Checking Your Current Version of Drobo Dashboard This section covers the following topics: Checking Current Version on Windows Checking Current Version on Mac Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 126: Checking Current Version On Windows

    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 button. Related topics:...
  • Page 127 Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 128: Checking Current Version On Mac

    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. Click the OK button. Related topics: Checking Your Drobo 5C's Firmware Version...

  • Page 129: 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.
  • Page 130 ● 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.

  • Page 131: Checking Drive Information

    1.7.7 Checking Drive Information 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the appropriate Drobo 5C. Click the Status option on the Navigation menu. The Status page opens. 3. Select Drive Information from the drop-down list at the top.
  • Page 132 ● 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 •...

  • Page 133: Getting Diagnostics On 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 drop- down list, and then click the Get Diags button.
  • Page 134 The Upload Diags Successful dialog box opens, indicating that the diagnostics file has successfully uploaded to your desktop. 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?
  • Page 135 Related topics: Checking Storage Usage and Device Information Understanding the Indicator Lights Drobo 5C User Guide...

  • Page 136: Understanding The Indicator Lights

    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. Green: No action is required. All drives are healthy. Drive Lights Solid Yellow: Add a drive or replace the current drive with a larger drive soon.
  • Page 137 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.

  • Page 138: 1.8 Using On-Screen And E-Mail Alerts

    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.

  • Page 139: 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.
  • Page 140 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.
  • Page 141 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 email- id if the validation code has already been sent to the email-id recently.
  • Page 142 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. Drobo 5C User Guide...
  • Page 143 Navigate to the Drobo Dashboard E-mail Alerts area, ensure that Send e-mail alerts check box is selected and then select one of the following options: ● On all useful information – All alerts related to the condition of your Drobo devices will be e-mailed. These are Drobo Notifications and can include, for example, when a new drive is added to or removed from your Drobo device.
  • Page 144 ● 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...

  • Page 145: Modifying When To Send Email Alerts

    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.
  • Page 146 ● 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.

  • Page 147: Disabling Email Alerts

    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. Related topic: Modifying When to Send Email Alerts...

  • Page 148: Modifying When To Send On-Screen Alerts

    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.
  • Page 149 ● 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.

  • Page 150: Disabling On-Screen Alerts

    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.

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