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Drobo 5D3 User Manual

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Drobo 5D3 User Guide

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Summary of Contents for Drobo 5D3

  • Page 1 Drobo 5D3 User Guide...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Powering On Your Drobo 5D3 .................. 33 Initializing and Updating Your Drobo 5D3 to the Latest Firmware ......34 Formatting the Drives for Your Drobo 5D3.............. 37 3.6.1 Selecting a File System and Volume Size for Your Drobo 5D3 ......37 Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 3 3.6.2 Turning On Your Drobo 5D3 and Formatting the Drives ........38 Registering Your Drobo 5D3 ..................42 Migrating a Disk Pack from Another Drobo Device ..........45 Using Drobo 5D3 with Time Machine or Backup Software ........47 Where To Go Next ......................51 Using Best Practices for Protecting Data ..............
  • Page 4 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity ................. 74 Enabling or Disabling System Tray ................75 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo 5D3 ............... 77 Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy ............77 Modifying the Disk Drive Spin Down Time .............. 79 Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5D3 ..............
  • Page 5 Checking Performance Information ............... 101 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5D3 ..............102 8.10 Understanding the Indicator Lights ............... 104 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts ................106 Setting Up or Modifying E-mail Alerts ..............106 Modifying When to Send E-mail Alerts ..............112 Disabling E-mail Alerts ...................

  • Page 6: Drobo 5D3 User Guide

    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. Topics: Before You Begin Setting Up Your Drobo 5D3 Where to Go Next...

  • Page 7: Before You Begin

    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.

  • Page 8: Checking Box Contents

    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) ●...

  • Page 9: Checking System Requirements

    2.3.2 Connectivity Interfaces Supported for Drobo Your Drobo 5D3 connects directly to your computer using one of the following connectivity ports. We recommend that you use the fastest connection you have available on your computer.
  • Page 10 Drobo device. Thunderbolt 3 The Drobo 5D3 has two Thunderbolt ports, enabling you to take advantage of Thunderbolt's daisy-chaining capabilities. With Thunderbolt, you can daisy-chain up to six peripheral devices and one display from a single computer. Note that because Thunderbolt has dual-protocol support (with DisplayPort and PCI Express), you can connect your computer to Thunderbolt devices or DisplayPort products.
  • Page 11 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).

  • Page 12: Checking The Hardware You Need

    2.4 Checking the Hardware You Need To use your Drobo 5D3, 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 13: Selecting Drives

    In summary, here are the recommended number and type of drives you can use with your Drobo 5D3. 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 14 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.

  • Page 15: Determining Drive Space Requirements

    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.

  • Page 16: Using Power Protection

    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. We recommend using the following power protection with your Drobo device: ●...

  • Page 17: 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!

  • Page 18: 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 OK.
  • Page 19 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.
  • Page 20 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...

  • Page 21: Installing Drobo Dashboard On Mac

    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.
  • Page 22 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 23 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 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 24 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 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 25 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 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 26 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.

  • Page 27: Inserting Drives

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

  • Page 28: Connecting Cables On Your Drobo 5D3

    Connectivity Interfaces Supported for Drobo 5D3. If you use the Thunderbolt port, you also have the option to connect the Drobo 5D3 to another Thunderbolt-enabled device that is attached to your computer (including Drobo 5D3 User Guide...

  • Page 29: Connecting Directly To Your Drobo 5D3

    USB 3.0 Type-C port. For information on the different connectivity interfaces available and their requirements, see Connectivity Interfaces Supported for Drobo 5D3. If you are using a Thunderbolt port and would like to connect the Drobo 5D3 in a daisy- chain, see Connecting Your Drobo 5D3 in a Daisy-chain.

  • Page 30: Connecting Your Drobo In A Daisy Chain

    Note: As long as they are plugged in, Drobo devices do not need to be powered on for Thunderbolt interfaces to remain active. This enables other devices in the chain to remain accessible by the computer.
  • Page 31 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). Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 32 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.

  • Page 33: Powering On Your Drobo 5D3

    To power on your Drobo 5D3: 1. Once you attach one end of the power cord to your Drobo 5D3 and the other end of the cord to a power source. Turn on the Drobo using the power switch located on the back of the device.

  • Page 34: Initializing And Updating Your Drobo 5D3 To The Latest Firmware

    Insert the drives. 5. Turn on your Drobo 5D3. Wait for your Drobo device to appear on the Dashboard. Your Drobo should appear with a yellow Drobo device icon on your main dashboard screen. Double click on the Drobo 5D3 icon.
  • Page 35 If the Drobo Dashboard will still not detect your Drobo 5D3 and the lights remain solid red, please call our support line for assistance or open a ticket on your support account.
  • Page 36 If the issue still continues, please contact support. For more information see Getting Technical Support. Warning: This procedure will erase all data from all drives and return your Drobo 5D3 to default settings. Note: You can also visit the following website for more information drobo.com/start...

  • Page 37: Formatting The Drives For Your Drobo 5D3

    Selecting a File System and Volume Size for Your Drobo 5D3 When you turn on your Drobo 5D3, you will be prompted to format the drives in your Drobo 5D3 with a particular file system. The file system formats available to you depends on your operating system.

  • Page 38: Turning On Your Drobo 5D3 And Formatting The Drives

    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.
  • Page 39 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.
  • Page 40 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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 41 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.

  • Page 42: Registering Your Drobo 5D3

    Where to Go Next Return to Setting Up Your Drobo 5D3 3.7 Registering Your Drobo 5D3 If you did not register your Drobo device during initial setup, you can register the device from your Drobo Dashboard. Note: Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 43 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.
  • Page 44 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.

  • Page 45: Migrating A Disk Pack From Another Drobo Device

    Drobo Device The Drobo 5D3 supports migrating entire disk packs from Drobo 5C, Drobo Gen3, Drobo 5D and Drobo S, preserving all the data and volumes you had created. You can also migrate disk packs from one Drobo 5D3 to another.
  • Page 46 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.

  • Page 47: Using Drobo 5D3 With Time Machine Or Backup Software

    3. Turn the Drobo 5D3 back on by pressing its power toggle button. 4. The Drobo 5D3 may take a few minutes to boot up. When finished, all the data and volumes will be available on the Drobo 5D3 as it was on the Drobo 5C, Drobo Gen3, Drobo 5D or Drobo S.
  • Page 48 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.
  • Page 49 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,"...
  • Page 50 Drobo 5D3 User Guide...

  • Page 51: Where To Go Next

    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...

  • Page 52: Checking For Software Updates

    4.3 Using the Online User Guide After you have set up your Drobo 5D3, you are ready to use it to store and back up data. To learn how to manage and use your Drobo 5D3, refer to the Online User Guide for...

  • Page 53: Using Context-Sensitive Help

    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.

  • Page 54: Using Knowledge Base

    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. From the page, you can search for topics related to you Drobo device.
  • Page 55 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.
  • Page 56 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.

  • Page 57: Getting Support

    10. When finished, click the Done button. You will return to the Help and Support page. 4.7 Getting Support To get support, first be sure to register your product at www.drobo.com/registration, if you have not already done so. You can then go to www.drobo.com/support...
  • Page 58 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.

  • Page 59: Using And Managing Your Drobo 5D3

    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...

  • Page 60: Checking For Software Updates

    Website To manually update the firmware from the website, take the following steps. 1. Launch the Drobo Dashboard and select Drobo 5D3 from the All Drobos page. Also, if applicable, log in to this Drobo device. 2. Click the Tools option on the Navigation menu for the selected Drobo device to open the Tools page.

  • Page 61: Touring Drobo Dashboard

    8. Click the Yes button. Drobo shuts down and restarts after the new firmware is installed. 5.1.3 Touring Drobo Dashboard In this topic, the two main areas of Drobo Dashboard are defined for the Drobo 5D3: the All Drobos page and the Navigation menu. All Drobos Page Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 62 The selected Drobo device is highlighted with a green border. ● 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...
  • Page 63 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.
  • Page 64 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 65: Renaming Your Drobo 5D3

    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: 5.2 Renaming Your Drobo 5D3...

  • Page 66: Formatting Your Drobo 5D3

    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...
  • Page 67 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.
  • Page 68 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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 69 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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 70 Drobo device. Afterwards, the Format dialog box opens. 10. Click the OK button. Your Drobo device displays on the Tools page in Drobo Dashboard. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...

  • Page 71: Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5D3

    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.
  • Page 72 Lights). However, you can still safely shut down your Drobo 5D3. 3. In the Drobo Dashboard, select the Drobo 5D3 that you would like to shut down from the All Drobos page, and click the Tools option on the Navigation menu. The Tools page opens.

  • Page 73: Resetting Your Drobo 5D3

    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.

  • Page 74: Blinking Lights To Test Connectivity

    Drobo Dashboard will re-discover the Drobo device as if it were new. 5.6 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity A simple test to verify that your Drobo 5D3 is connected, directly or indirectly, to your host computer, is to use Drobo Dashboard to blink the lights on your Drobo device.

  • Page 75: Enabling Or Disabling System Tray

    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: ●...
  • Page 76 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.

  • Page 77: Modifying Device Settings For Your Drobo 5D3

    Capacity. To enable or disbale dual disk redundancy: 1. In Drobo Dashboard on the All Drobos page, select the Drobo device 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. The General Settings page opens.
  • Page 78 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.

  • Page 79: 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.

  • Page 80: Dimming The Lights On Your Drobo 5D3

    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.

  • Page 81: Managing Capacity (Drive Space)

    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.

  • Page 82: Adding Capacity (Or Drives)

    7.2 Adding Capacity (or Drives) When you find your Drobo 5D3 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.
  • Page 83 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.

  • Page 84: Removing Capacity (Or Drives)

    You may wish to remove one or more drives from your Drobo 5D3, 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 85: Inserting An Msata Ssd

    Doing so provides accelerated performance when reading data from your Drobo 5D3. For more information on drive requirements, see Selecting Drives. The mSATA SSD is not part of your Drobo device's disk pack, so you can add or remove it at any time. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 86 1. Your Drobo device must be powered off and unplugged before the mSATA installation. 2. Gently turn the Drobo 5D3 on to its side to access the bottom of the Drobo 5D3, and open the Drobo Accelerator Bay door by turning the latch from lock to unlock using a coin.

  • Page 87: Removing An Msata Ssd

    To remove an mSATA card: 1. Safely shut down your Drobo 5D3. 2. Gently turn the Drobo 5D3 on to its side to access the bottom of the Drobo 5D3, and open the Drobo Accelerator Bay door. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 88 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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...

  • Page 89: Checking Storage Usage And Device Status Information

    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.

  • Page 90: Viewing Capacity Chart

    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.

  • Page 91: Viewing Storage Usage

    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 92 ● 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 93: Checking The Status Of Your Drobo 5D3

    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 94: Checking Your Drobo 5D3'S Serial Number

    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: ●...

  • Page 95: Checking Your Drobo 5D3'S Firmware Version

    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.

  • Page 96: Checking The Current Version Of Drobo Dashboard

    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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 97 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.

  • Page 98: Checking System Information

    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.

  • Page 99: Checking Drive Information

    ● 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.
  • Page 100 ● 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: ●...

  • Page 101: Checking Performance Information

    ● Drive Interface – The drive type. It can take one of the following values: SATA/SSD. 8.8 Checking Performance Information 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.

  • Page 102: Getting Diagnostics On Your Drobo 5D3

    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.
  • Page 103 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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...

  • Page 104: Understanding The Indicator Lights

    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? 8.10...
  • Page 105 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. So, for example, if your Drobo device is 30% full, three blue lights display.

  • Page 106: Using On-Screen And 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 107 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.
  • Page 108 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 109 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 110 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. Drobo 5D3 User Guide...
  • Page 111 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 112: Modifying When To Send 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.

  • Page 113: Disabling E-Mail Alerts

    ● 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.

  • Page 114: Modifying When To Send On-Screen Alerts

    ● 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...

  • Page 115: Disabling On-Screen Alerts

    ● On critical situations only – Alerts will display on your screen 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,...

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