Drobo storage system User Manual page 21

My PC Says Drobo Has More Capacity Than It
Actually Does
When you look at the properties for your Drobo using any of the Windows tools such as Explorer or My Computer, you will
find that Windows reports that Drobo has more capacity than it actually does. Depending on the volume size you choose
to format your Drobo with, what is reported by Windows will vary. By default, Drobo will be presented as a 2 Terabyte
(TB) drive. This property allows Drobo to easily expand, without forcing complex Windows management and
configuration.
Drobo lets you add capacity in seconds, whenever you need it. We have designed Drobo to appear larger so that you can
easily grow your capacity. As larger capacity hard drives become available every year, when you add enough hard drive
capacity for your Drobo to exceed the set volume size, Drobo will simply create a new drive volume on your PC under the
next sequential drive letter resulting in an additional "virtual" drive volume, where both virtual volumes share the total
capacity available on your Drobo.
For example, by default, the Drobo is presented as a 2TB drive on Windows. When you add enough drive capacity to
exceed 2TB (for example, inserting four 1TB drives in Drobo), Drobo will create an additional drive volume. In this case,
Windows will present two 2TB volumes. Although the drives are presented as separate volumes in Windows, the capacity
for both volumes is combined as one large storage pool in Drobo.
You can avoid multiple drive volumes from being created by selecting a larger volume size during the format process.
See Formatting Drives Using the Drobo Dashboard.
If you want to know the current used capacity on your Drobo, you can get a quick idea with a glance at the utilization
meter on the front. Additionally, Drobo will always warn you if you are starting to run low on available space. If you want
detailed information, the Drobo Dashboard provides any information you may require.
Related Topics
Formatting Drives Using the Drobo Dashboard
Adding New Capacity to My Drobo
Starting Drobo Dashboard
Basic Drobo Dashboard
Advanced Drobo Dashboard
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