Drobo 5C User manual

Drobo 5C User Guide

Drobo 5C User Guide 2
Contents
1Drobo 5C Online User Guide..............................................................................................6
1.1 Before You Begin........................................................................................................7
1.1.1 Product Features at a Glance...............................................................................8
1.1.2 Checking Box Contents ......................................................................................10
1.1.3 Checking System Requirements ........................................................................11
1.1.3.1 Operating Systems Supported....................................................................12
1.1.3.2 Connectivity Interface Supported for the Drobo 5C ..................................13
1.1.4 Checking the Hardware You Need.....................................................................14
1.1.4.1 Selecting Drives ..........................................................................................15
1.1.4.2 Determining Drive Space Requirements ....................................................17
1.1.4.3 Using Power Protection..............................................................................19
1.1.5 Getting Started Guide ........................................................................................20
1.2 Setting Up Your Drobo 5C........................................................................................21
1.2.1 Inserting the Drives............................................................................................22
1.2.2 Installing Drobo Dashboard ...............................................................................24
1.2.2.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Windows...................................................25
1.2.2.2 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Mac...........................................................30
1.2.3 Connecting Cables on Your Drobo 5C................................................................36
1.2.4 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

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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
1.3 Where to Go Next ....................................................................................................56
1.3.1 Using Best Practices for Protecting Data ...........................................................57
1.3.2 Keeping Your Software Up to Date....................................................................58
1.3.2.1 Checking for Software Updates..................................................................59
1.3.3 Using the Online User Guide..............................................................................60
1.3.4 Using Context-Sensitive Help.............................................................................61
1.3.5 Using the Knowledge Base.................................................................................62
1.3.6 Registering Your Drobo 5C.................................................................................63
1.3.7 Getting Technical Support .................................................................................66
1.4 Using and Managing Your Drobo 5C........................................................................68
1.4.1 Using Drobo Dashboard.....................................................................................69
1.4.1.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard........................................................................70
1.4.1.1.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Windows ..............................................71
1.4.1.1.2 Installing Drobo Dashboard on Mac ......................................................76
1.4.1.2 Keeping Your Software Up to Date.............................................................82
1.4.1.2.1 Checking for Software Updates .............................................................83
1.4.1.2.2 Manually Updating Firmware from the Website...................................84
1.4.1.3 Touring Drobo Dashboard ..........................................................................86
1.4.2 Renaming Your Drobo 5C...................................................................................90

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1.4.3 Formatting Your Drobo 5C.................................................................................91
1.4.4 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C ................................................................95
1.4.4.1 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5C Using Drobo Dashboard .................96
1.4.5 Resetting Your Drobo 5C....................................................................................98
1.4.6 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity ...................................................................99
1.4.7 Enabling or Disabling the System Tray.............................................................100
1.5 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo 5C .......................................................102
1.5.1 Enabling Automatic Check for Software Updates ...........................................103
1.5.2 Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy...................................................105
1.5.3 Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5C ............................................................107
1.6 Managing Capacity (Drive Space) ..........................................................................108
1.6.1 Calculating Capacity to Use..............................................................................109
1.6.2 Adding Capacity (or Drives)..............................................................................110
1.6.3 Removing Capacity (or Drives).........................................................................113
1.7 Checking Storage Usage and Device Status Information.......................................115
1.7.1 Checking Storage Usage...................................................................................116
1.7.1.1 Viewing the Capacity Chart ......................................................................117
1.7.1.2 Viewing Storage Usage .............................................................................119
1.7.2 Checking the Status of Your Drobo 5C.............................................................121
1.7.3 Checking Your Drobo 5C's Serial Number........................................................123
1.7.4 Checking Your Drobo 5C's Firmware Version ..................................................124
1.7.5 Checking Your Current Version of Drobo Dashboard......................................125
1.7.5.1 Checking Current Version on Windows....................................................126

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1.7.5.2 Checking Current Version on Mac............................................................128
1.7.6 Checking System Information..........................................................................129
1.7.7 Checking Drive Information .............................................................................131
1.7.8 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5C ............................................................133
1.7.9 Understanding the Indicator Lights .................................................................136
1.8 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts ........................................................................138
1.8.1 Setting Up or Modifying E-mail Alerts .............................................................139
1.8.2 Modifying When to Send Email Alerts.............................................................145
1.8.3 Disabling Email Alerts.......................................................................................147
1.8.4 Modifying When to Send On-Screen Alerts.....................................................148
1.8.5 Disabling On-Screen Alerts ..............................................................................150

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1Drobo 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!
Where to Go Next
Getting Started Guide

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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
Getting Started Guide

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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.

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Figure 2: Back of the Drobo 5C
Related topics:
Checking Box Contents
Before You Begin

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1.1.2 Checking Box Contents
Ensure that your product's box contains all the components listed below.
●Drobo 5C
●3.3 ft. (1 m) USB Type A to Type C cable
●6.6 ft. (1.8 m) power cord with power adaptor
●Quick Start Card
●Safety and Warranty Guide
Related topics:
Checking System Requirements
Before You Begin