Drobo 5N2 User manual

Drobo 5N2 User Guide

Drobo5N2 User Guide 2
Contents
1Drobo 5N2 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 Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5N2..............................................................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..........................................................................................18
1.1.4.3 Using a Router or Switch with the Drobo 5N2..............................................................................19
1.1.4.4 Using Power Protection ..........................................................................................................................20
1.2 Setting Up Your Drobo 5N2 ...................................................................................................21
1.2.1 Overview of First Time Setup ....................................................................................................................22
1.2.2 Downloading and 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 and Powering On Your Drobo 5N2.................................................................36
1.2.4 Inserting Drives ...............................................................................................................................................39
1.2.5 Setting Administrator Username and Password ...............................................................................41
1.2.6 Understanding the Indicator Lights........................................................................................................43
1.2.7 Migrating a Disk Pack from Another Drobo Device ........................................................................45
1.2.8 Using Drobo 5N2 with Time Machine ...................................................................................................47
1.3 Where to Go Next...................................................................................................................54
1.3.1 Using Best Practices for Protecting Data..............................................................................................55
1.3.2 Keeping Your Software Up to Date ........................................................................................................56
1.3.2.1 Checking for Software Updates...........................................................................................................57
1.3.3 Using Online User Guide.............................................................................................................................58
1.3.4 Using Context-Sensitive Help ...................................................................................................................59
1.3.5 Using Knowledge Base.................................................................................................................................60

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1.3.6 Registering Your Drobo 5N2.....................................................................................................................62
1.3.7 Getting Technical Support..........................................................................................................................65
1.4 Using and Managing Your Drobo 5N2 ...................................................................................67
1.4.1 Using Drobo Dashboard .............................................................................................................................68
1.4.1.1 Installing Drobo Dashboard..................................................................................................................69
1.4.1.2 Keeping Your Software Up to Date....................................................................................................81
1.4.1.3 Touring Drobo Dashboard.....................................................................................................................84
1.4.2 Logging On to a Drobo 5N2 .....................................................................................................................88
1.4.3 Logging Out of a Drobo 5N2 ....................................................................................................................89
1.4.4 Modifying the Administrator Username and Password.................................................................90
1.4.5 Renaming Your Drobo 5N2 .......................................................................................................................92
1.4.6 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5N2 ................................................................................................93
1.4.6.1 Safely Shutting Down Your Drobo 5N2 Using Drobo Dashboard ........................................94
1.4.7 Restarting Your Drobo 5N2 .......................................................................................................................96
1.4.8 Resetting Your Drobo 5N2.........................................................................................................................98
1.4.9 Blinking Lights to Test Connectivity ....................................................................................................100
1.4.10 Enabling or Disabling the System Tray ..............................................................................................101
1.5 Modifying Device Settings for Your Drobo 5N2...................................................................102
1.5.1 Managing Auto-Discovery of Drobo 5N2.........................................................................................103
1.5.1.1 Adding a Drobo 5N2 by Its IP Address .........................................................................................104
1.5.1.2 Enabling or Disabling a Drobo Device by Its IP Address .......................................................106
1.5.1.3 Enabling or Disabling Auto-Discovery of Drobo 5N2 .............................................................107
1.5.1.4 Removing a Drobo 5N2 by Its IP Address from the Discovery List ...................................108
1.5.2 Enabling or Disabling Dual Disk Redundancy.................................................................................109
1.5.3 Modifying the Disk Drive Spin Down Time ......................................................................................111
1.5.4 Dimming the Lights on Your Drobo 5N2 ..........................................................................................113
1.5.5 Setting Your Drobo 5N2 to Independent Network Mode or Network Interface Bonding
Mode 114
1.5.6 Configuring Network Settings (and IP Addresses) for Your Drobo 5N2..............................115
1.5.7 Modifying the MTU Settings for Jumbo Frames............................................................................117
1.6 Creating and Using Shares ...................................................................................................119
1.6.1 Creating Shares ............................................................................................................................................121
1.6.2 Creating Users ..............................................................................................................................................124

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1.6.3 Assigning Users Access Rights to a Share ........................................................................................127
1.6.3.1 Assign Users Access Rights via Shares View ...............................................................................128
1.6.3.2 Assign Users Access Rights via Users View..................................................................................129
1.6.4 Mounting Shares .........................................................................................................................................130
1.6.5 Accessing Shares as the User .................................................................................................................132
1.6.6 Renaming or Modifying Users...............................................................................................................133
1.6.7 Deleting Users ..............................................................................................................................................136
1.6.8 Renaming Shares.........................................................................................................................................137
1.6.9 Deleting Shares ............................................................................................................................................140
1.7 Managing Capacity (Drive Space).........................................................................................141
1.7.1 Calculating Capacity to Use ....................................................................................................................142
1.7.2 Adding Capacity (or Drives)....................................................................................................................143
1.7.3 Removing Capacity (or Drives) ..............................................................................................................145
1.8 Checking Storage Usage and Device Status Information.....................................................147
1.8.1 Checking Storage Usage ..........................................................................................................................148
1.8.1.1 Viewing the Capacity Chart ................................................................................................................149
1.8.1.2 Viewing Storage Usage........................................................................................................................151
1.8.2 Checking the Status of Your Drobo 5N2...........................................................................................153
1.8.3 Checking Your Drobo 5N2's Serial Number ....................................................................................155
1.8.4 Checking Your Drobo 5N2's Firmware Version ..............................................................................156
1.8.5 Checking Your Current Version of Drobo Dashboard .................................................................157
1.8.5.1 Checking Current Version on Windows ........................................................................................158
1.8.5.2 Checking Current Version on Mac...................................................................................................159
1.8.6 Checking System Information................................................................................................................160
1.8.7 Checking Drive Information....................................................................................................................162
1.8.8 Checking Network Information.............................................................................................................164
1.8.9 Getting Diagnostics on Your Drobo 5N2 ..........................................................................................166
1.8.10 Understanding the Indicator Lights.....................................................................................................168
1.9 Using Additional Software and Functionality .......................................................................170
1.9.1 Using On-Screen and E-mail Alerts .....................................................................................................171
1.9.1.1 Setting Up or Modifying Email Alerts ............................................................................................172
1.9.1.2 Modifying When to Send Email Alerts...........................................................................................178
1.9.1.3 Disabling Email Alerts ...........................................................................................................................180

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1.9.1.4 Modifying When to Send On-Screen Alerts................................................................................181
1.9.1.5 Disabling On-Screen Alerts ................................................................................................................183
1.9.1.6 Setting or Modifying Email Alerts for a Selected Drobo 5N2 Only...................................184
1.9.2 Using DroboDR to Replicate Data........................................................................................................186
1.9.2.1 Checking System Requirements for DroboDR ...........................................................................187
1.9.2.2 Setting Up Your Drobo Device to Use DroboDR.......................................................................188
1.9.2.3 Setting or Modifying a DroboDR Schedule.................................................................................189
1.9.2.4 Starting a DroboDR Manually ...........................................................................................................191
1.9.2.5 Stopping a DroboDR in Progress.....................................................................................................193
1.9.2.6 Viewing the Summary Log of Synchronizations........................................................................194
1.9.2.7 Saving a Detailed Log of Synchronizations to View.................................................................196
1.9.2.8 Disabling DroboDR at the Source....................................................................................................197
1.9.2.9 Disabling DroboDR at the Target ....................................................................................................199
1.9.2.10 Configuring the Destination Drobo Device ............................................................................201
1.9.2.11 Configuring the Source Drobo Device......................................................................................203
1.9.3 Using DroboApps........................................................................................................................................205
1.9.3.1 Enabling or Disabling Drobo Apps..................................................................................................206
1.9.3.2 Managing Drobo Apps.........................................................................................................................207
1.10 Inserting an mSATA SSD ...................................................................................................210
1.11 Removing an mSATA SSD .................................................................................................212
1.12 Troubleshooting Your Drobo 5N2 ....................................................................................213

Drobo5N2 User Guide 6
1Drobo 5N2 User Guide
Congratulations on your new Drobo!
This Getting Started section will help you set up your Drobo 5N2 and run it in just a few steps.
Related topics:
Before You Begin
Setting Up Your Drobo 5N2 in Just a Few Steps!
Where to Go Next

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1.1 Before You Begin
Before you begin setting up your Drobo 5N2, it’s a good idea to check the system and hardware
requirements.
This section covers the following topics:
Product Features at a Glance
Checking Box Contents
Checking System Requirements
Checking the Hardware You Need

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1.1.1 Product Features at a Glance
For a quick overview of features of the Drobo 5N2, refer to the following images.
Figure 1: Front of the Drobo 5N2 with the bezel (faceplate) removed.

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Figure 2: Back of the Drobo 5N2
Related topic:
Before You Begin

Drobo5N2 User Guide 10
1.1.2 Checking Box Contents
When you open the product’s box, you will find the components listed below.
●Drobo 5N2
●Two 6ft (1.8m) Ethernet cable
●6ft (1.8m) power cord with power supply
●Quick Start Card
●Safety and Warranty Guide
Related topic:
Before You Begin

Drobo5N2 User Guide 11
1.1.3 Checking System Requirements
Check to ensure your operating system and cable interface are supported with the Drobo 5N2.
Related topics:
Operating Systems Supported
Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5N2
Before You Begin

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1.1.3.1 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.
Related topics:
Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5N2
Before You Begin

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1.1.3.2 Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5N2
Your Drobo 5N2 connects to a network via a router or switch using an Ethernet port. Ethernet is the
standard local area network (LAN) access method.
Gigabit Ethernet Port
Drobo 5N2 supports dual gigabit Ethernet connections (1000 Mbit/s) for optimal performance. It will,
however, auto-negotiate the highest connection speed available to your router or switch.
Related topic:
Before You Begin

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1.1.4 Checking the Hardware You Need
To use your Drobo 5N2, you will need at least two hard drives. If you plan to use Dual Disk
Redundancy, which protects your data against two hard drive failures, you will need at least three
hard drives.
Related topics:
Selecting Drives
Determining Drive Space Requirements
Using a Router or Switch with the Drobo 5N2
Using Power Protection
Before You Begin

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1.1.4.1 Selecting Drives
The Drobo 5N2 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 5N2 has a Drobo Accelerator Bay, which accepts an industry-standard mSATA
SSD. When the mSATA SSD is installed, Drobo’s Hot Data Caching feature is enabled, accelerating
performance when reading data from your Drobo device. Having an mSATA SSD installed leaves all
drive bays available for high-capacity hard disk drives (HDDs) so that you can get both high-capacity
and accelerated performance out of your Drobo device.
Note
Make sure that you are not using SandForce SSD's or mSATA.
Using only SSDs in the main drive bays of your Drobo 5N2 provides the fastest performance when
reading and writing data to and from your Drobo device.
In summary, here are the recommended number and type of drives you can use with your Drobo
5N2:
●2 to 5 HDDs in the main drive bays - enables you to maximize capacity
●2 to 5 HDDs in the main drive bays plus an mSATA SSD installed - enables you to maximize
capacity and accelerate read performance
●2 to 5 SSDs in the main drive bays with no mSATA SSD - enables you to maximize read and write
performance
Note
In the event of drive failure, you need to insert 5 drives in the drive bays to ensure that
your data is protected and to avoid any formatting issues.
For a performance comparison of these options, see the image below.

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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 5N2, allowing you to leave it
installed even if you transfer drives from the drive bays to another Drobo device, for example.
When Hot Data Caching is enabled, an icon displays in Drobo Dashboard, the software
companion to your Drobo device.
The Drobo 5N2 is not compatible with IDE, SCSI, PATA or SAS drives.
The Drobo 5N2 supports migrating entire disk packs from a Drobo5N (16TB volume),
Drobo5N (64TB volume), and DroboFS (16TB volume), preserving its data. For more
information, and to ensure a safe and successful migration of the drives, carefully follow the
instructions in Migrating a Disk Pack from Another Drobo Device.
For EOL product (Drobo FS and old Drobo 5N’s) in order to achieve 64TB volume size you
need to copy data to new drives in 5N2.
Warning:
Any pre-existing data on the drives will be erased when inserted into the Drobo 5N2.

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Related topics:
Determining Drive Space Requirements
Checking the Hardware You Need
Before You Begin

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1.1.4.2 Determining Drive Space Requirements
In order to protect your data from hard drive failure, your Drobo 5N2 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.
A shortcut to estimating the capacity available for your data is to omit the largest drive and then add
the capacity of the remaining drives. If you plan to use Dual Disk Redundancy, omit the largest two
drives. For example:
Single Disk (Default) Redundancy
Dual Disk Redundancy
Notes:
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 Drobo devices.
Know that all Drobo devices enable you to easily increase storage capacity at any time by
simply inserting additional drives or replacing smaller drives with larger ones.
Related topics:
Selecting Drives
Managing Capacity (Drive Space)
Checking the Hardware You Need
Before You Begin

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1.1.4.3 Using a Router or Switch with the Drobo 5N2
You will be plugging your Drobo 5N2 into a router or switch that must already be configured to work
with your network. Your router or switch must have at least one Ethernet port open and available.
Your router or switch must also support DHCP. If it does not, you will need to directly connect your
Drobo 5N2 to one of your computer’s Ethernet ports for the initial setup.
Tip:
To check for DHCP support, refer to the documentation for your router or switch. You may
also choose to proceed with installation and check for DHCP support only if you experience a
problem.
For optimal performance, it’s best if your router or switch supports gigabit Ethernet connections
(1000 Mbit/s). Your Drobo 5N2, however, will auto-negotiate the highest connection speed available
to your router or switch.
Related topics:
Checking the Hardware You Need
Connectivity Interfaces Supported for the Drobo 5N2
Before You Begin

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1.1.4.4 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 topics:
Checking the Hardware You Need
Before You Begin