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

Drobo5N2 User Guide 3

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

Drobo5N2 User Guide 4

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

Drobo5N2 User Guide 5

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