As a research scientist I have seen my data storage requirements grow and I have been constantly looking for a product that can grow with my needs.
Most recently I have relied on large single disk hard drives as my main storage but with the introduction of data robotics Drobo I am considering that as a viable replacement to my stack of 500GB Lacie drives.
I am not one with enough experience or patience to set up a server or raid device. So when I saw the Data Robotics booth at Photoshop World Boston in 2007 I thought this may be an answer to my prayers directed at the data storage gods.
I was intrigued by three factors. The first is the ability to protect data on the fly using multiple drives in a single piece of hardware without raid configuration. The second is the expansion capability to add drives so the system can grow as hard drive prices decreases and storage needs increase. And third the relative low cost of a unit, inexpensive enough for easy acquisition for lab and personal use.
After multiple encounters with Data Robotics booth staff and explaining to them about the unique needs of Biomedical professionals they sent me an evaluation unit to test out.
I received it about two weeks ago and have used it intensely over that time in the storage of images and other media files as well as backing up my primary production system, an Intel Mac Book Pro.
This is the current picture of the Drobo in use.
Once the box from Data Robotics’ arrived. The unpacking went as expected and I was ready to add SATA hard drives to the unit.
The cover is held in place with a magnetic latch and can easily be removed. Adding the drives was the easiest installation I have seen. The drives slide in ands snap into unseen receptacles fitting power and cables automatically. There are four open drive bays that accept full and half height drives.
Half height 120GB drive in bottom bay.
I won’t bore you with all the details. The rest of the set up went smoothly following the included instructions. I installed the Drobo Dashboard to initialize the Drobo and gain control over options. The Dashboard allows visualization of the status of the unit beyond the informative lights on the front of the Drobo.
The most important factors of any storage device is the ability to hold precious data, “my precious, precious.’
In this regard the Drobo is doing wonderfully. Currently I have approx 650GB of usable data storage with three drives 750, 400, and 320GB. This unbalanced drive size has left 320GB of space reserved for expansion. The kind way to telling that there is some usable space. Using the Drobolator, at www.drobo.com/drobolator, it is easy to configure and optimize drive sizes for the maximum amount of protected storage
Current drive set up in the Drobo and the overall memory situation.
Using the Drobolator I determined that to expand my storage capacity my best next drive purchase should be a 750GB drive (currently ~$180).
Drobolator with optimized hard drive configuration.
My next step will be putting the Drobo through its paces, developing workflows to use the increased storage capacity and confidence in its data protection abilities.
So far it seems to fulfill my in data storage needs. Now lets see how it adds value to my work.
Pros:
1) Provides data protection without the need of Raid configuration
2) Can use SATA drives already on hand
3) Can add additional drives at any time
4) Simple to set up and use
5) I’m am better able to sleep
Improvement Considerations:
1) Correct storage space reported on the Macintosh (Info displays 2TB with Mac operation system)
2) Higher speed transfer (The current Drobo uses USB 2.0 port, why not add additional options)
3) On/off switch ( The unit powers down when the computer is turned off but sometimes I may just want to have the unit off without unplugging the power
Data Robotics Drobo Storage Robot Multiple 4-Drive Enclosure ~ $480 online
