Filed under: Hardware, Software, Open Source
Drobo Apps gives you cool add-ons for Drobo
By now, you've probably heard about Drobo. It's the ultimate RAID-like array, with USB and Firewire 800 connections, that allows you to store up to 6 terabytes using 4 hard drives (you get about 4.1 TB of usable space, since some of the room is used for RAID redundancy -- see the Drobolator capacity calculator for the details). Not too long ago they released DroboShare, a way to turn Drobo into a NAS (network attached storage device) with Gigabit Ethernet. If you have both a Drobo and DroboShare, you can now run DroboApps. Because Drobo is built on a small version of the Linux open source OS, you are able to run these lightweight applications that can do some awesome things. There are currently around 20 applications that can create an iTunes media server (Firefly), or limit the total size of a Time Machine backup (Time Tamer), among other functions.
If you're a Drobo owner, you might want to check out these cool new applications. And if you're a developer, why not take a look at the Drobo development SDK?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
blockage said 7:45AM on 10-31-2008
I don't get it. Wouldn't a Mac Mini + VNC + plus some external storage make more sense for most home networks?
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Jash Sayani said 8:37AM on 10-31-2008
Yep. It would make much more sense. I myself use a Mac mini with 500Gigs of external storage, with VNC... And as a HTTP server with a web-interface to manage files via a browser...
You could also make it a VPN server, so you could have secure access while on Public WiFi.....
Tony Gauderman said 8:57AM on 10-31-2008
It's much more robust than simple external attached storage. You plug in up to 4 hard drives (they can be different sizes) and the drobo provides you RAID5 like protection. Total storage capacity is the sum of all the drives minus the largest drive. The drobo spreads the storage out across all the drives. You are able to lose any single drive, and not lose any data. In addition, you can pull any drive out, replace it with a bigger drive, and the drobo will rebuild with a larger capacity.
Steve said 7:54AM on 10-31-2008
how does 4 hard drives equal 16 TB ????
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eric f. said 8:00AM on 10-31-2008
exactly what I was wondering.
Michael Rose said 8:18AM on 10-31-2008
Typo. Cory meant to say "6 TB" -- fixed.
DSeaver said 1:16PM on 10-31-2008
Drobo supports up to 16GB of storage (just because the storage space for 4 drives doesnt exist yet doesnt mean its wrong)
from drobo.com
"Your library of data grows every moment. Now, your storage solution expands in seconds, too. Drobo holds up to four hard drives, can expand at any time, and supports up to 16TB on a single volume as disk sizes increase."
gear said 8:03AM on 10-31-2008
Can a Drobo act as a media server to an ipod touch? It might be nice to have a gigantic media library at home and access that library on my ipod via wifi over the internet without leaving my home computer running. From what I've read you can see the files (with a Drobo app) through a web browser, but can you download and use these files?
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bento-san said 8:14AM on 10-31-2008
off subject just a tiny bit, but does anyone know if a drobo is louder than a stack of lacies on my desktop? i worry the fan noise of keeping 4 drives cool is going to be ridiculous. i have 4 drives on my desk right now, and boy do i wish solid state was cheaper. way way way cheaper.
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Mitch Aunger said 9:26AM on 10-31-2008
Not sure how loud 4 externals are - the drobo i have has 2 drives in it and it isn't quiet, but it isn't screaming loud either. It does shut down when not in use tho which makes it less noisy at times. I'm thinking about moving it down to the basement where the Time Capsule is so that i don't hear it at all :) (and maybe if i ever get broken into the thieves won't find it down there as opposed to sitting on my desk.
Big John said 9:40AM on 10-31-2008
I've got a Drobo with 4x500GB 7200rpm WD drives in it. It sits behind my HDTV and I only hear it when I'm not watching anything -- anything from a random cable channel to Transformer drowns it out with ease.
Didou said 8:30AM on 10-31-2008
The Droboshare has a Gigabit Ethernet connection but is connected to the Drobo itself through USB 2.0, doesn't that create a bottleneck at some point ? It should've been connected through Firewire 800 since the Drobo now has that connection.
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Big John said 9:41AM on 10-31-2008
Bingo. I just don't see the point of a DroboShare, especially at the price they want.
Devon said 9:59AM on 11-01-2008
Yeah lol, and $200 bucks for a USB to ethernet adaptor that should have been on it in the first place? Get real.
jeff said 9:20AM on 10-31-2008
The problem with Drobo with NAS is that the connection between the two is USB only. So, you will not get Gigabit throughput on network transfers. Also, while the Drobo accepts up to four 1.5 TB drives, it reserves a portion of each disk for duplication, thus 6 TB capacity is not possible.
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Ivan said 9:35AM on 10-31-2008
Is there a review somewhere of the iTunes Media Server? I couldn't find one.
This and the BT Client would be my 2 killer features.
I'm just not sure how everything works. Usually if I stream content from my personal iTunes library to an other mac, this mac can't change the contents of my iTunes library, e.g. add files, create playlists, and so on ...
Need a pictured review :D
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Big John said 9:45AM on 10-31-2008
I really want a DroboShare. The problem is the cost! I've already unloaded $500 for the Drobo, not to mention the drives, and I don't see these Drobo Apps as anywhere near convincing enough to spend $200 for bottlenecked network attached storage.
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akatsuki said 11:21AM on 10-31-2008
Gotta agree... Drobo is a bit too expensive as are all these NAS solutions. Cheaper and easier to just build a FreeNAS server or Solaris Express (with ZFS) and have more hard drive space, cheaper cost, faster networking and processor and more capabilities. If you pay attention to power consumption when putting it together, you can do pretty well...
Michael C. said 10:22AM on 10-31-2008
Am I the only one who read this as Dobro apps gives you cool add-on for Dobro?
I'm not sure what I would do with a Dobro app.
Resonator Guitar btw... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonator_guitar
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THJ said 11:00AM on 11-01-2008
drobo = short for data robot.
dorbo = something completely different.
Anyone who has rebuilt a raid set will appreciate the simplicity of the Drobo.
I agree though, the USB connection to the droboshare is unfortunate for those with a Gb ethernet network. Those with A-N wifi or 10/100 ethernet will not notice a difference though.