The Drobo 5N is a network-attached storage (NAS) device designed for home and small office use. It offers data protection and expandability by allowing you to add and swap hard drives without losing data.
Michael Jones, our Chief Technician says:
"You should note that Drobo no longer exists, so there is no support beyond self help. Buying a replacement case may be difficult, but if you can find one, transferring the hard drives is straight-forward. If you need any help, our technicians are highly experienced with Drobo, so don't hesitate to call us"
Step 1: Backup Your Data
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Before starting any hardware replacement process, it's essential to back up your data. Although the Drobo 5N offers redundancy, things can go wrong during hardware transitions.
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Use a secondary backup solution, such as an external hard drive, cloud storage, or another NAS, to copy your critical files.
Step 2: Power Down and Disconnect the Drobo 5N
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Shutdown: Use the Drobo Dashboard software to safely shut down your Drobo 5N. This ensures that all drives are unmounted correctly, preventing data corruption.
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Disconnect: Once powered down, unplug the power cable and network cable from the back of the device.
Step 3: Remove the Hard Drives
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Open the Case: Slide open the front cover of the Drobo 5N to access the hard drive bays.
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Remove Drives: Carefully remove each hard drive from the bays. Remember the order in which the drives were installed, as this will be important when you reinstall them in the new case.
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Tip: Label each drive with its corresponding slot number to make reinstallation easier.
Step 4: Install the Hard Drives in the New Case
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Insert Drives: Slide the hard drives into the corresponding bays of the new Drobo 5N case. Ensure that each drive clicks securely into place.
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Check the Order: Make sure the drives are in the same order as they were in the old case. The Drobo relies on this order to recognize the existing data and rebuild the array correctly.
Step 6: Power Up the New Drobo 5N
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Connect Power and Network: Plug in the power cable and connect the network cable to the new Drobo 5N case.
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Turn On the Device: Power on the Drobo 5N. It should recognize the hard drives and begin the boot process.
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Note: The boot process might take a little longer than usual as the Drobo 5N checks the drives and reconstructs the data array.
Step 7: Verify Data Integrity
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Open Drobo Dashboard: Launch the Drobo Dashboard on your computer. The software should automatically detect the new Drobo 5N and your drives.
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Check Drive Status: Ensure that all drives are recognized, and the Drobo is in a healthy state. The dashboard will indicate if any issues need to be addressed.
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Access Your Data: Browse through your files to confirm that all data is intact and accessible.
Step 8: Update Firmware and Software (if needed)
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Firmware Check: While in the Drobo Dashboard, check for any firmware updates for your new case. Updating the firmware can ensure compatibility with your hard drives and improve performance.
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Software Update: Ensure that you have the latest version of the Drobo Dashboard software installed on your computer.
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Author:
Michael Jones, Chief Technician
Further reading
Drobo and BeyondRAID data recovery
Preventing dual drive failures in RAID 5
How to recover data from a Synology NAS that’s not responding?