Drobo 4 vs Drobo 5

Hey Folks,

I need a new hard drive system. You can purchase the Drobo 4 for about 350 bucks at B&H. The 5 bay version goes for $650. is it worth purchasing the large array? I was thinking about purchasing two of the four drive bays for the same price as the 5 bay.

Is it that the 4 bay is being discontinued?

Drobo 4:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/57...ic_Storage.html

Drobo 5:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/662282-REG/Data_Robotics_DRDR3A21_Drobo_S_5_Bay_Array.html

James

I have the Drobo 4 myself. I love it. If I were to have your situation I would choose 2 of the old 4 units as the more you can divide your hardware the less the possibility for a single catastrophic failure to wipe you completely out.

If one DROBO fails, you still have 1/2 your files still if it effects the drives plugged into it.

Just always looking at the safer side of backup.

In my unit I have 2 1.5TB drives and one 500Gig drive and I have every file I have ever created on it and still have room and one empty bay.

That's over 35,000 RAW files and multiple processed versions of many of them.

Roman

Hey Roman,

"If one DROBO fails, you still have 1/2 your files still if it effects the drives plugged into it."

I thought that if a Drobo drive failed that the others had the redundancy necessary to prevent any loss.

James

Well a Drobo is a device you put drives INTO. If that failed and took the drives with you (unlikely but not imposable) Then your other setup would have 1/2 your data. That's my only point.

Drobo is about data loss due to a drive failure. ALWAYS have a backup of your most important files somewhere else for true data backup redundancy. (and keep one set off site for disaster recovery if your files are super important)

Basic backup rules.

Roman

Do we know if there are any advantages of the 5 drive over the 4 drive (outside if the fact that it has another drive bay) in terms of speed/software, etc.?

If not, I am going to pick up the 4 and (4) 2 TB 7200 rpm drives this weekend.

James

Drobo at Costco

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11612056

Thanks, Preston. That is a more expensive model that I am now considering. :P The model that Costco is selling is a network model, which is cool because everyone in the house could then use the files.

The model I was looking at is a much older model (hence the $350 dollar price). I am now wondering if it is really the best deal or not.

James

The Costco one includes 3x2TB drives, wasn't sure if your prices included the drives.

I read far too much about Drobo problems to trust them.

Here's just one story: http://photography-thedarkart.blogspot.com/2010/07/drobo-pro-my-new-full-time-job-with.html


There are a lot more among the pro photographer blogs I follow.

Yeah - that freaked me out a bit when I read that. There are a lot of reviews that read just the opposite. The trick is that I need SOMETHING and soon. I am completely running out of juice and - as we all do - I need redundancy!!

Any other thoughts if the Drobo does not work best?

James

I use external drives in boxes or bays.

I have two 8-bay enclosures with 1TB drives in each bay as my main setup along with a 4-bay enclosure with 1TB drives. In addition to a smaller system drive, I've got 3x2TB drives internal in my main machine and the same setup in my back up machine which is a clone of the main.

I use Carbon Copy Cloner to do my backups.

Hey Jim,

About how much did that set you back, if you don't mind my asking?

James

The enclosures have been around for a few years, but they were pretty pricey back then. If I had to do it again, I'd get less fancy. These have digital readouts on each bay, etc. Stuff that looks cool, but is essentially worthless.

Here's the link to the enclosures I use, but like I said, now that I'm (hopefully) smarter, I'd go for less glitz and glam to lower the cost. http://macgurus.com/store/ecom-catshow/SATAEnclosures.html

The drives were acquired over time and costs are dropping like mad.

I have a Drobo, and I know several people who have them and no problems as of yet.

I am not saying there are not nightmares out there, but as a technician I know for a fact there are ZERO companies out there manufacturing hardware with ZERO defects. NONE. Even the hard drives I prefer are susceptible to imperfect manufacturing processes.

I also know that managing your own RAID can get a bit tricky.

Let me ask, what is your true goal?

Data backup?

Protection from hard drive failure?

Some other goal not presented here?

The two above have overlap, but are not the same. Keep that in mind. There is no perfect protection out there, just reductions in risk when it comes to data management.

If you get a data array (whether it be Drobo, or your own custom unit) You will still need off site storage for proper protection. If you have a fire, a power spike, or a fire, or some other disaster that kills all your drives or the Unit itself, your hosed.

Just keep that all in mind as your choosing your hardware setup.

I trust my DROBO. I have had zero problems from it. I am realistic and realize it COULD have problems in the future like ALL hardware can.

Follow your instincts and get whatever you feel comfortable with. If your not very techie, I would go with the DROBO or similar with easy interface.

If you want to dive into it a bit more, Jim's proposal will work as well.

Roman