DROBO Storage Robots
DROBO storage robots are a new inovation in the area of RAID storage solutions. Data Robotics refer to their technology as BeyondRAID.
A RAID array (Redundant Array of Indepedent Disks) provides either a speed increase in access to data (striping) or security (mirroring) by spreading data accross multiple disks. In the event of a drive failure data can be recovered from the other disk(s). Traditional RAID requires matched pairs of disks and complex management.
The DROBO BeyondRAID system uses all of these underlying stratagies but packages them in a easy to setup and use system which provides speed and security with zero managment. It is a robot in the sense that it takes care of the maintenance and rebuilds when required.
The DROBO is also an easily scalable storage solution using easlity obtainable SATAII drives. Because it takes standard internal drives, you are not paying for power supplys and interface cards every time you buy a new storage unit. You can start with two drives of whatever capacity you initially require. As you need more storage you simply add another drive to the robot. DROBO will take up to 4 drives. You can mix and match drive sizes and brands. The blue lights on the bottom of the drive indicate the remaining capacity of the drive.
If a drive fails, DROBO allerts you and you simply pull out the failed drive and insert a new replacement drive. DROBO then rebuilds the data from the remaining disks. You can still have access to your data at all times.
DROBO can be used with Apple's Time Machine to turn it into a automatic backup system with redundancy.
Drobo 2nd Generation FW 800 and USB 2.0 $620 inc GST
DROBO use either USB 2.0 or Firewire 800 for data interface. Firewire 800 opperates at about twice the speed of USB 2 and Firewire 400. Tis is a 4 bay drive with single disk redundancy.
Full details on the DROBO Website
Check out how much storage you will yield from different drive configurations using the DROBOlator.
Drobo 2nd Generation FW 800 and USB 2.0 + DROBO Share $975 inc GST
DroboShare turns your DROBO into a network attached storage device. Equipped with gigabit ethernet, your drob can be accessed by any computers on your network. Setup is automatic and is compatible with Mac OS, Windows and Linux.
While stocks last
Drobo S $1150 inc GST
Meet the new primary and backup storage solution that's perfect for creative professionals and small businesses with "set it and forget it" storage needs. The safe, expandable Drobo® S offers blazingly fast eSATA, and the best data storage experience ever. In addition to eSATA, Drobo S features enhanced FireWire 800 performance and USB 2.0 connectivity. It is a self-managing, self-healing solution ideal for safely storing large files and rapidly growing data.
This is a 5 Bay robot with dual redundancy capacity, protecting you from 2 simultaneous drive failures.
Full details on the DROBO Website
Check out how much storage you will yield from different drive configurations using the DROBOlator.
Drobo FS $1010 inc GST
The revolutionary Drobo FS was designed with one purpose in mind: to deliver the best file sharing experience ever. From the moment you plug it in and see it instantly appear on your desktop, you'll know there's nothing like it. The all-in-one Drobo FS is perfect for any connected home, home office, or small office environment needing a simple, safe device for sharing and backing up files over the network.
Share your data on a Gigabit Ethernet Network
Drobo FS connects directly to a Gigabit Ethernet network to make sharing your data easy. Just plug it into any switch or wireless router and you are ready to go.
This is a 5 Bay robot with dual redundancy capacity, protecting you from 2 simultaneous drive failures.
Full details on the DROBO Website
Check out how much storage you will yield from different drive configurations using the DROBOlator.
Drobo Pro $2099 inc GST
DroboPro is a storage array that manages itself. DroboPro is a rack mountable desktop eight drive storage array that protects against two simultaneous drive failures. Capacity expands by adding replacing drives. DroboPro's BeyondRAID technology allows mixing different sized drives without sacrificing capacity. Connect to server via iSCSI/FireWire800/USB. It supports up to 16, 16TB volumes (LUNs). Includes iSCSI initiator and backup software.
DroboPro™ is the first business class direct-attached storage array that manages itself. Engineered to be both simple and scalable, the revolutionary BeyondRAID™ technology incorporated into DroboPro frees businesses of making the difficult and confining choices commonly associated with storage management. Why trade simplicity for safety, or stability for expandability? DroboPro delivers both enterprise-level data safety and unprecedented expandability, featuring single and dual disk redundancy combined with instant capacity expansion.
Once you experience DroboPro, you just might forget the differences between all eleven traditional RAID levels. If you do, don't panic. You're experiencing the peace of mind that comes with every Drobo® product.
Up to 8 Disks of Instant Expansion to 16TB and Beyond
Grow your storage in line with your data capacity needs with minimal effort. To add capacity, simply insert a new hard disk or replace your smallest disk with a larger one, even when all eight disk bays are full. Unlike traditional RAID systems, the BeyondRAID technology found in DroboPro enables you to mix and match disk brands, capacities and speeds. This allows continuous expansion as disk capacities grow. With DroboPro expansion is automatic, instantaneous and access to data is always maintained.
No Headache Dual Disk Redundancy
Enable the Dual Disk Redundancy option to protect against the simultaneous failure of up to two hard disks. It's all done with a single click, without ever losing access to your data. Running out of space? You can even switch back to single disk redundancy with a click. For instance, unlike moving between RAID 5 and RAID 6, there's no need to reformat or migrate data off of the array, potentially saving you hours or days.
Triple Interface Featuring iSCSI
Attach DroboPro directly to the server or workstation that requires storage or to a shared server or workstation on your network that can provide access to multiple clients. Interface options include:
iSCSI (utilizes Gigabit Ethernet)
FireWire 800
Hi Speed USB 2.0
Unfamiliar with iSCSI? It's a high performance protocol that has become extremely popular with businesses, but it can often be complex to manage. DroboPro changes that by introducing zero click iSCSI connection establishment for both Windows and OS X.
Learn more about DroboPro and iSCSI
The Virtues of Smart Volumes
Create new volumes in seconds and manage up to 16 x 16TB volumes over time with ease. The innovative and timesaving Smart Volume management technology integrated into DroboPro allows volumes to pull storage from the common pool of disks rather than a specific physical disk allocation. The labor of resizing and migrating volumes is replaced with the simplicity of intelligent engineering.
Rack Mount Ready, Desktop Quiet
DroboPro is equally at home in a rack mount environment as it is on your desktop. Dual smart fans automatically manage their speeds to optimize both cooling and operating noise. (DroboPro Rack Mount sold separately.)
Full details on the DROBO Website
Check out how much storage you will yield from different drive configurations using the DROBOlator.
Drobo Elite $4780 inc GST
DroboElite offers the best data storage experience ever for small and medium businesses (SMBs) and departments looking to consolidate storage across multiple servers. Featuring eight drive capacity, multi host support, dual iSCSI ports, and up to 255 Smart Volumes, DroboElite delivers features and performance traditionally reserved for more expensive solutions.
Drobo Elite 8 Bay with Dual iSCSI
DroboElite offers the best data storage experience ever for small to medium businesses (SMBs) and departments looking to consolidate storage across multiple servers. As the most powerful and flexible Drobo platform engineered to date, DroboElite redefines storage economics by delivering advanced features and performance usually reserved for more expensive solutions. Built on the award winning BeyondRAID technology, DroboElite provides enterprise level data safety and unprecedented expandability in a virtualized architecture that is both self managing and self healing. Dual iSCSI ports and significant performance enhancements deliver best-in-class performance ideal for consolidating storage or adding capacity to both virtualized and non virtualized computing environments.
Learn more about BeyondRAID technology
Multi Host Connectivity
Have multiple servers that need storage? No problem. The DroboElite connects seamlessly to your existing TCP/IP network and utilizes the industry-standard iSCSI protocol to provide simple, consolidated storage for your servers.
Up to 8 Disks of Instant Expansion to 16TB and Beyond
Grow your storage to meet your data capacity needs with minimal effort. To add capacity, simply insert a new hard drive or replace your smallest drive with a larger one, even when all eight drive bays are full. Unlike traditional RAID systems, the BeyondRAID technology found on DroboElite enables you to mix and match capacities, drive brands and speeds. This allows for continuous expansion as drive capacities grow. With DroboElite, expansion is automatic, instantaneous and access to data is always maintained.
No Headache Dual Drive Redundancy
Enable the dual drive redundancy option to protect against the simultaneous failure of up to two hard drives. It's all done with a single click, without ever losing access to your data. Running out of space? You can click to switch back to single drive redundancy. Unlike moving between traditional RAID 5 and RAID 6, there's no need to reformat or migrate data off of the array, potentially saving you hours or days of downtime.
Dual High-Speed iSCSI Interfaces
Unfamiliar with iSCSI? It's an industry standard, high performance protocol that has become extremely popular with businesses and individuals who demand high data storage throughput, but it can often be complex to manage. DroboElite changes that by introducing zero click iSCSI connection creation with optional LUN-level CHAP authentication for both Windows and Mac OS X.
Learn more about DroboElite and iSCSI
The Virtues of Smart Volumes
Create new volumes in seconds and manage up to 255 x 16TB volumes over time with ease. The innovative and time saving Smart Volume management technology integrated into DroboElite allows volumes to pull storage from the common pool of drives rather than a specific physical drive allocation, eliminating the need to manage capacity at the volume level. Smart Volumes are also data aware, allowing deleted data blocks to be returned to the common pool and ensuring that volumes remain as efficient as possible over time.
Simplify Your VMware Environment
Storage is an integral part of a successful virtualization strategy. DroboElite has been tested for use with VMware to eliminate risk from your storage decision and help accelerate deployment of your virtual server environment.
Rack Mount Ready, Desktop Quiet
DroboElite is equally at home in a rack mount environment as it is on your desktop. Dual smart fans automatically manage their speeds to optimize both cooling and minimize operating noise.
What is BeyondRAID?
BeyondRAID leverages the same underlying data protection methodologies as traditional RAID, including mirroring and striping with parity; however, BeyondRAID applies these algorithms on top of a robust and flexible storage virtualization platform. This allows for the removal of the limitations and drawbacks normally associated with RAID.
Key benefits of BeyondRAID include:
Data protection against hard disk failure
Instant capacity expansion without downtime
Self management
Automatic healing