Comments on: Great Deal On a Drobo http://www.firstclown.us/2008/11/20/great-deal-on-a-drobo/ firstclown at firstclown.us Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:52:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Drobo: Local Redundant Backup | Data Privacy and Protection http://www.firstclown.us/2008/11/20/great-deal-on-a-drobo/comment-page-1/#comment-46831 Drobo: Local Redundant Backup | Data Privacy and Protection Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:29:41 +0000 http://www.dataprivacyandprotection.com/?p=108#comment-46831 [...] the Drobo is pricey. I bought mine for $750, but you can get a full Drobo system for only $569. That still might be too much for some, but it really is the safest way to keep a local backup and, [...] [...] the Drobo is pricey. I bought mine for $750, but you can get a full Drobo system for only $569. That still might be too much for some, but it really is the safest way to keep a local backup and, [...]

]]> By: FirstClown http://www.firstclown.us/2008/11/20/great-deal-on-a-drobo/comment-page-1/#comment-46830 FirstClown Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:52:07 +0000 http://www.dataprivacyandprotection.com/?p=108#comment-46830 I know what you're saying. It is true that the Drobo uses a proprietary format when saving the data to the hard drives and if you have a Drobo failure, you will have to buy another Drobo to read the data off the drives. I personally view this as okay since my system has been rock solid and there is a one year warranty on the product. <br><br>My backup plan right now is to get another Drobo, but that may not be the answer for everyone. This is a good point and I would say to be aware that if your Drobo dies past the one year warranty, you will have to get another Drobo to recover your data. I know what you're saying. It is true that the Drobo uses a proprietary format when saving the data to the hard drives and if you have a Drobo failure, you will have to buy another Drobo to read the data off the drives. I personally view this as okay since my system has been rock solid and there is a one year warranty on the product.

My backup plan right now is to get another Drobo, but that may not be the answer for everyone. This is a good point and I would say to be aware that if your Drobo dies past the one year warranty, you will have to get another Drobo to recover your data.

]]> By: Alan http://www.firstclown.us/2008/11/20/great-deal-on-a-drobo/comment-page-1/#comment-46829 Alan Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:14:38 +0000 http://www.dataprivacyandprotection.com/?p=108#comment-46829 I was almost ready to buy a Drobo after reading your post and seeing the sale price. Before pressing the purchase button I jumped over to Amazon and scanned the reviews on the Drobo. That reminded me of the issue that I had last time I looked at this device.<br><br>It's tempting to look at the Drobo solution as four hard drives, with four separate points of failure. But you can also look at this design as "one Drobo" and one point of a failure. What kind of problem would you have if you had a hardware or software issue with the Drobo? Seems like this could be a bigger mess than if you had followed some other backup scheme using individual hard drives. [See some of the unhappy people who posted reviews on Amazon for examples.]<br><br>In conclusion, it seems like you may be placing too much faith that the Drobo hardware and firmware are rock solid and will stay rock solid. I would be nervous about that -- what is your backup plan if the Drobo dies? Can you read those drives in another device? Or would you be forced to get the Drobo fixed or buy another one? I was almost ready to buy a Drobo after reading your post and seeing the sale price. Before pressing the purchase button I jumped over to Amazon and scanned the reviews on the Drobo. That reminded me of the issue that I had last time I looked at this device.

It's tempting to look at the Drobo solution as four hard drives, with four separate points of failure. But you can also look at this design as “one Drobo” and one point of a failure. What kind of problem would you have if you had a hardware or software issue with the Drobo? Seems like this could be a bigger mess than if you had followed some other backup scheme using individual hard drives. [See some of the unhappy people who posted reviews on Amazon for examples.]

In conclusion, it seems like you may be placing too much faith that the Drobo hardware and firmware are rock solid and will stay rock solid. I would be nervous about that — what is your backup plan if the Drobo dies? Can you read those drives in another device? Or would you be forced to get the Drobo fixed or buy another one?

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