RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. It is a data storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit. Data is distributed across the drives in one of several ways called “RAID levels”, depending on what level of redundancy and performance is required.
The different RAID levels provide various combinations of increased data reliability and/or increased input/output performance. The most common RAID levels are:
- RAID 0: Striping without parity or mirroring. Provides improved performance but no redundancy.
- RAID 1: Mirroring without parity or striping. Provides redundancy through duplicating all data on secondary drives.
- RAID 5: Striping with distributed parity. Provides fault tolerance and improved performance.
The term RAID was first coined in 1987 by David Patterson, Garth A. Gibson, and Randy Katz at the University of California, Berkeley in their seminal paper “A Case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)” (TechTarget). This paper built upon previous work on disk arrays in the 1970s and 80s to define the RAID concepts widely used today.
What is Drobo?
Drobo is a data storage company known for its unique direct-attached storage (DAS) devices. Rather than using traditional RAID for redundancy, Drobo devices feature the company’s proprietary BeyondRAID technology.
BeyondRAID provides several key benefits over standard RAID:
- It protects data without the rigid requirements of traditional RAID, allowing you to mix drive sizes and types in the same array.
- Drives can be added or hot-swapped easily, enabling expansion on the fly.
- There are no rigid array rebuilds required after drive failures or replacements.
Drobo devices are known for their simplicity and ease of use. They include LED lights that show status and capacity in an intuitive way. Drobo’s Dashboard software also provides status monitoring and tools for array management.
Overall, Drobo DAS devices offer flexible, redundant storage solutions for personal, small business, and enterprise use cases. They provide an alternative to both traditional RAID arrays and network attached storage (NAS) devices.
How Drobo Implements RAID
Drobo storage solutions use a proprietary technology called BeyondRAID instead of traditional RAID implementations. BeyondRAID was designed to address some of the limitations of standard RAID configurations.
With traditional RAID, if one drive fails the entire RAID volume is at risk until the failed drive is replaced. BeyondRAID protects data against multiple drive failures with support for drive redundancy without rigid RAID levels. The BeyondRAID technology allows you to mix drive sizes and types within a single volume.
Some key benefits of BeyondRAID over hardware RAID include:1
- No need to match drives – can mix drive sizes and types
- Protection against multiple drive failures
- Self-managing and self-healing – no admin needed to monitor
- Thin provisioning enables more capacity efficiency
- Easy to expand storage capacity on the fly
By utilizing BeyondRAID technology, Drobo aims to deliver a RAID-like experience that is easier to manage and more flexible than traditional hardware RAID implementations.
Drobo RAID Levels
Drobo devices support a flexible proprietary version of RAID called BeyondRAID. BeyondRAID allows users to mix and match drives of different sizes and types within the same array.
The most basic BeyondRAID level is single disk redundancy. This is similar to RAID 1, mirroring data across two drives. The pros of single disk redundancy are simplicity and low cost. The cons are less redundancy than other levels.
The next level is dual disk redundancy. This is similar to RAID 6, providing double distributed parity and allowing the array to survive two disk failures. The pros of dual disk redundancy are strong protection against drive failures. The cons are less overall capacity compared to a single disk redundant array.
The maximum BeyondRAID level supported is dual disk redundancy plus hot spare. This adds an additional hot spare drive to the array that can automatically rebuild data if one of the main drives fails. The pros of this level are the highest redundancy and protection. The cons are higher cost and reduced overall storage capacity.
A key advantage of Drobo’s BeyondRAID approach is the ability to upgrade or downgrade the RAID level on the fly as needed, without having to reformat the drives or recreate the array.
Adding and Removing Drives
One of the key features of Drobo storage solutions is the ability to easily add drives or swap out failed drives without any downtime or data loss. Drobo leverages a BeyondRAID proprietary system to allow you to mix and match drives of different capacities, speeds, and types (SATA/SAS) in the same enclosure.
To add extra storage, users can simply insert a new drive into an empty bay without needing to shut down the device. The Drobo unit will automatically detect the new drive and add it to the storage pool, expanding the total capacity. This on-the-fly expansion can be done in increments by adding one drive at a time. Drobo systems can support drives up to 96TB in size, allowing massive storage potential as larger drives become available (Drobo).
Replacing failed drives is equally painless. The Drobo unit will indicate which drive has failed via LED lights on the front. Users can then remove the bad drive and insert a replacement while powered on. The BeyondRAID system will rebuild the data redundancy without risk of downtime or data loss. This hot-swapping capability allows users to proactively replace older drives before failure occurs.
The tool-less drive carriers in Drobo units make drive changes simple – no screwdrivers needed. This ease of expanding and maintaining storage on the fly is a key benefit for Drobo users compared to traditional RAID systems. The flexible nature of Drobo’s proprietary BeyondRAID technology enables both storage growth and fault tolerance as drives are added or swapped over the product lifetime (Drobo).
Performance
Drobo devices offer solid performance that is comparable to traditional hardware RAID arrays. In benchmarks, the 5-bay Drobo 5C achieved sequential read speeds of up to 250 MB/s and write speeds of up to 230 MB/s. The 8-bay Drobo 5N2 reached sequential reads of 332 MB/s and writes of 305 MB/s. Performance will vary based on factors like drive types, capacity used, and connectivity.
Compared to a traditional RAID 5 array, Drobo offers equivalent or better performance in many cases, while providing increased flexibility and ease of use. Tests by StorageReview found a Drobo B800fs with SSDs outperformed an 8-drive RAID 5 array with 10K HDDs in SQL workloads. The key advantages of Drobo are the ability to mix drive types and capacities and change configurations on the fly. Performance can be optimized by using all SSDs or faster drives.
Ease of Use
One of the key benefits of Drobo storage devices is their exceptional ease of use. Drobo aims to make storage simple and accessible even for non-technical users through their user-friendly DroboDashboard management tool. The DroboDashboard provides an intuitive graphical interface that allows users to easily set up, monitor, and manage Drobo devices.
Key ease of use features of the DroboDashboard include:
- Step-by-step setup wizard for getting Drobo online quickly
- At-a-glance overview of storage capacity usage and health
- Tools for proactively monitoring drive and system health
- Notifications for any issues requiring attention
- Ability to hot swap drives without any downtime or special tools
- Seamless storage expansion with one-click drive addition
Drobo aims to eliminate the complexity typically associated with storage management. Their simplified approach allows creative professionals, small businesses, and home users to easily protect their data without needing dedicated IT resources.
Use Cases
Drobo storage solutions are versatile and can benefit a wide range of users, from individuals to large enterprises. Here are some of the key advantages of Drobo for different use cases:
For personal use, Drobo makes an excellent solution for storing and protecting all your digital data in one place. The easy-to-use interface allows anyone to set up secure backup, access files remotely, and expand storage capacity on demand. Drobo is ideal for home media servers, storing personal photos/videos, and protecting important documents. According to the Drobo website, their products provide “peace of mind” with automatic data protection and recovery (https://www.drobo.com/homeoffice/).
For businesses, Drobo offers secure, scalable network attached storage for sharing files, centralizing backups, and disaster recovery. Key highlights cited on their website include ease of installation, flexible capacity, and “enterprise-grade” features like drive redundancy, fast rebuilding, and battery backup (https://www.drobo.com). This makes Drobo NAS solutions suitable for small to mid-sized business data storage needs.
For large enterprises, DroboSAN solutions provide consolidated storage area networks (SANs) with enterprise-class redundancy, performance, and scalability. Drobo emphasizes “self-optimizing, self-protecting” SAN solutions that simplify management and reduce downtime (https://www.drobo.com/business/drobosan/). This enables enterprise-wide storage consolidation, automated tiering, and disaster recovery capabilities.
In summary, Drobo storage platforms offer versatile data protection and management for personal, business, and enterprise use cases. The common advantage across segments is Drobo’s emphasis on automated data protection, ease of expansion, and simplified storage management.
Pricing
Drobo offers a range of products at different price points to meet the needs of home users, small businesses, and larger enterprises. The entry-level Drobo 5N2 5-Bay NAS starts at $499 (https://www.drobo.com/news/press-releases/best-selling-4-bay-drobo-storage-system-gets-3x-performance-boost-new-features-and-affordable-low-price/), while the high-end B810n 8-Bay for business has an MSRP of $1,999 (http://www.drobo.com/downloads/docs/North%20America%20MSRP%20Price%20List.pdf).
Total cost of ownership for a Drobo device includes the upfront purchase price plus ongoing expenses like additional hard drives, replacement parts, and electricity costs. For example, a typical 4-bay Drobo 5D3 populated with 4x 8TB hard drives could cost around $1,200 upfront. With an estimated lifespan of 5 years before upgrades are needed, the total cost of ownership works out to around $240 per year. Power consumption is relatively low, typically under 60 watts even when active.
Conclusion
In summary, Drobo’s unique BeyondRAID technology offers several key benefits over traditional RAID solutions. BeyondRAID delivers simplified drive management, accelerated performance, and maximum protection against drive failures. Simply add or remove drives at any time without downtime or complex administrative tasks. The automated data protection ensures you won’t lose data if a drive fails.
With its hassle-free setup and maintenance, Drobo is ideal for smaller businesses, home offices, and prosumer users who want enterprise-level performance and reliability without the IT overhead. For larger enterprises with specialized IT support, traditional RAID arrays may still be preferable. But for most SMBs and individuals, Drobo provides an unparalleled combination of ease of use and data protection.
By leveraging BeyondRAID technology, Drobo removes the complexity historically associated with RAID management. For those seeking a powerful yet simplified storage solution, Drobo delivers the best of both worlds.