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Drobo 5N 5-Bay NAS Storage Array with Gigabit Ethernet

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Drobo 5N 5-Bay NAS Storage Array with Gigabit Ethernet
Key Features
  • 5-Bay Desktop HD NAS Enclosure
  • Holds 5x 3.5" SATA HDDs (not included)
  • Holds 1x mSATA SSD (not included)
  • Gigabit Ethernet Port, Cable Included
The Drobo 5N 5-Bay NAS Storage Array with Gigabit Ethernet is the optimal solution for small network needs. It features 5 carrier-less, tool-less drive bays that can hold anywhere from a single 200GB to 4TB drives in each bay, for a total maximum capacity of 20TB (drives sold separately). The 3.5" SATA II/III drives can be of mixed capacity, spindle speed and/or cache size, which makes replacing and hot-swapping drives a breeze. It also accommodates one mSATA solid state drive for quick access to any program you need, and allows you to keep the five 3.5" drive bays open for business.

Other features of the Drobo 5N that will command your attention are the features in the proprietary BeyondRAID technology of this unit. BeyondRAID supports RAID 1, 5, and 6 modes (single and dual redundancy for one to four or more drives), but additionally includes Thin Provisioning (the ability to swap a smaller drive with a larger one) Automatic Protection Levels (which uses the best algorithm to protect from drive failure depending on the number of drives that are inserted, without any user configuration) and many more.

Passing all of that data through a USB 3.0 port may be effective, but transmitting over a Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/100MBps port allows you to easily connect to your network without the hassle of transferring, moving a drive, and transferring again. It also keeps the form factor down to a desktop square, convenient for offices short on space. And with the new large, tuned variable-speed cooling fan, it's much quieter than previous Drobos.

When considering consolidating your data, you have to look at cost, space and reliability. Many solutions can offer extras you don't need, and many more don't reach far enough to protect your assets. The Drobo 5N offers you expandability, security and design efficiency. Moreover, Drobo apps are available to provide additional features and capabilities for this Drobo 5N RAID enclosure.
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Drobo 5N Overview

The Drobo 5N 5-Bay NAS Storage Array with Gigabit Ethernet is the optimal solution for small network needs. It features 5 carrier-less, tool-less drive bays that can hold anywhere from a single 200GB to 4TB drives in each bay, for a total maximum capacity of 20TB (drives sold separately). The 3.5" SATA II/III drives can be of mixed capacity, spindle speed and/or cache size, which makes replacing and hot-swapping drives a breeze. It also accommodates one mSATA solid state drive for quick access to any program you need, and allows you to keep the five 3.5" drive bays open for business.

Other features of the Drobo 5N that will command your attention are the features in the proprietary BeyondRAID technology of this unit. BeyondRAID supports RAID 1, 5, and 6 modes (single and dual redundancy for one to four or more drives), but additionally includes Thin Provisioning (the ability to swap a smaller drive with a larger one) Automatic Protection Levels (which uses the best algorithm to protect from drive failure depending on the number of drives that are inserted, without any user configuration) and many more.

Passing all of that data through a USB 3.0 port may be effective, but transmitting over a Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/100MBps port allows you to easily connect to your network without the hassle of transferring, moving a drive, and transferring again. It also keeps the form factor down to a desktop square, convenient for offices short on space. And with the new large, tuned variable-speed cooling fan, it's much quieter than previous Drobos.

When considering consolidating your data, you have to look at cost, space and reliability. Many solutions can offer extras you don't need, and many more don't reach far enough to protect your assets. The Drobo 5N offers you expandability, security and design efficiency. Moreover, Drobo apps are available to provide additional features and capabilities for this Drobo 5N RAID enclosure.

Data Protection and Expandability Made Simple
Built on award-winning BeyondRAID technology with single- or dual-drive redundancy, Drobo 5N protects your data without any user interaction, even in the event of multiple drive failures. Drives can be added or hot-swapped on-the-fly for storage expansion with zero downtime. If you're running low on space, the lights on the front tell you what to do. Just add a drive in an empty bay or remove a smaller drive and replace it with a larger one.
High-Speed Connectivity
The Drobo 5N is equipped with a single Gigabit Ethernet port for network connectivity and connects directly to your network to make sharing your data easy. Just plug it into any switch or wireless router and you're ready to go. You can even connect the Drobo 5N directly to the Ethernet port on your computer without having to configure any settings.
Capacity AND Performance
Data-Aware Tiering technology, usually reserved for business-class storage solutions, is also available in this networked Drobo. It intelligently uses the high-performance SSDs to accelerate performance of the storage array, allowing applications such as Adobe Lightroom and Apple iPhoto or iTunes fast access to data. To keep capacity of the Drobo at a maximum, the Drobo Accelerator Bay accepts an industry-standard mSATA SSD, leaving all five 3.5" drives bays available for high-capacity HDDs. If getting the fastest performance possible is your thing, you can also load up every drive bay with SSDs. Drobo gives you the flexibility to choose.
Power Protecting Your Critical Data
Drobo doesn't just protect you from a drive failure, but also from potential data loss after a power outage. Often found only in arrays that cost tens of thousands of dollars, Drobo 5D includes a battery that protects all data in memory, or cache, that is, data on its way to the drives. When power spontaneously goes away, the battery keeps the Drobo alive long enough for the data to be written to non-volatile storage, ensuring your important information is safe. This battery recharges itself and is designed to last for the life of the product.
Designed for You
Drobo devices have always been space efficient and the Drobo 5N is no exception. It was designed from the ground up to provide very high capacity without taking up a lot of your valuable desk space. It is compact because of Drobo's unique carrierless drive-bay design, allowing drives to be installed very close to each other. Drobo 5N is also significantly quieter than previous-generation Drobos due to its large, tuned variable-speed cooling fan. You can even configure Drobo to spin down drives when they're not in use to further reduce noise and save energy.

Drobo 5N Specs

Capacity
0-20TB (Drives not included)
Array Type
Desktop external
Bays
5
Drive Types Supported
SATA II/III, mSATA
Drives of mixed capacity, spindle speed, and/or cache can be used.
RAID
BeyondRAID
Desktop/Rackmount
Desktop
Status Indicator
• Drive bay indicator lights
• Capacity gauge
• Status lights
Input and Output Connectors
1 x Gigabit Ethernet port
Fan
Single, fixed, variable speed cooling fan
Security
Kensington Lock Port for Security (lock not included)
System Requirements
•Mac OS X 10.10 and higher
•Windows 7 SP1 32 and 64 bit
•Windows 8 32 and 64 bit
Electrical Requirements
AC Input - 100-240VAC~2A, 50-60Hz
DC Output - 12V, 12.5A, 150W max
Environmental Requirements
Not specified by manufacturer
Dimensions
5.9 x 7.3 x 10.3" / 150.3 x 185.4 x 262.3mm
Weight
8.5 lb (without hard drives, power supply, or packaging)
Packaging Info
Package Weight
13.5 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
14.25 x 13.8 x 10.25"

Drobo 5N Reviews

See any errors on this page? Let us know

question

Do I have to have NAS HDDs for use with the Drobo 5N?
Asked by: Neculai
You do not need NAS drives as all Drobo models will work with any 3.5 inch SATA drive. We have found that the ideal drive for the 5N is a NAS rated drive, but it is all up to your preference for what drive to use.
Answered by: Brett B. Drobo Expert
Date published: 2018-08-28

question

Specs say capacity 0-20TB is that because 4TB used to be the largest drives available? Will it work with larger drives?
Asked by: Anonymous
Apologies, looks like we need to update our information page. The 5N USED to be a 20TB maximum unit, but now can hold up to 10TB per bay for up to 50TB raw storage. You will need to account for the size of your largest drive to be used for redundancy.
Answered by: Brett B. Drobo Expert
Date published: 2018-08-28

question

migrate drobo gen2 to a 5n?
Asked by: Anonymous
The formatting in a 2nd Gen Drobo is native to the operating system you are using on your computer. The 5N uses SMB/CIFS shares, which is a different type of formatting. You can migrate your date from the Gen 2 to a 5N using new hard drives, but drive migration would not work for this case.
Answered by: Brett B. Drobo Expert
Date published: 2018-08-28

question

Hello, If I want a media server and storage, am I better served attaching a Drobo 5D to a Mac Mini and then attach the Mac Mini to the network router? Thank you.
Asked by: Anonymous
A Dribo 5N eliminates the need to run the Mac mini continuously as a server. It covers all my computer users evenly. If you need the transfer speed just for the mini then the 5D may be what you need.
Answered by: John B.
Date published: 2018-08-28

question

Can I run iTunes, Plex and other serving applications on the Drobo 5N?
Asked by: Seamus
You can't run iTunes, but you can host the library there. So you'll still need a computer with iTunes running if you want to watch you movies on your tv. You can also run plex which works really well as long as the movies are drm free.
Answered by: Brian C.
Date published: 2018-08-28

question

Can this connect direct to a second 1gb/s lan on pc instead of router as its only wanted to be used as a single pc device. 5n 1gb/s faster than 5d usb 3.0. hence question. will it simple be seen as a JBOD if required. also what size msata is recommended when populated with 5 x 6TB WD RED. if it can do this ?. Multy questions all in one.
Asked by: Samantha Anne B.
The Drobo 5N can be connected directly to a computers Ethernet port. Note that it may take additional time to be found as there will be no router directing traffic. It will not be as fast as the 5D connected with USB 3.0, or Thunderbolt. The Drobo cannot be configured as JBOD. In my opinion you would want a mSATA drive of 256GB or higher in that configuration.
Answered by: James B.
Date published: 2018-08-28

question

what size mSata SDD for drobo 5n?
Asked by: Anonymous
call Drobo directly
Answered by: Yosef S.
Date published: 2018-08-28
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