Drobo Failed..What Recovery Software Reads .TIB files on a DROBO?
A motherboard died and apparently sent some surges to attached peripherals. Not only did it fry two volumes in an 8Tb Drobo used for working files, it damaged the Acronis backup that was on a seperate Drobo that was also connected at the time the mudda board died.
I tried Stellar Phoenix on the work drive pack, only to learn that product couldn't recover a .tib from a Drobo. My Drobo backup disk pack hasn't been touched since the 'event'. I am looking for a recovery program that will read .Tib files from a Drobo. Any suggestions?
Scott,
Drobo uses the proprietary BeyondRaid RAID-like technology. The bad news is that 3rd party software support is limited. You probably have to look for a recovery service (google BeyondRAID recovery program/service).
Since there is redundancy across the disks you might be lucky if you inspect the individual disks that you put on an external enclosure as a last resort.
Scott, I feel your pain, as I too suffered a Drobo crash.
The issue is simple, when Drobo works, it's great, when it crashes, you can forget getting files back or ANY recovery. Drobo never allowed for contingencies.
The fact is that it is a greedy proprietary system, and they never made a software tool for data recovery. If you get a device based on Linux or better still, MS Server, then there are many third party tools to recover the data. Drobo effectively promotes in its advertising a false sense of security.
It should be noted that the older Drobos had very poor connectors, and most of the time the circuit board with the connector did not allign with the case. Hence the plug went in, but not fully. If you jossled the case, or over time due to fan vibrations, there would be a power/contact failure creating a crash. I had [still have two v2] and had to whittle the outside of the plugs to make them fit and add a pressure point device to keep the plugs firmly in. Later had to use a contact enhancer, Stabilant, in order to stop the normal electrical arcing due to cheap connectors with poorcontact points, creating electrical arcing.
The whole Drobo scene, is data ready to be lost, with Drobo support telling you that you needed to have a back up of your data. Hence YOUR fault. To me, the fault is in the lack of recovery software! The recovery alternatives are not there.
The Drobo's user forum abounds with disasters stories, and they took it off the public viewing access. There is a third party Drobo recovery facility in the UK, and their website does mention that they see an above average failure rate compared to other raid systems. The the issue is never discussed: Bad connectors, and no third party software recovery tools.
I think I will recommend Drobo to all my competitors .
Lacie and Synology are the way to go.... data is too important, to save a couple of dollars - and the Drobo is Slooooow
Drobo is a great NAS or DAS Box. ANd it gives Added protection using their own Beyond Raid tecnology. Every NAS or drive can go BAd anytime, Which is no fault of Drobo. So Drobo as a NAS is as good as any other device. When Drobo goes down it definately can be recovered and there are many data recovery companies doing this job. One of that company is Disk Doctors Lab . If anybody wants to get recover their data you can contact them.
Like Chris (above) I'm afraid I can't and won't endorse Drobo for anything. Feature limited proprietary technology, underpowered CPU and RAM. Lower priced (read CHEAP) for a reason. Stick with Synology or QNAP.
Yes, all hardware fails, and it IS the users responsibility to implement a BU solution for their PC as well as their NAS devices. Mine is a 4TB My Book connected to a QNAP. Don't be fooled by Drobo's promise. In the end you get what you pay for.