I’ve been having some problems with my drobo just after I bought it. So I called tech support. They sounded like it was SUCH a bother to help me. But anyway, they asked me to create a drobo diagnostic file from dashboard and send it to them. So I did and posted it to them. They looked at the file and said that my drobo was fine. We’ll obviously it not, otherwise I wouldn’t be calling tech support. So I tried to look at the log file I sent, it for some reason it’s encrypted…
So I asked tech support why is it encrypted, and to please send me a copy of the decrypted report. They said they CAN’T because it’s company policy not to give out information like that.
Wait, they can’t give me a readable copy of a report ‘I’ sent them, about ‘MY’ drobo? Isn’t that a violation of the Freedom of Information Act? Not to mention unethical since it’s MY drobo. It’s like a hospital refusing to give a patient a copy of their medical records, after saying they are A OK, when obviously they are not.
If you are reading this Data Robotics, why the secrecy?
There are only a couple of reasons I can think of. None of which are good for you, the customer.
The log file contains info about you and your system that people would not want to generally share.
After the warranty ends in a year and tech support in 90 days, they don’t want you to be able to self diagnose problems, forcing you to either purchase an extended drobocare contract, or buy a new drobo unit, if something goes wrong.
I would like to see a response from someone at data robotics, explaining this to customers who have supported your company. And I don’t want to hear the excuse that people wouldn’t understand the log file, or that drobo is designed to be easy, so the customers would never need to read the log file. Making the log encrypted is an extra step specifically designed to prohibit the user from any technical insight into the unit. WHY?
The U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law ensuring public access to U.S. government records. FOIA carries a presumption of disclosure; the burden is on the government - not the public - to substantiate why information may not be released. Upon written request, agencies of the United States government are required to disclose those records, unless they can be lawfully withheld from disclosure under one of nine specific exemptions in the FOIA. This right of access is ultimately enforceable in federal court.
I’m not tech guru, but if a tier one tech support person on the phone can read it without any problems, I’m sure I can understand enough of it.
Regardless of my understand of it, are you ok with the fact that drobo encrypts the log file coming from your computer? And doesn’t even give you the opportunity to read it? Every product I’ve come across including Mac OS X, Windows OS, etc will allow you to look at a log report file unencrypted before submitting it for technical review.
Honestly, what is there to hide, if they don’t think I’ll understand it anyway? I mean after all, this a report on MY drobo. Why not let me read it?
i do understand your problem, i cant give away my diagnostics myself since i store company information on the device, and i cant assure my employer that this file does not reveal any information such as file names (yes even the file names are property of my employer). Even if the diagnostics file does not contain this type of information, just failing to properly verify this is the case is enough to get me fired and even prosecuted.
and the 90 day tech support, i wouldnt worry about that too much, could be 1 hour or 1 year, if you have a question that you cant find the answer to in the faq on the page you wont get an answer at all. I would like to point out, this is my own experience.
and yes, i am a very grumpy old technician that has been doing this for to long.
riddlerenigma you don’t know how the tier one support is using the log files. if they use a tool to interpretriddlerenigma you don’t know how the tier one support is using your log file. If they use a tool to interpred the log file the tool could show them “disc is to hot” no need for a tier one to go in detail. they would tell you something like “oh check if something is blocking the fan” or whatever there support database will tell them.
but anyway, didn’t we post the script to decode the logs here in the forum already? i know someone did it in the old one.
It would be great if someone could post a decoder.
I agree, tier one could be using a tool like that. Just like applecare and windows support do. But back to my original argument, why encrypt the file? No one else does. It’s your system, what’s to hide? Maybe I can read it, maybe I can’t. But at least give me the option to try.[hr]
The reason why I want to see the log file is because DRI is using the log file as a justification for not being able to helping me further.
“Well the log file says it’s ok.”
Well I wouldn’t be calling if it was OK. So I just want to be able to take a look myself. What’s the harm in that?
Sorry I meant to say a compiled decoder. Maybe something that runs on mac. I’m not a programmer, and don’t have ruby installed. But thanks for the link!
I am not taking any credit for this, as I have purely created a wrapper around the ruby script posted above, but here is an automator application (OS X application) that you can drop the encrypted log files onto, and it will spit out a decoded version with roughly the same name (new file extension, so won’t overwrite the original file).
This is a really good point. From what I remember about the log file it does not contain any file names (it shouldn’t, as Drobo is supposed to be a block-level device and only knows enough about the file system to deal with the free space issues) but some people need to verify that, so as it stands now they cannot get support.
also, i dont see the harm if users with a drobopro wants to decode the log them self since the drobo v1&v2 logs already been hacked. doesnt the drobo and drobopro use pretty much the same algorithm for relaying data across all disks?
and he stated last time he where on the forum, he aint sharing. =(
when i get a spare night i will have a look on it myself… butit will take some time before im able to do so.
at least I can run it my mac mini where i never installed MacPorts or something like that.