Curious if anyone has any experience to share of running the Public Beta of Mac OS 10.11 with their Drobo Pro. I connect via a direct iSCSI connection and did have some issues with the device showing up when I upgraded to Yosemite last year. I ended up having to roll back my computer, which was a huge pain. Would love to avoid that this time! Would love to hear about any issues (or non-issues) people have been experiencing with this years upgrade.
Update: I made the plunge and updated to El Capitan. My Drobo Pro connected via iSCSI is no longer connecting. Has anyone had any success?
I couldn’t get it to work at first.
I downgraded to 2.5.2, then updated to 2.6.4 then 2.6.9.
I could never get it to work.
I downloaded the beta for an iSCSI initiator software from GlobalSAN
Global SAN
$89 purchase for a Free OSX upgrade. I’m kicking myself, I know better.
I now have my Drobo Elite up and running, but no access to the Drobo Dashboard.
I did the free trial for now. I am going to wait the 14 days and see if Drobo fixes anything.
Install package.
Go to settings.
Click on GlobalSAN
On the left in the middle there will be a + / - sign, click that. Dropdown for new target
Name it (i used Drobo since that was what it was named before.)
Select the entry you just made, then click on initiator
Fill in the Alias with Drobo (or whatever the name is)
Under connections there is a +/-, Click the plus, put in the IP address of the Drobo iSCSI ports (find them from connecting via USB if needed)
Then there is a connect button on the bottom right.
You will not see it in Drobo Dashboard once you remove the USB cord. But an icon will come up, named Drobo (for me).
Until you buy, you won’t be able to click PERSISTANT, so you will have to reclick connect if you reboot.
Fantastic. Thanks for the info. Im hoping i could rack brain a little more. What do you have ip address for under the drobo and what do you have ip address under ethernet settings of mac. I just had default under drobo which was 169.254.2.0 and under ethernet settings on mac i just used dhcp and it gave it an address like 169.254.77.112
Drobo has posted an update on El Capitan compatibility. Regarding iSCSI they state:
Is this an update we can obtain for the iSCSI initiator, or do we need we need to wait for Drobo to bundle it into an update to the Drobo Dashboard?
I am not hopeful, the contract for the ATTO driver expired. I wonder if ATTO will update the Drobo version since they aren’t licensing it anymore. There is an update on the ATTO site, but it asks for a license file to update the 3.5 version. We don’t have the license file since it came bundled.
I am not sure that the note that Drobo posted about ATTO releasing an update meant that we would automatically get a new version of it bundled in Drobo Dashboard. I assume they meant, if you bought an independent copy of the iSCSI initiator it will be getting an update.
After using the Java-based install-the-old-dashboard-then-upgrade method I was hoping to go the cheapest route to get iSCSI back but Ive been giving GlobalSANs offering a try and while I can get the Drobo’s Volumes to mount I can’t get the dashboard to see them. Not sure how that works given that iSCSI is obviously initiated since I can mount the volumes?
So based on Drobo’s comments regarding version 3.5 of the ATTO iSCSI initiator and the expired contract, is the only path forward for us Drobo Pro users on El Capitan to purchase an initiator?
Is it correct that nobody has been able to successfully connect via iSCSI after upgrading to El Capitan without using 3rd party software?
I think my problem has something to do with the ethernet port after the update. Im wondering if the update messed up driver for ethernet port. I have a 2011 iMac and After the update when i restarted the drobo if it was connected to the ethernet port it would not boot up, it would just power cycle. But if i disconnected it, it would boot fine. Luckily I have a thunderbolt dock and when i plug drobo to its ethernet port it boots properly. I still could not get it to mount but after downloading the global san initiator after you recommended it, it works better than before. Only wish dashboard would work. I read your post about upgrading to 2.6.9 but on drobo website it looks like drobopro only goes as high as 2.6.4. So have you tried to downgrade to 2.6.4 to get dashboard working. I did with no luck, but i don’t really know what I’m doing.
That is my understanding after a PM with the moderator.
I have not been able to connect without either GlobalSAN or Daemon Tools iSCSI initiator.[hr]
I have a Drobo Elite, so it’s a little different, but not much. I was not able to get it working from 2.5.2 up to the most current. The driver ATTO supplied under contract is incompatible with El Capitan. There is no more contract, so no need/desire to update the driver from ATTO’s side, since there is no money. Drobo has shifted the cost to the consumer, which is fine, but a lot more detail about how they would stop working with the OS update would have been nice.
Thanks for reaching out for clarification. The El Capitan status update from Drobo could be a LOT more informative. Until I did a significant amount of research I did not have a full understanding that a liscencing deal had expired and that the iSCSI initiator was removed from Dashboard. Since this is the first OS update since that change, this should be fully communicated by Drobo in addition to providing information about paths forward for users. I feel that Drobo has dropped us off at the curb and told us to find our own way home. The company should clearly present software options and at a setup guide for at least one of those options.
After finding out that Drobo was not going to be providing a solution for iSCSI users and that ATTO was the original vender they had partnered with, I decided that, while expensive, the ATTO iSCSI initiator was likely going to be the smoothest path forward. I have my Drobo Pro directly connected to my Mac and do not have a manually set IP address for it. My setup process was as follows:
- After installing the ATTO software, I restarted the Mac
- I launched the app and the Drobo was immediately listed as a connected device in the app’s left hand pane
- Selected the device and then in the right hand pane, told the app to connect to the drive.
- As the Drobo was starting up, there was also a settings button in the right hand pane where I set the device to connect automatically and accepted the change
- DroboPro restarted and appeared on desktop and Dashboard, have been using normally since
Hope this helps people going through the same thing. Mods, it would be very helpful to provide a sticky with software options and setup guides for users.
Where did you get the atto software? Did you pay for the software?
Yes he bought it.
can also go to the ATTO site.
I ended up buying it buying the downloadable version directly from ATTO. Without a demo it was a chance, but everything worked perfectly for me. At the end of the day, having my data back was worth the price (I just hope I don’t have to buy a new version every years when a new OS comes out).
I’m with wpcrumbley - I feel like I’ve been dropped at the curb and told to find my own way home. Very poor form on your part Drobo. It really bugs me to have to pay for an ISCSI initiator and still not end up with a management tool (Dashboard) to manage the environment.
I only just upgraded to El Capitan. It’s an inconvenience, and I may lose an email message or two, or photo or two, but I think I’ll just drop back to Yosemite and check back from time to time to see if there’s been any progress on the part of Drobo. El Capitan wasn’t an upgrade that held a lot of attraction for me, I just like to stay current with my software if I can.
Part of the reason I selected Drobo over others was because of the usefulness of Dashboard as the environment’s management tool. While it wasn’t the big reason I selected Drobo, I still feel hard done by that Drobo made a decision independent of its user community to put us in a position where we’re now lost in the wilderness without a compass.
As I said: very poor form Drobo. . .
I’m with wpcrumbley - I feel like I’ve been dropped at the curb and told to find my own way home. Very poor form on your part Drobo. It really bugs me to have to pay for an ISCSI initiator and still not end up with a management tool (Dashboard) to manage the environment.
I only just upgraded to El Capitan. It’s an inconvenience, and I may lose an email message or two, or photo or two, but I think I’ll just drop back to Yosemite and check back from time to time to see if there’s been any progress on the part of Drobo. El Capitan wasn’t an upgrade that held a lot of attraction for me, I just like to stay current with my software if I can.
Part of the reason I selected Drobo over others was because of the usefulness of Dashboard as the environment’s management tool. While it wasn’t the big reason I selected Drobo, I still feel hard done by that Drobo made a decision independent of its user community to put us in a position where we’re now lost in the wilderness without a compass.
As I said: very poor form Drobo. . .
Oh, and BTW, I don’t know why it says I’ve just joined, but I’ve been around as a member since 2012 when I bought my DroboPro
I agree with the irritation about support being pulled out from underneath us with no guidance forward. It isn’t right, and if anyone at Drobo still used a DroboPro daily, they would understand how unacceptable it was. The company decided bare bone, respectful customer service wasn’t a priority a few years ago and it has only gotten worse.
Just so you know, the (expensive) ATTO option does allow you to continue to use Drobo Dashboard as normal. Within seconds of connecting my volume through the iSCSI enabler, it showed up in the Dashboard. Hate the price, but pleased with the results.
hi this is the full message i saw on the sign in page that i think you were referring to - just pasting here for completeness:
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El Capitan compatibility - Mac OS 10.11 has been tested and is compatible with our current product line. Before you upgrade we do recommend the following: 1. Verify your Drobo has the latest Drobo Dashboard and firmware installed. 2. Before installing El Capitan power off your Drobo using Shutdown in the Drobo Dashboard or by using the toggle switch on the back of the unit. Leave Drobo powered off until your installation of Mac OS 10.11 is complete. If the Drobo Dashboard does not recognize the Drobo after you have installed Mac OS 10.11, check your Firewall settings as follows: In System Preferences >Security & Privacy >Firewall, click the padlock icon to “Unlock” then select “Turn On Firewall”. Next select “Firewall Options” and ensure “DDService64d” is set to “Allow incoming connections”. Select “OK” to save your settings. It may also be necessary to uninstall/reinstall Drobo Dashboard. Drobo should now be recognized by the Drobo Dashboard. Note: For ISCSI users: ATTO scheduled to release update v3.50 for El Capitan on Oct. 01, 2015.
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