hi guys,
do you know if we can take a (non-drobo) sata hard drive, and connect it up to the computer via the eSata port on the side? (eg without opening up the computer case etc)
(eg i have a powered usb / esata combo port)
if that is possible, do you know if a sata drive (which is part of a drobo disk pack) could be connected up in the same way, in order to run a drive util test.
(theres probably a lot more to worry about, in terms of risk in case plugging it in would cause some data to change and stop it working in a drobo again, and the fact that different drive “utils” are passive and others are active, but does anyone know more info on this at all)?
The “two-piece” solution: eSATA (“I”) to SATA (“L”) cable (shielded is safer) AND external power for the drive.
I have some power bricks from some USB drive adapters that go to the standard 4-pin molex like those for optical drives, then I use an adapter to go to SATA power.
Once connected, you can do whatever you want with the drive - run diagnostics, reformat, etc.
While there is no guarantee that changes may not happen, generally speaking Windows won’t touch a drive with content that it doesn’t understand. Drives that are part of a Drobo disk pack fall into that category. If you really want to ensure no writes happen, you can get a write blocker but that’ll cost you more than the drive itself.
