I thought with the release of version 2.1.2 of the Dashboard that our days of having half a dozen different versions of the Dashboard were behind us. But then I noticed while trying to help troubleshoot a DroboFS problem that the other user had options in their Dashboard that I didn’t (namely, the ability to force a manual filesystem check). Turns out he has 2.2.0, whereas I only have 2.1.2. According to the Downloads page, there’s even a 2.2.1 - but only for the B1200i.
Look, I understand that in some rare cases there may be an update that only benefits certain models. For instance, if the only changes were data tiering and clustering, I wouldn’t worry - my FS doesn’t do that. However, I see no reason for Drobo Inc to hold back on useful UI updates, new translations, and perhaps a new Shares interface. These updates have been delivered for other users for over two months, but not FS and other units.
A single version of the Dashboard MUST be able to support all models of Drobo Inc’s products - since you can only have one version installed and people may have many different models of Drobo products, it’s unreasonable in the extreme to ask them to only manage some of their devices. So given that, why isn’t it being offered to all customers equally?
All dashboard versions work with every supported product. In the case of 2.2.1, I’d have to guess that they just support the B1200i because that’s all they’ve tested with it. They aren’t going to take out any code/support on purpose. They’re just protecting themselves from potential edge case bugs that would pop up.
Download whatever dashboard you want, but if you have troubles, the first thing support will do is have you downgrade to the fully supported version.
That’s the thing - if all versions are safe (as expected) and new versions like 2.2.0 have new features that would enhance my product (namely, exposing the manual filesystem check feature in the Dashboard UI), then why aren’t they pushing that to everyone? If they want to hold 2.2.1 for the B1200i because that’s the only model affected, fine - but there’s no reason to hold back on 2.2.0.