I have my main computer (the one with the Drobo Dashboard installed) connected to a Thunderbolt Display so I´m connecting my Drobo 5D to the display using the thunderbolt cable. I´m using the Drobo as the primary storage for all my work files, and not as a backup for all the files on my computer, but I have a laptop that I use from time to time. Is there any way to copy files to/from the drobo to my lap top?
Can I just connect the laptop to the other thunderbolt port on the display, while the main computer is on too, to access the files on my drobo?
Or can i connect my lap top to the Mac Pro using a thunderbolt cable to access the drobo?
Or can I just connect the laptop to my Drobo if my main computer is turned off?
If so, do I have to install the Drobo dashboard app to my lap top too?
Or is there any other way?
Or I just can´t and I have to copy any file to my main computer first and then copy it from/to my Drobo?
A drobo cannot be connected to more than one computer at once - in any way.
What you need to do is to share the folders on your drobo via the network using your main computer.
then your laptop can see the shared folders on your main computer/drobo over the network and read and write to your drobo via your main computer.
You can only have the 5D connected to one computer at a time. A 5N can be shared via a network to multiple computers. So for your 5D, you can still share files to other computers but only via the computer it is connected to, just with normal file sharing. You can always unplug the 5D from your main computer and connect it directly to your laptop too.
Oh, so it´s possible to unplug the 5D from the main computer and connect it to the lap top to copy files and then plug it again to the main computer then? (turning both off first obviously)? I have seen everywhere that I can only connect one computer at a time but I don´t understand if this means the Drobo 5D can only be configured to handle one computer and then I will need to reconfigure it again if I want to use it with an other computer or if it means just that, that I can use it to save files for several computers as long as i just do it one at a time.
Will I need to install Drobo´s Dashboard to the lap top to do this? or will it work like any other external drive connected to my laptop and I just need to plug it and start copying files?
It works just like an external hard disk
you do not need dashboard
just plug it into whatever computer you need.
Just like any other USB disk drive
Thanks to both of you!