Subject line is basically my question. What happens to my data if my Drobo FS dies/malfunctions and needs to be replaced? Will I simply be able to take my 5 x 2 TB drives out of the old FS and insert them into the new FS without data loss?
Yes, that is correct.
Thanx for the prompt reply. I was hoping this was the case.
I too am very glad to hear this as I had read on a web review somewhere that drives could not be moved from one Drobo-FS to another without data loss.
You can always move the disk pack (meaning the entire set of drives) from one Drobo unit to another same-model Drobo unit, as long as the firmware versions are the same (and sometimes even if they aren’t).
It’s moving between different models where it depends.
http://www.drobo.com/migration gives you the different scenarios.
But what if the Drobo fails in a couple of years and there is a new version by then?
Would you still need an FS first?
Depends on whether there’s a newer replacement for the FS that allows you to migrate the FS disk pack to it. If whatever the new unit is, is a true successor for the FS, then I would hope it would be able to “import” the FS disk pack.