Dependencies

Before one can install drobo-utils itself, the other packages needed are something like those below (these examples are ubuntu packages, names may vary on other distributions):

python      -- interpreter for python language
parted      -- partitioner, usually included with the distro.

If using Redhat Enterprise Linux (RHEL, aka. CentOS, Scientific Linux etc...), which have python 2.4 [2], then the following are necessary:

python-ctypes -- module for C-interface

On RPM-based distros (such as Redhat & SuSe), it would more likely be 'yum' instead of 'aptitude' and some of the package names will change. A typical difference is that packages for developers have the -devel suffix on Redhat derived distributions, instead of the -dev favoured by debian derived ones.

Here is an example from fedora 7 (courtesy of help4death on the google group):

% yum install python
% yum install PyQt4
% yum install python-devel

NOTE: if X or QT is missing, it will only disable the GUI. Line mode will work without issues. the package should work fine on headless servers using only the command line.

Install From Package

Once dependencies are satisfied, one can install the latest stable package manually. Point a browser at: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=222830 where the most current packages are available. after downloading a .deb, it is simply a matter of:

# dpkg -i drobo-utils-<version>.deb

done!

Redhat/Fedora users. alien may be used to convert the package. I don't know if it works. Someone to take on RPM packaging would be very welcome! This is a pure python package, so the chances are good that it does work without issue.

Install From TAR file

Assuming the dependencies are installed/satisfied, the package will actually run fine without being installed in any systemish places. Source code can be directly downloaded run it explicitly from the directory. Point a browser at: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=222830 download the .tgz preferred. then untar it:

# tar -xzvf drobo-utils-<version>.tgz
# cd drobo-utils-<version>
# ./drobom status

for all of the examples in the manual one just needs to prepend './' before drobom.

Install from GIT

When a new model comes out, or the stable version is missing a feature, one may elect to follow along with the latest development version. installation of git, is necessary, then use it can be used to get a copy of the source tree:

# apt-get install git # git clone git://drobo-utils.git.sourceforge.net/gitroot/drobo-utils/drobo-utils # cd droo-utils # ./drobom status # git pull

This gives a read-only copy of the source code that can be updated with the latest changes with 'git pull'. One can also select any stable version of drobo-utils by use of 'git branch -r', and 'git checkout'. For details, consult git documentation.

So, one way or another, drobo-utils is installed. The next step is to try it out.

Try Out the CLI

The first item to verify after installation is to invoke the command line interface (CLI.) and see if something sensible happens... on my system with a drobo[#sdz] the following happens:

% sudo drobom status
/dev/sdz /drobo01 100% full ( ['Red alert', 'Bad disk', 'No redundancy'], 0 )
%

very scary, but my drobo is in bad shape right now... normal result is: [] as a status, which means there is nothing wrong. To get all kinds of information about the drobo, try 'drobom info.' You can then invoke it with no arguments at all which will cause it to print out a list of the commands available through the command line interface.

Try Out the GUI

Once the command line functionality is verified, and assuming python-qt4 is installed:

# drobom view

as root starts a GUI for each drobo attached to a computer. There are various tabs to allow one to obtain information from the Drobo, and also change its configuration. For example, one can use the Format tab of the GUI to partition the device and create a single file system for a given LUN.

There are two choices to make when setting up a Drobo: file system type, and LUN size. For a discussion of these choices, please consult: LUNSIZE fits all and Filesystem Choice.

LUNSIZE Fits All?

By default, Drobo creates a separate 'disk' visible to the computer for every 2 Terabytes (TiB) of parity-protected capacity on the unit. The natural usage that a drobo invites in users is to have a single, large device covering all the data on device. For example, on Mac OS/X, users often create 16 TB LUNS on HPFS. This allows all the storage to fit on one large pool. The downside of larger LUNS has to do with startup time, and the time to perform a file system check.

Under Linux unfortunately, If you have a first generation Drobo, you should limit the volume size to 2 TiB[#gen12TB]_. It is hoped, but not confirmed, that later products support LUNS larger than 2 TiB on Linux. Drobom view therefore limits lunsize to 2 TiB for the moment. The command line interface can be used to create larger LUNS, at your own risk...

ON LUNSIZES >= 2TB:

-- On older distributions, there are a couple of gotchas related to

linux tools which aren't 2TB ready... to exceed 2 TB, you need to:

-- use GPT partitions, which aren´t supported by older fdisk

versions. Tools based on libparted work fine, mostly.

-- gparted fails, and seems to have a 1 TB limit on devices.

(bug #524948 reported to bugzilla.gnome.org) It's just the GUI, as libparted is fine, and other tools based on it still work.

-- on linux kernel < 2.6.24, the USB layer won't let one address

LUNs/offsets > 2 TB. For example, Ubuntu hardy (8.04) released in Spring 2008 has a 2.6.24, and so is OK. I've never been able to test this problem.

-- On linux kernel < 2.6.31 there is are reported firewire problem that will

prevent devices > 2 TiB from working.

-- ext3 with 4K blocks is supposed to allow file system capacity of 8 TiB.

4K blocks seem to be assigned by default. So I think a good max. It would be fun to set the LunSIZE to 8 TiB and test it out...

What Kind of File System?

Drobos work well under linux with ext3. You can, of course set up an NTFS or HPS+ or FAT32 if you really want, but it seems actively counter-intuitive on Linux. Have not tested HPS, but ntfs-3g worked fine initially.

However, unless you are going to physically move the disk to between systems, the native (ext3) format has many advantages, most significant being speed.

Drobo Pro

Drobo-utils depends on the linux generic scsi layer. I suspect that there is just a basic ethernet connection now, and you a few additional driver layers set up before it will work. You need to configure the iscsi driver to recognize the device. (This information is based on a post by Lemonizer on the Google Group 2009/05/16)

First, connect the Pro via USB, and manually configure the ip of the dbpro:

# drobom info settings
# drobom set IPAddress 192.168.2.80
# drobom set NetMask   255.255.255.0
# drobom set UseStaticIPAddress True

The next step is to disconnect USB, and connect by iSCSI:

2. Install open-iscsi (http://www.open-iscsi.org/): sudo apt-get install open-iscsi
3. Connect the dbpro to host machine via iscsi
4. Query dbpro's id: sudo iscsiadm --mode discovery --type sendtargets --portal 192.168.2.80
5. Copy the id string returned by iscsiadm, something like "iqn.2005-06.com.datarobotics:drobopro.tdb091840080.node0"
6. Connect to the dbpro: sudo iscsiadm --mode node --targetname iqn.2005-06.com.datarobotics:drobopro.tdb091840080.node0 --portal 192.168.2.80:3260 --login

If everything went well, your dbpro should show up under /dev. Also check /var/log/messages to confirm that the iscsi device connected successfully. After that, drobo-utils should be able to detect the Drobo and manage it over ethernet/iSCSI.

(source: http://groups.google.com/group/drobo-talk/browse_frm/thread/453e02e105e9b41?hl=en )

Some people reported data corruption. This link claims to fix one such issue: http://www.drobospace.com/forum/thread/13951/Dropped-iSCSI-connections/?page=2#24792

SAFETY

Those worried about safety of using this software should know: it was developed with assistance from the vendor (Data Robotics Inc.), and in every case, based on vendor documentation, and with at least encouragement, if not outright support. For each release, a QA.txt file is built, demonstrating the functionality tests run. There are multiple checksum verifications built into the firmware upgrade process, so it is next to impossible to brick a drobo using the tools. Drobo-utils verifies firmware checksums before attempting to upload the image to the device, and the device checks the firmware against the checksums as well. New firmware is loaded into an alternate location from the currently active one, and if activation of the new firmware fails, the drobo will simply boot the old one.

On the other hand, common sense rules do apply. Setting the LUN size, or re-formatting a Drobo will erase all your data whether you do it on Linux or any other operating system. These are power tools, and they can do some damage to your data if used without proper care. For example, the reliability of any storage unit does not reduce the need for backups it only makes doing them easier. A Drobo is an excellent place to put backups, but not a substitute for them. Backups are the only way to address error 18 (the number of inches in front of the keyboard the source of the issue lies.) and no storage unit can protect against fire or flood.

Compatibility

Drobo has been tested with every old firmware version. Any Drobo should be upgradable to modern firmware using the dashboard.

for Drobo v1's (only models available to me used for QA)

NOTE: really need at least 1.1.1 to use Linux & ext3.

just use the tools to upgrade your firmware ASAP.

1.01 - very old... bad idea to install this, need to write

a script to get out, because it isn't in the revision table. not much works except firmware upgrade. DO NOT USE. UPGRADE ASAP

1.0.2 - works ok in CLI And GUI to view, and upgrade firmware.

DO NOT USE. UPGRADE ASAP

1.0.3 - GUI and CLI work OK, can upgrade firmware.

Used ntfs3g for a few months under ubuntu 7.10 Linux. Used 2 TB LUN, with 1.5 TB of physical space available. DO NOT USE. UPGRADE ASAP

1.1.0 - dashboard works no issues.

• from this point, you don't seem to need to unplug the USB connector to complete the upgrade.
• firmware prior to here deals badly with ext3.

1.1.1 - 1.2.4 works without issues.

('name' not supported by firmware)

1.3.0 - works without issues. 1.3.5 - works without issues.

No Drobos Discovered

To find Drobo on a system, drobo-utils queries all the attached devices for indications it is made by Data Robotics. These strings change from product to product. If your (new model) of Drobo is not detected, then run the command line interface with the hardware detection debugging output turned out. like so:

# drobom -v 16 status
examining:  /dev/sda
id:  (0, 0, 0, 0, 'ATA     ')
rejected: vendor is ATA      (not from DRI)
examining:  /dev/sdb
id:  (2, 0, 0, 0, 'ATA     ')
rejected: vendor is ATA      (not from DRI)
examining:  /dev/sdc
id:  (8, 0, 0, 0, 'Drobo   ')
rejected: vendor is Drobo    (not from DRI)
returning list:  []
No Drobos discovered

Here you see that the vendor string is 'Drobo' which was not a known vendor string at the time this example was run. so then try:

# drobom -s Drobo status

In other words, take the unknown vendor string and feed it as -s option to tweak detection of drobom. Your drobo will likely then be picked up.

Only One LUN?

LUN is an abbreviation of 'Logical UNit'. The origin of the term is SCSI[#SCSI]_ terminology. When RAID units became too large for support in the past, and were sub-divided to present smaller units the operating system. The default LUNSIZE on Drobos is 2 TiB (adjustable using the tools.) If more disk space (after allowing for parity/redundancy) than LUNSIZE is installed in a unit, Drobo will show a second (or even third) LUN. Each LUN shows up in Linux as a separate disk (examples if the first LUN shows up as /dev/sde, the next will be /dev/sdf, then /dev/sdg.)

If you think you should see multiple LUNS and you don't, you might have a look at some kernel settings: make sure that scsi_mod kernel module is loaded, make sure /sys/module/scsi_mod/parameters/max_luns is > 1.

Drobom view will start up one GUI per drobo, regardless of the number of LUNS. If asked to format, all LUNS for the device will be formatted.

KNOWN BUGS

drobom view isn't suited to run continuously for long periods, as it has a memory leak... total foot print starts out at 32M with a 15 MB resident set size, of which 10 MB are shared, so only about 4M of real memory consumed. but the RSS grows at about 2MB/hour.

29m 11m S 1 2.9 9:44.50 drobom view

best to restart it daily, or use it when necessary, but not leave it on for days.

After you resize luns, drobom view gets confused, you need to exit and restart.

We have a report that dumping diagnostics does not work over firewire. Work-around: connect via USB.

DARFS

The Droboshare Augmented Root File System (darfs) is a 60 MB or so download you can get from drobo-utils.sf.net. There isn't any source code, because, well, nothing from any of the packages has been modified. there are instructions on how to build DARFS in DEVELOPERS_

DARFS is a standard droboshare root file system, with some packages added: openssl, openssh, berkeleydb, bzip2, a fairly complete Python 2.6.2. drobo- utils is a python app. and it works in line and API mode, natively, on the droboshare. for example, I've used it to replace the firmware. no problem at all.

People un-afraid of the command line can upgrade drobo firmware, query status, and take diagnositc dumps, from the command line on the droboshare itself, just as they would on any linux host computer. But a full GUI would be too much for the little processor and more importantly the limited memory in the droboshare, so that is not provided.

DARFS Installation

Download it from drobo-utils.sf.net: steps:

1. copy the tar file onto somewhere on your share.
2. log in via DropBear ssh as a root user on the droboshare.
3. cd /mnt/DroboShares/YourDrobo (root of drobo file system, for example)
4. tar -xzf darfs.tgz (root of drobo file system, for example)
5. the root directory of the tar is 'slash'.. it will be under YourDrobo
6. export PATH="/mnt/DroboShares/YourDrobo/slash/usr/bin:${PATH}" (which is where python and drobom are.)
7. drobom status

you're done!

Enable SFTP Support

all you need to do is:

ln -s /usr/libexec /mnt/Droboshares/YourDrobo/slash/usr/libexec

Try an sftp from another machine (as root...) and it ought to work.

(explanation: when one tries to sftp to a droboshare, it gives an error about trying to exec '/usr/libexec/sftp-server'. Openssh builds the right binary, but Dropbear doesn't know where to look for it. the libexec directory isn't there on the droboshare, so there is no harm in creating it and linking into DARFS.)

Droboshare Firmware

With DARFS, and the third party software you can get from drobospace and drobo.com, the droboshare is very open and hackable. However, there remains one remaining limitation: There is no open source way to upgrade or modify droboshare firmware. If you want to re-flash to a factory original state, you need the vendor dashboard.