ASK NC

Hi, we have had a 5D3 for a few years now but realise we have to change. We currently use our Drobo for archive storage of completed work - this is then backed up to Backblaze online storage.

In replacing the Drobo I am looking for something that is "Direct" attached - not NAS. Mainly for simplicity and the fact that Backblaze does not support NAS backup which would mean I'd then need another enclosure which I'd rather not have.

I realise you are a NAS website but just wondered if you had any recommendations regarding DAS?

We currently have 3x6TB and 2x3TB in the Drobo and they are about 80% full due to the protection loss.

I'm aware of the QNAP TR004, but is there anything you can use with mismatched drives?

Also, is there anything where, like Drobo, you can remove one drive and put a bigger one in to expand storage, without having to replace all drives at the same time?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as it's a rabbit hole and its doing my head in!

Cheers, Darryl

I understand your need for a Direct Attached Storage (DAS) solution, and I'm here to help. While our primary focus is Network Attached Storage (NAS), I can still offer some guidance.

In the DAS market, it's important to note that most solutions don't allow for mixing drives of different capacities, much like your Drobo setup. If you're looking for DAS options, you might want to explore brands like Pegasus, Areca, Netstor, or even TerraMaster. These manufacturers offer various DAS units that could potentially suit your needs. Keep in mind that with DAS, you generally need to replace drives with matching capacities when you want to expand storage, and drive mixing is not common in this category.