Drobo 5N migration

[Enquiries]

I am in the process of finding a replacement for my Drobo 5N, which is still going strong, but I’ve already rolled the dice longer than I should have. So my questions are:

1. To get my data off the Drobo 5N, is temporarily transferring everything onto an external drive over the network my only solution for getting that data off?

2. Once I do get that data off, could I then just eject my Drobo drives, put them into my new NAS, and reformat them for use in those drives? Or will I need all new drives? Two of my drives are only a couple years old 6TB WD Red drives, so it would be nice to reuse them.

3) Last question. Are there any off-the-shelf network NAS' you recommend for former Drobo 5N users? I'd like a plug-&-play consumer solution that works well in my Apple ecosystem, with built-in redundancy similar to what the Drobo offered, and a minimum of 4 bays, but preferably 5. Thank you!

[ed]

Yes, transferring your data to an external backup drive is indeed a good approach. This way, you ensure that all your important files are safely stored before making any changes to your current setup.

Once your data is backed up, you can then move forward with installing your existing drives into a new NAS. For a replacement, I’d recommend considering models like the Synology DS423+ or DS1522+. These are well-regarded for their ease of use and compatibility with various drive types.

After you’ve installed the drives into the new NAS, you’ll need to format them to prepare them for use in the new system. This step is crucial as it ensures that the drives are set up correctly and can work seamlessly with the NAS's operating system. Once the formatting is complete, you can transfer your data from the backup drive to the new NAS.