Drobo FS brings true NAS, speed
updated 08:25 am EDT, Tue April 6, 2010
Drobo FS has native iTunes, UPnP, DLNA
Data Robotics on Tuesday stepped into true network-attached storage with a new Drobo. The Drobo FS uses the same five-bay arrangement as the Drobo S but adds a gigabit Ethernet connection to put its data on a local network. Besides raw storage, it acts as a server for DLNA, iTunes and UPnP media and adds native AFP and SMB (Samba) support.
It doesn't regularly support Time Machine, but third-party apps can treat the Drobo as a networked backup drive.
To cope with the network load, the Drobo FS now has a dual-core processor, more memory and an improved version of the Linux kernel that powers its embedded OS. Data Robotics claims about a fourfold speed boost compared to the Drobo S.
Sales start today for the FS. A version devoid of hard drives will cost $699, but a version with three 1.5TB drives will carry a relatively small premium at $999. Filling out all five bays this way (7.5TB total) costs $1,149, and a maximized 10TB model will cost $1,449.
