Data Robotics Drobo S 3.5" 5-bay Storage Array

Comment:
Geared for the technically challenged it's a decent enough system when running via the USB interface but what kills this product for me is the lack of proper eSATA support. Attempted on 2 different cards over 3 versions of Windows. No luck. When calling company support I was informed that I would need to purchase one of only three specific types of eSATA controller in order to get the unit to function correctly. I don't know if that's actually true but that is what I was informed. Another flaw is where it does cannot format the drives on Win2003. You have to format it on other OS and and then walk it back over to your server. The controlling software I also found lacking, striving for simplicity at the expense of accuracy. Too many minor flaws add up to me just not being able to trust my backups to this unit. On a positive note, their support staff was responsive and pleasant to work with.