DroboPro used as media asset storage center

[Todd Perchert]

Larry – Need clarification… So are you trying to edit your Prores video from the Drobo through the Ethernet connection? Or are you just needing to move it off faster before editing the footage?
TC

[Larry Lancit]

Thanks for the query! I am editing on FCP7 on my IMac, and all the source material is sitting on the Drobo–all raw footage, capture scratch and project files.

[Walter Soyka]

DroboPro is not built for speed. It will top out at around the speed of a single FW800 disk.

https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1077141

I do use a DroboPro as part of my tiered storage. Active projects reside on my Caldigit RAID (online storage). When I finish a project, I back it up to tape (offline storage) and move it from the Caldigit to the Drobo (“nearline” storage).

I also do nightly backups from the Caldigit to the Drobo.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Todd Perchert]

Larry – as Walter mentioned, Drobo isn’t built for speed. Especially if you are pulling that footage through ethernet. You would get better performance using the USB or FW ports instead. And if you REALLY want to share it, you can share it from your local computer and share across your network, but if anyone pulls anything from it while you are working, it will slow you down even more.
TC

[Walter Soyka]

[Todd Perchert] “Drobo isn’t built for speed. Especially if you are pulling that footage through ethernet. You would get better performance using the USB or FW ports instead.”

In my experience with the DroboPro, iSCSI (over gigabit Ethernet) is actually significantly faster than USB/FW800 — though it’s a bit more finicky.

On other Drobo models which use the Ethernet port for traditional NAS file sharing, I’d agree that you’ll see better performance with direct connection.

Good, cheap, fast — pick any two. Drobo isn’t fast.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Bob Zelin]

Sorry Larry, but the Drobo is not a shared storage system.
If you read thru the threads of this forum, you will find LOTS of companies that make shared storage systems, that will do exactly what you want. Drobo is not one of them.

bob Zelin

[Dan Herrick]

Hey Walter,

I have the DroboPro connected using iSCSI and it does have a lot of problems with editing in Premiere Pro. I wanted to take advantage of my 4 internal HDD’s in the Mac Pro and use the DroboPro as a backup and to keep my music and other media files on. Could you explain your setup and your workflow?

I shoot in DVCPROHD straight to P2 media then export into the DroboPro via P2CMS. I use all the programs in Adobe CS5 and edit in Premeire Pro

I have have been looking at the software RAID and I feel I missing something here. Not only with the hardware setup but with the arrangement of files and the workflows.

Is this right?:

Drive 1- OSX and applications CS5 ( for day to day stuff)

Drive 2,3,4 RAID 0 (Drive used for current project files)

Backup to DroboPro via Timemachine

Sorry for the long list.

Dan Herrick
Creative Director
Sleepingbeagle Studios
(780) 700-0937
Edmonton, AB
Canada

[Walter Soyka]

[Dan Herrick] “I have the DroboPro connected using iSCSI and it does have a lot of problems with editing in Premiere Pro. I wanted to take advantage of my 4 internal HDD’s in the Mac Pro and use the DroboPro as a backup and to keep my music and other media files on. Could you explain your setup and your workflow?”

Sure. I have a few internal drives (drive 1 for OS and app, a few other internal drives for general storage).

I have an external CalDigit RAID for project and media files. This was backed up nightly to the DroboPro via Econ Technologies ChronoSync.

When a project is done, I used BRU PE to archive projects to tape.

This gives me three tiers of storage: online (CalDigit), nearline (Drobo), and offline (tape).

I am changing my workflow now to go direct to nightly tape backups, in order to be able to keep more recent off-site backups. I’m also adding Backblaze, because you can never have too many recovery options.

[Dan Herrick] “Drive 1- OSX and applications CS5 ( for day to day stuff)
Drive 2,3,4 RAID 0 (Drive used for current project files)
Backup to DroboPro via Timemachine “

Looks good to me. The only thing to consider is that your backups are co-located with your main system. You are protected from the failure of your RAID set, file system corruption, and accidental deletion; you aren’t protected at all from any physical damage (electrical malfunction, fire, flood, theft, etc.).

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events