After an on-again-off-again-on-again set of issues with the new macOS Big Sur the11.3 update along with a new version of Drobo Dashboard seems to have everything working solidly.
Drobo and Big Sur Thunderbolt
When Big Sur was released in public beta in June of 2020, Drobo worked with Apple to assure that all connections would work upon with the public version slated for last fall. Drobo had updated connectivity with Apple’s primary release candidate. Two days before the final release date, Apple pushed out release candidate 2 which broke the connectivity between Macs running Big Sur and Thunderbolt connected Drobos.
Big Sur 11.3 is working
According to my sources at Drobo, the most current Big Sur version, macOS 11.3 is stable with Drobo’s Thunderbolt connected protected storage devices connected to Macs using USB and Thunderbolt.
M1 Macs
Macs with the new M1 system on a chip processors will work once Drobo Dashboard v3.6.1 is installed. Use this link https://www.drobo.com/docs/ then click on the model of Drobo you are using. Look for the Drobo Dashboard update for Macs. This is a free update.
My experience
I upgraded from macOS Catalina to Big Sur last night. First, I made a backup of my startup and data drives using Carbon Copy Cloner. If you don’t own Carbon Copy Cloner, the link includes a free 30-day trial. Once the backup was complete, I went to System Preferences on my Mac and selected Software Update and followed the prompts.
The installer downloaded the update, installed it, rebooting automatically as needed then presented me with the Big Sur login screen. I signed in and both my Drobo 5D3 and 8D desktop attached systems (DAS) were mounted and on my desktop with all of my data ready to go.
Other experiences
While my update from the latest version of Catalina to Big Sur v11.3 was seamless and easy, others I have talked with have struggled.
One instance was of a user who started with the Big Sur beta and updated as new macOS 11 versions were released. Upon upgrading to v11.3 his Thunderbolt connected Drobo would not mount even with the updated Drobo Dashboard v3.6.1. The solution turned out to be shutting down his Mac. Disconnecting the Drobos, restarting then plugging them back in.
Your experiences
Please share with our readers what your experiences have been and are by adding them to the comments at the end of this post.
Although things rarely go wrong in updates, I can tell you from experience that I ad issues a few years ago with new OS installation failing. My call with Apple support suggested I un-mount all peripherals – drives, printers, etc. before the install. I did this and all was well.
I’m hoping for a little help…actually a lot of help. Suddenly my Drobo will not stay connected. Is there anything you know of that might help? I’ve been through this with Drobo Tech Support but they’re recommending rescue at 4K plus.