DroboApps Now Available to the Public for Drobo and DroboShare

By Alexander Grundner | October 21st, 2008

Folks get ready to take your Drobo Storage Robot to the next level. Drobo is proud to announce today that their DroboApps portal is now open to the public. The portal is launching with 20 free DroboApps, most ported and submitted by third-party developers, that extend the functionality of Drobo and its network attachment, DroboShare. Highlights include: SSH, PureFTP, BASH, UPnP Media Server, iTunes Media Server, Rsync, Wake-On-LAN, Lighttpd Web Server, and Remote Access. Full press release below.

Data Robotics Aligns With Developers to Deliver 20 New Applications for Drobo and DroboShare

Community-Created, Community-Supported DroboApps Provide Customized Functionality for iTunes, BitTorrent, Time Machine, Yoics and More

Data Robotics, Inc. today announced that since opening up its storage platform to third-party developers in July 2008, 20 DroboApps have been developed or ported for use with the award-winning Drobo and DroboShare. DroboApps enable customers to interact with their Drobo and DroboShare in exciting and novel ways that everyone from typical home users to Linux enthusiasts will appreciate. DroboApps opens up a world of possibilities including iTunes(TM) music server, UPnP and DLNA media streaming, BitTorrent(TM) downloading, FTP and Web server functionality and remote access via the Yoics(TM) client, among others.

The Drobo Developer Community (DDC) and DroboApps initiatives underscore Data Robotics’ commitment to working closely with the developer community to provide a completely customized experience to every Drobo customer. Anyone interested in developing or porting applications to Drobo and DroboShare can sign up for the DDC at www.drobospace.com/developers.
“The Drobo solves consumers’ ever-expanding need for storage in a simple and reliable way. When combined with Yoics, the stored data becomes instantly accessible from anywhere on the internet,” said Ryo Koyama, President & CEO of Yoics. “The application we created as part of the Drobo Developer Community transforms the Drobo into an internet appliance, where the data stored on it is available from any web-browser — even the one on your iPhone.”
Some examples of DroboApps available today include:

• Firefly iTunes Media Server: An extremely popular, open-source, Linux-
  based iTunes media server that has been ported to DroboShare. The
  application gives Mac and PC users the power to browse and stream terabytes
  of music in their home.
• Yoics: A powerful solution that transforms Drobo and DroboShare into
  an easily accessible and shareable Internet resource. Featuring an
  intuitive user interface, Yoics delivers a remote access solution that
  allows users to instantly access files on Drobo or DroboShare from any web
  browser or mobile device, such as the iPhone.
• Time Tamer: A radically simple tool that limits Apple’s Time Machine
  from using all available space on Drobo. Time Tamer solves a major issue
  for OS X Leopard customers that wish to utilize Drobo for both Time Machine
  and other applications.
• Linux Dashboard: A community-created Linux Dashboard for Drobo that
  provides many of the functions offered to Windows and OS X users. Created
  by a DDC member from scratch, the application opens up endless
  possibilities for Drobo’s growing user base of Linux developers and
  enthusiasts.
• rsync: A fast, versatile, local file-copying server that is popular on
  Linux and Unix. This cross platform tool helps users synchronize files
  either locally or to remote locations.
• Enhanced CTorrent: A BitTorrent client designed for use downloading
  Torrent files.
• FUPPES Multimedia Server: A UPnP / DLNA multimedia server for music,
  photos and videos that can be used in conjunction with compatible clients,
  such as the Sony Playstation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360.

“We are very excited about the community’s rapid response to our developer program in creating and porting DroboApps for Drobo,” stated Dr. Geoff Barrall, Founder & CEO of Data Robotics. “Unlike traditional storage devices that limit users to a fixed number of features or applications, Drobo now provides an open environment that allows nearly limitless expansion of new functionality. Users will no longer have to choose their storage solution based upon fixed feature lists.”
To view the full suite of DroboApps currently available for download, or create and submit a new application to the DDC, please visit www.drobo.com/droboapps.

About Data Robotics
Data Robotics offers Drobo, an award-winning external storage system that takes a step beyond traditional data storage options by adding a layer of intelligence and configurability to simplify operations and enable customers to easily expand storage capacity as the user’s data collection grows over time. Drobo can be augmented by DroboShare, a companion product that allows Drobo to be safely accessed and shared over a network. In tandem, these products provide a fully automated and expandable networked storage solution for sharing data — including a self-monitoring, self-healing, easy-to-understand visual status and alert panel. For more information visit Data Robotics at www.datarobotics.com.