The DroboAdmin application is a web interface for working with DroboApps. For those who have this application installed, you are already aware of its features. This page lists some tips for using DroboAdmin that are not obvious through the interface.
All tips (or issues) listed here are accurate as of the DroboAdmin version available at the time this guide was updated.
The DroboAdmin interface only displays the list of application published on the Drobo website to be installed. As it appears, you cannot install other applications not listed on the Drobo website; however, this tip shows how to easily install any unlisted package by manually formatting the correct URL.
NOTE: You should NOT use this method to upgrade an application. Although this method will replace an existing application, it does NOT stop an existing application which could lead to upgrade issues.
Here is the definition of the DroboAdmin install URL format:
http://{drobo-fs}/droboadmin/?task=install&install={app-url}&appname={app-name}
{drobo-fs} - the hostname of the Drobo FS on your network
{app-url} - the full URL of the package (tgz) to download and install
{app-name} - the name of the application being installed, for screen display only
By manually creating this URL, the DroboAdmin will download the specified package to your Drobo FS, install it, and then start the application.
The DroboAdmin upgrade screen only displays a list of applications that are determined to be upgradeable. You may find that the list is incorrect or does not recognize an update due to the details posted on the Drobo website for an updated application. Other times, you may want to force an upgrade to replace or repair an existing application. By default, you would need to uninstall and then reinstall the application which will delete all configuration or data files stored with the application as well.
This tip shows a solution in which you can force an upgrade to any new or even the same application version by manually formatting the correct URL.
NOTE: This method will replace any files that are included in the install package which could still overwrite configuration files. The applications that I package and distribute here are created with install logic to perform a safe upgrade and to avoid data loss so that you can use this method to upgrade your applications. Regardless, you should always perform a backup before doing any upgrade to avoid data loss. You have been warned!
At the time of this writing, the upgrade method does stop the application during the upgrade process; however, it does not appear to always restart the application after the upgrade. If your upgrade does not start the application, you can use the next restart tip or start the application directly using SSH. The safest method to ensure a proper upgrade is to first disable the app, backup important files, perform the upgrade, and then enable the application again.
Here is the definition of the DroboAdmin upgrade URL format:
http://{drobo-fs}/droboadmin/?task=upgrade&upgrade={app-url}&appname={app-name}
{drobo-fs} - the hostname of the Drobo FS on your network
{app-url} - the full URL of the package (tgz) to download and install
{app-name} - the name of the application being installed, for screen display only
By manually creating this URL, the DroboAdmin will download the specified package to your Drobo FS, stop the existing application, upgrade it, and then start the application.
The DroboAdmin does not have an obvious method to restart an application service. There is a simple workaround for this using the Disable task. When you Disable an application, it also stops the service. Similarly, when you Enable the application, it also starts the service. By disabling and then enabling a service, you are stopping and restarting the application.
If an application is stopped and enabled, you can use the URL to enable it again which will start the service. For anyone who wants the details, here is the definition of the DroboAdmin enable and disable URL format:
http://{drobo-fs}/droboadmin/?task={task}&{task}={app-name}&appname={app-name}
{drobo-fs} - the hostname of the Drobo FS on your network
{action} - the action to perform, either enable or disable
{app-name} - the name of the application being enabled or disabled
The DroboAdmin includes a page which allows you to restart your Drobo; however, the interface does not contain a link to this page. You can easily navigate to the restart page using the following URL format:
http://{drobo-fs}/droboadmin/?task=restart
{drobo-fs} - the hostname of the Drobo FS on your network
If you want to directly force a restart:
http://{drobo-fs}/droboadmin/?restart=yes