Restoring a NAS Buffalo Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 RAID Array with Several Damaged Disks

Contents

• Why can’t ordinary software tools restore files from RAID?
• How to take hard disks out of the NAS and connect them to a PC?
  • Restoring data with Hetman RAID Recovery
  • Safe recovery from disk images
  • Where are user’s files stored?
  • Comparison of software for RAID recovery

Why can’t ordinary software tools restore files from RAID?

Conventional hard disks keep user’s data by writing it to their surface in a consecutive way, and this is how an entire file is stored on a single hard disk. However, when data is written to a RAID system, a file is divided into several parts. Then these parts are written consecutively to all hard disks within such array. The size of such parts may range from 2 KB to 2 MB, so each file is stored on several hard disks at the same time.

Such approach helps to speed up read and write operations, and it is evident that saving two parts of a file having the size of 1 GB to two hard disks simultaneously is much faster than saving the same 1 GB of data to one hard disk. However, this peculiarity makes file recovery more complicated.

Various RAID levels store information in different ways. Additionally, manufacturers like Buffalo also introduce some modifications to this process, and that is why data can be written to hard disk in a wide variety of ways.

Are there any specific system logs or event notifications to monitor for early detection of data loss on NAS Buffalo Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 devices?

Yes, there are specific system logs and event notifications that you can monitor for early detection of data loss on NAS Buffalo Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 devices. Some of the key logs and notifications to monitor include:

1. System Logs: The system logs on the Buffalo Drive Station NAS device can provide valuable information about any errors, warnings, or critical events occurring on the device. Monitoring these logs can help you identify any issues that may lead to data loss.
2. RAID Logs: Since the Buffalo Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 devices typically use RAID configurations for data redundancy, monitoring the RAID logs is crucial. RAID logs can alert you to any drive failures, degraded RAID arrays, or synchronization issues, which can potentially result in data loss.
3. SMART Monitoring: SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is a feature available on most hard drives. It monitors various parameters of the hard drives, such as temperature, bad sectors, reallocated sectors, and more. By monitoring the SMART data, you can detect any signs of impending hard drive failure and take appropriate action before data loss occurs.
4. Email Notifications: The Buffalo Drive Station NAS devices usually offer email notification functionality. You can configure the device to send email alerts for various events, such as drive failures, RAID array issues, or system errors. By monitoring these email notifications, you can quickly identify any potential data loss situations.
5. Backup Job Logs: If you have set up backup jobs on the Buffalo Drive Station NAS, monitoring the backup job logs is essential. These logs can provide insights into the success or failure of backup operations. Monitoring backup job logs helps ensure that your data is being successfully backed up and can help identify any backup failures that may lead to data loss.

It's important to regularly review and monitor these logs and notifications to detect any potential issues early on and take appropriate actions to prevent data loss.

How to take hard disks out of the NAS and connect them to a PC?

Although NAS Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 can be accessed over the network, you still need to take the hard disks out of the storage device and connect them to a Windows computer. Only in this case will the software be able to scan them properly. Here is what you should do:

1. Turn off the storage and disconnect it from the power supply.

   WARNING! Before you start taking hard disks out of your NAS device, read the manual carefully. Incorrect actions may damage your network-attached storage and/or the hard disks within the RAID system.

2. Take the hard disks out of the NAS one by one, carefully removing them from their slots. Remember that the disks are extremely vulnerable: hitting or dropping them may result in serious physical damage.

3. Make sure to mark each hard disk in accordance with how they were installed inside the NAS.

4. Remove the hard disks and connect them to the computer. In this video, we have explored what ports are used to connect hard disks, and what to do if there are not enough ports or connectors.

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   How to Order Remote Data Recovery

Restoring data with Hetman RAID Recovery

This program recovers data from damaged RAID arrays and is fully compatible with Buffalo Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5. The hard disks that make up the RAID contain technical information about the algorithm used to save files. When launched, Hetman RAID Recovery reads this information and puts the damaged array together. Then you can open the disk and save your files. Also, you can recover the files accidentally deleted from the network drive.

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How to recover data from a Buffalo

Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 has 4 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• JBOD;

NAS supports:

• exFAT, VFAT, FAT 12 / 16 / 32;
• NTFS / ReFS;
• APFS / HFS+;
• Ext2 / 3 / 4 / ReiserFS / XFS / UFS / ZFS / Btrfs;
• VMFS / HikvisionFS;

Safe recovery from disk images

This utility lets you save an entire copy of the disk to file and then work with this image instead of the actual disk. Such feature helps to protect data on the disk from:

• Overwriting during the recovery process;
• Loss resulting from bad sectors;
• User mistakes.

To create an image, do the following:

1. Make sure that you have enough free space to save the image. The image file size usually equals the disk size.

2. Select the disk in the main window, and choose from the menu Tools – Save Disk. You can select multiple disks to be saved.

3. When the image creation wizard starts, you can choose to save the entire disk or select only a part of it. Specify the parameters and click Next.

   

4. At this stage, you need to choose a directory where to save the image. Choose any disk connected to this PC, or save the image by FTP.

   

Where are user’s files stored?

The Buffalo Drive Station HD-QL8TSU2R5 network-attached storage keeps OS Linux operating system files on a separate RAID 1 (mirrored) array. Usually, all NAS systems create several volumes on every hard disk, and the first of them takes up to 2 Gb of space. This is where operating system files are stored. Other volumes are united into a RAID array where user’s data is written.

Comparison of software for RAID recovery