How to recover data from Buffalo TeraStation TS51210RH4812 NAS

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.

How can conducting regular backups on external storage devices mitigate data loss risks for NAS Buffalo TeraStation TS51210RH4812 devices?

Conducting regular backups on external storage devices can mitigate data loss risks for NAS Buffalo TeraStation TS51210RH4812 devices in the following ways:

1. Redundancy: By backing up data on external storage devices, you create an additional copy of your important files and data. This redundancy ensures that even if the data on your TeraStation gets corrupted, damaged, or lost, you can easily restore it from the backup.
2. Protection against hardware failures: External storage devices, such as external hard drives or network-attached storage (NAS) devices from other manufacturers, provide an extra layer of protection against hardware failures. If your TeraStation encounters a hardware issue, you can still access your data from the backup device.
3. Disaster recovery: In case of a natural disaster, fire, theft, or any other catastrophic event that affects your TeraStation, having backups on external storage devices ensures that your data remains safe and can be easily recovered. Storing backups in a different physical location provides protection against localized incidents.
4. Versioning and historical data: Regular backups allow you to keep multiple versions of your files and data. In case you accidentally delete or overwrite an important file, you can retrieve previous versions from the backup. This feature helps protect against human errors and data corruption.
5. Ransomware protection: Ransomware attacks can encrypt your data and hold it hostage until you pay a ransom. By regularly backing up your data on external storage devices, you can isolate your backups from the network and prevent ransomware from affecting them. In case of an attack, you can restore your data from the backup without paying the ransom.
6. Ease of migration and upgrades: Backing up your data on external storage devices makes it easier to migrate to a new NAS device or upgrade your existing TeraStation. You can quickly transfer your data from the backup to the new device without any data loss or downtime.

It is important to ensure that the external storage devices used for backups are reliable, regularly tested, and kept in a secure location to further mitigate data loss risks.

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

Although NAS TeraStation TS51210RH4812 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 TeraStation TS51210RH4812. 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

TeraStation TS51210RH4812 has 12 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• RAID 50;
• RAID 60;
• 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 TeraStation TS51210RH4812 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