Avoiding Data Loss on NAS D-Link DSM-600 and Recovering Deleted Files: Effective Tips

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 D-Link 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 does a NAS D-Link DSM-600 device store and manage data?

The D-Link DSM-600 is a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device that is designed to store and manage data in a network environment. Here is how it typically stores and manages data:

1. Storage Capacity: The DSM-600 comes with multiple hard drive bays that allow you to install one or more hard drives. These hard drives provide the storage capacity for your data. The device supports various RAID configurations, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10, which offer different levels of data redundancy and performance.
2. File System: The DSM-600 uses a file system to organize and manage data on the installed hard drives. It typically supports file systems like EXT4, which is a widely used file system in Linux-based NAS devices. The file system allows for efficient storage and retrieval of data.
3. Network Connectivity: The DSM-600 connects to your network via Ethernet, allowing multiple users or devices on the network to access and manage the stored data. It supports different network protocols like SMB/CIFS, FTP, and NFS, enabling various devices and operating systems to access the NAS.
4. User Access and Permissions: The DSM-600 provides user access control and permission management features. It allows you to create multiple user accounts and assign different access rights and permissions to each user. This ensures that only authorized users can access specific files or folders on the NAS.
5. Data Backup and Synchronization: The DSM-600 often includes built-in backup and synchronization features, allowing you to schedule automatic backups of your data to external storage devices or cloud storage services. This helps to protect your data from accidental loss or damage.
6. Web-based Interface: The DSM-600 is typically managed through a web-based interface that can be accessed from any device with a web browser. This interface provides a user-friendly dashboard to configure settings, manage storage, create user accounts, and perform other administrative tasks.

Overall, the DSM-600 provides a centralized storage solution with robust data management capabilities, making it easier to store, access, and protect your data in a network environment.

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

Although NAS DSM-600 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 D-Link DSM-600. 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 D-Link

DSM-600 has 1 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• None;

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 D-Link DSM-600 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