Avoiding Data Loss on NAS D-Link DSM-G600 and Recovering Deleted Files: Expert Guide

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 can data fragmentation impact the read and write speeds, and potential data loss on NAS D-Link DSM-G600 devices?

Data fragmentation on NAS D-Link DSM-G600 devices can have several impacts on read and write speeds, as well as potential data loss. Here are some ways fragmentation can affect these aspects:

1. Read and Write Speeds:

• Increased seek time: Fragmentation scatters data across different physical locations on the storage medium. This can lead to increased seek time as the device needs to access different parts of the disk to read or write fragmented data. Consequently, read and write speeds can be significantly slower.
• Reduced throughput: Fragmented data requires more disk head movement and additional I/O operations, resulting in reduced overall throughput. This can impact the performance of file transfers, accessing large files, or running applications that rely on quick data access.

1. Data Loss:

• File corruption: Fragmented data can increase the chances of file corruption. If a file is fragmented and a portion of it becomes corrupted, it may be more difficult to recover the entire file.
• Increased vulnerability to disk errors: Fragmentation can make data more susceptible to disk errors. If a disk sector containing a portion of a fragmented file becomes damaged or unreadable, it can result in data loss for that specific portion of the file.
• Difficulty in data recovery: In the event of data loss, recovery becomes more challenging when data is fragmented. Fragmented data may be scattered across different disk locations, making it harder to recover the complete file or data.

To mitigate these issues, it is advisable to regularly defragment the storage on NAS D-Link DSM-G600 devices. Defragmentation rearranges fragmented data, placing related parts of files closer together on the disk. This can improve read and write speeds, reduce seek time, and decrease the likelihood of data loss. Additionally, maintaining adequate free space on the NAS and avoiding excessive file fragmentation through regular maintenance practices can help minimize these impacts.

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

Although NAS DSM-G600 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-G600. 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-G600 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-G600 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