Essential RAID Array Tips for NAS Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+ Data Recovery

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+
• How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC
  • Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery
  • How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images
  • Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?
  • RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison

Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID

Conventional hard drives store user data by writing it sequentially across the disk surface, which means an entire file is typically located on a single drive. In contrast, when data is written to a RAID array, each file is split into multiple fragments. These fragments are then distributed and written in sequence across all the drives in the array. Depending on the configuration, fragment sizes can range from 2 KB to 2 MB, so every file is physically stored across several disks at once.

This approach significantly increases read and write performance — after all, writing two halves of a 1 GB file to two drives simultaneously is much faster than writing the full 1 GB to a single disk. However, this same mechanism makes file recovery far more complex.

Different RAID levels use different methods to distribute and protect data. On top of that, manufacturers like Digiever often add their own proprietary structures and variations. As a result, data can be written to disks in many different formats, and each requires a specific approach during recovery.

How can data redundancy techniques such as mirroring or replication enhance data availability and protect against loss on NAS Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+ devices?

Data redundancy techniques such as mirroring or replication can enhance data availability and protect against loss on NAS Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+ devices in the following ways:

1. Mirroring: Mirroring involves creating an exact copy of data on multiple disks or storage devices. In the case of DS-8242-SRM Pro+, you can configure the NAS to mirror data across multiple hard drives. If one drive fails, the mirrored drive can take over seamlessly, ensuring uninterrupted access to data. This enhances data availability as users can continue accessing data even in the event of a drive failure.
2. Replication: Replication involves creating and maintaining multiple copies of data on different NAS devices or remote locations. With DS-8242-SRM Pro+, you can set up replication to synchronize data between multiple NAS devices. This protects against data loss by ensuring that if one NAS device fails, the replicated data on another device is still accessible. Replication also enhances data availability as users can access data from any replicated device, even if the primary NAS is unavailable.
3. High Availability (HA) Cluster: DS-8242-SRM Pro+ supports HA cluster configuration, where two NAS devices are set up in an active-passive mode. In this setup, one NAS acts as the primary active device, serving data to users, while the second NAS remains in a passive state, ready to take over if the primary NAS fails. This ensures continuous data availability and protects against loss by minimizing downtime and providing automatic failover.
4. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks): DS-8242-SRM Pro+ supports various RAID levels (e.g., RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6) that provide data redundancy by distributing data across multiple drives. RAID protects against drive failures and enhances data availability. If a drive fails, the RAID system can rebuild the data using the redundant information stored on other drives.

By implementing these data redundancy techniques, NAS Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+ devices can significantly enhance data availability, protect against loss, and ensure uninterrupted access to critical data.

How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC

Although the NAS DS-8242-SRM Pro+ can be accessed over the network, you still need to remove its hard disks and connect them directly to a Windows PC. Only then can the recovery software properly scan and analyze the drives. Follow these steps:

1. Power off the NAS and disconnect it from the power source.

   WARNING! Before removing any drives, carefully read the device manual. Improper actions may damage both the NAS enclosure and the hard disks in the RAID array.

2. Remove the hard disks one by one, gently sliding each drive out of its slot. Remember that hard disks are highly sensitive: any impact or drop can cause serious physical damage.

3. Label each hard disk according to its position inside the NAS. The order of the drives is crucial for correct RAID reconstruction.

4. Connect the drives to your computer. In this video, we explain which ports you can use to connect hard disks and what to do if your PC does not have enough free connectors.

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   How to Order Remote Data Recovery

Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery

This program restores data from damaged RAID arrays and is fully compatible with Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+. Each hard disk in the array contains technical metadata describing how files were written. When launched, Hetman RAID Recovery analyzes this metadata, automatically reconstructs the damaged array, and provides access to its contents. After that, you can browse the recovered disk and save your files. The program can also restore files that were accidentally deleted from the network drive.

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How to recover data from a Digiever

DS-8242-SRM Pro+ has 8 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;

How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images

This utility allows you to create a complete copy of a disk and work with the disk image instead of the physical drive. This approach helps protect your data from:

• Overwriting during the recovery process;
• Additional data loss caused by bad sectors;
• User errors.

To create a disk image, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have enough free space to store the image. Its size will typically match the size of the original disk.

2. In the main window, select the target disk and choose Tools - Save Disk. You can also select multiple disks if needed.

3. When the Image Creation Wizard opens, select whether you want to save the entire disk or only a specific region. Adjust the settings and click Next.

   

4. Choose the directory where the image will be saved. You may select any available disk connected to your PC or upload the image via FTP.

   

Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?

The Digiever DS-8242-SRM Pro+ 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.

RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison