Professional Strategies for Recovering NAS Infortrend EonStor DS 3048 Data from RAID Arrays

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS Infortrend EonStor DS 3048
• 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 Infortrend 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 storage tiering or caching strategies impact data availability and potential loss on NAS Infortrend EonStor DS 3048 devices?

Storage tiering and caching strategies can have a significant impact on data availability and potential loss on NAS devices like the Infortrend EonStor DS 3048. Here are some ways in which these strategies can affect data availability:

1. Improved Performance: Storage tiering and caching can enhance data access speeds by keeping frequently accessed data in faster storage tiers or cache. This improves overall system performance and reduces latency, ensuring that data is available more quickly when requested.
2. Increased Reliability: By utilizing different storage tiers, including high-performance SSDs and capacity-focused HDDs, storage tiering can improve data reliability. Critical data can be stored on redundant and fault-tolerant storage tiers, reducing the risk of data loss due to hardware failures.
3. Enhanced Data Protection: Storage tiering can also be used to create multiple copies of important data across different storage tiers. This redundancy ensures that even if one storage tier fails, the data remains available on other tiers, minimizing the risk of data loss.
4. Efficient Resource Utilization: Storage tiering and caching strategies optimize the use of storage resources by automatically moving data between different tiers based on usage patterns. This ensures that frequently accessed data is stored in faster tiers, while less frequently accessed data is moved to slower, more cost-effective tiers. By efficiently utilizing storage resources, data availability is improved.

However, it's important to note that there are potential risks and challenges associated with storage tiering and caching strategies, which can impact data availability and potential loss:

1. Data Loss Risks: If the storage tiering or caching strategy is not properly implemented or managed, there is a risk of data loss. For example, if data is cached but not immediately written to persistent storage, a power outage or system failure could result in data loss.
2. Complexity and Management: Storage tiering and caching strategies can introduce complexity to the storage infrastructure, requiring careful planning, configuration, and ongoing management. If not properly managed, misconfigurations or errors can impact data availability and potentially lead to data loss.
3. Performance Impacts: While storage tiering and caching can improve performance, improper configuration or limitations of the storage infrastructure can result in performance bottlenecks or reduced data availability. It's important to consider the specific capabilities and limitations of the Infortrend EonStor DS 3048 device when implementing these strategies.

In summary, storage tiering and caching strategies can have a positive impact on data availability and reliability on NAS devices like the Infortrend EonStor DS 3048. However, proper planning, configuration, and ongoing management are crucial to ensure the desired benefits are achieved while minimizing the risks associated with data loss or reduced availability.

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

Although the NAS EonStor DS 3048 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 Infortrend EonStor DS 3048. 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 Infortrend

EonStor DS 3048 has 48 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 Infortrend EonStor DS 3048 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