Recovering Lost Data from NAS Lenovo EMC px4-400d: Tips and Tricks

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 Lenovo 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 quality of service (QoS) settings impact data transfer reliability on NAS Lenovo EMC px4-400d devices?

Quality of Service (QoS) settings can have a significant impact on data transfer reliability on NAS Lenovo EMC px4-400d devices. Here are a few ways QoS settings can affect data transfer reliability:

1. Bandwidth Allocation: QoS settings allow you to allocate bandwidth to different applications or services on the NAS. By prioritizing critical data transfers or applications, you can ensure that they receive the necessary bandwidth for reliable data transfer. This helps to prevent congestion and ensures smooth data transmission.
2. Traffic Prioritization: QoS settings enable you to prioritize specific types of traffic, such as video streaming or file transfers, over less critical traffic. By giving higher priority to important data transfers, you can ensure that they are not affected by other lower-priority activities, improving reliability.
3. Traffic Shaping: QoS settings allow you to shape the traffic flow by limiting the bandwidth for certain applications or services. By setting appropriate limits, you can prevent any single application from monopolizing the available bandwidth, which can lead to data transfer issues. This helps to maintain a balanced and reliable data transfer environment.
4. Latency Management: QoS settings can help manage latency, which is the delay between sending and receiving data. By prioritizing latency-sensitive applications, such as real-time video streaming or VoIP, you can minimize delays and ensure reliable data transfer.
5. Packet Prioritization: QoS settings allow you to prioritize certain packets over others based on their importance. By giving higher priority to critical packets, such as those related to data transfer integrity or error correction, you can enhance the reliability of data transfers.

Overall, by properly configuring QoS settings on NAS Lenovo EMC px4-400d devices, you can optimize data transfer reliability by ensuring that critical applications receive the necessary resources and are not affected by less important activities.

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

Although NAS EMC px4-400d 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 Lenovo EMC px4-400d. 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 Lenovo

EMC px4-400d has 4 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• 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 Lenovo EMC px4-400d network-attached storage keeps LifeLine 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