Your Guide to Recovering Data from a NAS Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server

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 regular system monitoring and alerting help in early detection and prevention of data loss events on NAS Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server devices?

Regular system monitoring and alerting can help in early detection and prevention of data loss events on NAS Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server devices in the following ways:

1. Real-time monitoring: By continuously monitoring the server's performance metrics, such as CPU usage, memory utilization, disk space, and network traffic, you can identify any abnormal behavior or potential issues that may lead to data loss.
2. Disk health monitoring: Monitoring the health and status of the server's hard drives can help detect any signs of impending disk failures. By using SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data, you can receive alerts when a drive's health deteriorates, allowing you to replace it before data loss occurs.
3. RAID monitoring: If you have configured RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) on your NAS, monitoring the RAID array is crucial. Regularly checking the RAID status and receiving alerts when there are any degraded or failed drives can help prevent data loss. Promptly replacing or rebuilding the failed drives can ensure data availability.
4. Backup monitoring: Monitoring the status and success of your data backups is essential for data protection. Regularly verifying the integrity of backups, ensuring they are up to date, and receiving alerts in case of backup failures can help prevent data loss events.
5. Security monitoring: Monitoring the server for any security breaches or unauthorized access attempts can help prevent data loss due to malicious activities. Implementing intrusion detection systems (IDS) or security information and event management (SIEM) solutions can provide real-time alerts for potential security threats.
6. Network monitoring: Monitoring the network traffic and bandwidth usage can help identify any abnormal activities that may indicate data exfiltration or unauthorized data transfers. By receiving alerts for unusual network behavior, you can take immediate action to prevent data loss.
7. Power and environmental monitoring: Monitoring the power supply, temperature, and other environmental factors can help prevent data loss caused by power outages, overheating, or other environmental issues. Alerts for power failures or abnormal temperature levels can prompt you to take necessary actions to prevent data loss.

By implementing a comprehensive system monitoring and alerting solution, you can proactively identify and address potential issues, ensuring the early detection and prevention of data loss events on NAS Lenovo ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server devices.

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

Although NAS ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server 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 ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server. 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

ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server has 32 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;

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 ThinkSystem SN550 Blade Server 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