How to Access Files on a RAID Disk When NAS Level One FNS-1020 is Not Working: Comprehensive 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 Level One 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 RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations impact data loss in NAS Level One FNS-1020 devices?

RAID configurations can have a significant impact on data loss in NAS Level One FNS-1020 devices. Here are a few ways RAID configurations can affect data loss:

1. Fault tolerance: RAID configurations, such as RAID 1 (mirroring) or RAID 5 (striping with parity), provide fault tolerance by creating redundant copies of data or distributing parity information across multiple disks. In the event of a disk failure, the data can be rebuilt or retrieved from the remaining disks. This reduces the risk of data loss due to disk failures.
2. Data recovery: RAID configurations can enable data recovery in case of disk failures. With RAID 1, where data is mirrored across multiple disks, the data can still be accessed even if one disk fails. Similarly, in RAID 5, the parity information can be used to reconstruct the data if one disk fails. This enhances the chances of recovering data and reduces the impact of data loss.
3. Performance impact: Different RAID configurations have varying impacts on performance. For example, RAID 0 (striping) improves performance by spreading data across multiple disks, but it offers no redundancy. If one disk fails in RAID 0, all data is lost. On the other hand, RAID 1 and RAID 5 configurations provide redundancy but may have a slight performance impact due to the overhead of maintaining redundant data or parity information.
4. Rebuild time: When a failed disk is replaced in a RAID configuration, the data needs to be rebuilt or restored from the remaining disks. The time required for this process, known as rebuild time, can impact the vulnerability to data loss. During the rebuild process, if another disk fails or encounters errors, there is a risk of data loss. Therefore, shorter rebuild times are desirable to minimize the exposure to data loss.
5. RAID controller failure: In NAS devices, the RAID controller manages the RAID configuration and disk operations. If the RAID controller fails, it can lead to data loss or inaccessibility of the data. Therefore, it is important to ensure the reliability and redundancy of the RAID controller to mitigate the risk of data loss.

Overall, the choice of RAID configuration, the reliability of the disks and RAID controller, and the speed of data rebuild processes all play a crucial role in minimizing the impact of data loss in NAS Level One FNS-1020 devices.

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

Although NAS FNS-1020 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 Level One FNS-1020. 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 Level One

FNS-1020 has 1 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• None;

NAS supports:

• Ext2;
• Ext3;
• Ext4;

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 Level One FNS-1020 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