RAID Disk File Access Without Online NAS Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR: Practical Steps

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR
• 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 Overland Storage 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 quality of service (QoS) settings impact data transfer reliability on NAS Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR devices?

Quality of Service (QoS) settings can impact data transfer reliability on NAS Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR devices in the following ways:

1. Bandwidth allocation: QoS settings allow you to allocate specific amounts of bandwidth to different applications or services. By prioritizing critical data transfers, you can ensure that they receive sufficient bandwidth, reducing the chance of congestion or delays that could impact reliability.
2. Traffic prioritization: QoS settings enable you to prioritize certain types of traffic over others. For example, you can prioritize real-time data transfers or applications that require low latency, ensuring their reliability by minimizing delays or interruptions caused by other less critical traffic.
3. Network congestion management: QoS settings help manage network congestion by ensuring that data transfers are given appropriate resources. By controlling the amount of bandwidth allocated to each transfer, QoS can prevent congestion-induced packet loss or delays, improving overall reliability.
4. Error correction and packet loss prevention: Some QoS mechanisms include error correction techniques or packet loss prevention mechanisms. These features can help maintain data transfer reliability by detecting and correcting errors or retransmitting lost packets, ensuring the integrity of the transferred data.
5. Traffic shaping: QoS settings can shape the traffic flow by limiting the rate at which data is transferred. This can prevent sudden bursts of traffic that may overload the network or cause congestion, leading to improved reliability by maintaining a more consistent and manageable data transfer rate.

Overall, QoS settings on NAS Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR devices can significantly impact data transfer reliability by managing bandwidth allocation, prioritizing critical traffic, managing congestion, implementing error correction, and shaping traffic flow.

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

Although the NAS SnapExpansion XSR 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 Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR. 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 Overland Storage

SnapExpansion XSR has 12 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• RAID 50;
• RAID 60;
• JBOD;
• DynamicRAID;

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 Overland Storage SnapExpansion XSR 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