Best Practices for Recovering Data from NAS Promise Pegasus3 PC Edition R4 RAID Array Failures

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 Promise 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 a NAS Promise Pegasus3 PC Edition R4 device's network throughput or bandwidth capacity affect data transfer and potential loss?

The network throughput or bandwidth capacity of a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device like the Promise Pegasus3 PC Edition R4 can significantly impact data transfer and potential loss in the following ways:

1. Data Transfer Speed: The network throughput determines the speed at which data can be transferred between the NAS device and other network-connected devices. Higher throughput allows for faster data transfers, reducing the time required to back up or retrieve files. Conversely, lower throughput limits the transfer speed, resulting in longer transfer times.
2. Latency: Network throughput affects the latency or delay in data transmission. Higher throughput minimizes latency, enabling real-time access to data and smooth streaming of multimedia files. Lower throughput increases latency, leading to delays in accessing or streaming data.
3. Concurrent Users: The network throughput capacity determines the number of concurrent users who can access the NAS device simultaneously without experiencing performance degradation. Insufficient throughput may result in slower data transfers or even connection drops when multiple users try to access the NAS simultaneously.
4. Potential Data Loss: Inadequate network throughput can increase the risk of data loss during data transfer. If the network capacity is lower than the data transfer rate, data packets may be dropped or corrupted, leading to incomplete or damaged files. This can result in data loss or the need to retransfer data, potentially causing inconvenience and additional time consumption.
5. RAID Rebuild Time: The network throughput affects the time required to rebuild a RAID array in case of a drive failure. When a drive fails in a RAID configuration, the data from the failed drive needs to be reconstructed onto a replacement drive. Higher network throughput allows for faster RAID rebuilds, minimizing the time during which the data is vulnerable to loss.

To optimize data transfer and reduce potential loss, it is essential to ensure that the NAS device's network throughput capacity matches the requirements of the network environment, including the number of users, data transfer rates, and the type of data being transferred.

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

Although NAS Pegasus3 PC Edition R4 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 Promise Pegasus3 PC Edition R4. 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 Promise

Pegasus3 PC Edition R4 has 4 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 1E;
• RAID 3;
• 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 Promise Pegasus3 PC Edition R4 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