Best Practices for Recovering Data from a Failed NAS Promise VSky A1100bSM RAID Configuration

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 conducting regular backups on external storage devices mitigate data loss risks for NAS Promise VSky A1100bSM devices?

Conducting regular backups on external storage devices can mitigate data loss risks for NAS Promise VSky A1100bSM devices in the following ways:

1. Redundancy: By creating backups on external storage devices, you are creating redundant copies of your data. In case of data loss or corruption on the NAS device, you can restore the data from the backups, ensuring that your critical information is not permanently lost.
2. Protection against hardware failure: NAS devices can experience hardware failures, such as hard drive crashes. By regularly backing up data to external storage devices, you can safeguard your data against such failures. If the NAS device fails, you can restore the data from the backups onto a new device or storage medium.
3. Protection against accidental deletion or user errors: Human errors, such as accidental deletion or overwriting of files, can lead to data loss. Regular backups on external storage devices provide a safety net in such cases. If important data is accidentally deleted or modified, you can retrieve the original version from the backups.
4. Protection against data corruption and malware attacks: Data corruption can occur due to various reasons, including software bugs, power outages, or malware attacks. By regularly backing up your data, you can restore clean and uncorrupted versions of your files in case of data corruption or malware infections.
5. Off-site storage: Storing backups on external devices allows you to keep copies of your data off-site, away from the location of the NAS device. This protects your data from disasters like fire, theft, or natural calamities that may affect the physical NAS device and the data stored on it.

It is important to ensure that backups are performed regularly, and the external storage devices used for backups are properly maintained and tested to ensure their reliability. Additionally, following a comprehensive backup strategy that includes regular testing and verification of backups will further enhance the effectiveness of data loss mitigation.

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

Although NAS VSky A1100bSM 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 VSky A1100bSM. 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

VSky A1100bSM has 2 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• 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 VSky A1100bSM 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