Best Practices for Data Recovery from a NAS Promise VSky A1970rDM RAID Array Failure

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 regular disk health monitoring and analysis help in preventing potential data loss on NAS Promise VSky A1970rDM devices?

Regular disk health monitoring and analysis can help in preventing potential data loss on NAS Promise VSky A1970rDM devices in the following ways:

1. Early detection of disk failures: Disk health monitoring tools can constantly monitor the status of the disks in the NAS device. By analyzing various parameters such as SMART attributes, temperature, and error rates, these tools can identify signs of potential disk failures. This allows administrators to proactively replace failing disks before they completely fail and cause data loss.
2. Predictive analysis: Disk health monitoring tools often include predictive analysis capabilities. By analyzing historical data and patterns, these tools can predict the likelihood of disk failures in the future. This enables administrators to take preventive measures such as migrating data to other disks or replacing disks that are likely to fail soon.
3. RAID monitoring: NAS devices like Promise VSky A1970rDM often use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) for data protection. Regular disk health monitoring can ensure that all disks in the RAID array are functioning properly. If a disk fails or shows signs of failure, the monitoring tools can alert administrators to take immediate action, such as rebuilding the RAID array or replacing the faulty disk.
4. Performance optimization: Disk health monitoring tools can also provide insights into the performance of individual disks in the NAS device. By monitoring metrics such as read/write speeds and latency, administrators can identify disks that are underperforming or causing bottlenecks. Addressing these performance issues can help prevent data loss due to slow or unresponsive disks.
5. Proactive maintenance: Regular disk health monitoring and analysis can help administrators identify any potential issues with the disks or the overall NAS system. This allows them to schedule regular maintenance activities such as firmware updates, disk cleanups, or system checks. By proactively maintaining the NAS device, administrators can reduce the chances of data loss caused by system failures or software vulnerabilities.

In summary, regular disk health monitoring and analysis provide crucial insights into the status and performance of the disks in a NAS device. By detecting disk failures early, predicting potential failures, ensuring RAID integrity, optimizing performance, and enabling proactive maintenance, these monitoring tools play a vital role in preventing potential data loss on NAS Promise VSky A1970rDM devices.

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

Although NAS VSky A1970rDM 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 A1970rDM. 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 A1970rDM has 70 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 1E;
• RAID 3;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• RAID 30;
• 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 Promise VSky A1970rDM 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