Practical Steps for Accessing Files on a RAID Disk When NAS Promise VTrak E630fD is Offline

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.

Are there any common mistakes or oversights made by users that can lead to data loss on NAS Promise VTrak E630fD devices?

There are several common mistakes or oversights made by users that can potentially lead to data loss on NAS Promise VTrak E630fD devices. Some of these include:

1. Failure to regularly backup data: Many users assume that their data is safe on the NAS device and do not take regular backups. This can be a critical mistake as hardware failures, accidental deletions, or other issues can result in data loss.
2. Lack of redundancy: The VTrak E630fD supports various RAID configurations to provide data redundancy and protection against drive failures. However, some users may not configure the RAID properly or choose not to use redundancy, which can increase the risk of data loss.
3. Inadequate security measures: Neglecting to implement proper security measures like strong passwords, user access controls, and regular firmware updates can make the NAS device vulnerable to unauthorized access or malware attacks, potentially leading to data loss.
4. Ignoring warning signs or alerts: The VTrak E630fD device provides various warning signs and alerts through its management interface or LED indicators. Users may overlook or ignore these indicators, which could be indicating potential hardware failures or other issues that may result in data loss if not addressed promptly.
5. Improper shutdown or power loss: Abruptly shutting down the NAS device or experiencing power loss without following the proper shutdown procedures can lead to data corruption or loss.
6. Insufficient disk space monitoring: If users do not regularly monitor the available disk space on the NAS device, it can fill up, resulting in data loss if there is no space left to write new data.

To minimize the risk of data loss, it is crucial for users to regularly backup their data, configure RAID for redundancy, implement proper security measures, pay attention to warning signs or alerts, follow proper shutdown procedures, and monitor disk space usage.

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

Although NAS VTrak E630fD 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.

   Go to view

   

   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 VTrak E630fD. 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.

Go to view

How to recover data from a Promise

VTrak E630fD has 16 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 VTrak E630fD 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