Recovery Tips for Mechanical and Logical Failures in NAS QNAP NMP-1000 RAID Arrays

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 QNAP 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 hardware failure lead to data loss in NAS QNAP NMP-1000 devices?

Hardware failure in NAS QNAP NMP-1000 devices can lead to data loss in several ways:

1. Hard Drive Failure: The most common hardware failure in NAS devices is hard drive failure. If one or more hard drives fail in a RAID configuration, it can result in data loss. The data stored on the failed drive(s) may become inaccessible, and if there is no redundancy or backup in place, the data may be permanently lost.
2. Power Supply Failure: A faulty power supply can cause sudden power outages or fluctuations, which can lead to data corruption or damage to the NAS device. If the NAS is not properly shut down during a power failure, it can result in data loss or file system corruption.
3. Network Interface Failure: If the network interface card (NIC) or network port on the NAS device fails, it can prevent the device from connecting to the network. This can result in data loss if the NAS is unable to synchronize or backup data to remote locations or if it cannot be accessed remotely.
4. Controller or Motherboard Failure: The failure of the controller or motherboard in the NAS device can cause the entire system to malfunction. This can result in data loss if the device is unable to boot up or if the data stored on the internal storage cannot be accessed.
5. Firmware or Software Corruption: Hardware failures can sometimes cause firmware or software corruption in the NAS device. This can lead to data loss if the corrupted firmware or software affects the file system or the ability to access and retrieve data.

To mitigate the risk of data loss due to hardware failure, it is important to implement proper backup strategies, such as regular backups to external storage or cloud services. RAID configurations with redundancy can also help protect against data loss from hard drive failures. Additionally, keeping the firmware and software up to date, and using reliable power sources, can reduce the chances of hardware-related data loss.

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

Although NAS NMP-1000 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 QNAP NMP-1000. 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 QNAP

NMP-1000 has 1 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• Q-RAID 1;

NAS supports:

• FAT32 (External Disk Only);
• NTFS (External Disk Only);
• HFS+ (External Disk Read Only);

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 QNAP NMP-1000 network-attached storage keeps QTS (QuTS hero) 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