RAID Controller Failure on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-100: Data Recovery Methods and Consequences

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-100
• How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC
  • Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery
  • How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images
  • Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?
  • RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison

Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID

Conventional hard drives store user data by writing it sequentially across the disk surface, which means an entire file is typically located on a single drive. In contrast, when data is written to a RAID array, each file is split into multiple fragments. These fragments are then distributed and written in sequence across all the drives in the array. Depending on the configuration, fragment sizes can range from 2 KB to 2 MB, so every file is physically stored across several disks at once.

This approach significantly increases read and write performance — after all, writing two halves of a 1 GB file to two drives simultaneously is much faster than writing the full 1 GB to a single disk. However, this same mechanism makes file recovery far more complex.

Different RAID levels use different methods to distribute and protect data. On top of that, manufacturers like QNAP often add their own proprietary structures and variations. As a result, data can be written to disks in many different formats, and each requires a specific approach during recovery.

How can regular system monitoring and alerting help in early detection and prevention of data loss events on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-100 devices?

Regular system monitoring and alerting can help in early detection and prevention of data loss events on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-100 devices in the following ways:

1. Disk Health Monitoring: Monitoring the health of the hard drives in the NAS can help detect any issues such as bad sectors, high temperature, or imminent disk failures. Alerts can be set up to notify administrators about these issues, allowing them to take preventive actions like replacing the failing drives before any data loss occurs.
2. RAID Array Monitoring: If the NAS is configured with a RAID array, monitoring the status of the array can help detect any degraded or failed disks. Alerts can be configured to notify administrators so that they can replace the faulty disks and rebuild the array before any data loss occurs.
3. Storage Space Monitoring: Monitoring the storage space utilization on the NAS can help identify situations where the storage is running out of space. This can prevent data loss events that may occur due to lack of available storage. Alerts can be set up to notify administrators when the storage reaches a certain threshold, allowing them to take actions like adding more drives or optimizing the storage usage.
4. Network Monitoring: Monitoring the network connectivity and performance of the NAS can help detect any issues that may lead to data loss events. For example, if the NAS is experiencing frequent network disconnections or high latency, it may indicate a problem with the network infrastructure. Alerts can be configured to notify administrators so that they can investigate and resolve the network issues before any data loss occurs.
5. Backup Monitoring: If the NAS is used for backup purposes, monitoring the backup jobs and their status can help ensure that the backups are running successfully and without any errors. Alerts can be set up to notify administrators if any backup job fails or encounters issues, allowing them to take corrective actions and prevent data loss events.

Overall, regular system monitoring and alerting provide proactive measures to detect and prevent data loss events on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-100 devices, minimizing the risk of data loss and ensuring the availability and integrity of the stored data.

How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC

Although the NAS Turbo Station TS-100 can be accessed over the network, you still need to remove its hard disks and connect them directly to a Windows PC. Only then can the recovery software properly scan and analyze the drives. Follow these steps:

1. Power off the NAS and disconnect it from the power source.

   WARNING! Before removing any drives, carefully read the device manual. Improper actions may damage both the NAS enclosure and the hard disks in the RAID array.

2. Remove the hard disks one by one, gently sliding each drive out of its slot. Remember that hard disks are highly sensitive: any impact or drop can cause serious physical damage.

3. Label each hard disk according to its position inside the NAS. The order of the drives is crucial for correct RAID reconstruction.

4. Connect the drives to your computer. In this video, we explain which ports you can use to connect hard disks and what to do if your PC does not have enough free connectors.

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   How to Order Remote Data Recovery

Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery

This program restores data from damaged RAID arrays and is fully compatible with QNAP Turbo Station TS-100. Each hard disk in the array contains technical metadata describing how files were written. When launched, Hetman RAID Recovery analyzes this metadata, automatically reconstructs the damaged array, and provides access to its contents. After that, you can browse the recovered disk and save your files. The program can also restore files that were accidentally deleted from the network drive.

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How to recover data from a QNAP

Turbo Station TS-100 has 1 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• Q-RAID 1;

NAS supports:

• EXT4;
• EXT3;
• FAT32 (External Disk Only);
• NTFS (External Disk Only);
• HFS+ (External Disk Read Only);

How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images

This utility allows you to create a complete copy of a disk and work with the disk image instead of the physical drive. This approach helps protect your data from:

• Overwriting during the recovery process;
• Additional data loss caused by bad sectors;
• User errors.

To create a disk image, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have enough free space to store the image. Its size will typically match the size of the original disk.

2. In the main window, select the target disk and choose Tools - Save Disk. You can also select multiple disks if needed.

3. When the Image Creation Wizard opens, select whether you want to save the entire disk or only a specific region. Adjust the settings and click Next.

   

4. Choose the directory where the image will be saved. You may select any available disk connected to your PC or upload the image via FTP.

   

Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?

The QNAP Turbo Station TS-100 network-attached storage keeps QTS 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.

RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison