RAID Controller Failure on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-110: Recovery Steps and Data Recovery

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 the number of drives in a NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-110 device's RAID array impact data recovery and potential loss?

The number of drives in a NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-110 device's RAID array can impact data recovery and potential loss in the following ways:

1. Redundancy: RAID arrays are designed to provide redundancy and data protection by distributing data across multiple drives. The more drives in the RAID array, the higher the level of redundancy. For example, in a RAID 1 configuration with two drives, data is mirrored between the drives, providing a backup in case one drive fails. In a RAID 5 configuration with three or more drives, data is striped across the drives with parity information, allowing for recovery if one drive fails.
2. Fault tolerance: The number of drives in a RAID array determines the level of fault tolerance. With more drives, the RAID array can tolerate the failure of multiple drives simultaneously without losing data. For example, in a RAID 6 configuration with four or more drives, data is distributed with double parity, allowing for recovery even if two drives fail at the same time.
3. Rebuild time: When a drive fails in a RAID array, the data needs to be rebuilt onto a replacement drive. The rebuild time is the time it takes to copy the data from the remaining drives onto the new drive. With more drives in the array, the rebuild time can be longer, increasing the risk of a second drive failure during the rebuild process. This can lead to data loss if there is no additional redundancy or backup.
4. Data loss risk: The more drives in a RAID array, the higher the risk of data loss if multiple drives fail or if the array is not properly maintained. RAID arrays are not immune to data loss, and various factors like drive failure, controller failure, power surges, or human error can lead to data loss. It is important to regularly backup the data on the RAID array to a separate storage device or cloud service to mitigate the risk of data loss.

Overall, the number of drives in a NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-110 device's RAID array affects the level of redundancy, fault tolerance, rebuild time, and data loss risk. It is crucial to choose the appropriate RAID configuration and regularly backup data to ensure data protection and minimize the potential for data loss.

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

Although NAS Turbo Station TS-110 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 Turbo Station TS-110. 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

Turbo Station TS-110 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);

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 Turbo Station TS-110 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.

Comparison of software for RAID recovery