NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 RAID Controller Failure: Causes, Recovery Strategies, and Data Loss

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 conducting regular backups on external storage devices mitigate data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 devices?

Conducting regular backups on external storage devices can mitigate data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 devices in the following ways:

1. Redundancy: By regularly backing up your data on external storage devices, you create a redundant copy of your important files. In case of any data loss or failure on the NAS device, you can restore your data from the external backup, ensuring minimal or no data loss.
2. Protection against hardware failures: NAS devices can experience hardware failures, such as hard drive crashes or power supply issues. By keeping regular backups on external storage devices, you can safeguard your data from these hardware failures. If any component of the NAS device fails, you can easily restore your data from the external backup.
3. Protection against accidental deletions or file corruptions: Accidental deletions or file corruptions can occur due to human errors or software glitches. By maintaining regular backups, you can restore the lost or corrupted files from the external storage devices, ensuring that your data remains intact.
4. Protection against malware attacks: Malware attacks, such as ransomware, can encrypt or delete your data, making it inaccessible. By having backups on external storage devices, you can restore your data without paying the ransom or losing your files permanently.
5. Off-site backup: Storing backups on external storage devices allows you to keep a copy of your data off-site. In case of disasters like fire, flood, or theft, your data remains safe and can be easily restored from the external backup.

To ensure effective backup practices, follow these recommendations:

a. Schedule regular backups: Set up a backup schedule that suits your needs, whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly. Automating the backup process ensures that you don't forget to back up your data regularly.

b. Use reliable external storage devices: Invest in high-quality external storage devices that offer sufficient capacity and reliability. Consider using multiple external drives and rotating them periodically to mitigate the risk of a single point of failure.

c. Test your backups: Regularly verify the integrity of your backups by restoring a subset of files or performing test restores. This ensures that your backups are working correctly and your data can be restored when needed.

d. Store backups securely: Keep your external storage devices in a secure location, preferably off-site, to protect them from physical damage, theft, or natural disasters. Consider using encryption to protect the data stored on the external backups.

e. Consider cloud backups: Supplement your external storage backups with cloud-based backup solutions. Cloud backups provide an additional layer of protection and ensure your data is accessible from anywhere.

By following these practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of data loss and ensure the safety and availability of your data on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 devices.

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

Although NAS Turbo Station TS-201 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-201. 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-201 has 2 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• JBOD;

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-201 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