Recovering Data After Formatting a RAID Array on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-453BU-RP / TS-453D: Key Recovery Steps

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 a NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-453BU-RP / TS-453D device's network throughput or bandwidth capacity affect data transfer and potential loss?

The network throughput or bandwidth capacity of a NAS device like the QNAP Turbo Station TS-453BU-RP / TS-453D can have a significant impact on data transfer and potential loss. Here's how:

1. Data Transfer Speed: The network throughput determines the speed at which data can be transferred between the NAS device and other devices on the network. A higher throughput allows for faster transfer speeds, reducing the time required to backup, access, or transfer large files. Conversely, a lower throughput can result in slower data transfer, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
2. Concurrent Connections: The network throughput also affects the number of concurrent connections the NAS device can handle effectively. If the throughput is limited, the device may struggle to handle multiple simultaneous data transfers, resulting in bottlenecks and reduced performance. This can lead to data transfer failures, timeouts, or dropped connections.
3. Data Loss: Insufficient network throughput can increase the likelihood of data loss during transfer. When the available bandwidth is limited, it may cause packet loss or corruption, especially when transferring large files or streaming media. This can result in incomplete or corrupted files, leading to data loss or the need for retransmission.
4. Network Congestion: In a network with multiple devices sharing the same bandwidth, a NAS device with limited throughput can contribute to network congestion. This congestion can lead to increased latency, reduced throughput for all devices, and potential data loss due to collisions or dropped packets.

To mitigate these issues, it is important to ensure that the NAS device's network throughput is sufficient for the intended usage. This can be achieved by using network equipment (routers, switches) that support higher speeds (e.g., Gigabit Ethernet or 10 Gigabit Ethernet), using link aggregation (combining multiple network interfaces for increased bandwidth), or upgrading the NAS device to a model with higher network throughput capabilities.

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

Although NAS Turbo Station TS-453BU-RP / TS-453D 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-453BU-RP / TS-453D. 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-453BU-RP / TS-453D has 4 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• RAID 10;
• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• JBOD;

NAS supports:

• ZFS;
• 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-453BU-RP / TS-453D 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