Recovering Data After Formatting Your NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP RAID Array: Comprehensive Guide

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 Turbo Station TS-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP devices?

Hardware failure in NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP devices can lead to data loss in several ways:

1. Hard Drive Failure: The most common type of hardware failure is the failure of hard drives in the NAS. If one or more hard drives fail, it can result in data loss or corruption. This is especially true if the NAS is configured in a RAID array, as the failure of a single drive can affect the entire array.
2. Power Supply Failure: A faulty or failing power supply can cause sudden power outages or fluctuations, which can lead to data corruption or loss. It can also cause the NAS to shut down unexpectedly, potentially causing data loss if files were being written or accessed at the time.
3. Controller Failure: The controller is responsible for managing the data flow between the NAS and the hard drives. If the controller fails, it can result in data corruption or loss as the NAS may not be able to read or write data properly.
4. Network Failure: If the network interface card (NIC) or other networking components fail, it can result in the NAS being unable to connect to the network. This can prevent users from accessing their data or cause data transfer errors that result in data loss.
5. Firmware or Software Corruption: Hardware failures can sometimes cause firmware or software corruption in the NAS. This can lead to data loss if the corrupted firmware or software prevents the NAS from functioning properly or accessing the stored data.

To mitigate the risk of data loss due to hardware failure, it is recommended to regularly backup the data stored on the NAS to an external storage device or a cloud service. Additionally, ensuring the NAS is properly maintained, including regular firmware updates and monitoring the health of hard drives, can help identify and address potential hardware issues before they lead to data loss.

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

Although NAS Turbo Station TS-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP 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.

   Go to view

   

   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-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP. 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.

Go to view

How to recover data from a QNAP

Turbo Station TS-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP 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-470U-RP / TS-470U-SP 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