Recovering Data After RAID Array Format on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-877XU-RP: Step-by-Step 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 storage tiering or caching strategies impact data availability and potential loss on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-877XU-RP devices?

Storage tiering and caching strategies can have a significant impact on data availability and potential loss on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-877XU-RP devices. Here are a few ways in which these strategies can affect data availability and potential loss:

1. Improved Performance: By implementing storage tiering and caching strategies, you can enhance the overall performance of your NAS device. Caching involves storing frequently accessed data in a faster storage medium (such as SSDs) to reduce access latency. This can result in faster data retrieval and improved availability.
2. Redundancy and Data Protection: Storage tiering can be used to create redundant copies of data across different storage tiers, including both high-performance and high-capacity storage. This redundancy helps ensure data availability in case of hardware failures or disk errors. By spreading data across multiple tiers, the risk of potential data loss is reduced.
3. Data Migration and Movement: Storage tiering allows you to move data between different tiers based on its usage patterns and importance. This movement can be automated or manual, depending on the NAS device's capabilities. By migrating data to appropriate storage tiers, you can optimize storage resources and improve data availability by ensuring that frequently accessed data is stored on faster storage media.
4. Impact on Data Loss: While storage tiering and caching strategies can enhance data availability, there is a potential risk of data loss if not implemented properly. It is crucial to have a robust backup and disaster recovery strategy in place to protect against data loss due to hardware failures, accidental deletions, or other unforeseen events. Regular backups and redundancy across multiple storage tiers can help mitigate the risk of data loss.
5. Consideration of Workload and Data Patterns: When implementing storage tiering and caching strategies, it is essential to consider the workload and data access patterns of your NAS device. Different workloads may require different caching and tiering configurations. Analyzing data access patterns and workload requirements can help optimize data availability while minimizing the risk of potential loss.

Overall, storage tiering and caching strategies can significantly impact data availability and potential loss on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-877XU-RP devices. Proper implementation, considering workload requirements, redundancy, and backup strategies, is crucial to ensure data availability and minimize the risk of data loss.

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

Although NAS Turbo Station TS-877XU-RP 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-877XU-RP. 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-877XU-RP has 8 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 50;
• RAID 60;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• RAID 10;
• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• JBOD;

NAS supports:

• ZFS;
• EXT4;
• EXT3;
• exFAT;
• 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-877XU-RP 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