Data Recovery After Formatting a NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-RP RAID Array: Recovery Tips

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-RP
• How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC
  • Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery
  • How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images
  • Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?
  • RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison

Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID

Conventional hard drives store user data by writing it sequentially across the disk surface, which means an entire file is typically located on a single drive. In contrast, when data is written to a RAID array, each file is split into multiple fragments. These fragments are then distributed and written in sequence across all the drives in the array. Depending on the configuration, fragment sizes can range from 2 KB to 2 MB, so every file is physically stored across several disks at once.

This approach significantly increases read and write performance — after all, writing two halves of a 1 GB file to two drives simultaneously is much faster than writing the full 1 GB to a single disk. However, this same mechanism makes file recovery far more complex.

Different RAID levels use different methods to distribute and protect data. On top of that, manufacturers like QNAP often add their own proprietary structures and variations. As a result, data can be written to disks in many different formats, and each requires a specific approach during recovery.

How can regular vulnerability assessments and security audits help identify and mitigate potential data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-RP devices?

Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits can help identify and mitigate potential data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-RP devices in the following ways:

1. Identify Vulnerabilities: Vulnerability assessments and security audits can help identify any weaknesses or vulnerabilities in the NAS device's operating system, firmware, or applications. These assessments can include checking for outdated software, misconfigurations, weak passwords, unpatched vulnerabilities, or default settings that could be exploited by attackers.
2. Patch Management: Regular assessments can help ensure that the NAS device is running the latest firmware and security patches. This is crucial as vendors often release patches to fix known vulnerabilities. By keeping the device up to date, the risk of data loss due to known vulnerabilities is reduced.
3. Access Control and User Management: Assessments can help review and strengthen access controls and user management practices. This includes ensuring that only authorized users have access to the NAS device, enforcing strong passwords, and implementing multi-factor authentication for added security. Additionally, regular audits can help identify any unauthorized access attempts or suspicious user activities.
4. Network Security: Assessments can review the network configuration of the NAS device to ensure that it is isolated from unauthorized access. This can involve segmenting the NAS device on a separate network or VLAN, implementing firewalls, and configuring intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) to monitor and block any malicious network traffic.
5. Data Backup and Recovery: Assessments can evaluate the backup and recovery mechanisms in place for the NAS device. This includes ensuring that regular backups are performed, verifying the integrity of the backups, and testing the recovery process. By having a robust backup strategy, the risk of data loss due to hardware failures, ransomware attacks, or accidental deletions can be mitigated.
6. Encryption and Data Protection: Assessments can review the encryption mechanisms employed by the NAS device to protect data at rest and in transit. This includes ensuring that data is encrypted using strong encryption algorithms and that secure protocols (such as HTTPS, SFTP, or FTPS) are used for data transfer. Additionally, assessments can check for the presence of data leak prevention mechanisms to prevent unauthorized data exfiltration.
7. Monitoring and Logging: Assessments can ensure that proper monitoring and logging mechanisms are in place to detect and respond to any potential security incidents. This includes reviewing logs for any suspicious activities, implementing intrusion detection systems, and setting up alerts and notifications for critical events.

By conducting regular vulnerability assessments and security audits, organizations can proactively identify and address potential data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-RP devices, thereby enhancing their overall security posture and reducing the likelihood of data breaches or loss.

How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC

Although the NAS Turbo Station TS-879U-RP can be accessed over the network, you still need to remove its hard disks and connect them directly to a Windows PC. Only then can the recovery software properly scan and analyze the drives. Follow these steps:

1. Power off the NAS and disconnect it from the power source.

   WARNING! Before removing any drives, carefully read the device manual. Improper actions may damage both the NAS enclosure and the hard disks in the RAID array.

2. Remove the hard disks one by one, gently sliding each drive out of its slot. Remember that hard disks are highly sensitive: any impact or drop can cause serious physical damage.

3. Label each hard disk according to its position inside the NAS. The order of the drives is crucial for correct RAID reconstruction.

4. Connect the drives to your computer. In this video, we explain which ports you can use to connect hard disks and what to do if your PC does not have enough free connectors.

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   How to Order Remote Data Recovery

Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery

This program restores data from damaged RAID arrays and is fully compatible with QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-RP. Each hard disk in the array contains technical metadata describing how files were written. When launched, Hetman RAID Recovery analyzes this metadata, automatically reconstructs the damaged array, and provides access to its contents. After that, you can browse the recovered disk and save your files. The program can also restore files that were accidentally deleted from the network drive.

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How to recover data from a QNAP

Turbo Station TS-879U-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);

How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images

This utility allows you to create a complete copy of a disk and work with the disk image instead of the physical drive. This approach helps protect your data from:

• Overwriting during the recovery process;
• Additional data loss caused by bad sectors;
• User errors.

To create a disk image, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have enough free space to store the image. Its size will typically match the size of the original disk.

2. In the main window, select the target disk and choose Tools - Save Disk. You can also select multiple disks if needed.

3. When the Image Creation Wizard opens, select whether you want to save the entire disk or only a specific region. Adjust the settings and click Next.

   

4. Choose the directory where the image will be saved. You may select any available disk connected to your PC or upload the image via FTP.

   

Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?

The QNAP Turbo Station TS-879U-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.

RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison