NAS QNAP VS-2104L RAID Arrays: Recovering Data from Mechanical and Logical Failures

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS QNAP VS-2104L
• 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 data redundancy techniques such as mirroring or replication enhance data availability and protect against loss on NAS QNAP VS-2104L devices?

Data redundancy techniques such as mirroring or replication can enhance data availability and protect against loss on NAS QNAP VS-2104L devices in the following ways:

1. Mirroring: Mirroring involves creating an exact copy of the data on one disk to another disk in real-time. In case of a disk failure, the mirrored disk can take over seamlessly, ensuring continuous availability of data. QNAP VS-2104L devices support RAID 1, which is a mirroring technique that provides redundancy by writing data to two disks simultaneously. This protects against data loss if one disk fails.
2. Replication: Replication involves creating multiple copies of data and distributing them across different devices or locations. QNAP VS-2104L devices support various replication methods, such as remote replication or snapshot replication. Remote replication allows you to replicate data to a remote QNAP NAS, ensuring data availability even if the primary device fails. Snapshot replication creates point-in-time copies of data, allowing you to restore data to a previous state in case of accidental deletion or corruption.
3. High Availability (HA): QNAP VS-2104L devices also support High Availability, which ensures continuous availability of data by utilizing two NAS devices in an active-passive configuration. In this setup, one NAS serves as the active device, while the other remains in standby. If the active device fails, the standby device takes over seamlessly, minimizing downtime and data loss.
4. Data Scrubbing: QNAP VS-2104L devices offer data scrubbing functionality, which periodically checks and repairs data integrity issues on the disks. This helps to identify and correct errors before they lead to data loss or corruption.

By implementing these data redundancy techniques, QNAP VS-2104L devices can enhance data availability by providing continuous access to data even in the event of hardware failures or disasters. Additionally, they protect against data loss by creating redundant copies of data and allowing for easy restoration in case of accidental deletion or corruption.

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

Although the NAS VS-2104L 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 VS-2104L. 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

VS-2104L has 2 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 1;

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 VS-2104L 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