Professional Guidance on Recovering NAS Raidon InTANK iT4300-S3 Data from RAID Arrays

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 Raidon 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 data fragmentation impact the read and write speeds, and potential data loss on NAS Raidon InTANK iT4300-S3 devices?

Data fragmentation can have several impacts on read and write speeds, as well as potential data loss, on NAS Raidon InTANK iT4300-S3 devices. Here are some ways data fragmentation can affect these aspects:

1. Read and Write Speeds: When data is fragmented, it is scattered across different physical locations on the hard drive. This can lead to increased seek times as the drive needs to access multiple locations to retrieve or write the fragmented data. As a result, read and write speeds can be significantly reduced compared to when data is stored contiguously.
2. Disk Performance: Fragmentation can also contribute to decreased overall disk performance. The continuous fragmentation of data can cause the disk to work harder to access and process the scattered data. This increased workload can lead to slower read and write speeds, affecting the overall performance of the NAS device.
3. Data Loss: Fragmentation increases the risk of data loss. If a file is fragmented and one of the fragments becomes corrupted or lost, it can result in the loss of the entire file. Fragmented data is more susceptible to errors and data corruption, which can lead to permanent data loss if not properly managed.
4. RAID Rebuild Time: In a RAID configuration, if a disk fails and needs to be replaced, the RAID system needs to rebuild the data from the remaining disks onto the new disk. If the data is heavily fragmented, the rebuild process can take longer as the system needs to access multiple locations to retrieve the fragmented data, impacting the time it takes to restore the redundancy and potentially leaving the system vulnerable during this period.

To mitigate these impacts, it is important to regularly defragment the drives on NAS Raidon InTANK iT4300-S3 devices. Defragmentation rearranges fragmented data and stores it contiguously, improving read and write speeds and reducing the risk of data loss. Additionally, implementing a regular backup strategy can help protect against potential data loss in case of fragmentation-related issues.

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

Although NAS InTANK iT4300-S3 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 Raidon InTANK iT4300-S3. 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 Raidon

InTANK iT4300-S3 has 4 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

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

NAS supports:

• APFS / HFS+;
• Ext2 / Ext3 / Ext4;

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 Raidon InTANK iT4300-S3 network-attached storage keeps OS Linux 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