- 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?
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 TerraMaster 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 TerraMaster D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3 devices?
Storage tiering and caching strategies can have a significant impact on data availability and potential loss on NAS TerraMaster D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3 devices. Here's how:
- Improved Data Availability: Storage tiering allows you to categorize data based on its importance or frequency of access. By automatically moving frequently accessed or critical data to faster storage tiers (such as SSDs), you can ensure faster access times and improved data availability. This means that important data will be readily accessible, reducing the risk of potential loss due to delays or unavailability.
- Enhanced Performance: Caching strategies, such as SSD caching, can significantly boost performance by storing frequently accessed data in a high-speed cache. This reduces the need to fetch data from slower HDDs, resulting in faster read and write speeds. Improved performance ensures that data is readily available and reduces the chances of potential loss due to sluggish response times or bottlenecks.
- Data Redundancy and Protection: Some storage tiering strategies, such as using RAID configurations, offer data redundancy and protection against potential loss. RAID configurations can distribute data across multiple drives, providing redundancy and allowing for data recovery in case of drive failures. This protects against data loss and ensures high data availability even in the event of hardware failures.
- Efficient Resource Utilization: Storage tiering and caching strategies optimize resource utilization by ensuring that frequently accessed data is stored on faster storage tiers. This reduces the load on slower storage tiers, allowing them to be used for less critical or infrequently accessed data. Efficient resource utilization minimizes the risk of potential loss by ensuring that data is stored and accessed in the most appropriate manner.
- Backup and Disaster Recovery: By implementing storage tiering and caching strategies, you can allocate specific storage tiers for backups and disaster recovery purposes. This ensures that critical data is backed up and readily available for recovery in case of data loss or system failures. Proper backup and disaster recovery mechanisms minimize the potential loss of data and ensure its availability when needed.
In summary, storage tiering and caching strategies on NAS TerraMaster D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3 devices can improve data availability, enhance performance, provide data redundancy, optimize resource utilization, and facilitate backup and disaster recovery, thereby reducing the potential loss of data.
How to take hard disks out of the NAS and connect them to a PC?
Although NAS D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3 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:
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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.
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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.
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Make sure to mark each hard disk in accordance with how they were installed inside the NAS.
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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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Restoring data with Hetman RAID Recovery
This program recovers data from damaged RAID arrays and is fully compatible with TerraMaster D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3. 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.
D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3 has 2 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:
- RAID 0;
- RAID 1;
- JBOD;
NAS supports:
- Ext2;
- Ext3;
- Ext4;
- Btrfs;
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:
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Make sure that you have enough free space to save the image. The image file size usually equals the disk size.
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Select the disk in the main window, and choose from the menu Tools – Save Disk. You can select multiple disks to be saved.
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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.
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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 TerraMaster D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3 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
Product | Operating system | License type | RAID controller support | Supported file systems | Virtual RAID controller support | Data recovery from damaged RAID | File preview |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hetman RAID Recovery | Windows | Paid | Yes, over 100 controllers | FAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, HFS+ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
DiskInternals RAID Recovery | Windows | Paid | Yes, over 100 controllers | FAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, HFS+ | No | Yes | Yes |
R-Studio | Windows, Mac, Linux | Paid | Yes, over 200 controllers | FAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, HFS+ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
UFS Explorer RAID Recovery | Windows, Mac, Linux | Paid | Yes, over 1,000 controllers | FAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, HFS+ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
EaseUS Data Recovery | Windows | Paid | Yes, over 20 controllers | FAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, HFS+ | No | Yes | Yes |
ReclaiMe Free RAID Recovery | Windows | Free | Yes, over 100 controllers | FAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, HFS+ | Yes | Yes | Yes |
To make a backup for the NAS TerraMaster D2-330 TD2 Thunderbolt 3, you can follow these steps:
Note: The exact steps may vary slightly depending on the version of the TerraMaster NAS management software you are using. It's recommended to refer to the user manual or documentation provided by TerraMaster for more detailed instructions specific to your device.