What to Do When Your NAS Thecus N8200XXX RAID Array Breaks: Recovery Tips

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 Thecus 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 regular data verification or checksum processes help maintain data integrity on NAS Thecus N8200XXX devices?

Regular data verification or checksum processes can help maintain data integrity on NAS Thecus N8200XXX devices in the following ways:

1. Detecting data corruption: Regular data verification processes involve checking the integrity of data stored on the NAS device. By comparing the checksums or hashes of the data against the original values, any corruption or alteration in the data can be detected. This ensures that the data remains intact and has not been tampered with.
2. Preventing silent data corruption: Silent data corruption refers to the situation where data gets corrupted without any indication or error message. Regular data verification processes can help identify such silent data corruption by comparing the checksums or hashes of the data. If any discrepancies are found, it indicates that the data has been corrupted and appropriate actions can be taken to rectify it.
3. Ensuring data reliability: Data verification processes help ensure that the data stored on the NAS device is reliable and can be trusted. By regularly verifying the integrity of the data, any inconsistencies or errors can be identified and corrected. This enhances the overall reliability of the data stored on the device.
4. Early detection of hardware issues: Regular data verification processes can also help in early detection of any hardware issues on the NAS device. If the data verification process consistently reports errors or discrepancies, it could indicate a problem with the hardware components such as hard drives or memory modules. Prompt action can then be taken to address these issues before they lead to data loss or further corruption.
5. Maintaining data consistency: By performing regular data verification or checksum processes, organizations can ensure that the data stored on multiple Thecus N8200XXX devices remains consistent. This is particularly important in scenarios where data is replicated or synchronized across multiple devices. Any discrepancies in the checksums or hashes can indicate inconsistencies in the data, allowing for appropriate measures to be taken to restore data consistency.

Overall, regular data verification or checksum processes play a vital role in maintaining data integrity on NAS Thecus N8200XXX devices. They help in detecting and preventing data corruption, ensuring data reliability, detecting hardware issues, and maintaining data consistency.

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

Although NAS N8200XXX 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 Thecus N8200XXX. 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 Thecus

N8200XXX has 8 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

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

NAS supports:

• EXT3;
• EXT4;
• XFS;

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 Thecus N8200XXX 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