RAID Array Recovery on NAS Thecus N8800PRO: Essential Tips for When It Breaks

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 hardware failure lead to data loss in NAS Thecus N8800PRO devices?

Hardware failure in NAS Thecus N8800PRO devices can lead to data loss in several ways:

1. Hard Drive Failure: The most common hardware failure in NAS devices is the failure of one or more hard drives. If a hard drive fails in the NAS, it can result in the loss of all the data stored on that drive.
2. RAID Controller Failure: NAS devices like the Thecus N8800PRO often use RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) technology to provide data redundancy and improve performance. If the RAID controller fails, it can lead to data loss or corruption across all the drives in the RAID array.
3. Power Supply Failure: A faulty or failed power supply can cause the NAS device to shut down abruptly, potentially leading to data loss or corruption if any write operations were in progress at the time of the failure.
4. Overheating: NAS devices generate a significant amount of heat, and if the cooling system fails or is inadequate, it can result in overheating of the hardware components. Overheating can cause damage to the hard drives, motherboard, or other critical components, leading to data loss.
5. Firmware or Software Corruption: Hardware failures can sometimes cause firmware or software corruption in the NAS device. If the firmware or software becomes corrupted, it may not be able to access or retrieve the data stored on the drives, resulting in data loss.
6. Network or Connectivity Issues: Hardware failures in the network interface card (NIC) or other networking components of the NAS device can lead to connectivity issues. If the NAS cannot connect to the network, it may not be accessible, resulting in data loss.

To mitigate the risk of data loss due to hardware failure, it is important to regularly back up the data stored on the NAS device to an external storage medium or a cloud backup service. Additionally, monitoring the health of the hardware components, ensuring proper cooling and ventilation, and using redundant hardware configurations like RAID can help minimize the impact of hardware failures on data loss.

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

Although NAS N8800PRO 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 N8800PRO. 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

N8800PRO 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 N8800PRO 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