Preventing Data Loss on NAS Thecus N8900PRO and Recovering Deleted Files: Comprehensive Strategy

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 performance monitoring and optimization help in preventing data loss on NAS Thecus N8900PRO devices?

Regular performance monitoring and optimization can help in preventing data loss on NAS Thecus N8900PRO devices in the following ways:

1. Early detection of issues: By regularly monitoring the performance of the NAS device, you can identify any potential issues or bottlenecks that could lead to data loss. This allows you to take proactive measures to address the problem before it escalates.
2. Identifying resource utilization: Performance monitoring helps you understand how resources such as CPU, memory, and storage are being utilized. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify any resource constraints that could impact the availability and integrity of your data.
3. Capacity planning: Monitoring the storage capacity of the NAS device helps you plan for future growth and prevent data loss due to insufficient storage space. By identifying trends and patterns in data usage, you can proactively allocate additional storage or optimize existing storage to avoid data loss.
4. RAID health monitoring: Thecus N8900PRO devices support RAID configurations for data redundancy and protection. Regular performance monitoring allows you to check the health and status of the RAID arrays, ensuring that they are functioning properly and protecting your data against drive failures.
5. Network monitoring: Monitoring the network connectivity and performance of the NAS device helps you identify any issues that could lead to data loss, such as network congestion or connectivity failures. By detecting and resolving these issues promptly, you can ensure uninterrupted access to your data.
6. Backup monitoring: Regularly monitoring the backup processes and schedules on the NAS device helps you verify the integrity and completeness of your data backups. This ensures that you have a reliable backup in case of data loss events.
7. Firmware and software updates: Performance monitoring can help you identify any compatibility issues or bugs in the NAS device's firmware or software. By keeping the device up to date with the latest updates and patches, you can prevent potential vulnerabilities that could lead to data loss.

Overall, regular performance monitoring and optimization of NAS Thecus N8900PRO devices can help you proactively identify and address any issues that could potentially lead to data loss, ensuring the availability and integrity of your data.

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

Although NAS N8900PRO 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 N8900PRO. 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

N8900PRO 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 N8900PRO 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