Recovering crucial data from a corrupted or broken RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) set can be a daunting task, but with the right guide and tools it can be recovered efficiently. This guide will help you to identify the problems and help you to choose the appropriate recovery techniques. Also show how to perform the data recovery process using RAID data recovery software.
Understanding RAID and Its Failure
Redundant Array of Independent Disks, also known as RAID, that use different storage medium, like HDD (Hard Drive) or SSDs,( Solid State Drive) to increase the data performance, reliability, and fault tolerance. By dividing data across multiple drives, RAID offers various configurations, known as array, each dedicated to address specific requirements.
- RAID 0 (Striping): In RAID 0 the data is striped across the disks in the enclosure .Thus its provide higher performance of all raid level. However it lack fault tolerance, means if one drive fails, all data is lost
- RAID 1 (Mirroring): In RAID 1 Data is mirrored across the drives. It provides higher read speed and can withstand one drive failure.
- RAID 5 (Striping with Parity): It requires minimum three drives and follow striping and distributed parity (data storage mechanisms.) This RAID levels balances performance and also provides fault tolerance. It can survive up to 1 drive failure.
- RAID 6 (Striping with Double Parity): It requires minimum 4 drives. It offers dual parity, thus can survive up to 2 drives’ failure.
- RAID 10 (1+0, Mirroring and Striping): It combines RAID 1 and RAID 0 levels and requires minimum 4 drives. The RAID level offers high performance. Additionally, it can survive up to 1 drive failure (until one drive in the Mirrored set of RAID 1 is functioning).
Common Symptoms of RAID Array Failures
- RAID Partition Loss: It may happen due to file system corruption that can make partition and its data inaccessible. Other factors, such as power surge, hardware or software errors, bad sectors, can also cause partition loss.
- Improper RAID configuration or setup: if there were any interruption during the configuration process due to insufficient power supply or corrupted drives, the RAID will not be configured properly and lead to errors.
- RAID Controller Errors: The RAID controller, which manages the array, can fail or malfunction. It can lead to inaccessible RAID.
- Firmware Issues: Firmware corruption or compatibility issues can cause RAID arrays to behave unpredictably, leading to degradation or failure.
RAID Data Recovery from Broken RAID Sets : Using Stellar Data Recovery Technician
Step 1: Stop Using the RAID Array
Do not use hit-and-trial methods if your RAID fails, especially if it contains critical data. Continuing to use a broken RAID can make data recovery difficult and sometimes impossible.
Step 2: Disconnect Hard Drives from the RAID Rack
Turn off or unplug the broken RAID set and carefully remove each hard drive from the array. Store the drives in a safe location.
Step 3: Utilize SATA/IDE connectors to attach drives.
After disconnecting drives from RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 6, or Hybrid RAID arrays, connect each drive to a Windows PC. If your laptop or PC motherboard lacks sufficient SATA/IDE ports, you can use SATA/IDE connectors or a SATA/IDE USB converter cable or enclosure.
Step 4: Check Disk SMART Status
Use RAID data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery Technician, which includes the Stellar Drive Monitor, a SMART disk monitoring utility. This utility allows you to check the SMART disk status before starting the recovery process.
This step is crucial because a drive can fail unexpectedly due to underlying issues, which might have caused your RAID to break. By checking the SMART status, you gain valuable insight into the drive’s condition and its ability to endure a data recovery scan.
Download and launch the Stellar Data Recovery Technician software. Then follow these steps:
- Click the Waffle icon at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select ‘Monitor Drive.’ The Stellar Drive Monitor utility will then launch.
- Everything should be green colored. If any of this is yellow or red, you need to clone the drive immediately
RAID Data Recovery Process from Data from Broken RAID Set
- Select the type of data you wish to recover and click on the ‘Next’ button.
- Select ‘Raid Recovery’ to recover the Raid Arrays.
- A new ‘RAID Construction’ Window appears
- Click on the appropriate RAID tab (RAID 0, RAID 5, or RAID 6). The connected RAID hard disks will appear in the ‘Select Hard drives to reconstruct RAID’ list box.
- Click on each RAID hard disk one at a time and use the arrow button to add or remove drives from the ‘Select Hard drives to reconstruct RAID’ list box to the ‘Move hard drives up/down for disk order’ list box.
- Arrange the hard disks in the correct sequence (starting from Disk 0) by using the up or down arrow buttons next to the list view box. Ensure they are in the same order as they were originally in the RAID stack.
- If you don’t know the start sector of the drives, check the ‘Don’t know start sector of drives. Show a list of probable start sectors’ checkbox. A new checklist box will appear in the ‘Select RAID Parameter’ section.
- Choose one or more probable start sectors from the list or enter the desired start sector in the text box and click the ‘Add Sector’ button if it is not listed.
- Choose the stripe or block size from the ‘Select Stripe/Block Size’ dropdown menu. Then, select the parity order or rotation from the ‘Select Parity Order/Rotation’ dropdown. Finally, choose the parity repetition or delay from the ‘Select Parity Repetition/Delay’ dropdown. The RAID administrator or the user who set it up will know these values.
- After configuring and selecting the RAID parameters in the software, click the ‘Build RAID’ button.
- In ‘Select Volume to Recover Data’, choose the volume from the listed RAID volume – from where data is to be recovered.
- Select desired files to Recover and start saving the recovered RAID data.
What to do After the RAID Data Recovery?
RAID recovery helps to recover data from logically damaged, failed, or broken RAID arrays. However, RAID isn’t a substitute for Backups. So, ensure that once you’re done with the data recovery process, you can continue to take the backup of your RAID.
Also, you can run the scan to check hard drives in the RAID stack monthly to monitor their health. This way, you can know the driver’s status and take precautionary actions to protect your data and drive from further damage.
