When things go wrong, however, they can go terribly wrong. Like a strand of Christmas lights with burnt-out bulbs, failed or offline drives can wreak havoc on a RAID. If two or more RAID disks go bad, in many cases that is enough to blink the entire storage system out of existence for users.

At that point, the network administrator managing the server has some difficult decisions to make, and likely with some urgency and pressure. One option that may seem attractive is to force an offline drive back online and thereby re-enable the entire RAID. This scenario is very common, and often results in a nice company share being run through the paper shredder as the RAID is rebuilt incorrectly.

Fortunately, Datarecovery.com has pioneered a method for cleanly recovering data from an incorrectly rebuilt RAID.

How an Incorrect RAID Rebuild Can Cause File System Issues

In order to understand Datarecovery.com’s process in this type of RAID recovery, it’s first important to understand exactly how RAID rebuilds work. To explain, let’s take a look at an example.

In a RAID-5 with three hard drives, the RAID can still function even if one of the three drives experiences an issue or fails completely. This RAID is said to be in a degraded state because it no longer has redundancy. Still, because it was previously redundant and the data from the two functional hard drives is still accessible, the RAID will continue to operate.

In the most common types of RAIDs (including this RAID-5 but also RAID-6, RAID-10, RAID-50), the RAID processor will write data “stripes” on each of the hard drives. A “stripe” is essentially just a chunk of data. The term demonstrates both that it isn’t writing complete data and that the data is spread across all the drives. In its simplest form, putting all of the stripes together forms a complete volume. (A volume is another word for a logical storage unit, such as the C: drive on a Windows computer.)

The RAID owner in our example can replace the one damaged hard drive and begin the process of rebuilding. Once the rebuild is finished, the RAID is redundant once more, and like last time, another hard drive failure would not result in any data loss. However, if the process was not done correctly or if hardware or software issues prevented a healthy rebuild, data loss can (and probably will) occur.

Common Issues That Can Result in a RAID Rebuild Failure

Additional Hard Drive Failures: If one component of the RAID fails and all the other disks are the same size and speed and operating in the same conditions, then those other RAID disks could be close to the end of their operating lives, too. Any one of those hard drives could fail next. In fact, running a rebuild will by its nature cause high mechanical stress that could then lead to an additional drive failure.

Other Hardware Issues: The RAID can become quite hot during the rebuild process, which can occasionally lead to a secondary failure. In addition to the heat, a sudden power failure could also prevent the RAID from successfully rebuilding. The surrounding hardware such as a RAID controller card, motherboard, or server backplane, may be the actual cause of the original drive going offline rather than the drive itself. In that situation, nothing stops it from occurring again and particularly during the high usage of a rebuild.

Accidental Rebuild Issues: In addition to these technological issues, there’s always a chance that you could make a mistake during the rebuild. For instance, you could accidentally run a rebuild with hard drives in an improper order or configuration.

Rebuild attempts with the above conditions will have unpredictable consequences. The rebuild could stop immediately, or the entire RAID could be overwritten, effectively wiping all the data.

How Datarecovery.com Achieved a Full, Clean Recovery From a RAID-5 with Six Hard Drives

The Scenario: Datarecovery.com was contacted by the network administrator of a RAID server system who had suddenly lost power due to an outage. According to the network administrator, the data appeared to be damaged when the power came back and the array finally restarted. The client could not determine whether there had been an attempted rebuild, but one thing was clear: due to the importance of the data, a full recovery was the top priority.

(1) Original data trace analysis on 6 drives

The Analysis: Upon receiving the RAID and examining what went wrong, a Datarecovery.com engineer discovered scattered data, almost like it had gone through a virtual paper shredder. This was a clear indication of a failed rebuild. However, there was no recognizable method to the madness beyond an empty block in five out of every six stripes. (A block is one part of a stripe of data.) Additionally, on most of the stripes, the data block on the last drive was identical with the data block on another block within the stripe. This implied that a manual rebuild had been attempted, but wasn’t successful.

After tracing the sequential data and taking note of the order of the data blocks, Datarecovery.com’s engineers were able to figure out that some blocks were missing. However, from stripe to stripe, data appeared to progress correctly. Engineers determined that this meant the RAID had previously been rebuilt with an additional drive added to the array. What now appeared to be a six-drive RAID-5 with serious problems was originally a five-drive RAID-5.

The Process: After figuring out the root cause of the issue, Datarecovery.com’s first goal was to tackle the missing data blocks. Some stripes had no empty blocks, and other stripes had a duplicated block in place of a parity block (redundancy data), so those stripes were excluded from this part. But for the remaining bulk of stripes, engineers performed “spot tests” and were successful in hand-rebuilding the empty blocks.

Here, engineers were faced with the huge amount of data and the extremely unusual block pattern. They needed an automated solution that didn’t currently exist so they could perform a similar calculation over the full lengths of all the hard drives. They turned to Datarecovery.com’s programming specialist who developed a program that identified the empty blocks using the consistent pattern in figure 1, rebuilt missing blocks using the right combination of the existing good data blocks and the parity block, and then wrote it to a logical copy of the drive images.

(2) Parity & data order traced in remaining 5 disks, finally pattern found to be 30 stripes

After running the program, the engineering team analyzed the RAID array again. The missing data blocks had been recreated, and they could see there was no longer missing data within the stripes. However there was still a major problem — the erratic block order.

Because the fifth drive only contained repeat data and Datarecovery.com engineers had already used it to successfully recalculate the missing blocks, the engineers were able to ignore that drive for the rest of the process. This now presented the team with a 5-drive RAID-5 with an unusual block order.

To create a usable system, Datarecovery.com engineers needed to reorder the blocks. But there was no easily discernible pattern to the data blocks. Off-the-shelf software tools certainly were no help at this point. Because there were over two million data blocks within this RAID, manually reconstructing the blocks was not an option. Datarecovery.com engineers would need to determine a pattern (if one existed) in order to reconstruct.

To do this, engineers mapped a large number of blocks in hopes of discovering a repeating pattern. Initially mapping only the parity blocks, repetition was finally found in a 30-stripe pattern after 60 stripes had been mapped. Engineers made “spot checks” to other locations to confirm the pattern. Then the engineers performed the longer process of mapping the order of the four data blocks in each of those stripes. When that was done, engineers had defined the complete block order pattern shown in figure 2.

Datarecovery.com’s engineers then built a template of the RAID’s block order compatible with more conventional RAID software tools. These tools are commonly used to process standard RAID patterns. But in this case, the template allowed the software to follow the unique pattern of this array in order to successfully rebuild the RAID and place all the data blocks into the correct sequential order.

The Result: Datarecovery.com was able to successfully achieve a positive result with no corruption whatsoever — all files across the RAID-5 were finally accessible. Despite the incorrect rebuild and seemingly insurmountable data order issues, Datarecovery.com was able to provide a complete copy of all files on the array.

It’s Still Possible to Recover Data From an Incorrectly Rebuilt RAID Array

To put it simply, an incorrect RAID rebuild can cause more damage to your data than you realize, and the risk of this loss is too great to just leave up to chance. For this reason, it’s always best to pursue professional RAID data recovery services instead of trying to figure things out yourself. If you’re dealing with issues with your RAID, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals at Datarecovery.com and seek their help. Datarecovery.com’s expert engineers have proven time and time again that RAID recovery is possible, even if the RAID has been incorrectly rebuilt. Contact Datarecovery.com today for a free quote.

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Nevertheless, data recovery cases are often received in which rebuilds or server changes were improperly handled, resulting in some form of data loss and even overwritten data. This can be catastrophic for IT departments, as the NAS and RAID systems offered by Aberdeen often hold terabytes of vital information. As such, we treat every data recovery case on a Aberdeen LLC device as a priority. Even in extreme cases, our experience in the field and knowledge of the various file systems used by Aberdeen LLC has led to a high recoverability rate, even when data has been partially overwritten.

Recovery Process for Aberdeen Devices

Data recovery on Aberdeen LLC devices typically involves two phases: a standard hard drive recovery phase (if data has been lost due to a hard drive failure), followed by a specialized approach to rebuild each system of drives in the correct order to recover intact data. This second phase is addressed on a case by case basis, as the high level of specialization in Aberdeen LLC devices makes a universal data recovery plan impossible.

Only high-level engineers with experience with RAID, NAS, and various other multi-drive arrays are allowed to work on Aberdeen LLC devices, and we work closely with our clients to develop a plan based on the operating system, file system, the exact cause of the failure, and other variables. Many modern Aberdeen LLC devices use VMWare virtualization software, and Datarecovery.com engineers are leaders in VMWare recovery techniques. You can read more about our techniques and capabilities for VMWare systems by speaking with a member of our data recovery team – call 1.800.237.4200 to get started.

Remote Recovery Options for Aberdeen Data Recovery

Because of the high level of complexity involved, some Aberdeen LLC cases are recovered onsite. This is especially true when a hard drive failure caused the data loss. However, in many instances remote recovery is possible, although the possibility of remote recovery needs to be directly assessed by a data recovery engineer.

Remote recovery requires secure, block level access to the array or NAS. Engineers connect to the system, repair damaged VMFS volumes or other volumes dependent on the operation and design of the device, and allow the volume to be easily mounted. This process minimizes downtime and can sometimes be completed in only a few hours.

Supported Aberdeen Devices

Datarecovery.com supports recovery on the following Aberdeen LLC devices. As data recovery techniques are constantly improving, it’s impossible to list every recoverable system, and recovery techniques will vary for different devices. Contact us to speak to an engineer for an estimation of your case’s cost and the likelihood of recovery.

Please note that this is not a complete list.  We currently offer data recovery services for all Aberdeen storage systems.

• Aberdeen AberNAS 211
• Aberdeen Sterling 267
• Aberdeen Petarack SAN
• AberSAN Z-Series
• AberSAN-FC Kit and Other Fibre SAN Devices
• Aberdeen AberNAS LX Series
• Aberdeen XDAS iSCSI Series
• All Aberdeen JBOD Devices (including JBOD expansion sets)
• Aberdeen iSCSI SAN Series
• Aberdeen XDAS and NAS Servers

If you’re interested in remote recovery, call us today at 1.800.237.4200 to speak with an engineer who can assess whether remote recovery is possible on your device.
Call us now at 1.800.237.4200 for a free consultation.

ABERDEEN RAID

*Aberdeen is a registered trademark of Aberdeen, LLC. and is not affiliated with Datarecovery.com, Inc. in any way. All product names, registered trademarks, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Regardless of the operating system, RAID 5 uses one of four algorithms for disk placement. NOTE: If you are attempting to repair a damaged RAID array, we strongly recommend contacting our RAID experts at 1.800.237.4200; do not attempt to determine your RAID’s drive order if you do not have significant experience with RAID troubleshooting.

The RAID parity rotation variations include:

• Left Asynchrous – In this layout, data segments are numbered sequentially starting with the first non-parity drive in the stripe. The parity starts at the last drive and moves backwards (one drive per stripe).This is the hardware standard RAID layout, but it is not default for either Windows 2000, 2003 Server, or Linux. The left asynchronous layout is sometimes referred to as “backwards parity” or “standard rotation.”
• Left Synchrous – This layout uses sequentially numbered segments that start with the first drive in the stripe after the parity. The data segments wrap. The parity starts at the left-most drive, then moves right (one drive per stripe).Linux uses the left synchrous layout as a default.For large reads, left synchrous is the most efficient option. Each consecutive group of segments will use all of the disks in the array, provided that those segments are no longer than the total number of hard drives in the array.
• Right Asynchronous – Also known as forward parity rotation, the right asynchronous layout uses sequentially numbered segments that start at the first non-parity drive in the stripe. The parity starts at the right-most drive and moves left (again, one drive per stripe).
• Right Synchronous – Once again, segments are numbered sequentially starting with the first drive after the parity. The parity starts at the right-most drive and moves left with one drive per stripe, and the segments wrap.

Drive order is an extremely important part of the RAID data recovery process. Our engineers need to determine the parity rotation and order before they begin destriping the array, or the resulting data will be completely unusable. We use a variety of tools to determine parity rotation based on the configuration of each array.

Step Five: De-Striping the Array

By using software developed in our research lab, we can destripe the reconstructed RAID array fairly easily. Our tools copy stripes from each member of the array in a manner that corresponds to the initial RAID configuration. These tools can also apply XOR calculations.

When the process is complete, we have a complete copy of the data on your array as it existed prior to failure. However, there could still be some corruption and file system errors, especially if your array was operated after losing one or more members or if you carried out a rebuild attempt.

Step Six: Making File System Repairs

To return your files in a working condition, we need to repair the file system by locating errors and determining whether data slippage has affected the volume. Our engineers need to ensure that essential parts of the file system are present.

As an example, consider NTFS, a common RAID file system used primarily with Windows systems. Windows creates a master file table $MFT along with metadata files, and $MFT is a relational databases consisting of rows of file records and columns of file attributes. $MFT contains at least one entry for every file on a given NTFS volume – including an entry for the $MFT itself.

Small files sized at about 1.5 KB are stored completely within the $MFT. This allows our engineers to match information within the MFT without access to the actual file being referenced, and we can use a specialized program to verify the file system and to correct for any data slippage that occurred during the data recovery process.

After recovering data from a RAID array, we copy it to the media of your choice and return it. Highly essential files can be returned electronically in some cases. To learn more or to begin the RAID data recovery process, call us today at 1.800.237.4200.

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If you need to recover files from a disk image, a hard drive, or another damaged device, call us at 1.800.237.4200 to set up a free evaluation.

What is a RAW Disk Image?

A disk image file is an exact bit-for-bit copy of an entire hard drive, solid-state drive, or optical disk. The image contain a complete copy of all of the data stored on the source drive – not just files and folders. A typical image will include the disk’s boot sector, file allocation tables or MFT (if applicable), volume attributes, directory forks, free space, and slack space.

A disk image is not a collection of files or folders.  It is an exact duplicate of the raw data of the original disk, sector by sector, in the form of a single file. Disk images can be created for any hard drive, solid-state drive, or other storage device, and some operating systems have built-in mounting capabilities for virtual disks (for example, Linux and Unix).

Since disk images contain raw disk data, it is possible to create an image of a disk even if it is written in an unknown format or with an uncommon operating system. Disk images are extremely useful when backing up mission-critical systems, since the resulting image will retain the OS, files, settings, and various other data. Various programs can be used to create disk image files, including Stefan Fleischmann’s Winhex, a popular file utility.

How are Disk Images Used in Data Recovery?

We create disk images or clones of every functional hard drive that we recover, and in some cases, we work from mounted virtual disks instead of working directly with the original media. This limits our clients’ risks and substantially improves the chances of a full recovery if the original hard drive is not physically damaged or if it has been temporarily repaired as part of our data recovery process.

Logical disk images are especially helpful during RAID recovery. By creating images from RAID members, we can reconstruct an array logically without swapping out physical media. We can also use software to rebuild some types of RAID arrays without their controller cards.  Finally, disk image files can allow our engineers to correct problems with data slippage, a problematic occurrence in which RAID data does not line up across multiple disks due to filesystem damage.

Disk images are extraordinarily beneficial during the data recovery process, and we use precise tools to obtain accurate images from client media. To learn more or to set up a case, call us today at 1.800.237.4200.

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In most circumstances, our engineers can focus data recovery efforts on a failed RAID array, allowing for seamless re-integration when the data is restored. A case study is included below. For more information or to get a quote for Xsan data recovery, call 1.800.237.4200 today and ask to speak with a RAID expert.

Case Study: Xsan RAID Failure During Firmware Upgrade

In July of 2008, Datarecovery.com received a call from a company with six Xserve RAID boxes (12 separate RAIDs altogether including a mirror for metadata). The company utilized this SAN for large graphic files, and it was under heavy use.

For performance reasons, the company’s technicians upgraded the firmware on all of the Xserve RAIDs. While the upgrade did not negatively affect data on most of the arrays, the final Xserve RAID encountered a serious error. The disk configuration was lost, and all of the RAID members registered as hot spares.

Any sort of reconfiguration of the RAID would result in a complete initialization of the data, which would render all of the graphic files permanently inaccessible. Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse – the company’s backups had recently failed, and they were unable to restore the data on their own.

Datarecovery.com’s lead SAN and RAID engineer spoke directly with the technicians at the company in order to create a plan that would minimize downtime. By sending a team of engineers to the company’s headquarters, Datarecovery.com was able to clone every drive in the SAN (40 drives total) within a day.

After completing this process, Datarecovery.com’s RAID team was able to analyze the cloned media from the failed Xserve RAID array. We utilized our firmware repair equipment to create a fix, then created a replacement set of Xserve RAID modules to replace the modules in the failed RAID array. The Xsan software recognized the “new” array, and the SAN was online.

The entire process took less than 48 hours and saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. We kept the costs of our services below $50,000, including the costs of our onsite engineering team, and we remained in contact with the client to verify that the data was fully intact.

Data Recovery for Xsan Software Systems

Xsan is an extremely useful software technology that allows multiple users to access a large amount of striped data across multiple Xserve RAID boxes or Promise VTrak E-Class RAID Subsystems. However, while it has numerous advantages from a technical standpoint, it is by no means perfect.

Data recovery issues occur when one of the subsystems fails, causing the entire SAN to go down (there is no redundancy built into the Xsan software, although redundant configurations are certainly possible). Datarecovery.com’s team of experienced RAID & Apple data recovery engineers will ensure optimal recovery results at a cost that fits your budget.

If your SAN requires data recovery or if a volume is inaccessible, we strongly advise seeking immediate assistance. Datarecovery.com can provide a fast quote along with detailed advice from the world’s leading Xsan data recovery experts. Call us today at 1.800.237.4200 to speak with a RAID specialist.

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Apple’s Xserve utilizes a wide variety of RAID levels, and Datarecovery.com offers services for every configuration.

The most common configuration is a standard stripe set with parity ( RAID 5). The default RAID stripe size is 64k (128 sectors), and data is striped across all of the disks with a parity block that rotates between the drives; this parity block uses the XOR algorithm.

If one disk fails in a standard RAID 5, the RAID controller card can default to degraded mode and the server can continue to operate without interruption. Data recovery may be necessary if there is corruption within essential parity blocks or if a second drive fails while the array is operating in a degraded state. Additional data loss issues include failed firmware upgrades, RAID controller card failures, and natural disasters.

Xserve also supports hardware RAID levels 0, 1, 3, and 0+1. RAID levels 10, 30, and 50 are available, but these levels must be supported supported using host-based software RAID. Our engineers have experience with every configuration, including options not supported by Xserve hardware, and each of our laboratories is completely outfitted for Xserve data recovery.

If you have an Apple Xserve and you need to recover key files after a failure, contact us right away at 1.800.237.4200 to discuss options.

Real Laboratories for Xserve RAID Data Recovery

To keep your downtime to a minimum, we will work closely with your IT staff to create a case-appropriate recovery and reintegration plan. In some circumstances, this can include on-site recovery at your location or remote data recovery. We recognize that Xserve systems play a critical role in your business’s operation, and our experience with various Xserve models allows for a RAID recovery success rate of 95 percent (dependent on scenario, RAID level, and other factors).

Datarecovery.com operates fully outfitted laboratories – unlike our competitors, we do not receive your media and immediately outsource it to another facility.  With locations throughout the United States and Canada, we can quickly gain access to your RAID media and begin working on your case. We create full clones of every drive in the array before performing data recovery, and our Apple specialists can create software on-the-fly to address your server’s specific needs.

Datarecovery.com’s Xserve technology is unparalleled, and we’re always available to provide a free consultation. Call us now at 1.800.237.4200 and ask to speak with an Xserve expert.

Apple Xserve RAID
*Xserve is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Datarecovery.com, Inc. is not affiliated with Apple Computer, Inc. All images herein are property of Apple Computer, Inc.

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The Dell PowerEdge series features enterprise-level capabilities with remarkably affordable pricing, and the servers are extremely popular with small businesses. Because of their popularity, Datarecovery.com has developed specialized technologies to treat data loss on various PowerEdge devices, and we offer service options to help businesses control their overall expenses.

PowerEdge servers use a variety of RAID configurations, but RAID 5 (a striped set with a parity) is by far the most common. PowerEdge uses a default RAID stripe of 64k, equivalent to 128 sectors, and the user’s data is striped across all disks. A parity block rotates between the member drives, ensuring redundancy.

If a single hard drive fails, the PowerEdge will not lose data – the RAID card will default to degraded mode and continue to operate without any interruption. However, if there is corruption within essential parity blocks or if more than one hard drive fails, the RAID volume will fail. These are the most common scenarios for data loss.

Creating a Plan for Dell PowerEdge Data Recovery

Datarecovery.com staffs certified engineers who are familiar with the PERC controller family, and with multiple laboratories with Class 5 clean rooms, we offer the most efficient PowerEdge recovery options nationwide. Our process begins with a thorough evaluation, which results in a price quote and a specialized recovery plan for your case.

Our engineers then create disk images of all functional RAID hard drives while repairing any damaged drives that are necessary to the set. We draw from substantial experience – many of our engineers have worked with PowerEdge servers for decades, and whether you have a tower, blade, or rack system, we can develop an optimal strategy to return all essential files on your schedule.

We provide recovery services for all PowerEdge configurations including (but not limited to):

• RAID 1 (Mirrored Set)
• RAID 0 (Striped Set)
• RAID 5
• RAID 6
• All Types of Nested RAID

Provided that your RAID has not been rebuilt in an incorrect configuration, the chances of a successful recovery are usually very high. We encourage you to contact our engineers before attempting to rebuild or repair your RAID, particularly if the cause of the failure isn’t immediately apparent. Datarecovery.com provides free consultations and RAID evaluations, and our secure laboratories give you excellent options following any server failure.

Call 1.800.237.4200 and ask to speak with our Dell PowerEdge RAID recovery experts.

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The Netgear ReadyNAS* is an innovative series of network attached storage (NAS) devices designed primarily for small offices and home computer users. ReadyNAS is remarkably powerful and reliable, despite its entry-level price tag, and the series is popular for its automatic syncing, ease of use, and built-in RAID protection.

Successful Netgear ReadyNAS* data recovery involves a detailed understanding of the Linux XFS, EXT2, EXT3 file system structures along with the standard and custom RAID parity algorithms used by these devices. Oftentimes data loss situations involve corruption of the file system, causing loss of access to all of the files on the device. Multiple disk failures can also cause data loss, despite the redundancy offered by ReadyNAS RAID options.

Datarecovery.com can restore corrupt file systems, replace damaged media, and recover all of the data from your Netgear ReadyNAS, providing fast results through our full-service laboratories in the United States and Canada.

Key features of our Netgear ReadyNAS* data recovery services:

• File System Support – We have specialized data recovery solutions for all file systems used with the Netgear ReadyNAS*, including (but not limited to) EXT2, EXT3, EXT4, and XFS.
• Simple Data Return Options – Datarecovery.com’s engineers can copy all folders to a dedicated external hard drive formatted with the same file system as your original media. In many cases, we can return small files via FTP, giving you immediate access to important data.
• On-Site Solutions – While our in-lab services are the most affordable option for home computer users and small businesses, we also offer on-site RAID data recovery for all devices. Call for more details.
  Remote recovery is not an option ReadyNAS* due to the high risk of automatic fsck engagement and RAID rebuilding.
• An Excellent Track Record – We have performed data recovery services on all Netgear ReadyNAS* systems, and our services feature success rates of over 95 percent. We can also provide references upon request.
• Multiple Locations – Each of our laboratories is outfitted for RAID data recovery.  More lab locations means faster turnaround times and higher success rates for our ReadyNAS* customers.

Because the ReadyNAS* can start rebuilding as soon as it is powered on, we recommend keeping your RAID completely unplugged until you can speak with a data recovery specialist.  24/7 services are available for emergencies, and Datarecovery.com provides a no data, no charge guarantee with every ReadyNAS* data recovery case.

For more information or to get a detailed quote from a RAID recovery engineer, call Datarecovery.com now at 1.800.237.4200

* Netgear ReadyNAS* and the Netgear ReadyNAS* logo are registered trademarks of Netgear, Inc.

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Due to the precautions built into NetApp devices, complete data loss is very rare. However, data recovery services are sometimes necessary when data is being read incorrectly, when files suddenly appear missing, and when configuration issues or hard drive failures prevent the servers from acting normally.

We’ve worked with hundreds of NetApp devices, and recovery rates are very high, in part due to their high levels of redundancy and professional features that prevent user errors.

NetApp Server/NAS Data Recovery Procedures

Many NetApp servers can be recovered remotely through a secure Internet connection.  When possible, remote recovery is preferable to both our clients and our data recovery engineers.

By connecting through the Internet to the server at a bit level, engineers are able to fix many types of corruption, resolve configuration issues, and even resolve some hard drive failures (though the failed devices will need to be replaced at the end of the data recovery process). In most situations, NetApp NAS devices simply need to be remounted after recovery procedures are complete, and the entire process can take less than a day. Typically, a NAS or SAN device’s full functionality can be restored using remote recovery.

In rare cases, in-lab recovery is necessary for servers. Our engineers assess each situation to make sure that in-lab procedures are only used when it’s absolutely critical for the data recovery process, as we understand that downtime is a major issue in all server recovery cases. Onsite NetApp recovery is possible in some instances, and we will discuss all available options to limit expenses.

In these situations, the drives from the NAS, SAN, or RAID must be shipped to one of our laboratories, where we combine standard data recovery techniques with advanced virtualization to simulate the original operating environment of the server.

We create clones of all hard drives to ensure that the process is completely non-destructive. All in-lab server cases are expedited, and 24/7 recovery work is available for extreme situations. All data is handled securely, and every step is taken to ensure efficient processing. In-lab recovery work also has a very high success rate.

NetApp Error Messages

Many error messages can indicate data loss on NetApp devices, and the exact messages displayed will differ depending on your operating environment.

For example, “The system cannot find the device specified” is sometimes displayed in Windows when a NetApp NAS cannot locate its media. However, this can also be displayed for a variety of other reasons–it’s best to contact NetApp support if this error message arises, particularly if it only seems to pop up when certain programs are in use.

“Failure of controller” indicates that the controller is functioning improperly and is unable to boot normally. This is different from “Failback of controller,” which indicates that the controller failed, but restored to older settings or fell back to another controller; the device should be functioning properly (although maintenance may be necessary) when “Failback of controller” is displayed.

Several hard drives can fail simultaneously on any server, and although this is exceptionally rare, it is a possible scenario. If multiple hard drives have failed, it’s vital to keep your NetApp device powered off until contacting a data recovery engineer for further instructions.

To diagnose a specific NetApp error message, call us at 1.800.237.4200 and ask to speak with a NAS specialist.

Supported Devices for NetApp Data Recovery

We support data recovery on every NetApp device, regardless of configuration, operating system, or file system. A partial list of supported products is below. If your device is not listed, please contact an engineer at 1.800.237.4200 to discuss options.

• FAS8000 Series
• FAS2500 Series
• FAS6000 Series
• FAS3100 Series
• FAS2000 Series
• Data ONTAP GX Systems
• NearStore on FAS
• NetApp VTL
• V6000 Series
• V3100 Series
• Information Server – IS1200
• E5500 and All SAN Devices Including Flash-Based Systems

Preparing for NetApp Data Recovery

Do not attempt to initialize or rebuild a NetApp server without contacting a data recovery engineer, as this can compromise data integrity. Collect as much information about the failure as possible, and also some information about the server itself, specifically its configuration, the number of drives (and their capacities), operating system, file system, and any error messages that were logged leading up to the data loss.

The data recovery process is usually very fast, but providing as much information as possible will decrease turnaround time and help to keep costs low. Once you have this information, call us at 1.800.237.4200 and ask to speak directly with a NetApp RAID Engineer.

Visit this page for more contact options or to set up a case online.

*NetApp and its product names are registered trademarks of NetApp Corporation located in Sunnyvale, California netapp.com. NetApp is not affiliated with Datarecovery.com, Inc. in any way. All product names, registered trademarks, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Step One: Cloning Each RAID Member as a Raw Image

Before attempting recovery or analysis, our engineers need to protect RAID media from potential damage. We clone all working discs into large raw images. This ensures that the RAID data is recoverable even in the unlikely event of subsequent media failures or failed recovery attempts.

We verify all disk images before proceeding to the next step, then create additional backups of the raw images on a storage server. These backups are also verified.

If a RAID has one or more failed disks, it progresses to step two. If the RAID has logical issues, we proceed to step three.

Step Two: Recovering Failed RAID Media

Some RAID media is inaccessible, and when this is the case, our engineers need to work in a Class 5 clean room to diagnose and repair the problem.

Many hard drives contain failed heads, which must be removed from the hard drive and replaced. Datarecovery.com engineers can use specialized equipment to read each platter, creating a raw image that can be used in the next stage of recovery.

When creating disk images of damaged hard drives, we need to remove bad sectors that were marked as such when the drives were manufactured. If we do not remove bad sectors, data slippage will occur, and the recovered data will not be usable. Datarecovery.com has developed a number of tools that allow engineers to easily locate bad sectors on individual hard drives, preventing data slippage and allowing for a more efficient RAID data recovery process.

After we create a functional set of disk images, our engineers can move on to step three.

Step Three: Analyzing the Clone Images

The next step requires a thorough analysis of all images to ensure that they are identical to the original media. This will allow our engineers to successfully recreate the RAID volume using special software tools. Datarecovery.com developed many commonly used tools for RAID recovery, but without a thorough analysis, recovery attempts will often fail.

This step can vary from case to case. We make sure that data and parities (where applicable) are consistent. We compare data across all disk images to make sure that complete files are present. If a rebuild was carried out on the array, we check to see whether data was overwritten. We review the analysis and then proceed to step four.

Click here to view steps four through six of our comprehensive guide to RAID data recovery.

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