Hello everybody!
Watch this video to find out how to recover data from a RAID system based on a CISCO NAS
device, model NSS3000, which is no longer working properly, how to create a RAID system,
add a shared folder, configure network connection to the storage, and get access to it.
A network-attached storage (or NAS for short) is a data storage server connected to a network
that allows its users to access the information stored in such a server.
A NAS could be a good solution if you want to protect your data from loss or damage,
as it is based on the RAID technology.
Although RAID provides a pretty reliable way to store and access your files, there are
factors that no technology can exclude.
Any NAS is a mechanical device, after all, and it may break down one day, causing you
to lose your data because you don’t have access to the disk array inside the storage
system.
Also, just as any other device, NAS systems have a certain operating life.
It means that after a few years in active use all storage devices tend to fail, sooner
or later.
On average, you may expect them to remain in service for about 5 years.
Why NAS devices fail Here’s the list of most common things that
make NAS devices break down: It usually happens after a power failure,
voltage surges, overheating, accidental formatting, reinstalling an operating system, damaging
the file system, or as a result of mechanical issues affecting the hard disks or the RAID
controller.
Very often, data can be lost from NAS devices when users decide to update their firmware.
In the end, you will need a specialized data recovery tool to rebuild the RAID and restore
access to your files.
Some manufacturers offer dedicated software tools to help you restore operability of the
hard disks.
However, the problem is that the main function of such tools is often limited to merely formatting
those disks.
When you do that, you just lose all the information they used to contain, and it’s going to
be very difficult to restore it.
In this video, I’ll show you how to work with a completely different data recovery
tool, how to rebuild a RAID with the available hard disks but without the network-attached
storage itself, what you will need for that, and how to finally access the information
on the hard disks that used to be a part of that NAS system.
How to create a RAID For starters, let’s explore how to create
a RAID system with this CISCO network storage device.
Open any browser on a computer connected to the network that includes your NAS, and type
the IP address of the server: in this model, the address is displayed on the special screen.
Log in as the administrator.
Expand the Storage tab and find the RAID option.
If you need to rebuild the existing array, click “Edit.”
You have the option to expand it by adding the fourth disk.
Click “Add” to increase the storage size.
After that, its status will change to “Spare.”
To remove the RAID, click “Delete” next to the array and click OK to confirm the action.
As a result, the RAID will be removed and all the information on its hard disks will
be erased.
To create a new disk array, select the hard disks that your future RAID should consist
of, choose the level from the drop-down list, and then click “Add.”
You will see a warning on the screen saying it will erase all the data on the selected
disks.
Click OK to continue.
After that, the system will start creating and resynching the disk array.
It is a very long process, but luckily for us, it can run in the background, so we can
proceed with further configuration.
How to create a shared folder While the resyncing process is running, you
can create a new shared folder and configure network access.
Find the Volumes option.
Select an array from the drop-down list, assign a name to it, and specify its size.
If necessary, you can enable encryption and protect access to the network drive with a
password.
When all the settings are ready, click “Add.”
Now the new volume is ready, so let’s move on to network connection.
How to enable FTP server To configure network access, open the Shares
tab, and check the Shares option here.
In the window that opens, click “Create Share.”
Give the folder name, select location, set access attributes, and choose required network
protocols (CIFS, NFS, FTP).
Look below to assign privileges to certain users, then click OK.
If you did everything right, the folder will appear on this list.
If necessary, you can edit the settings or even remove the directory you have just created.
How to recover data from a non-operable NAS When a network storage system breaks down,
it’s going to be very difficult to access the data which still remains on the hard disks
inside the storage device.
As long as Linux is the natural environment for most NAS servers, and hard disks within
a RAID are formatted into file systems supported by Linux, it is possible to try using Linux
in order to get access to the files.
However, if you know little about this operating system, we don’t recommend trying this method:
a single mistake in commands may erase all information on the hard disks for good.
On the contrary, the best solution would be to use a specialized tool for recovering data
from network-attached storage systems.
It is both quicker and more convenient, and it can save you the trouble of having to type
lots of various commands.
Hetman RAID Recovery supports most popular file systems, RAID technologies and types,
and in most cases it will be able to rebuild the damaged RAID automatically.
Before you start, make sure you have enough data and power cables to connect all your
hard disks.
It’s better to use a bunch of SATA cables to connect the disks directly to the motherboard
of your computer, but if you have only a few free SATA ports, you can use USB-to-SATA adapters
when necessary.
Also, you will need an additional storage device to copy the retrieved data to; it can
be an external hard drive, another network-attached storage, or some other device with sufficient
capacity.
Take the disks out of the NAS device and connect them to a Windows computer.
When the operating system has booted, open Disk Management and check if the added disks
are recognized.
As you open Disk Management, the operating system may suggest you to initialize or format
them.
Remember to never agree to either operation, because it can erase the remaining information
completely.
Instead, move on download, install and start the data recovery tool.
Hetman RAID Recovery will identify the disks automatically, read their service information
and rebuild the damaged RAID system.
In the program’s interface, the RAID volume is shown at the top of the Drive Manager window.
By default, this NAS model creates a disk array with the XFS file system, and you can’t
change it into another file system you prefer.
To access the volume contents, you need to scan it first.
Right-click on it and choose “Open.”
In the next window, you should choose between the two options, “Fast scan” and “Full
analysis.”
Select “Fast scan,” click “Next” and wait.
When this process is over, switch to search results by clicking “Finish.”
The directory tree has not changed so you won’t have any difficulties in finding the
proper folder with the files you are looking for.
If you know the file name, you can use the search function.
Now the program has found all the files that have been written to the array.
You can check their contents with the preview feature.
The principle is simple: as long as you can see the contents, this file can be recovered.
To bring the files back, select the items you want to recover and click “Recovery,”
choose the disk where to save them and specify the directory, then click “Recovery” and
“Finish.”
After that, follow the path you have chosen and check if the recovered files are there.
Hetman RAID Recovery offers extra features to improve effectiveness of working with RAID
disks that have hardware issues.
It lets you create disk images and then analyze these images instead of the actual hard disks
in order to reduce disk usage and prevent them from breaking down at the most inappropriate
moment.
How to rebuild a damaged RAID manually However, when a disk is damaged or its service
information is erased, Hetman RAID Recovery may have difficulty in automating the array
rebuild process.
If the program failed to rebuild the RAID with the available hard disks but you know
its properties, you can perform this operation manually, with the help of the RAID Constructor.
To do it, open the Constructor, and select the “Manual mode” option here.
In the next window, fill in all the RAID properties you know: the RAID type, block order and size,
add the disks it used to include, use the arrows to specify their order, and replace
the missing disks with empty drives by clicking the “plus” button.
Also, you can specify the offset that helps to locate the beginning of the disk.
Sometimes, the program may have difficulty in identifying it automatically, so you’ll
have to enter the offset value manually.
When you specify all the properties you know, click “Add,” and the array you have built
manually will appear in the Drive Manager.
After that, start the scan, look for the files you want to recover, and hit “Recovery.”
That is all for now!
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Thank you for watching.
Good luck.