Hello everybody!
Watch this video to find out how to recover data from a RAID system based on a Thecus
NAS device, model N4100Pro, how to create a RAID, configure network access, add a shared
folder, create an iSCSI volume and configure network access permissions.
Thecus is a popular network storage manufacturer, providing various NAS equipment both for home
and business use.
Many Thecus systems use RAID, RAID 0 and RAID 1 technologies for two-disk storage systems,
and RAID 5 technology for large systems consisting of three or more hard disks.
Just as all systems of this kind, such devices are pretty reliable in terms of preventing
data loss, although there might be a few causes to make your files disappear.
Why NAS data can be lost One of the most widespread causes behind data
loss is damage to the file system.
Power failures or voltage surges may affect the controller, hard disks or other hardware
parts of your NAS system.
Accidental deleting, formatting, or mechanical problems with hard disks can also trigger
data loss.
Another typical case of data loss is related to updating the system’s firmware.
As data stored in a NAS system is usually arranged in a RAID configuration, recovering
data, files and folders from a broken-down device can become quite challenging.
It happens because data is written in fragments to each of the disks that make up the RAID
volume, and before you can access the data, you have to rebuild the damaged RAID system.
If the data in question is of critical importance, this task should be delegated to a professional,
and if you want to recover it on your own, then choosing the right tool is crucial to
the success of your mission.
In today’s video, I’ll show you how to choose a good data recovery utility to use
with a NAS system to make sure that the information won’t be lost.
How to create a RAID For starters, let’s explore how to create
a RAID system on a Thecus network storage device.
Open the NAS management utility, and expand the “Storage” tab, then switch to RAID.
If this is the first time you want to create an array, click the “Create” button, and
if you need to delete or reconfigure an existing array - click on “Edit.”
There are options to expand or migrate the array, and the “Remove RAID” button below.
When you click on it, all disk data will be removed.
Click “Yes” to confirm your decision, type in this field - OK.
The RAID is removed successfully - OK.
In order to create a new array, click “Create.”
Select the disks you want to include into this array, choose RAID level; if necessary,
modify RAID ID and strip size (the default value is 64 KB), select a file system, and
finally click the Create button below.
Then click “Yes” to confirm your action, and OK.
How to create a shared folder When the RAID system is created, the option
to configure shared folders becomes available; this is where you can set access permissions
or create a new folder.
To create one, open the “Storage” tab - Share Folder, hit the “Add” button on
the right, then give a name and enable access settings.
After that, click “Apply” and “Yes” to confirm your action.
You have successfully created a share folder - OK.
Now you can write data to this folder.
How to enable FTP server Now let’s configure an FTP server.
To enable an FTP connection, expand the tab “System Network” and select FTP from the
list.
Check the option next to “Enable” and then configure additional settings; after
that, click “Apply” and “Yes” to confirm the changes.
Now your FTP server is on, and you can access the network drive through an FTP connection
and write some data to the shared folder.
How to create an iSCSI volume To create an iSCSI volume, go to the tab Storage
- Space Allocation - iSCSI Target.
Here, click the “Add” button, check the box next to “Enable” option, specify the
size, name and other settings; give authentication data if necessary -
then click OK and “Yes” to confirm your action.
The iSCSI volume is created - OK.
The final step is to connect it to the computer
and format in Disk Management, and it will appear in Windows Explorer.
How to recover data from a non-operable NAS If files are removed accidentally from a hard
disk inside a NAS system, a hard disk is formatted, the disk array is misconfigured, or in other
scenarios involving loss of data, loss of access to the network drive, or damage to
the RAID volume, only a specialized data recovery tool will help you restore your information.
Most NAS devices are running on Linux-based operating systems, and their hard disks are
formatted for Ext file system, while RAID arrays are typically built with the use of
mdadm or LVM technology.
It becomes impossible to read their contents when such disk arrays are connected to a Windows
computer directly.
To read the disks and retrieve any information from there, use the tried and well-tested
data recovery tool for NAS solutions - Hetman RAID Recovery.
This program supports most popular file systems, technologies and RAID types, and in most cases
it will be able to rebuild the damaged RAID automatically.
To extract the data from the disks, take them out of the non-operable NAS device and connect
them to a Windows computer.
After the operating system has booted, Windows may suggest to initialize or format the drives
to be able to access them.
Remember to never agree to either operation, because they can erase the remaining information
completely.
On the other hand, Hetman RAID Recovery will identify the disks automatically, read their
service information and rebuild the damaged RAID system.
When you select a volume, you can see detailed information about the array below, and check
if the program has identified it correctly.
To start looking for the files, right-click on the disk and choose “Open.”
Now choose the scan type: when the array is built properly, “Fast scan” will be available.
Click “Next” to start searching for lost files.
Wait for the process to be over, and then switch to search results by clicking “Finish.”
As you can see, the program has rebuilt the damaged RAID easily and found all the files
stored on the network drive.
If you are looking for files that have been removed, you can identify them by red crosses.
Other files without such crosses are the ones scattered all over the array disks.
Select the files you want to recover and click “Recovery,” then choose the path where
you want to save them, click “Recovery” and “Finish.”
In the end, the files you have selected will be placed into the folder you have chosen
for recovery.
How to recover data from an iSCSI disk If you are using an iSCSI disk and you removed
some files from there by mistake, there is no need to take any disks from the NAS system
and connect them to a computer.
Hetman RAID Recovery identifies such disk as a physical one, and it means you can easily
scan it and recover the accidentally removed data.
To start the recovery process, right-click on the disk and choose “Open.”
Select the scan type - usually, a “Fast scan” is enough - wait until it’s over,
and check the results.
As you can see, the program has found the files that have been deleted.
The last step is to recover them.
You can watch a detailed guide on recovering data from an iSCSI disk in one of our videos.
Find the link in the description.
How to rebuild a damaged RAID manually with the RAID Constructor
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!
Hopefully, this video was useful.
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Thank you for watching.
Good luck.