RAID systems

What is RAID?

RAID - Redundant Array of Independent Disks is a technology used in order to gain higher speed, greater capacity and more safety. This is achieved by combining multiple disk drive components into a logical unit, so the system recognizes them as one physical or as more logical disks. Within the RAID data is distributed across the drives in one of several ways called "RAID levels".

Possibilities  of RAID recovery

Helpdisc uses the most advanced techniques to fix, save and rebuild the lost data:

- From all RAID controlers and all RAID structures

- From all types, brands and models of hard drives in RAID

- For all causes of data loss, from simple to the most complex ones, including viruses, natural disasters, accidental deletions, system crashes, corruption of files, hardware damages...

We preform data recovery from the following RAID levels:

RAID Data Recovery process

Data Recovery from a RAID system is performed in accordance to the HelpDisc procedure. RAID recovery begins by cloning all of the hard drives that were a part of a RAID system to working hard drives - so called clone-drives. Hard disk cloning includes copying, sector by sector, all of the data from one hard drive to another. Cloning success is determined by type of malfunction on the hard drive, and successful cloning in most of the cases determines the success of data recovery itself.

When all drives are cloned we simulate the work of a RAID array in a way in which an original RAID server was functioning. Complexity of this simulation will depend on the complexity of the RAID array itself but also on the state of clone drives. Process of simulating the work of RAID controller includes finding the parameters of a RAID array, order of the disks, stripe size, cluster size etc.

Advices on how to use the RAID

• Never replace the damaged disk with the disk that was a part of previous RAID system – always clean new disc before usage

• If the disk makes strange mechanical noises, turn it off immediately and call for assistance

• Make the fresh and precise backup before any changes of hardware or software

• Mark the disks and their position in RAID sequence

• Don't use tools for disk recovery on damaged disks in RAID

• Don't defragment the damaged disks

• In case of power loss while the RAID is operating, if the system fails to boot or the data is not accessible when power is restored, don't use any software to repair the hard disks.