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RAID 5 Recovery – Architectural Firm Server

We are thrilled to share a recent success story showcasing our expertise in data recovery. Our commitment to excellence and advanced technology allowed us to successfully recover critical data for one of our valued clients.

Client Information:

  • Industry: Architecture and Design
  • Location: Louisville, Kentucky
  • Array Config: RAID5 (4x 4TB IronWolf NAS Hard Drives)
  • Total Capacity: 12TB
  • Use Case: File Server
System Specifications:

The client operated a custom-built server acting as the primary file server with the following specifications:

  • Motherboard: ASUS ProArt X570-CREATOR WIFI
  • RAID Controller: LSI MegaRAID 9361-8i
  • Storage Devices: 4 x 4TB Seagate IronWolf NAS Hard Drives
  • File System: NTFS (Windows Server 2019)
  • Primary Data: Office data, client and project files
Failure Incident:

The client reported that their primary file server had crashed over the weekend. Upon rebooting, the RAID controller BIOS showed the array as being in a “Degraded” state, with two of the four drives marked as “Failed.” The server was unable to boot into the operating system, and the client was unable to access any of their project files, blueprints, or client data. The potential for data loss was catastrophic, as the server contained several years of active and archived projects.

Technical Analysis:

Our engineers received the four hard drives from the client and immediately began a comprehensive diagnostic process. The initial analysis revealed the following:

  • Drive 1: No immediate signs of physical or logical damage.
  • Drive 2: Severe physical damage, with audible clicking sounds. This drive was the first to fail.
  • Drive 3: No immediate signs of physical or logical damage.
  • Drive 4: Numerous bad sectors and logical errors, but no physical damage. This drive failed after the first drive, but the controller did not take it offline, leading to data corruption.

The failure of two drives in a RAID 5 array is a critical situation, as RAID 5 is designed to withstand the failure of only a single drive. The key to a successful recovery was to create a perfect clone of the physically damaged drive and then reconstruct the array using the data from the three healthy drives.

Recovery Methodology:
  1. Drive Cloning: The first step was to address the physically damaged drive (Drive 2). The drive was taken to our cleanroom, where our engineers performed a head stack replacement. Once the drive was stable, we created a sector-by-sector clone of the drive using a specialized disk imaging tool.
  2. Logical Analysis: With a clone of the damaged drive, our engineers began the logical analysis of the array. We used our proprietary software to analyze the RAID parameters, including the drive order, block size, and parity rotation. This allowed us to determine the exact configuration of the array before the failure.
  3. Array Reconstruction: Using the cloned drive and the two healthy drives, we virtually reconstructed the RAID 5 array. Our software was able to identify and bypass the bad sectors on the failing drive (Drive 4), allowing us to access the raw data.
  4. Data Extraction: Once the array was virtually rebuilt, we were able to extract the data to a new set of drives. We performed a thorough file system check to ensure the integrity of the recovered data.

Recovery Results

We successfully recovered 99.7% of the client’s data, including all of their critical project files, blueprints, and client information. The small amount of unrecoverable data was limited to a few temporary files and system logs, which were not critical to the client’s operations.

Client Impact:

The client was extremely relieved to have their data back. They were able to restore their server and resume their business operations with minimal downtime. This case highlights the importance of professional data recovery services in complex RAID failure scenarios. Even when a RAID 5 array suffers a two-drive failure, it is often possible to recover the data with the right expertise and technology.

Lost Data on Your Storage Device? Act Immediately!

If your are experiencing data loss, DO NOT attempt to force-rebuild RAID, reinitialize drives, or operate the system, as this can lead to irreversible data loss. Power down the device(s) immediately and keep the drives in their original slots/order. Contact our experts.

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