Recovering Data From Damaged RAID Arrays
A RAID volume (“Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives”, or “Redundant Array of Independent Drives”) is a data storage configuration that uses a quantity of drives that are organized and accessed on the basis of an established configuration to provide data striping, redundancy, or mirroring, or some combination together. RAID configurations are found in many multi-drive external backup storage devices, as well as in Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Attached Network (SAN) systems. Our RAID recovery services cover both hardware and software RAID array configurations in virtually every OS environment.
Hardware vs Software RAID
A RAID array will be either a “hardware” or “software” RAID. Hardware RAID uses a physical RAID controller that maintains information about drive configurations, and how the read and write process should operate for the volume. Software RAID (as found in Mac O/S and Windows versions) implements RAID with a normal drive controller, using software to manage the drives in the array. It is a less expensive way to implement RAID data storage, but it can be much slower as it taxes system memory and CPU resources. Because of this, most RAID installations are “hardware” based. There are many levels of RAID, each has its own pros and cons, and each is subject to failure and data loss. We provide data recovery support for all RAID configurations, and below are some of the more common RAID levels that we see for RAID recovery:
RAID 0 (Striped)
A striped array that has data written across 2 or more hard drives, offering increased read and write speed but no data protection. More on RAID 0 Data Recovery…
RAID 1 (Mirrored)
Data is written to 2 or more drives simultaneously, providing mirroring and read speed, but slower writes. More on RAID 1 Data Recovery…
RAID 5 (Parity)
This RAID level requires at least 3 drives, with the speed advantages of RAID 0 data striping combined with parity info protection. More on RAID 5 Data Recovery…
RAID 6 (Dual Parity)
Similar to a RAID 5 configuration, RAID 6 writes dual parity info to allow for 2 drive failures simultaneously. More on RAID 6 Data Recovery…
RAID 10 (RAID 1+0)
This is a combination of 2 RAID levels (also known as a hybrid or nested RAID). Essentially these are mirrored arrays (RAID 1) that are then striped (RAID 0). RAID 10 requires 4 or more evenly paired drives. More on RAID 10 Data Recovery…
Experienced RAID Recovery
VANTEX provides both logical and physical RAID recovery support for all RAID configurations in Windows Server, Linux, VMWare, and all other operating environments. Our decades of experience with RAID drive failures, combined with our tools and procedures, has allowed our specialists to succeed in recovering data from RAID arrays that have become inaccessible due to logical, physical and/or mechanical failures.
Every VANTEX RAID recovery project begins with an evaluation of the drive media. A report is then prepared for the client detailing the recovery options, as well as the costs associated with the recovery. This report contains as much information as possible to assist in selecting the best course of action to complete the recovery process. Recovered data is written to whatever data storage media the client requests.
Have Questions?
Give us a call to discuss your data loss, or fill out our short Information Request Form. We will outline the possible raid recovery options and costs involved – all at no charge, and with no obligation.