If you ever had to recover RAID data from a server, you will appreciate the fact that this is work that can only be carried out by professionals. If that is not the case, then you will surely not enjoy the experience. When RAID servers fail, it usually means that one of the drives has failed or is damaged, and needs attention. Such drives are used to store a large capacity of data, mostly important files and documents belonging to businesses and enterprises. You cannot really cut corners when it comes to recovering RAID data. That is because only the experienced RAID experts know how to diagnose issues and get back the critical data.
If you have hired the right guys to recover RAID data for you, the professional company will treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves, and make sure everything is sorted. The professionals will realize that much of your company’s operations depend on the data, and will everything in their power to get it back for you. In many cases, this service will be cheap. But since the data is not for home use or personal reasons; this may not be an issue.
Your problem is not serious if the issue is physical. Data recovery
as a result of physical trouble is not time consuming. However, if there
is no physical damage, the data has to be transferred to different
servers so the diagnosis and recovery process can begin.
Big Computer Problems, Yo!
You might have a problem with your computer but that does not mean that all is lost for you still can regain access to your data and recover RAID. You will be in a position to rectify both the physical and logical damage. This has become a day to day thing for there has to occur some faults whenever you are working with your computer. You can recover RAID, which is an acronym for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks which means a cheap way of writing on disk drives. It is one of the most common ways being used for data recovery.
Recovering a server is one of the cheapest ways of solving your problems for you will be saving on the cost and in case one of the disks gets damaged, the retrieval potential will be indispensable. As we all know, data is very important in any person’s life and some of the data can be very important in running of a business. Having a good service provider to recover raid arrays will come in handy for you.
Carrying out a RAID recovery process is very vital. There are factors to consider before choosing a RAID expert. First, you should check out their certification. This is very important for the sake of your machine and data. Before you hire a pro, ensure that they have at least some good amount of experience with your RAID manufacturer. An expert determines whether you will get the data back since they hold the key to it.
Second, ensure that they are licensed. This will keep you away from fraudsters who may want to steal your money in the name of trying to recover your data. If the experts have a company website, go through their website thoroughly. Look out for their profile and go through it systematically.
Ensure also that your chosen RAID expert gives you priority. As much as they might be busy, they should prioritize every customer and be available whenever they are needed. The expert should also have a good reputation. They should have built some level of confidence on the market. This will give you the confidence to let your job land on their hands. Choose an expert who can listen keenly to your needs.
About “Free RAID Recovery Software”
To recover a broken RAID array demands a high level of expertise since
it is a very sensitive process. This will determine whether you will get
your lost data back or not. With this in mind, you need to settle for
software that is licensed. Many companies are coming up with software,
that could sometimes be fake. Software that is not genuine is harmful to
your disks. Furthermore, it could even cause more harm and loss of data
other than the reverse of it. While choosing RAID recovery software,
ensure it has a mark of quality. Check the company that has released it
to ensure that is one that is well known for software.
In case you have never heard about the company that has released it, go to a search engine and look out for it. Ensure you know more about the company and look out for their reviews. What the customers write concerning a company is very important. It will give you both the positive and negative indicators of the company.
You need also to consider the price offered. It should be affordable for you. You can confirm this by going through the price listings of other companies. Another very important thing you need to consider is its compatibility with your machine and operating system. Remember software that is not compatible with your OS cannot work for you.
Why You May Need RAID Data Recovery
Many people are still in the dark regarding RAID servers, and recovery
services. It is a technology that involves putting together low cost
disks that may not work individually, but are highly reliable when
arranged together. Since it is viewed as a cost saving measure, there
are hardly any backup procedures required. They do, however, fail from
time to time, which necessitates RAID specialists.
A RAID specialist, or company for that matter, is a service that helps to recover data that is stored not only on the RAID server, but also on the desktops, laptops, and other devices required. The recovery process mainly depends on the disk capacity, and the data to be recovered. The process starts with a thorough analysis of each of the drives in the array, to determine whether any kind of physical damage.
As mentioned before, RAID servers rarely fail, but when they do, the most common cause is physical damage. In such a case, the recovery process will entail fixing the physical part. In other cases, the damage may not be physical, which requires then that the recover RAID professional transfer all the data to independent drives so that they can evaluate the drives for any problem.
Snap Server Data Recovery
Snap Servers, made by Overland Storage, are a range of very popular servers. They vary in capacity from a single desktop unit with a capacity of up to 16 TB to a rack mounted server with an expandable capacity of up to 579 TB. All the Snap Servers use a versatile operating system, based on Linux, called Guardian OS. Guardian OS has the advantage of having cross platform capabilities in being able to cope with Windows, UNIX/Linux, Macintosh, iOS and Android operating systems. One of the reasons that Snap Servers are so popular is due to a highly robust design and their low maintenance requirement. It is a rare occurrence but occasionally data stored on a Snap Server can become in accessible.
Possible Scenarios for Being Unable to Access Data
Due to the system design and the Guardian operating system failures where data becomes inaccessible are rare but the can and do happen.
- A drive which has been marked as bad is not replaced and the array continues to function as normal. Then a second drive fails and there is no indication as to which drive failed first and therefore which drive has old data on it.
- A rebuild starts and the wrong drive is used as the rebuild point
- Drives are removed from the array and reinserted in the incorrect order.
- Infection by virus or other malware
- Incorrect hard drives added to the server
- Failure in mounting volumes and/or partitions
- The server has been in a fire or flood
If a Snap Server does develop a fault which makes the access of data impossible, it is important that the problem is not made worse by overwriting any existing data by attempting to rebuild the system.
Data Recovery Options
To assist in the recovery of data, it is helpful if as much information about the server is supplied to the data recovery specialists chosen. Many of the more experienced and skilled data recovery companies, such as Hard Drive Recovery Group, will be able to assist and reconfigure the Snap Server remotely and have the system back up and functioning correctly in the quickest possible time. It may be necessary to move the data to alternative storage on a temporary basis whist the repair and reconfiguration is in progress. However, in some cases it will be necessary to send the drive to the data recovery specialists for them to carry out physical work on them in clean room conditions.
Should the server have been in a fire or flood that does not necessarily men that all the data is irretrievably lost. It is possible that if not all, then significant proportions of the data may be recovered. In the case of the server having got wet the sooner that the data recovery specialist have the disks the more likely that more of the data will be recovered. The first course of action should be to wrap the still wet drives in a waterproof plastic bag with as much air removed as possible. No attempt should be made to either wash or dry the drives first as this can actually create more damage by either distorting the delicate platters or as the water dries, minerals that are in the water come out of solution and can cause the disk arm to stick to the platters. When a wet drive is received by the data recovery company they will disassemble the drive in clean room conditions and clean any flood water away with purified water and dry it in controlled conditions that will ensure that no distortion due to heat drying takes place.
What to Look for in a Data Recovery Company
A small data recovery company may be great for recovering data from a single hard disk from a PC or laptop but Snap Servers are another level entirely. Expertise in the Guardian operating system is essential to ensure that data is recoverable. The better data recovery companies will clone the drives they that are sent to them before they start work (apart from wet drives which have to be treated first) and any recovery work will take place on the cloned drives ensuring that any existing data on the faulty drives is not disturbed (for safety of the existing data). So it is probably best to spend a little time looking for the best data recovery specialists that will be able to perform the best job possible. One way is to start asking some questions of any possible contenders for the work, for example;
- Do they do the work in house or do they just act as a clearing house and use external contractors to do the work?
- Do they offer a remote repair service to get the Snap Server up and running quicker, where possible?
- What is their method of operation? The best companies will clone the data and work solely on that. By working in that manner, none of the original data is touched or altered in any way.
- Do major hardware and software companies, instantly recognizable industry names, have partnership agreements with that company?
- Do they have a proven track record in data recovery of the operating system of the Snap Server?
- What are their facilities like, do they have cleanrooms, like Hard Drive Recovery Group, in which to work? If the hardware needs to be dismantled and opened up, this needs to be carried out in clean room conditions. Failure to do so can lead to more damage and loss of data than was originally the case.
- What happens and do they charge if they cannot recover the data?
- What is their turnaround time for repairing the Snap Server and do they offer an expedited service in case of urgent requirements?
- What happens should the repaired Snap Server be lost in transit while being returned to the customer? The best companies will keep a secure copy of the data until the repaired system is up and running. When the customer is satisfied they will securely electronically shred the data.
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