By: Liv A Wilson
RAID is the term for a complex method of data storage, which relies on
splitting and copying information across a number of hard disks. The method was
originally designed to allow users to increase their storage capacity by using
several cheap disk-drives - hence the acronym RAID: Redundant Array of
Inexpensive Disks - but has developed to mean any multiple-drive storage
system.
As such systems are designed to maximise the reliability of data storage and
increase the capacity for input/output, a crash can be very serious due to the
storage system's very complexity. A good RAID data recovery service treats
problems with these types of systems as a top priority.
Some of the problems encountered during the operation of RAID systems include
the failure of the array or the controller card, corruption during the card's
set-up, a refusal to boot or multiple hard disk drive failure.
The initial professional diagnosis of a problem with a RAID system takes
place in a laboratory environment. Here, the technician examines the disks to
see if they are immediately accessible using specialised equipment. If the
system is accessible, the technician copies all the data on to a new disk,
leaving the original disks open to a full and safe analysis, and hopefully
leading to full RAID data recovery.
However, it is often the case that the system is not accessible, which means
that the technician will have to take the more drastic step of examining the
RAID components themselves for damage.
Any damaged components - electric motors, magnetic read/write heads and the
system's electronics - will be replaced in sterile lab conditions. Once the
servers are accessible, technicians will assess how the data is stored across
the multiple disks to enable them to compile a 'raw' image of the information
and determine exactly what repairs will be needed to the drives' file structures
to extract the full data.
RAID data recovery technicians can draw on a large range of specialised
software to diagnose, analyse and restore the information compiled as raw data.
This information can then be restructured and checked using new file lists.
Since the RAID servers copy and split the data, data recovery technicians
will often undertake to perform a 'destriping' process, whereby the raw data is
placed on fresh storage systems in the lab itself to make the repair and the RAID data recovery processes easier and more
effective. This also makes the extraction of information from severely damaged
parts of the server more effective.
Olivia has 2 years experience writing articles about RAID
data recovery She also enjoys writing articles on various other subjects.
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