Because of their large storage capacity, RAID systems are widely used to store virtual machines or even the files of an entire enterprise. It is not uncommon for these devices to fail, either on the motherboard, the controller board, or one or more disks. When this occurs, there will be loss of recorded data and it can literally stop the activities of a company. Modern RAID systems can use the most common file systems.
Types of RAID system
These are the most common types of RAID array. There are variants like RAID 50, RAID 60 and others, but its internal operation does not differ much from the options listed.
RAID 0: At least 2 disks are required and it is also called “stripping” and is the most basic type of configuration.
RAID 1: It takes at least 2 disks and is also called mirroring, it writes the same data to both disks simultaneously.
RAID 5: This is the type of array commonly used and requires the installation of at least 3 disks. Provides gain in file access speed while allowing redundancy in data.
RAID 6: Similar to RAID 5 requires at least 4 disks for its implementation and supports loss of up to two disks.
RAID 10 or 0 + 1: Requires a minimum of 4 disks and provides RAID 0 speed with RAID 1 data redundancy.
JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks): It’s not really a RAID, but just a multi-disk chaining creating a volume that is the sum of the individual disks.
Beyond RAID: It is a kind of mix of RAID 5 and RAID 6 and uses a proprietary algorithm. It also allows mixing hard disks of different sizes, taking advantage of the total storage space of each unit.
RAID data recovery challenges
Due to the many variables in a RAID array, data recovery becomes extremely complex. This type of equipment is widely used for critical applications within a company, and its restoration as quickly as possible is always desired. Consult with expert RAID data recovery professionals at Salvagedata.com/raid-data-recovery-nyc-ny/.
From the perspective of data recovery, you typically need to repair or clone the defective disks, virtually rebuild the RAID array, and have access to the file system where the data will be written.
This often causes the RAID recovery attempt to be extremely complex and time-consuming, depending on the number of disks and the size of the array. However, in most cases, data can be recovered.
Be ready
Unfortunately, every hard disk or SSD has a lifetime, after which it will begin to show defects. When this occurs (assuming it is RAID 1 or higher), the system will continue to run in degraded mode and the faulty drive should be replaced. The automatic rebuild will run from the remaining disks and you will not lose your data. However, if a second disk is damaged during rebuild, this may lead to permanent data loss, depending on the type of RAID configured. When this occurs, you should consult a RAID recovery specialist, who will have the experience to recover your data.
