subject: When Professional Raid Data Recovery Is Necessary [print this page] Large companies and organizations everywhere typically use RAID servers because of their low cost and superb speed. Yet, these storage setups are not risk-free. While most IT administrators never think about their RAID data recovery needs, having a plan is more than key, it's critical. The fact is that hard drives, because of their mechanical nature, do fail. Knowing what to do when catastrophic events occur is key to getting the organization back up and running immediately.
If It's Single Drive Failure, DIY Works
The key cornerstone of RAID array setups, of course, is that a single drive can fail (except in RAID 0 and 1 arrays, which are typically not used for enterprise servers anyway), yet the RAID will soldier on, with a slight performance loss.
Tackling this problem and replacing the RAID hard drive within the setup immediately is the number one way to avoid losing data and your RAID array structure. Any warnings of a single drive loss (which sometimes can be shown as "degraded mode", or something similar) should be acted on immediately: doing this will save your organization potentially thousands of dollars, and a good amount of man-hours.
Getting Your Single Drive Back Up
Getting information about rebuilding and recovering RAID arrays from single hard disk failures is now easier than ever, thanks to the web. The classic hubs are there, of course, including Linux.org and Microsoft.com, and tech forums are fantastic. The best resource of all, however, is the RAID manufacturer.
Controlling your RAID 10 with an Adaptec card? Check their customer resource section for recent posts about RAID drive loss. Using an HP RAID server? Find the user manual, which is far more helpful than you might expect. Searching based on your error statement in Google is usually a huge help, as it can provide you with examples in forums and blogs that may help you on your way.
Two Strikes, You're Out
Losing more than one RAID drive at once does happen. And when it does, most RAID data recovery newbies turn to the web looking for the best recovery software offered, sometimes ignoring the price of these dubious products.
Everyone wishes they were an expert, but when it comes to RAID recovery and repair, optimism is not a good quality. Let's face it: drives have been burned out here. Fixing them yourself implies you either have engineering expertise in the field of data storage, or are simply being self destructive. Two drive failures can kill, so ensure you don't try to make any rash moves.
This is the key place where a professional RAID data recovery shop comes in. Most industry leading shops have a Clean Room on hand, and can provide RAID repair services within 1-4 days. Meanwhile, some providers can even offer 24 hour turnaround on their RAID repairs. The most important note is that RAID data recovery service providers have experience with these repairs. And when your mission-critical data is on the line, experience counts.
