Tips for Data Recovery of RAID 5 Drives
RAID technology is the use of multiple disks to emulate the performance of a disk. This is typically done to increase data security and redundancy, speed read / write performance, or a mixture of the two. It has great utility in managing business data.
Data is an integral part of today's businesses. It is said that information is power and that it is right, especially when you consider the nature of the economy of the modern world in what we call the information age.
This has led to the explosion of integration of information technology in most companies. Most businesses use some sort of information system that stores sensitive information vital for a wide range of operations.
These systems can be reliable, especially as technology increases the amount and accuracy of information stored in various media and systems. However, the likelihood that these systems fail or that data is lost cannot be ignored.
Most data crashes occur when a physical or logical error is introduced into a system. Hard drives, CD-ROMs, tape drives, and other storage media can and will fail in the end. This could be due to some host's reasons - power outages, physical damage to media, head crashes, motor issues, etc.
Whatever the reason, you will need a way to restore all of that data. This is especially true if, for some reason, the deleted, destroyed or corrupted data contains information that is not backed up anyway or does not exist in any other location.
A special consideration when planning backup strategies is the type of storage you choose to use. If you are using a RAID configuration for accessing and saving your data, you will need to keep in mind a few additional tips in addition to your general knowledge of data management.
1. Regular Maintenance - Although RAID components are generally reliable, it is recommended that you perform regular backups at set intervals. It is always possible that such systems have problems with logic and continuity. You can do this by using special software to maintain the integrity of your RAID configuration.
2. Know your problem - It may take a little training to know the difference, but many RAID problems can be solved by using readily available RAID data recovery tools. If in case such software does not work, you can consider the services of a professional data recovery expert.
These experts are highly skilled and use equipment that is not readily available to most people to recover badly damaged drives and hopeless media.
3. If possible, use software RAID instead of hardware RAID - whereas software RAID is a viable alternative to hardware RAID. Software RAID has some practical drawbacks.
Software RAID is not as fault tolerant as hardware RAID. It may not be an error magnet, but it is still much less reliable compared to hardware RAID
The software raid also takes up precious system resources and must start before it can be used. That's not to say that software RAID should be avoided like the flu; it's just that there are very good reasons to use hardware RAID instead.
4. Invest in Maintenance - While spending precious hours backing up and maintaining your RAID can be taxing, and certainly unnecessary, all you need to do is look at a professional data recovery invoice to realize that it was worth it.