RAID arrays are created by combining multiple drives into a single volume using a hardware controller to write bits of the data across multiple drives. There are a couple big reasons for using a RAID array to store data:
1. Speed. A RAID can be faster than a single drive because you write and read a little bit of the same file to/from different drives.
2. Redundancy. If you are reading this, there probably wasn’t enough redundancy in your RAID array, but the basic idea is that you can store bits of data across multiple drives to make it so if only 1 drive (or sometimes more), you still have all the data on the other drives.
3. Size. By combining multiple drives into a RAID, you can store a large amount of data.
RAID Data Recovery
RAID recovery is a very specialized field. Recovering data from the failed drive(s) is just the beginning! Usually the most difficult part in the recovery is the rebuilding or “re-striping” the RAID. The rebuilding phase is when you figure out the puzzle of how the data was sorted on the different drives. It is important to note that we do not recover the drive, then put it back into the RAID enclosure and attempt a “repair” using your RAID controller. Using that “repair” method can cause corruption in the data. We actually manually rebuild the RAID using software which is much safer and provides the best results.
[full_width padding=”15px 15px 15px 15px”]
RAID Data Recovery Cost
We charge $379 per drive for RAID recoveries (including rebuilding the RAID). Note that the fee is on a per drive basis, so if you have a 4 drive RAID 5, the charge would be 4 x $379. We are one of the few data recovery providers in the Boise area that provide RAID rebuilding services. If you are a recovery shop and need an array rebuilt, give us a call and we can help!
[/full_width]
[full_width padding=”15px 15px 15px 15px”]
Turnaround Time
RAID recovery can be more time consuming than an average data recovery. Normally our turnaround time on a RAID recovery is 5-14 days depending on the complexity of the recovery.
[/full_width]
[full_width padding=”15px 15px 15px 15px”]
Types of Data Recovered
During the checkin we will ask what data is most important to you. We always attempt to recover the most important data first. Once that data is recovered we attempt to recover all recoverable data. We can attempt to recover all types of data from your RAID! If you are trying to recover a file type that is proprietary, we may ask for a couple example files to help “train” the recovery software what that particular file type looks like.
[/full_width]
[full_width padding=”15px 15px 15px 15px”]
RAID Types Recovered
Over the years we have successfully recovered data from many RAID types including RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, JBOD, HP/Dell, and Apple’s Fusion Drive. If you have a RAID that is not listed, that doesn’t mean we can’t recover it! Just let us know what you have and we can discuss rebuilding options.
[/full_width]