Data recovery for RAID 0 arrays
What is RAID 0?
In a RAID 0 configuration, data streams are divided into stripes that are then written to two disks, which are usually of the same model.
When accessing data in reading, data streams from both disks are reassembled, so a RAID system appears as if it was a single disk.
Pros and cons of RAID 0
The main advantage of RAID 0 is speed in both reading and writing, since each disk only has to perform half the work. This is why the RAID 0 configuration is found especially on some computers designed for video games.
The disadvantage of RAID 0 is its poor reliability; if only one of both drives fails you loose all the data. (No panic, we can recover them!) Added to this is the risk of malfunctions at the controller ensuring the distribution of data between the two disks.
Why is data recovery from RAID 0 systems usually complex?
When one of the two drives has a fault or another malfunction has occurred in a RAID 0 array, data recovery is particularly difficult for the novice. Indeed, the following parameters are almost always unknown and must be "guessed" :
- the width of the stripes
- the order of the disks
- the forward or reverse direction in which the stripes were written
- the offset of the first stripe relatively to the beginning of the disk
Some software tries to detect them, but because four unkown parameters is a lot they often fail.
To this, it should be added that very often the corruption of a RAID system comes from hardware faults, such as bad sectors or a more serious failure, affecting at least one of the disks. It is recommended to clone the discs in a first step. Without this, the hardware defects of a single disk can cause the scan process to fail.
Why call us to recover your RAID 0 system?
We have developed an arsenal of techniques to find the parameters of the RAID configuration. For this task, we work with a hexadecimal editor, supplemented by the use of several specialized software.Nous travaillons pour ce faire avec un éditeur hexadécimal, et nous nous appuyons également sur plusieurs logiciels spécialisés. Know-how and experience cannot be acquired overnight.
How much does a RAID 0 data recovery cost?
A RAID 0 recovery requires experience, perseverance and specialized software.
The cost depends on the number of disks (usually 2), the degree of urgency, the capacity of the disks and their condition.
For most RAID 0 data recoveries, a budget of 600 CHF or more is for most cases necessary.
