Just a few years ago, Mac RAID systems were used primarily for video editing and expensive graphic design software. As such, Mac RAID recovery was a rare data retrieval service up until about two years ago. Recently, the Mac has moved beyond niche software for design and video to become a competitive alternative across the board. Nowadays, high-end Apple computers are widely used in many other corporate and institutional settings. This has made data recovery from Mac RAID hard drives a more common occurrence.
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology is no longer exclusive to large corporations. Nowadays, even regular home users employ RAID arrays for data storage and, as such, are at risk of RAID data loss. Fortunately, there are free Mac RAID recovery software options available that make the solution to this problem accessible to anyone. This article will introduce you to the best data recovery tool for Mac – Data Recovery Wizard.
RAID was originally designed for servers, with the goal of providing lots of storage at a lower cost. It quickly became popular with enthusiasts and home users for a variety of applications, including personal DIY cloud storage and home media centers. There are five different RAID levels, each with its own use case.
RAID 0 – Stripping: This is ideal for users who require high capacity and faster performance. However, due to the lack of redundancy, it is generally not recommended for users seeking data safety in their RAID configuration.
RAID 1 - Mirroring: This type of RAID provides data protection and redundancy by duplicating or cloning data across two hard drives.
RAID 5 – Striped with parity: It is more efficient in providing both ideal capacity and redundancy. RAID 5 includes block-level distributed parity striping.
RAID 5 – Striped with Parity: It combines the benefits of RAID 1 and RAID 0. Increased capacity and fault tolerance are merged into one solution. You get twice the capacity and performance.
The reasons for needing RAID recovery are the same as those for needing regular hard drive data recovery. Human error, hardware or software failure, malware infection, mechanical issues, power outages, bad sectors, system sudden shutdown, etc., can lead to RAID failure or corruption. But when you need to recover a damaged RAID, things are different.
RAID recovery for Mac is usually harder to find than similar software for Windows, and any data recovery software has the same drawbacks. However, data recovery specialists have some good news for you! Thanks to the help of a tool vendor, data recovery on a Mac is as simple as it is on Windows. While performing the recovery, you should follow this simple guide.
When a RAID fails, the data is lost, and the RAID volume becomes unavailable. So, what can you do to recover data from a failed RAID? In this section, we will delve into several solutions that you can obtain from here. Below, I have listed 4 Mac RAID recovery options that you may want to consider.
Choosing a powerful RAID recovery software is very helpful to retrieve data from RAID drives! This is because RAID hard disks do not offer direct access or data recovery. Fortunately, there are third-party data recovery options that can simplify this process without having to rebuild the RAID setup, thus avoiding the risk of losing more data.
The Mac Data Recovery Wizard can help you with complete RAID data recovery on your Mac. This great RAID recovery program/tool can also help you recover lost data from any RAID hard drive that your computer system can read and recognize – this includes RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10.
To retrieve data from a RAID hard drive on a Mac, follow these steps:
Step 1: Search for the missing file
Connect the external hard drive to your Mac correctly. Launch the Disk Drill for Mac data recovery tool, select the external hard drive. Then, click “Search for lost files” to look for lost or deleted files on your external device.
Note: Before you attempt data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of the external hard drive to prevent further data loss. After backing up the external hard drive, the software can recover data from the backup of the external hard drive, at which point you can safely remove the external hard drive and use it again.
'Step 2: Search and locate the lost file'
When the scan is over, all file types will be displayed in the left panel. Select the file type to look for the needed files on the external device.
Step 3: Preview and Recover
Click on the file to preview it, then select the files you wish to recover and click the “Recover” button. You can save the data to both your local drive and cloud storage.
While software can fix simple RAID filesystem configuration errors, things can get worse if there's significant damage to the hardware (such as a hard drive or RAID controller). If your RAID array is failing and won't scan with software, you can try an online one-to-one manual data recovery service.
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Switching the hard drive port is a possible free method to help you recover data from a Mac RAID hard drive. If you're unsure whether the RAID drive is unmounted or has suffered permanent data loss, try changing the port on your Mac first.
Step 1 Power down and unplug the RAID system, then remove the drives.
Step 2: Install the drive in this location. Use a SATA, SCSI, or SAS port.
Step 3: Turn on the computer and make sure that it recognizes all of the hard drives. If the computer does not recognize the hard drive, then you will not be able to recover the data.
Before you continue, unplug all external storage devices from your Mac, such as external hard drives, SSDs, and SD cards, unless one of them is the device you want to use for the RAID.
Next, you should check the RAID status. The following instructions will guide you through opening the Terminal on your Mac and identifying the failed drive from the array:
Step 1: From the top menu bar in the desktop, choose Go and then Utilities, and then Terminal.
Step 2: Enter the command diskutil checkraid and look for a status of "Degraded," "Missing," or "Failed."
After you check the RAID status, proceed as follows:
Step 1. Launch the Mac Disk Utility after you have made a backup.
Step 2: In Terminal, enter the following command: diskutil appleraid remove UUID-of-failed-disk /dev/diskX, where UUID-of-failed-disk is the UUID of the failed disk and /dev/diskX is the device node of the RAID array that you noted in the previous step. This command removes the disk from the RAID array.
Step 3: Select Initialize from the storage device menu.
Step 4: Enter the following command in Terminal: diskutil addtoRAID member IDENTIFIER of new drive RAID Unique ID
Step 5: Press Enter.
If you are unable to recover data from a RAID array correctly, we recommend that you troubleshoot the issue by following these steps:
1. If you're on a Mac, try changing the allocation block layout and recovering the file only after you've tried everything else. When you view the allocation block layout in the "View" tab, you'll see several options. The software is instructed to read data from a specific disk location. Depending on your settings, the Allocation Block Layout may display multiple options for you to choose from.
2. Use Add Virtual RAID to redefine the RAID array, and adjust the order of the hard disk/disk by dragging.
RAID is a flexible technology that can be set up to provide data redundancy. For example, you could configure a RAID array with two hard drives, copying new data to both. If one drive fails, the other will still have a complete copy of your files, allowing for easy recovery from the RAID with no data loss.
Thus, once the RAID array is rebuilt and restored, you can retrieve RAID performance on Mac and move the stored files to any location after saving them. It can be an FTP connection, a network disk, or a local drive.
When it comes to RAID data recovery, time is of the essence, just as with any other data loss scenario. Starting the recovery process as soon as possible minimizes the chances of accidentally overwriting the lost files. You'll also need a reliable RAID recovery tool, such as Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.
After learning how to recover data from a RAID hard drive on a Mac, you might have more questions. Check here to see if you can find your answer:
1. How to recover files from a RAID drive?
If you're familiar with RAID data recovery plans, you might be able to manually retrieve data from a RAID. However, if you're not well-versed in RAID, attempting to fetch data from it on your own can lead to permanent data loss. The easiest way to find and restore lost RAID data on your device is usually by using professional data recovery software. As mentioned, these tools can come in handy.
2. How do I recover lost RAID 1 data in Linux?
Step 1: Remove the hard drive from the Network Attached Storage device.
Step 2: Plug them into your MacBook.
Step 3: In the Linux Live CD, expand the largest EXT partition.
Step 4: If the above methods don't work, you can try using a Linux Data Recovery.
Download, install and run the RAID Recovery software on your Mac to simplify the recovery process. The scan will begin. If the data is recoverable, the software will find it.
< strong > 3. Why might data be lost on a RAID-based NAS device?
4. Does RAID heal itself?
At this point, the RAID array should start rebuilding automatically, with the hot spare replacing the failed drive. Depending on the size of the RAID array and the number of drives in the RAID set, this process can take a long time and should proceed unattended.