Successful RAID 0 Recovery: Fast, Simple and Easy

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Computers )



RAID 0 Arrays achieve performance gain through the distribution of read/write loads across multiple hard drives. A minimum of two hard drives are required to create a RAID 0 Array but more can be added depending on the limitations of the operating system, software and hardware. Read/Write operations are significantly improved by each drive. There is no parity control or data caching so all drive capacity is available for use and nothing is wasted to overhead. Using separate drive controllers for each disk drive can even further enhance throughput. The technology is easy to implement given the availability of software and hardware RAID solutions.

This enhanced performance comes with a problem. The possibility of array failure increases proportionally by the factor of each added hard drive. Fault-tolerance is virtually nonexistent since there are no redundancies or parity control. Zero Channel RAID is thus, highly recommended on high-performance systems and not on mission-critical ones. Graphics, video, audio workstations and swap file arrays are the best candidates for RAID 0.

Hardware, software, human or natural elements can cause array failure. If the drives are already electronically or physically damaged, the magnetic platter must be transferred by trained technicians to an identical drive housing in a clean environment to make it operational. If the drives are still intact, operable and accessible, the contents can be extracted and de-stripped to another volume where data will be reconstructed and recovered into the files that needed to be rescued. Data extraction must be non-destructive or read-only for RAID 0 Recovery to succeed. File rescue is achieved when the array is reconstructed virtually in an image file, physically in a new array or de-stripped into a new single volume.

RAID 0 recovery is possible only on non-physically damaged magnetic platters. Situations ranging from RAID controller or drive failure, accidental array format or file deletion, partition table destruction, FAT or MFT corruption can be safely resolved by an advanced user with the help of various do-it-yourself RAID 0 Recovery software available on the internet and new replacement hardware if needed.

RAID configurations allow computers to achieve a scalable storage platform that can be customized to meet their specific needs without the cost associated with similar technologies. The first rationale of RAID Arrays is to provide fault-tolerance through redundancy of media by means of backups. Next is to improve performance through load distribution across multiple media or through data caching. Lastly, is to extend capacity beyond the original drive’s actual dimensions through media concatenation. RAID 0 is not an actual RAID Array because it offers no fault-tolerance by means of redundancy.

RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array for Inexpensive Disks. It depicts the arrangement of several hard disk drives forming an array of data storage to satisfy the storage requirements of different computer systems of specific applications that could never be achieved using stand-alone hard drives. RAID arrays are implemented depending on the configurations that correspond to specific storage requirements.


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