QNAP RAID 5 failure is due to member disk failure, faulty RAID controller, and various other reasons. When this happens, the entire RAID array is marked as “impaired” in QTS – the operating system of QNAP NAS devices. In such situations, you need to rebuild the RAID array. However, the recovery process sometimes fails. This situation typically arises due to an interruption in the recovery process or other factors. In this article, we explain the likely reasons that can lead to RAID 5 rebuild failure and mention the workarounds to rebuild a RAID 5 array and recover the data.
Why does NAS based RAID 5 array recovery fail?
There can be numerous reasons for the RAID 5 recovery process to fail. Some of them are listed below:
- Faulty or incompatible replacement drive
- Multiple drive failure
- URE during the restore process
- Backplane issues (problematic circuit board)
- Hardware issues such as NAS enclosures, RAID controllers, drive connectors, etc.
- Incorrect firmware or operating system update
- Sudden power failure interrupts the RAID rebuild process
- Incorrect disk order of member drives
- Drive status marked as Not a Member in QTS
What to do if QNAP NAS based RAID 5 recovery fails?
Before you begin rebuilding the RAID 5 array, it is recommended to perform a preliminary check to determine the cause of the error. You can do this by starting QTS (QNAP NAS operating system) and going to Storage and snapshots > storage > Hard drives/VJBOD. Here you will see the hard drive status as either “Warning” or “Error”.
A floppy disk with a ‘warningThe status indicates minor problems. It could also mean that the hard drive’s physical degradation has begun. In such a scenario, back up your data immediately. You can run a bad block scan on the drive to investigate the underlying problem.
A hard drive marked “Mistake‘ means there are bad sectors or I/O errors. In this case, the entire RAID group is marked as “degraded”. So you need to replace the failing hard drive with a new one and then rebuild the RAID.
However, before restoring the failed RAID 5 array, it is strongly recommended that you first restore the data from it. For example, you can use powerful NAS data recovery software Stellar data recovery toolkit to recover data from a failed QNAP NAS based RAID 5.
This powerful DIY NAS data recovery software provides an easy and safe way to recover data from failed QNAP NAS RAID 5 array. It can also recover data lost in various situations such as:
- Accidental deletion
- Volume formatting
- Member drive error
The tool virtually rebuilds the RAID array using the parameters of the member drives. It uses intelligent algorithms to scan the RAID array for recoverable files and folders and restore them precisely.
Here are some highlights of this software:
- Quick and easy DIY NAS/RAID recovery tool
- Recovers data from NAS devices from all major brands – QNAP, ASUSTOR and Synology.
- Recovers data from inaccessible or compromised RAID-based NAS
- Supports file recovery from virtual disks including VMDK, VDI, VHD and VHDX
- Recovers data from RAID 0, 5 and 6
- Supports file recovery from individual storage drives such as hard drives, SSDs, flash drives, etc.
- Recovers data from storage media formatted with NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, APFS, HFS, HFS+, Ext4, Ext3 and Ext2
Workarounds to Recover Failed QNAP NAS RAID 5
After you have successfully recovered your data from the failed QNAP NAS RAID 5 array, you can try rebuilding the RAID using one of the following workarounds:
Workaround 1: Set the new replacement hard drive as the spare hard drive
After identifying the problematic member drive in your QNAP NAS, replace it or hot-swap it with a replacement drive. The operating system automatically detects the hot spare and initiates the RAID recovery process.
If the operating system (QTS) cannot recognize the spare and restart the RAID 5 rebuild process, go to Storage/Snapshots and set the spare as a hot spare or hot spare. The restore process should begin automatically. Here is the step-by-step process:
- Launch a web browser and log in to your NAS.
- Click on Storage and snapshots and go to Storage > Storage/Snapshots.
- Select the Storage pool or static volume and click Administer Button.
- Select the degraded RAID 5 array and click Administer.
- Then click on Configure the replacement hard drive.
- Select the new drive and click Apply.
After that, the hot spare will automatically replace the failed drive and restart the RAID recovery process.
Workaround 2: Replace the new drive
An atypical situation may arise where the system can detect the hot spare, but its status is marked as “not member” or “disconnected” when checked in storage pool management. This situation occurs when QTS does not recognize the spare drive. If you find yourself in a similar situation, replace the replacement drive.
note: If the RAID 5 recovery process does not start automatically after installing the new replacement drive, you can proceed to Storage and Snapshots > Manage > Create New.
Diploma
Rebuilding a RAID array is a risky process because any interruption, such as B. a power failure, subsequent drive failure, etc., can bring the process to a halt and result in data loss. Therefore, if your QNAP NAS-based RAID 5 has entered the “degraded” state, you should give priority to restoring data. Then rebuild it. To recover data, use a professional NAS data recovery tool that can create a virtual image of the RAID and recover the data without any problems.
