RAID, NAS & SAN Recovery — Dubai Laboratory
RAID, NAS & SAN Data Recovery
Specialist recovery for failed RAID arrays, NAS devices, SAN systems, and enterprise storage — from a single degraded drive to complete array failure, controller loss, and complex multi-vendor configurations.
RAID is not a backup. When an array fails, the data can be gone in seconds — unless you act correctly.
MORE Datarecovery provides specialist RAID, NAS, and SAN data recovery services from our Dubai laboratory. We work with failed arrays, degraded configurations, inaccessible NAS devices, and enterprise SAN systems — recovering critical data for businesses, IT teams, and organisations across the UAE and the wider region.
Our engineers have extensive experience with all major RAID levels, NAS platforms, SAN architectures, and enterprise storage systems — including cases involving multiple simultaneous drive failures, controller failure, accidental RAID rebuild, and complex proprietary storage configurations.
Every case begins with a technical diagnosis. The recovery approach is determined by the actual condition of the array and its member drives — not by assumptions about what should or should not be recoverable.
RAID Data Recovery
Why is RAID recovery more complex than single-drive recovery?
A RAID array distributes data across multiple physical drives according to a specific configuration — the RAID level, stripe size, block order, parity scheme, and drive sequence. When an array fails, recovering the data requires understanding and reconstructing that configuration before any file-level recovery can begin. If the configuration parameters are unknown, incorrect, or have been overwritten, the reconstruction process becomes significantly more complex.
Common RAID failure scenarios
- Single or multiple simultaneous drive failures
- RAID controller failure
- Accidental or forced RAID rebuild
- Accidental array deletion or reinitialization
- Corrupted or lost RAID metadata
- File-system corruption on the array volume
- Degraded array with a failed hot-spare
- RAID 5 or RAID 6 with too many failed drives
- Power failure during a RAID rebuild or resync
- Firmware or controller configuration loss
- Physical damage to one or more member drives
- Virus, ransomware, or malicious activity affecting the array
RAID Levels We Work With
Our engineers work with all standard and non-standard RAID configurations, including:
- —RAID 0 — Striping, no redundancy
- —RAID 1 — Mirroring
- —RAID 5 — Striping with distributed parity
- —RAID 6 — Striping with dual distributed parity
- —RAID 10 (1+0) — Mirrored stripes
- —RAID 50 and RAID 60 — Nested configurations
- —JBOD — Just a Bunch of Disks
- —Hybrid and proprietary RAID variants
- —Software RAID (Linux mdadm, Windows Storage Spaces, ZFS RAID-Z)
Do not attempt a RAID rebuild, reinitialize the array, or replace drives without professional assessment. An incorrect rebuild can overwrite the data that remains on the surviving drives.
NAS Data Recovery
What makes NAS recovery different?
A NAS (Network-Attached Storage) device combines multiple hard drives with its own operating system, file system, and RAID or volume management layer. When a NAS fails, recovery may need to address not only the physical condition of the individual drives but also the proprietary volume structure, file system, and configuration data used by the NAS operating system.
Many NAS devices use Linux-based operating systems with ext3, ext4, XFS, Btrfs, or ZFS file systems, often combined with Linux software RAID (mdadm) or proprietary volume management. Others use entirely proprietary storage architectures that are not directly readable by standard operating systems.
Simply connecting NAS drives to a Windows or Mac computer will typically not provide access to the data. The volume structure must be identified and reconstructed before file-level recovery can proceed.
Our engineers work with NAS devices from all major manufacturers — including Synology, QNAP, Western Digital, Seagate, Buffalo, Netgear, Drobo, and others — as well as custom-built and enterprise NAS systems.
Common NAS failure scenarios
- Single or multiple drive failures in a NAS array
- NAS device not powering on or not accessible on the network
- Corrupted NAS volume or file system
- Accidental volume deletion or reinitialization
- Failed NAS OS or firmware update
- Accidental factory reset
- Ransomware or malicious encryption of NAS data
- NAS controller or motherboard failure
- Power surge or electrical damage
- Physical damage to one or more NAS drives
SAN & Enterprise Storage Recovery
What is involved in SAN data recovery?
A SAN (Storage Area Network) presents block-level storage to servers over a dedicated network fabric — typically Fibre Channel or iSCSI. Enterprise SAN systems from vendors such as Dell EMC, NetApp, HPE, IBM, Hitachi, and Pure Storage use proprietary storage architectures, volume management layers, and RAID implementations that require specialist knowledge to analyse and recover.
SAN recovery cases can involve failed storage controllers, degraded or failed disk shelves, corrupted LUNs, lost volume configurations, failed RAID groups, and complex multi-tier storage architectures. The recovery approach depends on the specific SAN platform, the nature of the failure, and the condition of the underlying storage media.
In many SAN failure scenarios, the data remains physically present on the drives even though the array is inaccessible. Recovery requires reconstructing the storage architecture — including RAID parameters, LUN mapping, volume metadata, and file-system structures — before the data can be extracted.
We work with enterprise SAN systems from all major vendors, including Dell EMC (VNX, Unity, PowerStore, Isilon), NetApp (ONTAP, WAFL), HPE (3PAR, Nimble, MSA), IBM (Storwize, FlashSystem), Hitachi (VSP), and others.
Our RAID, NAS & SAN Recovery Process
What happens to your array?
Step 1
Diagnosis & Assessment
Our engineers assess each member drive individually and evaluate the array configuration, controller state, volume metadata, and file-system condition. The objective is to determine the safest recovery approach and establish what can potentially be recovered before any changes are made to the original media.
Step 2
Drive-Level Recovery & Imaging
Each member drive is imaged individually using specialist hardware. Where a drive has physical or electronic damage, the appropriate Level 2 or Level 3 recovery procedures are applied first to stabilize it and obtain the best possible image. Recovery work then proceeds from the drive images — not the originals.
Step 3
Array Reconstruction
Using the drive images, our engineers reconstruct the RAID or volume configuration — including RAID level, stripe size, block order, parity scheme, drive sequence, and any proprietary parameters. For NAS and SAN systems, this includes analysis of the volume management layer, file system, and any proprietary storage architecture.
Step 4
File-System Analysis & Data Extraction
Once the array has been virtually reconstructed, our engineers analyse the file system and extract the recoverable data. Recovered data is verified and returned to the client on suitable destination media or via our secure transfer portal.
What to Do When Your RAID or NAS Fails
Do
- Stop using the array immediately when a failure is detected
- Preserve all member drives in their current state
- Note the RAID level, drive order, and any available configuration information
- Record the NAS or SAN make, model, and firmware version
- Contact a specialist before taking any further action
Do Not
- Attempt a RAID rebuild or resync without professional assessment
- Reinitialize or reformat the array or any member drive
- Replace failed drives and force a rebuild before imaging the originals
- Run chkdsk, fsck, or similar repair utilities on the array volume
- Power-cycle a clicking or unstable member drive repeatedly
- Restore from a backup to the same array before the original data has been assessed
Has Your RAID, NAS or SAN Failed?
Since 2001, MORE Datarecovery has provided specialist data recovery services for businesses, enterprises, and government organisations across the UAE. Our RAID, NAS, and SAN recovery capabilities cover the full range — from small business NAS devices to enterprise SAN systems with complex multi-tier storage architectures.
Where member drives have physical or electronic damage, our ISO Class 5 cleanroom and Level 2/Level 3 recovery capabilities allow us to address drive-level failures as part of the overall array recovery — rather than treating them as separate, unrelated problems.
Every case begins with a free diagnosis and a written, fixed-price quotation. No recovery work proceeds until you approve it. Where our No Recovery No Fee policy applies, the recovery fee is not charged if the agreed objective is not achieved.
Contact us before attempting a rebuild, reinitializing the array, or replacing drives. A free diagnostic assessment and a fixed-price quotation — before any recovery work begins.
Professional Data Recovery Since 2001 | Dubai, UAE