Data Recovery is a process by which data that cannot be normally accessed from damaged media storage devices is retrieved by using special software and devices.
Modern businesses rely on information technology to increase their efficiency. Printed paper is increasingly getting replaced with printed circuit boards. Digital databanks are taking the place of shelves spilling over with paper files. All this is possible because of digital storage devices that harbour large amount of data critical to the operations of today’s enterprises. When such media goes bad, it cripples the entire organisation. The impact of total data loss on entities like commercial banks, research institutions, airlines and accounting firms can put their survival at stake.
Every company that loses critical data is willing to pay arnking’s ransom to somehow get it back so that its operations continue unaffected. To fulfil this need, a multi-million-dollar industry has grown up that specialises in recovering data from non-functional storage devices. Data recovery is also essential in the fields of computer forensics, cyber-crime, intelligence gathering by investigative agencies and industrial espionage.
Why does Storage Media Gets Damaged?
The need for data recovery arises when the storage media becomes defective and cannot be read by normal means, that is, it stops responding tornrequests for data access. This happens due to two main causes – mechanical (hardware) failure and logical (software) failure.
1. Software Failure – The data often gets deleted accidentallyrnby the user, leading to much anxious wringing of hands. Another prominent cause of data loss is a virus attack or power surge which may vaporise the data or make it inaccessible. A logical fault arises when the partition and file systemrnof a hard disk get corrupted, rendering the data unreadable, or if the drive carrying data has been re-formatted inadvertently. Logical failure is a tricky situation and the data recovery process in such cases is time-consuming.
2. Hardware Failure – This arises from actual physical damage to the components of the storage device. In a hard drive, this may be caused by a defective spindle motor or controller card, damaged head or head stuck on the platter. The drive may have gone through physical abuse like fire or water damage, impact trauma (fallen hard to the ground) or even sabotage.
The success rate of data recovery is higher in cases of logical failure.
How is Data Recovered?
Data recovery operations are carried out, inside, what is called a “clean room.” It is an enclosed space having a controlled environment designed to eliminate or drastically reduce microscopic particles. Usually, clean rooms are Class 100 standard, which means that they do not have more than 100 particles of 50 microns or higher floating in a cubic feet of air. Some data-recovery companies may even have a Class 10 clean room which is ten times cleaner than a Class 100 room. Clean rooms are required because even a spec of dirt inside a storage media like a hard drive can cause a kill defect and irreversibly damage the hard drive.
The following steps are involved in recovering data from a defective storage media:
The faulty hard disk drive is shipped to the data-recovery company which sends it to its clean room for evaluation.
Technicians carefully open the disk and give it an inspection to determine if it is a mechanical, electrical or logical failure.
Once the correct cause of the failure is diagnosed, the procedure to recover the data is decided. Other issues ascertained include how much data can be retrieved, how much time it will take and how much will it cost the customer.
A variety of proprietary software and specially designed devices are used to process the disk. In cases of hardware damage, faulty components like drive motors or head assembly are replaced or repaired. The individual drive platters are closely examined to judge the extent of surface damage and each drive is tackled separately for repair.
In cases where the disk damage is logical, a non-destructive process is used. In this, a mirror image of the drive is created by carefully scanning the drive surface. All recovery work is done on the clone, leaving the original disk undisturbed. The data is then analysed, the logical structure of partitions and files determined, and essential repairs carried out.
Once the data is recovered, it is handed over to the customer in a media of one’s choice, like a new hard disk, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.
Data recovery mostly deals with a range of hard drives, tape drives, RAID, email servers, relational databases, CDs, DVDs, compact flash disks and even cell phones and Blackberries.
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Logical Data Recovery
The data stored on a computer’s hard disk drivecan become inaccessible due to two factors – mechanical failure or logical failure. Mechanical failure relates to defective or damaged hardware. In this,components like controller cards, spindle motor, bearings, read / write headand platters may develop snags due to short-circuiting, electric surges,physical trauma, water or fire damage and normal wear and tear
In logical failure, all components of the storage device work fine but the software content it stores gets damaged. The user may accidentally delete the data, the hard disk may be reformatted or wiped clean, the file system and partition may get corrupted or there may be a virus attack that makes data unreadable. The storage media in such cases stops responding tor equests for data access. This is where the process of data recovery steps in.
Causes of Logical Data Failure
Logical data failure usually results from file system corruption. It is far more prevalent than mechanical failure, either by user error or system error. The following are common reasons for logical data failure:
Power outages that abruptly halt the storage device midway when it is writing data
Sabotage by disgruntled employees
Hard disk reformatting
Operating system malfunction due to deletion or corruption of key components
Electrostatic discharge
Amalicious virus attack
Corrupt software
Deleted partitions
Corruptfile system structure (FAT, NTFS or HFS)
Accidental deletion of files by the user
Cross-linked files which share the same allocation in the FAT file system
If a hard drive has failed due to logical errors, the computer will recognize the drive but will be unable to boot from it. In mechanical failure, the system usually does not recognize the drive at all. Common user errors like accidental deletion of files or formatting of the hard disk can be taken care of by running off-the-shelf data recovery software. In casesof serious logical errors, the services of data-recovery professionals may be needed.
Logical Data Recovery
In logical data recovery, the damaged files have to be reconstructed from scratch or the file system corruption has to be repaired. There are two main methods used in logical data recovery:
Checking for Consistency – This process is used by utilities that come loaded with operating systems (like Check Disk for Windows) to check for and repair minor logical errors present on the disk. In this, the software undertakes a scan of the disksurface (or its image) to read the logical structure and ensure its consistency. This is done by ensuring that all files present on the disk have properspecifications, that is, they have their own individual directory entries as well as entries that point to their parent directory. The programme corrects the specification of each file so that the logical structure of the disk becomes consistent. This method of correcting logical errors is not of much use if the logical structure has been heavily damaged.
Building Files From Ground Up – This is the only alternative for files that cannot be recovered by merely doing a consistency check. In this, the software scans theparts of the logical structure that are intact. By studying the file system structures, it painstakingly tries to deduce what the missing parts or clusters should look like (taking into considering the allocation of other files) and builds the damaged files step by step. This method is thorough and time-consuming, but the only practical way to recover files that have been damaged heavily.
However, logical data recovery is not a magic wand. There are certain cases in which the data may be permanently lost or the recovery becomes very difficult.
Fragmentation: A small data file on a disk is spread across a single cluster or several consecutive ones. Many of these clusters mayget damaged due to a logical error, thus making the file unreadable. The data recovery software assumes or guesses many of these clusters to rebuild the file.If the file size becomes too large, its clusters get spread all over the disk surface and the data gets fragmented. The larger and more fragmented a file, the more difficult its recovery. Small files that do not exceed a single cluster can be perfectly recovered, but large and fragmented ones, though they exist on thedisk, cannot be reconstructed by the data recovery software. Keeping the file size small and regularly running the disk fragmentation utility provided with Windows can greatly increase chances of data recovery in these cases.
Overwriting: When you delete a file on your computer, the disk clusters taken by it are freed by the operating system foruse by other data. If you create and save another file and these clusters get overwritten by the new data, there is no practical way the data recovery software can rebuild the previous file. To prevent the lost file’s allocation being overwritten by new data, you should cease work immediately on the computer. Even browsing the Internet can download data and overwrite clusters crucial for file recovery. This is why it is recommended that the data recovery software should be run directly from its CD and not loaded on the hard disk so as to avert the risk of the disk clusters being overwritten or destroyed. Most data can be recovered in Forensic investigations.
In logical failure, all components of the storage device work fine but the software content it stores gets damaged. The user may accidentally delete the data, the hard disk may be reformatted or wiped clean, the file system and partition may get corrupted or there may be a virus attack that makes data unreadable. The storage media in such cases stops responding tor equests for data access. This is where the process of data recovery steps in.
Causes of Logical Data Failure
Logical data failure usually results from file system corruption. It is far more prevalent than mechanical failure, either by user error or system error. The following are common reasons for logical data failure:
Power outages that abruptly halt the storage device midway when it is writing data
Sabotage by disgruntled employees
Hard disk reformatting
Operating system malfunction due to deletion or corruption of key components
Electrostatic discharge
Amalicious virus attack
Corrupt software
Deleted partitions
Corruptfile system structure (FAT, NTFS or HFS)
Accidental deletion of files by the user
Cross-linked files which share the same allocation in the FAT file system
If a hard drive has failed due to logical errors, the computer will recognize the drive but will be unable to boot from it. In mechanical failure, the system usually does not recognize the drive at all. Common user errors like accidental deletion of files or formatting of the hard disk can be taken care of by running off-the-shelf data recovery software. In casesof serious logical errors, the services of data-recovery professionals may be needed.
Logical Data Recovery
In logical data recovery, the damaged files have to be reconstructed from scratch or the file system corruption has to be repaired. There are two main methods used in logical data recovery:
Checking for Consistency – This process is used by utilities that come loaded with operating systems (like Check Disk for Windows) to check for and repair minor logical errors present on the disk. In this, the software undertakes a scan of the disksurface (or its image) to read the logical structure and ensure its consistency. This is done by ensuring that all files present on the disk have properspecifications, that is, they have their own individual directory entries as well as entries that point to their parent directory. The programme corrects the specification of each file so that the logical structure of the disk becomes consistent. This method of correcting logical errors is not of much use if the logical structure has been heavily damaged.
Building Files From Ground Up – This is the only alternative for files that cannot be recovered by merely doing a consistency check. In this, the software scans theparts of the logical structure that are intact. By studying the file system structures, it painstakingly tries to deduce what the missing parts or clusters should look like (taking into considering the allocation of other files) and builds the damaged files step by step. This method is thorough and time-consuming, but the only practical way to recover files that have been damaged heavily.
However, logical data recovery is not a magic wand. There are certain cases in which the data may be permanently lost or the recovery becomes very difficult.
Fragmentation: A small data file on a disk is spread across a single cluster or several consecutive ones. Many of these clusters mayget damaged due to a logical error, thus making the file unreadable. The data recovery software assumes or guesses many of these clusters to rebuild the file.If the file size becomes too large, its clusters get spread all over the disk surface and the data gets fragmented. The larger and more fragmented a file, the more difficult its recovery. Small files that do not exceed a single cluster can be perfectly recovered, but large and fragmented ones, though they exist on thedisk, cannot be reconstructed by the data recovery software. Keeping the file size small and regularly running the disk fragmentation utility provided with Windows can greatly increase chances of data recovery in these cases.
Overwriting: When you delete a file on your computer, the disk clusters taken by it are freed by the operating system foruse by other data. If you create and save another file and these clusters get overwritten by the new data, there is no practical way the data recovery software can rebuild the previous file. To prevent the lost file’s allocation being overwritten by new data, you should cease work immediately on the computer. Even browsing the Internet can download data and overwrite clusters crucial for file recovery. This is why it is recommended that the data recovery software should be run directly from its CD and not loaded on the hard disk so as to avert the risk of the disk clusters being overwritten or destroyed. Most data can be recovered in Forensic investigations.
Fujitsu Hard Drives
Fujitsu offers a complete package of high intensity, performance-oriented hard disk drives.
The Fujitsu hard drives are specially used in IT businesses and manufacturing industries. The hard disk drives possessr a storage capacity of more than 75 GB per inch square. Fujitsu manufactures the following:
2.5 inch, RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 4200 RPM Mobile hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 5400 Mobile hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 10k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 15k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
Handy Drives
Fujitsu Hard Disk Drive Failures:
Mechanical Failure – This type of failure usually goes unnoticed for some time as the computer remains functional even after the write heads of the disk drive collide with the rotating platter surface of the drive. The failure comes into focus when there is a ‘head crash’ of the entire system and the computer goes blank.
Another common problem area is the speed at which the drive spins. Fujitsu drives spinrnat a fast rate causing the head to bounce against the drive and consequently destroying the drive’s magnetic coating.
Electronic Failure – The Fujitsu hard drive suffers data loss when the computer undergoes an electronic failure. There is a power spike or power surge which causes the drive to read effectively. Fujitsu hard disk drives have two main electronic concerns:
Temperature variations causing a short circuit and computer failure
Defective circuit board causing the hard drive to fail and not read data
Logical Errors – Fujitsu hard disk drives are vulnerable to the type of information stored on them. The hard drive fails to read and store data when faulty, defective and problematic data is stored on it such as a faulty file allocation table. The Fujitsu drive also fails to store information in cases of reformatting and overwriting.
Human Error – More than 75 percent of failure of Fujitsu hard drives occur solely on account of human error like exposure to adverse climactic conditions, holiday injuries, inadequate protection of the drive, no backup.
Data Recovery:
1. Ontrack
According to Ontrack Team Data Recovery, the Fujitsu drive faces some particular faults which are not common to other disk drive formats:
IDE Cable Malfunction
Power Connector Problems
Inappropriate BIOS configuration
Computer Virus Attack
The Ontrack team believes that the occurrence of any of the above faults in a Fujitsu disk drive can lead to several negative consequences:
Primary or Secondary hard disk failure
Inability to access drive ‘X’
Boot drive becomes inaccessible
Computer experiences failure to read keyboard commands
Electro-mechanical failure causing grinding and clacking sounds
Corrupted data
Lost data
Permanently deleted files
Ontrack Data Recovery Management Software:
This software has two primary purposes:
Maintain the computer system – in other words, the software ensures that the computer is functioning and not suffering from any type of failure.
Prevent data loss and damage
In this regard, the team recommends a few initial steps by the user before starting the data recovery software.
Erase or delete sensitive and confidential data
Make a preliminary report about the computer’s status after disk failure
Data recovery tools include:
Ontrack Disk Manager
Ontrack Data Advisor
2. Data Clinic Data Recovery :
Usually, users prefer personal handling of the disk drives. However, the Data Recovery support and technical team recommends that the user come to the centre’s helpdesk and explain the problem. According to the support team, a Fujitsu hard disk drive can only suffer due to:
mechanical hard drive failures
platter damage caused by a head crash
dish reformatting and overwriting
deleted files due to disk partitions
liquid damage caused by water, coffee or any beverage
virus contamination
software corruption
physical damage caused by fire or flood
electrostatic discharge
The support team lists the various steps involved in data recovery.
Defective drive is logged into the computer system of the company
Free evaluation of hard disk drive to ensure the amount and severity of data lost
A copy of the defective or corrupted data is made
User is upgraded on the initial assessment of the disk drive
Amount or fees incurred is charged to user
Data recovery software tools are used
On recovery, data is transferred onto another media format to ensure safety and data usability.
Fujitsu hard drives are increasingly being used on laptops and other handy devices. These miniature drives are ‘bus powered’ with a 2.0 interface.
The Fujitsu hard drives are specially used in IT businesses and manufacturing industries. The hard disk drives possessr a storage capacity of more than 75 GB per inch square. Fujitsu manufactures the following:
2.5 inch, RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 4200 RPM Mobile hard disk drives
2.5 inch, 5400 Mobile hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 10k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
3.5 inch, 15k RPM Enterprise hard disk drives
Handy Drives
Fujitsu Hard Disk Drive Failures:
Mechanical Failure – This type of failure usually goes unnoticed for some time as the computer remains functional even after the write heads of the disk drive collide with the rotating platter surface of the drive. The failure comes into focus when there is a ‘head crash’ of the entire system and the computer goes blank.
Another common problem area is the speed at which the drive spins. Fujitsu drives spinrnat a fast rate causing the head to bounce against the drive and consequently destroying the drive’s magnetic coating.
Electronic Failure – The Fujitsu hard drive suffers data loss when the computer undergoes an electronic failure. There is a power spike or power surge which causes the drive to read effectively. Fujitsu hard disk drives have two main electronic concerns:
Temperature variations causing a short circuit and computer failure
Defective circuit board causing the hard drive to fail and not read data
Logical Errors – Fujitsu hard disk drives are vulnerable to the type of information stored on them. The hard drive fails to read and store data when faulty, defective and problematic data is stored on it such as a faulty file allocation table. The Fujitsu drive also fails to store information in cases of reformatting and overwriting.
Human Error – More than 75 percent of failure of Fujitsu hard drives occur solely on account of human error like exposure to adverse climactic conditions, holiday injuries, inadequate protection of the drive, no backup.
Data Recovery:
1. Ontrack
According to Ontrack Team Data Recovery, the Fujitsu drive faces some particular faults which are not common to other disk drive formats:
IDE Cable Malfunction
Power Connector Problems
Inappropriate BIOS configuration
Computer Virus Attack
The Ontrack team believes that the occurrence of any of the above faults in a Fujitsu disk drive can lead to several negative consequences:
Primary or Secondary hard disk failure
Inability to access drive ‘X’
Boot drive becomes inaccessible
Computer experiences failure to read keyboard commands
Electro-mechanical failure causing grinding and clacking sounds
Corrupted data
Lost data
Permanently deleted files
Ontrack Data Recovery Management Software:
This software has two primary purposes:
Maintain the computer system – in other words, the software ensures that the computer is functioning and not suffering from any type of failure.
Prevent data loss and damage
In this regard, the team recommends a few initial steps by the user before starting the data recovery software.
Erase or delete sensitive and confidential data
Make a preliminary report about the computer’s status after disk failure
Data recovery tools include:
Ontrack Disk Manager
Ontrack Data Advisor
2. Data Clinic Data Recovery :
Usually, users prefer personal handling of the disk drives. However, the Data Recovery support and technical team recommends that the user come to the centre’s helpdesk and explain the problem. According to the support team, a Fujitsu hard disk drive can only suffer due to:
mechanical hard drive failures
platter damage caused by a head crash
dish reformatting and overwriting
deleted files due to disk partitions
liquid damage caused by water, coffee or any beverage
virus contamination
software corruption
physical damage caused by fire or flood
electrostatic discharge
The support team lists the various steps involved in data recovery.
Defective drive is logged into the computer system of the company
Free evaluation of hard disk drive to ensure the amount and severity of data lost
A copy of the defective or corrupted data is made
User is upgraded on the initial assessment of the disk drive
Amount or fees incurred is charged to user
Data recovery software tools are used
On recovery, data is transferred onto another media format to ensure safety and data usability.
Fujitsu hard drives are increasingly being used on laptops and other handy devices. These miniature drives are ‘bus powered’ with a 2.0 interface.
Importance of Computer Security for a new business
Computer Security is a means to develop a secured environment to carry on the computer-related activities so that the sensitive information available on the network is not accessed, tampered or misused by any unauthorised source.
Are you getting a headache deleting the numerous spam-mails that you receive in your official inbox? Have you spent months developing a new technology and just before you could release it, your competitor comes up with the same technology and gets it patented? If any of these problems is a common occurrence at your work, do not just blame it on your stars. It only means that there is a serious security breach in your computer network and it is time for a more secured model.
Importance of Computer Security for New Businesses
A lot of companies do not realise the importance of computer security while starting a new company. This is owing to the lack of understanding of serious implications that it could pose. A lack of security could even destroy new businesses. Following are some of the points that reiterate the importance of computer security while starting a new business orrnstarting an existing company in a different country:
1. Experts say that in the absence of a secured system, it only takes a few minutes forrnhackers to gain access to the information present on your network. So if your have been waiting to implement a security system, it might be too late.
2. Your competitors might consider it easy to wipe you out early in the competition. So they might hire hackers who can easily get hold of sensitive information in the absence of proper security and use the data to destroy your business.
3. Without spending too much money or time, your competitors could easily steal your business ideas or trade secrets and use them.
4. While starting a new company or a branch of the existing company in a different country, you would be required to hire new employees. Since you do not know the credibility of these employees, it becomes necessary to have a secured system so that they do not have access to vital information.
Cyber laws may vary from country to country. In order to make the best use of these laws, it becomes essential to come up with new policies governing computer security while starting your operations in a new country.
Securing the Network
Having understood the importance of computer security, it becomes essential to learn about effective ways of implementing it. Computers present within an organisation may be connected through an internal network referred to as intranet. Computers present all over the world can be connected through internet. It becomes essential to avoid data theft through both these networks. Here are some of the common threats and possible methods of tackling them.
1. Malware: These are malicious software transmitted through ther internet. Computer virus, spyware and adware are some of the common Malware.
Arnvirus can result in permanent loss of data stored on the system. This can be avoided by using anti-virus software and backing up of important data.
Spyware can gather information from your system and transmit it to the person who has sent them including credit card details of the customers. This can be avoided by using anti-spyware software.
An adware automatically displays or downloads advertisements while connected to the internet. They are a disturbance and can reduce the employees’ efficiency. They can be controlled by anti-spyware software.
2. Hacking: All sensitive information in a company would be stored on the network and can be accessed through intranet or internet. It is not safe to let all the employees in the network to have an access to these details. By using a firewall you can restrict the hacking of sensitive data. In addition to this, you also have computer forensics that allows you to improve computer security.
3. Secured Server: A server is a host computer that responds to the requests of all the other computers connected to it. By securing the server, you can protect sensitive information. They first encrypt the data which can be decrypted only after checking the digital certificate given by the Certificate Authority.
Always use combination of these technologies to secure your network and keep updating them from time to time. This is an important investment that you will never repent for since it can decide the success or failure of your business. For more information read articles on Future Hard Drives or visit our Data Recovery site.
Are you getting a headache deleting the numerous spam-mails that you receive in your official inbox? Have you spent months developing a new technology and just before you could release it, your competitor comes up with the same technology and gets it patented? If any of these problems is a common occurrence at your work, do not just blame it on your stars. It only means that there is a serious security breach in your computer network and it is time for a more secured model.
Importance of Computer Security for New Businesses
A lot of companies do not realise the importance of computer security while starting a new company. This is owing to the lack of understanding of serious implications that it could pose. A lack of security could even destroy new businesses. Following are some of the points that reiterate the importance of computer security while starting a new business orrnstarting an existing company in a different country:
1. Experts say that in the absence of a secured system, it only takes a few minutes forrnhackers to gain access to the information present on your network. So if your have been waiting to implement a security system, it might be too late.
2. Your competitors might consider it easy to wipe you out early in the competition. So they might hire hackers who can easily get hold of sensitive information in the absence of proper security and use the data to destroy your business.
3. Without spending too much money or time, your competitors could easily steal your business ideas or trade secrets and use them.
4. While starting a new company or a branch of the existing company in a different country, you would be required to hire new employees. Since you do not know the credibility of these employees, it becomes necessary to have a secured system so that they do not have access to vital information.
Cyber laws may vary from country to country. In order to make the best use of these laws, it becomes essential to come up with new policies governing computer security while starting your operations in a new country.
Securing the Network
Having understood the importance of computer security, it becomes essential to learn about effective ways of implementing it. Computers present within an organisation may be connected through an internal network referred to as intranet. Computers present all over the world can be connected through internet. It becomes essential to avoid data theft through both these networks. Here are some of the common threats and possible methods of tackling them.
1. Malware: These are malicious software transmitted through ther internet. Computer virus, spyware and adware are some of the common Malware.
Arnvirus can result in permanent loss of data stored on the system. This can be avoided by using anti-virus software and backing up of important data.
Spyware can gather information from your system and transmit it to the person who has sent them including credit card details of the customers. This can be avoided by using anti-spyware software.
An adware automatically displays or downloads advertisements while connected to the internet. They are a disturbance and can reduce the employees’ efficiency. They can be controlled by anti-spyware software.
2. Hacking: All sensitive information in a company would be stored on the network and can be accessed through intranet or internet. It is not safe to let all the employees in the network to have an access to these details. By using a firewall you can restrict the hacking of sensitive data. In addition to this, you also have computer forensics that allows you to improve computer security.
3. Secured Server: A server is a host computer that responds to the requests of all the other computers connected to it. By securing the server, you can protect sensitive information. They first encrypt the data which can be decrypted only after checking the digital certificate given by the Certificate Authority.
Always use combination of these technologies to secure your network and keep updating them from time to time. This is an important investment that you will never repent for since it can decide the success or failure of your business. For more information read articles on Future Hard Drives or visit our Data Recovery site.
Server Recovery
For someone not familiar with the functions of a server, it might simply be a mystical computer that performs incredible tasks and generally is a hands-off system. But it is not so. What makes the term server doubly confusing is that it can refer to both hardware and software.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
Server Recovery
For someone not familiar with the functions of a server, it might simply be a mystical computer that performs incredible tasks and generally is a hands-off system. But it is not so. What makes the term server doubly confusing is that it can refer to both hardware and software.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
From a hardware perspective, it is a computer on your network that is configured to share its resources or run applications. It is used to handle database sharing between all users on your network. From a software perspective, it can be used to describe a specific software package running on a computer or the computer on which that software is running. The type of server and the software you would use depends on the type of network. There are number of severs e.g. Application Server, Print Server, Database Server, Mail Server, Web Server, FTP Server, Proxy Server, etc.
Protecting the data is vital for protecting the business. Information is the lifeblood of any business. One cannot afford to have one’s data integrity compromised. In case of hard disk failure or the data from the server has to be recovered, RAID is of much use.
RAID (‘Redundant Array of independent or Inexpensive Disks’) technology is quickly finding its way into many home and professional systems. It promises high data security, high fault tolerance, extended up-time, integrated capacity, enhanced performance, increased speed, increased reliability, increased space, etc., With RAID several independent hard drives are combined together to form one larger logical array. Not only data is sorted on this array, but ‘redundancy’ information is also added. This information may either be the data itself (mirroring) or parity information calculated out of several data blocks (RAID 3, 4 or 5).
The operating system no longer deals with individual drives, but instead with the array. Improving accessibility is the major objective of RAID. RAIDS offers better data recovery chances as long as the drives are cloned. However, when RAID fails, it fails big time and then RAID data recovery software is used to retrieve data. Raid data recovery software recovers both RAID software and hardware. It prevents downtime in the event of a hard disk failure, but it will not recover data that has been deleted by the user or destroyed by a major event, such as theft or fire. Because of this you still need a backup to secure your system from these problems even if you install a RAID system.
The advantages of RAID technology were in the first instance only featured on expensive server systems, but with subsequent massive growth in data-intensive enterprise, increasing demand has resulted in a wider and more affordable range of RAID technologies. This popularity has resulted many different solutions being generated, each suitable to different user profiles. The relative suitability of RAID technologies depends largely on the individual’s particular application needs, cost and complexity of the system must also be factored in.
There are various RAID levels. RAID level 0 for which has high performance, but as such no redundant information is stored. It is the largest, as all its disk space is used, which means it has a high risk of data loss. The failure of any disk in the array results in data loss due to a lack of redundancy. RAID 1 is faster in reading and slower in writing. It is highly reliable for data protection, as data is stored by duplicating to two disks. But it has lower capacity. RAID 2 (stripped array) has additional data protection measures. It uses Error Checking and Correction Method (ECC), which offers little advantage beyond that of RAID 3, so it is rarely used. RAID 3 is slow in writing. Practical use of RAID 3 calls for hardware based control. RAID 4 comes with single dedicated parity drive and striped data drives. Both RAID 3 and 4 have good data recovery performance and affordability. RAID 5 is popular due to its combined advantages over other levels. It has good writing efficiency, data protection is still optimal, cost is also good compared to other levels. Though RAID 6 is not so popular, like RAID 5, it is also preferred by a few clients. RAID 10 is the most basic hybrid-level, combining the features of RAID 1 and RAID 0. it is very popular due to its comparatively simple implementation with high performance and super redundancy.
The first computer with a hard drive, named ‘305 RAMAC’, was introduced by IBM on September 13th 1956. The total hard drive capacity was 5 million 7-bit characters which is approximately 4.4MB according to present storage standards. It was 5 feet in height, a little less than 6 feet broad and 2.5 feet deep. The dimension of the drive was more than the size of two refrigerators kept side by side and weighed over a ton. A heavy duty fork lift was used to transport it. This 350 Disk File, having a stack of fifty 24” discs, allowed random access of data without a determined order. It was rented out for an annual fee of $35,000.
50 years hard drives underwent radical changes in their storage capacity and size. Hard drives are now available from 1GB to 500 GB withrnsize dimensions ranging from 1 inch to 3.5 inches. For a very fast access torninformation they come with an array of spindle speed ranges of 3,600-rpm,rn4,200-rpm, 5,400-rpm, 7,200-rpm, 10,000-rpm and 15,000-rpm. These hard drivesrnserve a number of diverse application needs. They are used in compact musicrnplayers, digital video recorders, game consoles, residential servers, printers,rncopiers, PCs, Laptops, online servers, business networks and data centres, withrnprovisions to use external USB and other connections.
Venture storage or business storage has most benefited by the changes in the size of the hard drives. Currently, 2.5 inch hard drives are replacing the 3.5 inch hard drives enabling increased server space in a 1U rack. With increased RPM the IOPS (input/output operations per second) correspondingly they offer increased performance. It is assessed that a 2U rack accommodating 2.5 inch drives will offer a 150% increase in IOPS than a 3U rack with 3.5 inch drives. These 2.5 inch hard drives save money on the investment of the number of servers, wiring, switches, UPS rack shelves, with easy mirroring and realistic redundancy.
Hard drives of today even come in 1 inch size and 1GB to 5GB memory offering diversified usages in consumer electronics. They are substituting the flash memory in hand carried music players, offering storage options for digital cameras, video game consoles, routing guidance for cars and application rich programs for mobile phones. The hard drive industry has come a long way in these 50 years from a meagre 5 MB to mega 500 GB.
Hard drives of the future will have to meet superior variety of functions and exacting market standards. The whole scenario is exciting.
50 years hard drives underwent radical changes in their storage capacity and size. Hard drives are now available from 1GB to 500 GB withrnsize dimensions ranging from 1 inch to 3.5 inches. For a very fast access torninformation they come with an array of spindle speed ranges of 3,600-rpm,rn4,200-rpm, 5,400-rpm, 7,200-rpm, 10,000-rpm and 15,000-rpm. These hard drivesrnserve a number of diverse application needs. They are used in compact musicrnplayers, digital video recorders, game consoles, residential servers, printers,rncopiers, PCs, Laptops, online servers, business networks and data centres, withrnprovisions to use external USB and other connections.
Venture storage or business storage has most benefited by the changes in the size of the hard drives. Currently, 2.5 inch hard drives are replacing the 3.5 inch hard drives enabling increased server space in a 1U rack. With increased RPM the IOPS (input/output operations per second) correspondingly they offer increased performance. It is assessed that a 2U rack accommodating 2.5 inch drives will offer a 150% increase in IOPS than a 3U rack with 3.5 inch drives. These 2.5 inch hard drives save money on the investment of the number of servers, wiring, switches, UPS rack shelves, with easy mirroring and realistic redundancy.
Hard drives of today even come in 1 inch size and 1GB to 5GB memory offering diversified usages in consumer electronics. They are substituting the flash memory in hand carried music players, offering storage options for digital cameras, video game consoles, routing guidance for cars and application rich programs for mobile phones. The hard drive industry has come a long way in these 50 years from a meagre 5 MB to mega 500 GB.
Hard drives of the future will have to meet superior variety of functions and exacting market standards. The whole scenario is exciting.
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