Intel Server with SSD

Server & Exchange Data Recovery Services

For further information on Server and RAID array data recovery please visit our dedicated website.

Storage in a server is often made up a RAID array. We understand the importance and critical nature of these types of system failures. CDR – Manchester Data Recovery Services – aims for a fast turn around, making the recovery of your server the priority. CDR can recover data successfully from the following operating systems:

  • Windows 2003 / 2008 / 2012 Server
  • Windows NT Server
  • Windows SQL Server
  • Windows Exchange Server
  • Linux Based Server
  • Apple Xserve

File Systems including:

  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • VMFS
  • Ext2/Ext3/Ext4
  • XFS
  • ReiserFS
  • ReFS

 

CDR offers free consultation, free diagnosis, and free turnaround time estimate. It is also possible for CDR to send out a technician to your building to examine the server.

RAID Data Recovery

CDR has recovered data from various manufacturers of server and RAID controller, including Dell, HP and IBM. In these cases, it is very useful to be familiar with the variety of RAID controller cards that are found within these servers and their typical configurations. This allows for the potential of a fast recovery in 24 to 48 hours if required by the customer. An expert knowledge of the RAID controllers is particularly important for the non-standard configurations found in HP RAID controllers, which use a delay in the parity, or Adaptec RAID 6 which use a proprietary layout for parity.

Typical Failures

On a number of occasions, we have seen servers using RAID 5 where two or more disks have failed. Typically we find that one of the disks has failed recently, whilst the second disk had failed some weeks or months ago. This was not detected by the system administrator of the server. In these cases, it is necessary to establish the order of the disk set and manually rebuild the RAID array from the ‘active’ disk sets, excluding the drives which failed first.

Successful Recovery

Our success rate in data recovery from servers is normally very good. The typical reasons for non-recovery relate to when a bad rebuild has taken place by the owner of the server. If your server has failed do not replace the bad disks with new, ‘force’ disks online or attempt a rebuild.

Do not ‘force’ RAID disks back online

A word of warning. If your HDDs are reported as failed in the RAID do not try to force the disk back online. In many cases where the failed disks were forced online via the RAID controller, the result has been to integrate irrelevant data from a second failed disk back into the recent ‘live’ data. The consequence of this is to cause significant corruption in the ‘live’ data. Unfortunately, if this takes place it is usually not possible to reverse the process. As such, if you are having difficulty with a file or exchange server please contact an expert on 0161 408 4857. We will be able to give you the best possible advice.

Exchange and SQL Recovery

Once data has been recovered in the form of files from the server we always make sure that the critical data is working OK ahead of any return of data or payment. This means opening / attaching the recovered Exchange or SQL database and performing any necessary repairs. This is included within any quotation CDR provides.

All data recovery work undertaken by CDR is on a free diagnosis and a “No-recovery, “No-fee” policy.

CDR also specialises in the recover of corrupt Microsoft Exchange mailboxes.