In RAID 5, three or more disks are arranged in an array. All the disks share the storage of data. Since RAID consists of disks, it is possible that one or more of these disks can become inaccessible or go corrupt. As a result, the data storage capability is affected. This is where RAID 5 recovery is useful. By repairing the damaged disk(s) the array can be restored and data can be recovered and again be stored.
RAID 5 is one of the most popular RAID arrays because of data striping and parity as well as economy. Many companies today use RAID 5 for storing their data. Even if one sector in a single disk becomes corrupt, it affects the entire array. To repair the disk and to recover the data, RAID 5 data recovery is a must.
RAID recovery for RAID 5 can be quite a task at times. The data parity is distributed across different RAID 5 drives. It also happens that parity stripes are generated using different RAID 5 cards and algorithms generated by software programs. In RAID 5, the parity blocks are created by spreading across blocks of data that are different in size. Due to all these reasons, data recovery on RAID 5 is a specialized job. It includes the identification of the stripe size as well as the offset.
RAID 5 is considered fault tolerant because it can survive the failure of a single disk. The faulty disk can be hot swapped and the data therein can be rebuilt by using the parity information. However, sometimes the RAID 5 adaptor fails and it is then not possible to migrate the array to another adapter. The result is that you now have all your data spread across the different disks that make up the RAID 5 array but they cannot be accessed. A RAID 5 data recovery software program comes handy in this situation.
With RAID 5 recovery software you can add disks that were part of the original RAID 5 array and then configure the stripe size. When your RAID 5 recovery software creates the virtual array you can then recover the data. The software creates a virtual file system from which you can recover the data. Another option is to copy the virtual array to a new disk that can then be used for data recovery using some or the other data recovery software.
It is true that RAID 5 recovery is not the simplest task but with the right software in place, it is possible. You need to consult an IT service provider and they can either recommend a software or get the job done themselves. You benefit from having your lost data recovered.