JBOD data recovery
About JBOD
JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) is a specific storage architecture that consists of many disks inside a single enclosure. Typically,JBOD enclosures are not used to act as RAID, but this can be done if desired.
In general, JBOD enclosures can be compared to storage tank monoliths. To give you an idea, the ruggedized 3MAG JBOD has 8 TB drives per magazine, which is, for a minute, a whopping 192 TB of storage. Thus, due to its compactness, speed and durability, this case is ideal for big data applications and for local storage. Therefore, often, JBOD is used by organizations and large enterprises.
In addition, drives in a JBOD enclosure can function as separate units, or act as a single entity or, as discussed above, as a RAID with the correct host system technology. We can say that JBOD is the opposite of partitioning, where individual disks are segmented into smaller volumes.
Key benefits:
- recommended to avoid unnecessary disk usage. So if you have multiple odd sized disks, don't worry, JBOD will allow you to combine them into a single block without wasting any capacity. So a 10 GB drive and a 30 GB JBOD will make a full 40 GB volume, but only a 20 GB RAID 0 array. Relatively small advantage;
- easier disaster recovery is available. That is, if a drive in a RAID 0 volume fails, the data on each drive in the array is destroyed as all files are striped. In contrast, if a drive in a JBOD set fails, then it may be easier to recover files on other drives (but again, this may not be the case, depending on how the operating system manages the drives). Considering that you should be doing regular backups regardless, and that even under JBOD recovery can be difficult, this too is a minor advantage.
The purpose of the JBOD
As discussed above, JBOD configurations have many separate disks presented to the server without pooling. Therefore, JBOD is used in the following storage scenarios:
- Requires storage for video surveillance, multimedia.
- The data must be archived.
- Short-term storage before long-term archival storage.
- It is necessary to store large amounts of data in the range from a terabyte to a petabyte.
- Requires high availability with write speed.
It should be noted that if you are expanding your system or have disks of different sizes but want to combine them into one more useful disk, JBOD can do just that without wasting a single byte of capacity. At the same time, systems that are not loaded at full capacity can be expanded using external drives, so you can make room for more processors.
JBOD: pros and cons
The benefits of JBOD include the following:
- No capacity loss by combining custom size drives.
- Cost-effective and independent storage scaling.
- High availability.
- Hot-swappable when a drive fails.
- High read and write speed.
- Easily add storage to the system and integrate with existing or new servers.
The disadvantages of JBOD include the following:
- Lack of redundancy or data protection, so if the disk is damaged, the data is lost forever.
- Due to low performance, it is better to use for secondary storage, and not for the main storage.
- Sequential read and write speeds are not as fast as in RAID.
JBOD and RAID comparison
Tip: here is how to create RAID through mdadm.
First, JBOD and RAID use very different processes for storing data.
In doing so, JBOD uses a process called spanning, when one drive in the enclosure reaches its capacity, the data is stored on the next drive in the enclosure, and so on. Data is not duplicated, fragmented, or merged as it is with RAID.
Each RAID level uses a different storage mechanism for data redundancy and fault tolerance (striping, parity and double parity, mirroring, combination of striping and mirroring).
RAID and JBOD can use HDDs and SSDs of various capacities and interfaces.
JBOD enclosures and some RAID levels are hot swappable (a drive in an enclosure or array can be replaced without shutting down the host system). This is especially true when users need frequent access to data stored on different servers. Since shutting down the entire system to replace a disk increases downtime and reduces productivity, and this can have disastrous consequences - financial losses, public outcry, etc.
How to choose?
If you need huge amounts of local storage, JBOD is your choice.
If you're using storage for big data applications, JBOD will be hard to handle. If you are using NVME JBOD SSDs, then the data transfer speed will be lightning fast.
Most RAID levels have storage capacity limits due to data mirroring or parity, and RAID 0 is the only level where the total storage capacity is not skewed. However, you also cannot remove drives in a RAID 0 array without losing all data on each drive.
So if you need huge amounts of memory, high read/write speeds, and easy disk replacement in a lightweight and durable package, JBODs may be the right choice for you.
JBOD data recovery
If you still lose some files from your JBOD (Synology Hybrid raid data recovery included), you should pay attention to the professional DiskInternals RAID Recovery™ utility. This quality tool has thousands of positive reviews due to its features and capabilities. Let's dwell on this in more detail:
- It is the built-in wizard for step-by-step information recovery from JBOD, which makes the application work as automated as possible.
- DiskInternals RAID Recovery™ is suitable for disk imaging.
- Restores information from badly damaged pools that are no longer mounted.
- Automatically determines the main parameters of the pool and file system, including the order of disks.
- The program works even if a new empty pool has been created on top of the original one.
- Restore Deleted files and also restores previous versions of files.
- Always Checksums to make sure the file data is correct.
JBOD recovery process
To start recovering JBOD files in Windows 10, first download the recommended RAID Recovery™ application on your computer or server. Then install the software on Windows 7-11, you can also install on Windows Server 2003-2019.
Open the RAID Recovery™ application, if you need automatic mode, activate the wizards, then be sure to select the target array.
Then decide on a priority recovery mode:
- Quick recovery mode (try it first, it will be fast),
- Full recovery mode (deeper scan and results will be much better) files whenever possible.
You then have read-only access to all files found during the scan. This is necessary so that you can use the preview function and check how successful the data recovery procedure was.
P.S. Learn more about RAID vs JBOD here.
Once you have reviewed all the results and are now confident that your data is back and restored properly, purchase a license for RAID Recovery™ and you will have unlimited access to your files. You can export selected files to any suitable storage device, and you can also get technical support after purchasing a license - that's great. If the necessary files are already saved and you are satisfied with the result of the RAID recovery, congratulations and sincerely happy for you!
Recovery tips:
When choosing a drive for quick scan, select the correct drive; otherwise you won't find your files.
Take your time and be patient until each step is completed properly.
Review all data before restoring it.
Do not save data again on the same drive.