What Is a RAID Controller?

This article is about restoring a RAID of any level in case of RAID Controller damage. However, using this article you can get much more.

You will be able to start restoring the array at any time convenient for you, while using the best and most advanced software in case of RAID Controller issue.

In addition, you will be able to find out what is a RAID Controller, what it is used for and what happens if it fails. Agree, knowing the cause of damage to the array and your data, you will be able to protect your information with full responsibility.

What is RAID Controller and how it fails

What Is a RAID Controller? It is designed to control each file on your array of hard drives so that they are used as a unit. By spreading data across multiple physical hard drives, the controller can protect your data and provide increased performance and storage capacity.

In general, all RAID controllers are divided into hardware and software, while hardware RAID Controllers are most often PCI cards, and software RAID Controllers are placed on the CPU and their performance is often limited.

For instance, RAID 0 uniformly distributes data across all array disks; nevertheless, if one drive fails, all data is lost. The data in the RAID Controller will automatically be restored in RAID 5 despite the loss of a single disk because to its built-in "redundancy."

Many users have a question, what to do if the system stopped detecting the RAID controller and virtual disks at startup? It would seem that the answer is obvious - you need to replace the faulty RAID Controller with a new one. However, usually the metadata of a RAID array is tied to a RAID Controller controller, and if you change the controller, the RAID will be rebuilt and you will most likely lose all data.

Therefore, it is best to do the following:

1. 1.Restore the RAID configuration using the dedicated DiskInternals RAID Recovery software.

1. 2. Transfer the recovered data to a safe place and only then replace the faulty RAID Controller with a new one.

1. 3. Set up a new RAID array of your choice and migrate the data back.

Hardware vs. software RAID controllers

A physical controller is used to manage the RAID array in hardware-based RAID. A controller can be a PCI or PCI Express (PCIe) card that is designed to handle a certain disk type like SATA or SCSI. (Some RAID controllers can be built inside the motherboard.) RAID adapters are another name for hardware RAID controllers.

Hardware RAID controllers come in a wide range of costs, with desktop-capable cards starting at less than $50. Hardware RAID controllers that are capable of supporting shared networked storage are significantly more expensive, ranging from a few hundred dollars to more than a thousand dollars.

Hardware RAID controllers are now available from LSI (now part of Broadcom), Microsemi Adaptec, Intel, IBM, Dell, and Cisco, to name a few.

When choosing a hardware RAID controller, you'll need to consider the following features:

• SATA and/or SAS interface (and related throughput speeds)

• RAID levels supported

• Operating system compatibility

• Number of devices supported

• Read/write performance

• IOPs rating

• Cache size

• PCIe interface

• Encryption capabilities

• Power consumption

A RAID controller can also be software-only, relying on the host system's hardware resources, mainly the CPU and DRAM. Software-based RAID is identical to hardware-based RAID in terms of functionality, but its performance is frequently less than that of the hardware variants.

Because no extra hardware is required, the key advantages of employing a software RAID controller are flexibility and low cost. It is critical, however, to verify that the host system's CPU is capable of executing the RAID software without degrading the performance of other applications on the system.

RAID controller software is included in several operating systems. With its Storage Spaces feature, for example, Windows Server delivers RAID capabilities. RAID controller software is included with most enterprise-class Linux servers via the Linux mdadm tool.

Third-party software RAID controllers, such as SnapRAID, Stablebit DrivePool, SoftRaid, and FlexRAID, are also available. These programs are often acceptable for modest installations but may not be able to meet the storage performance and capacity needs of enterprise environments.

Software RAID controllers are used in some commercially available storage arrays, however the software is often created by the storage provider and modified to give appropriate performance. Furthermore, storage systems with software RAID controllers are usually constructed around powerful processors that are solely responsible for regulating and managing the shared storage system.

Common RAID Levels

• RAID 0 - evenly distributes data across at least two disks without parity bit information, redundancy and fault tolerance

• RAID 1 - makes a copy of data on at least two disks without parity information, striping or spanning disk space across multiple disks

• RAID 5 - distributes data across two or more disks with distributed parity

• RAID 6 - same as RAID 5 but with one more parity block (a form of data storage)

Less Common RAID Levels

• RAID 2 - distributes data evenly in bits, rather than blocks

• RAID 3 - byte-level striping with a parity disk

• RAID 4 - block-level striping with a parity disk

Nested RAID Levels

There are also RAID levels combining two or more of the above RAID levels. For example, RAID 0+1 (aka RAID 01) and RAID 0+3 (aka RAID 03).

How DiskInternals may be useful in case of RAID Controller issue?

The dedicated customer support that comes with your RAID won't always fix file corruption RAID Controller issues. However, rest easy not to worry about losing array data. You should immediately download and install the professional DiskInternals RAID Recovery utility to fix RAID Controller issues.

In general, this application can repair damaged RAIDs (due to RAID Controller issues) both automatically (using the Recovery Wizard) and manually. Thus, the DiskInternals team strives to make the recovery process simple and fast. This leading application has been constantly improved and modernized by leading IT professionals and has been kept up to date for the past 16 years.

The application has the right to automatically determine the type and level of the original RAID, as well as the sequence of disks and other characteristics of the array. The free preview is an addition to the main features of the application and does not require the purchase of a license.

But, if you want to export the recovered data, then a licensed version of the application will be required. In any case, the license gives you the right not only to keep the restored array, but also to receive technical support for a year after this unique purchase.

Recover your data after RAID Controller failure

Step 1: Turn off the computer/server or NAS device and disconnect the drives that make up the RAID array.

Step 2: Connect these drives to a working computer (after turning off its power).

Step 3: Turn on a working computer. Then download and install RAID Recovery. Open the application and run the Recovery Wizard, or switch to fully manual control of the application (if you have enough experience).

RAID Recovery automatically detects available attached arrays - select the one you need. Then click the desired recovery mode and be patient, as the process of restoring the array is likely to take a long time. This is normal, because the recovery volumes here are colossal.

After scanning, the results will appear on the monitor screen - view them for free, and then complete the whole process by purchasing a license and exporting the data, recovered after RAID Controller issue. Buying a license will not take your precious time - it's a matter of minutes.

Conclusion

Of course, protecting data in an array is a very important issue. It can prevent data loss in case of RAID Controller issue. Even if your array configuration failed to protect your precious data, you can still protect your data. This can be done with the proven professional RAID Recovery utility.

You will be guaranteed that files will be restored wherever possible.

In addition, this method does not require any additional knowledge and education, since the utility is designed for clients of various user levels.

Rest assured you're in safe hands with DiskInternals RAID Recovery!