How to Tackle RAID Failures
About UsConferencePartner With Us
CIOREVIEW >> Storage >> NEWS

How to Tackle RAID Failures

CIO Review

Overview

The age old technology consisting of computer components and recording media to retain digital data has currently evolved into the ultra-modern electronic digital storage devices and Solid State Drives. Though several technologies were introduced into the growing data storage arenas, most of them were unsuccessful in saving the data from disk failures, where RAID made its benchmark.  

Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.

RAID

Referred to a redundant array of independent disks, RAID storage uses multiple disks in order to provide fault tolerance to improve overall performance, and to increase storage capacity in a system. In contrast with older storage devices that used only a single disk drive to store data, RAID allows data storage redundantly (in multiple places) in a balanced way to improve overall performance. One of the main reasons for the widespread use of RAID against other technologies is the improved reliability it offers. With mirroring (such as RAID 1 or RAID 10), or striping with parity (such as RAID 5), the system can recover from a single hard disk failure with almost no loss of data. RAID is implemented by hardware or software -based method that is differentiated by the presence or absence of a RAID controller. Basically, a number of independent hard disks are connected to form a single and often larger virtual volume in a simple RAID system.

RAID Failure

Though RAID’s fault tolerance functions and auto rebuild functions are claimed to be highly efficient and effective, RAID can also fail under certain circumstances. There are three general scenarios of a RAID failure- failure of one of the RAID member disks, failure of several RAID member disks, and even other RAID failures not associated with the member disks. There may be an increase in the simultaneous reading and writing of drives along with the fault tolerance features depending on the RAID configuration. In a typical RAID 5 configuration, without even a scheduled power off, the RAID controller could rebuild the data volume from a hot standby drive or a replacement drive through hot swap. The only time it will fail is when two disks fail simultaneously, but such probability is one in a million!

Types of RAID Malfunctions

While RAID arrays are generally stable and reliable, like all mechanical devices, they can and do break down from time to time resulting in significant loss of valuable files and information. Depending on the RAID configuration, there may be an increase in simultaneous reading and writing of drives along with the fault tolerance feature.

1) Controller Failure: Most RAID servers rely on a single controller. The failure of this controller under any prospect can result in booting problems and other difficulties.

2) HDD Failure: The data storage devices manufacturing company, According to the reports from renowned HDD manufacturer Seagate, about 140, 000 hard drives fail every week. When a hard disk fails without a hot standby, the RAID array will run on the degraded mode increasing the likelihood of next drive failure. It is reasonable to assume that all the drives in the array are from the same batch and are subject to equal amount of working stress. So if one disk fails, the other might also be near to imminent failure and it often does.

3) Power Surge: Due to frequent power surge RAID configuration setting of NVRAM in the controller card could get corrupted. Power surge can also lead to failure of controller or disk sectors resulting in data loss.

It is also notable that RAID configuration with fault tolerance only intends to protect the physical failure, but not logical corruption such as system corruption, virus infection, or inadvertent deletion. Even an improper procedure of disk replacement in a RAID system could cause a complete failure of the system.

The Way Out

Taking the exact preliminary measures is the most important part to protect data when there is a RAID array failure. The initial step under such a situation is to turn off the array immediately. The more you run an array in degraded mode, the more likely you are to do further damage. It's highly recommended that the user should get expert guidance while replacing the failed system. Repairing a failed disk requires a clean room environment, as the dust in normal atmospheric air can do irreparable damage to the affected disk, and possibly erase the data permanently.

As though “prevention is better than cure,” check out this list of few basic strategies that can be adopted to prevent RAID failure to a large extent.

1) Avoid setting up RAID volumes using sequentially numbered drives that come off the same manufacturing line, one after another. This method can help avoid the chances of drive failures if the failures are the result of manufacturing defects that affect every drive on the line during a particular production cycle. So instead of creating a RAID volume from the same manufacturing line, the use of different serial numbered or company drives might reduce the chances of a catastrophic RAID volume failure.

2) The utilization of a self-monitoring analysis reporting technology (SMART) or other disk monitoring technologies to spot disk failures can be useful in collecting data about a potential disk failure prediction. The faster a disk failure is resolved, the quicker the rebuild process can be initiated and completed.

3) Forcing a fail marked or bad sector marked drive into a RAID system can increase the chances of complete failure. Even though companies suggest that the bad drives may not actually have errors, the best part is to avoid taking the chance once the software reports that the disk has a possibility to fail. Forcing a bad drive back into operation only exposes the RAID set to subsequent failures of the questionable drive and to secondary or tertiary drive failures before the situation can be fixed.

Data being the blood and soul of every business, even a minute loss of sensitive data can have both financial and reputational harm depending on the nature of information. In case of a disk failure, get in touch with a data recovery specialist who has the tools and facilities to properly repair the system in order to retrieve your files as soon as possible. The likelihood of recovering your data varies depending on the cause and severity of the problem, but in most cases, data can be recovered from RAID array failures with professional assistance. Reports of unusual noises, reduction in processing speed, and power surges that could have damaged the array can be valuable in accelerating the repair process.

More in News

Distributors can have plenty of inventory across their network and still struggle to meet demand at individual branches. Stock sitting in one warehouse does little good when customers need it elsewhere, while keeping every location stocked for its highest historical demand can tie up unnecessary capital. With thousands of product and location combinations to manage, purchasing teams cannot review every decision manually. Executives evaluating demand forecasting software need to know whether it can improve local product availability without driving up inventory costs across the business. Network-wide averages can easily hide costly gaps at individual locations. Past sales provide a useful starting point, but irregular buying patterns can make forecasting difficult. Slow-moving products may not generate enough transactions to produce a reliable forecast on their own. Seasonal spikes can also skew averages long after demand has returned to normal. Buyers should look at whether the software can draw insights from related products and distinguish recurring demand from unusual orders. External factors such as weather may also help improve predictions, but their value needs to be demonstrated for the products concerned rather than assumed across the entire catalog. Knowing what customers will buy is only half the equation. Buyers also need to know when to reorder. Changing supplier lead times can make it difficult to act on even an accurate demand forecast, while order frequency and minimum purchase quantities affect how much stock needs to be kept on hand. Software should account for actual purchase order history rather than rely solely on fixed lead times. Safety stock should also reflect how individual products sell at each location. Applying the same buffer everywhere can leave fast-selling products out of stock while slower-moving items pile up. “Lantern refreshes recommendations weekly and lets buyers compare suggested stocking levels with existing settings before approving or overriding them.” The way forecasting software works with existing ERP systems is another important consideration. If recommendations sit in a separate dashboard, buyers may still have to enter them manually into their purchasing systems. They should establish whether the software can read transactions from their existing ERP and feed approved stocking parameters or purchase orders back into it. Buyers also need to understand why the system recommends a particular change. When a business wins a new account or a branch receives an unusually large order, experienced staff should be able to override a forecast without having to work outside the system. Forecast accuracy matters, but it does not tell the whole story. Lower inventory means little if it leads to stockouts and unhappy customers. In some cases, holding more stock may be the right decision if those products sell consistently. Buyers should look at how the software affects product availability, inventory turns and the capital tied up in excess stock. Testing its recommendations against past transactions can also show where they differ from existing purchasing practices before a wider rollout. Buyers should also account for the work involved in preparing historical data and managing exceptions once the system is in place. Lantern builds a custom machine learning forecasting model for each distributor, using historical ERP data and business-specific purchasing practices. It combines demand forecasts with projected supplier lead times to recommend order timing and safety stock at the item-location level. Lantern refreshes recommendations weekly and lets buyers compare suggested stocking levels with existing settings before approving or overriding them. Approved purchase orders or stocking parameters can be written back into the ERP. Its models also examine relationships across products, supporting forecasts where individual sales histories are sparse. Distributors with large catalogs spread across multiple branches, especially those balancing excess inventory against missed sales, are the relevant buyers for this model. ...Read more
Enterprise imaging purchases rarely fail because a scanner cannot create a digital file. Trouble starts when document volumes and legacy applications collide with downstream workflows that were built around older processes. A platform may handle clean, standardized forms well, yet slow down when incoming files vary substantially or demand different routing rules. Executives, therefore, need to examine how completely a proposed environment can absorb the real document mix without forcing extensive manual preparation or creating new bottlenecks elsewhere. Capture architecture deserves close attention as the front end determines how much work remains after scanning. Useful systems should support classification, optical character recognition, data extraction and validation in ways that match actual document types and exception rates. Human review also matters. Automated recognition is valuable when confidence is high, but buyers should understand where validation screens enter the process and how questionable fields are routed before information reaches a database or content repository. Hardware choices belong in the same discussion. Desktop scanning and high-volume production work impose very different demands, and forcing both through a single equipment model can inflate costs or limit throughput. The proposed design should reflect actual preparation effort, peak intake volumes and the physical scanning environment rather than nominal device speed alone. Scanner flexibility also matters where several departments process different document sets at substantially different volumes. “EDAC Systems provides first-line support across the hardware and software it sells, reducing the need for customers to separate faults among multiple providers.” Legacy compatibility is equally consequential. Many enterprises still depend on older capture software and long-standing repositories while retaining scanners embedded in established processes. Replacing everything at once can increase implementation risk and budget pressure. A stronger proposal should account for migration and configuration from the outset, with integration planned around how existing records move into the new environment and how the changeover will be tested. Buyers should also examine whether the architecture can adjust when document volumes increase or automation requirements change without requiring a wholesale rebuild. That flexibility becomes more important when an organization expects its capture requirements to shift over several budget cycles. Security and records requirements can narrow the field quickly, particularly in government or regulated environments. Encryption and records-management controls need to be resolved against approved deployment conditions before installation, rather than treated as post-deployment configuration. Procurement teams should verify that both hardware and software satisfy applicable requirements and that the provider can work within on-premises or approved hosted environments when needed. Support after go-live is another practical separator. Document imaging environments combine scanners, capture software, connectors and repositories, which can leave customers coordinating multiple suppliers when something fails. Contract review should establish who owns first-line troubleshooting and whether hardware and software issues are handled through one support path. Availability of on-site assistance also matters when remote fixes are insufficient. EDAC Systems designs document imaging and data capture environments around each customer’s document types, workflow, existing technology and budget constraints. Its approach can combine Ricoh or OPEX scanning hardware with capture software and Doxis-based document or records management, depending on the application. It also handles migration, configuration, testing and training during implementation. It provides first-line support across the hardware and software it sells, reducing the need for customers to separate faults among multiple providers. For enterprises with mixed legacy environments, compliance requirements or varied document volumes, the breadth of design and support makes EDAC Systems a practical vendor to consider. ...Read more
Moving from Google Workspace or legacy Exchange to Microsoft 365 involves more than transferring mailboxes. File structures may not translate cleanly, account permissions can change and an overlooked dependency can interrupt access after cutover. Executives comparing migration providers must establish how thoroughly each one investigates the existing environment before committing to a transfer schedule. A technically completed migration offers little reassurance when employees cannot retrieve the information they previously used. Pre-migration assessment establishes the boundaries of the work. User inventories should account for inactive accounts and shared mailboxes, while file assessments must identify naming restrictions, excessive path lengths and permission structures that Microsoft 365 handles differently. Tenant-to-tenant transfers introduce additional complications around identity mapping and existing collaboration spaces. Providers should document these differences before migration begins rather than discovering them during execution. Compliance requirements can alter the migration design considerably. Retention policies and access restrictions may determine where information resides after transfer or which users can retrieve it. An assessment that concentrates exclusively on data volume risks overlooking controls that governed the original environment. Procurement teams benefit from examining whether the provider produces a documented migration scope connecting technical dependencies to the organization's internal requirements. “RyanTech incorporates Microsoft Defender and Purview into tenant planning, allowing security requirements to shape the destination environment before users begin working in it.” Cutover scheduling exposes a different set of risks. DNS propagation may take longer than anticipated, while network interruptions can delay synchronization during a planned transition. Promises of zero downtime leave little room for these external dependencies. A credible migration approach includes contingency procedures, defined escalation responsibilities and a cutover window that reflects the organization's working patterns. The provider should explain what happens when an expected transition does not occur on schedule. Business continuity also depends on what employees encounter after the switch. Missing shared files or unfamiliar permissions can generate support requests even when mailbox transfers succeed. Validation should establish that users can access the resources required for their work, not merely confirm that data reached its destination. Clear responsibility for resolving post-cutover issues reduces the burden on internal IT teams. Security configuration cannot be deferred until employees have settled into Microsoft 365. A newly provisioned tenant may introduce unfamiliar exposure through identity settings or insufficiently configured data protection policies. Microsoft Defender, Intune and Purview provide controls that can be incorporated into the destination design. Providers differ in whether they configure these protections during migration planning or treat them as later projects. Licensing decisions also influence which controls are available and whether organizations purchase functionality they will actually use. Support arrangements become particularly relevant once the migration specialists have completed their assignment. Changes to compliance requirements or user access may expose decisions made during the original transfer. Continuity between migration and support personnel helps retain that context. RyanTech conducts Microsoft 365 migrations through an initial environment audit that establishes customer requirements and informs a documented transfer plan. Its migration team prepares for DNS delays and other cutover interruptions, scheduling transitions around business requirements rather than promising uninterrupted service. RyanTech incorporates Microsoft Defender and Purview into tenant planning, allowing security requirements to shape the destination environment before users begin working in it. Its project and support teams subsequently address configuration changes, user adoption and evolving compliance requirements. Experience spanning Google Workspace, on-premises Exchange and tenant-to-tenant migrations informs its handling of differing source environments. Organizations consolidating disparate systems into Microsoft 365 while requiring security configuration and continuing technical support are particularly suited to this approach. ...Read more
The management of cloud environments involves the proper coordination of infrastructure, access rights and resource allocation as companies expand their operations digitally. In Latin America, organizations adopting cloud-based systems must account for regional data protection requirements, varying infrastructure capabilities and the complexity of overseeing multiple service providers. Cloud management is an effective tool that enables the IT professionals to control the workloads, ensure the standard configuration, resource consumption and detect the possible disruption of services that could impact critical business operations. Clear governance policies, automated monitoring and well-defined access controls can help businesses maintain reliable cloud environments while managing operational complexity. How Does Cloud Management Benefit Businesses? Cloud management makes it possible for companies to have more options when dealing with varying loads without making significant investments in infrastructure. Organizations can scale computing capacity to match project demands, support remote teams and deploy digital services across different locations. For companies operating in Latin America, this flexibility can help accommodate expansion into new markets while allowing technology resources to evolve alongside business requirements. The other significant benefit relates to visibility in finances. Centralized oversight helps organizations understand spending across cloud services, identify underused resources and select suitable service plans. These insights support more informed budgeting and reduce the likelihood of paying for capacity that delivers little practical value. Businesses can also evaluate service usage against departmental needs to allocate technology budgets more effectively. Cloud management can be an important tool to improve the continuity and collaboration of business operations. Backup planning, recovery procedures and coordinated service administration help organizations prepare for unexpected outages and restore essential applications when disruptions occur. Shared digital workspaces and accessible business applications can further support collaboration among distributed teams. For businesses in Latin America, these capabilities can help maintain consistent operations across regional offices while supporting day-to-day productivity. What Are the Emerging Trends in Cloud Management? Artificial intelligence is reshaping cloud management through intelligent analytics, predictive monitoring and automated decision-making. These tools can help IT teams identify unusual performance patterns, anticipate capacity demands and investigate potential technical issues before they escalate. In Latin America, growing interest in AI-enabled infrastructure management is creating opportunities for businesses to simplify complex technology environments while improving the speed and precision of routine IT operations. The other emerging trend is the increasing adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud solutions, which combine private infrastructure with public clouds and services offered by several different providers. FinOps approaches are another area where enterprises are increasingly focusing, which involves financial decision-making around cloud usage, along with security methods that keep a check on the risks to which access is exposed. For businesses in Latin America, these developments highlight the need for cloud strategies that balance technical flexibility, cost transparency, regulatory requirements and evolving cybersecurity risks. Together, these approaches are shaping a more intelligent and adaptable future for cloud management.  ...Read more