Array offline or inaccessible
The virtual disk disappeared, the operating system cannot see the volume, or the controller reports no configured array.
Review an offline RAID condition →RAID recovery
Recover data from an offline, degraded, or missing RAID array.
ADR diagnoses the present storage state before choosing a recovery path. Sources remain read-only while the failure is evaluated, and reconstruction proceeds from protected images whenever imaging is required.
Tell us the controller, RAID level if known, member count, symptoms, and anything already attempted.
Since 1998Critical storage recovery
Technician-ledNo one-size-fits-all script
Image firstWhen member imaging is required
Failed controller bypassedMembers assessed independently
ADR's defining RAID recovery method
The failed server does not have to become the recovery environment.
ADR can begin outside the failed controller: preserve and identify every member, connect the drives independently, protect the sources, validate the reconstruction, and recover to separate storage.
Recognize the condition
The controller’s label is not always the underlying failure.
A member reported as failed may be unreadable, intermittently timing out, out of sequence, or simply excluded after a controller event. The safe next step depends on the complete member set and what the system has already written.
More than one member missing
RAID 5 has lost redundancy, RAID 6 has dropped additional members, or a RAID 10 pair is no longer available.
Multiple-member failure guidance →Rebuild stalled or failed
Progress remains at 0%, stops repeatedly, or the virtual disk disappears after a replacement member is introduced.
What to do after a failed rebuild →Foreign or lost configuration
The controller sees drives but not the expected logical volume, reports foreign metadata, or proposes initialization or import.
Review lost-configuration symptoms →Files corrupt after intervention
The array is online but folders, databases, virtual disks, or application data are missing or inconsistent after a rebuild or recreation.
Protect the storage and database layers →System must remain onsite
Custody, confidentiality, logistics, or operational requirements make remote diagnosis and controlled onsite work the appropriate first path.
Review remote RAID recovery →When the business system is already down
Start from the workload the failed storage took offline.
The array may be only the first recovery layer. These paths connect the storage failure to the database, datastore, shared folders, or nested RAID structure the business must restore.
SQL Server unavailableThe database is stuck in Recovery Pending after the storage failureProtect the reconstructed storage and database files before attempting repair.Review SQL Recovery Pending →
Virtual machines unavailableThe VMware datastore is missing or will not mountDo not let a rescan, resignature, or repair attempt rewrite the only storage state.Review the missing datastore →
NAS shares emptySynology reports healthy disks but the shared folders are emptyHealthy disk status does not confirm that the volume, filesystem, or shared-folder metadata is intact.Review the missing Synology data →
Nested RAID offlineOne RAID 50 stripe group is missingThe missing lower group must be evaluated before the top-level stripe can be reconstructed.Review the RAID 50 failure →
A controlled recovery path
Understand the state. Protect the sources. Reconstruct deliberately.
- 1
Emergency triage
Review the array topology, controller state, member history, prior actions, business impact, and custody requirements.
- 2
Source protection
Define read-only handling and image unstable or mechanically questionable members before reconstruction.
- 3
Logical reconstruction
Determine member order, offsets, stripe geometry, parity rotation, and the most defensible array state from protected sources.
- 4
File and application verification
Evaluate the reconstructed volume and verify priority files, databases, virtual disks, or application data before delivery.
Systems and failure contexts
RAID recovery is broader than a RAID level.
Useful diagnosis includes the controller, enclosure, filesystem, workload, and events leading to failure—not merely whether the array was RAID 5 or RAID 6.
RAID layouts
RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60, nested layouts, and vendor-specific implementations.
Controllers and servers
HPE Smart Array, Dell PERC, LSI/Broadcom MegaRAID, and other hardware or software RAID environments.
NAS and virtualization
Multi-disk NAS storage, VMware datastores, virtual disks, and application data dependent on the failed array.
Logical and physical complications
Configuration loss, rebuild damage, unreadable members, and mechanical cases requiring cleanroom or partner escalation.
A documented client outcome
A hardware RAID 5 failure also destroyed the available backup.
“ADR worked around the clock to stitch the data back together. I was amazed when ADR said the data had been recovered—and more amazed when I verified it myself.”Matt W., IT Services Manager · Historical client account
Before another recovery attempt
Describe the array and what happened.
An ADR technician can help identify the members, establish a controlled recovery environment, protect the sources, and determine whether any individual member requires physical escalation.