We get your volumes back from an offline storage pool, controllers that have died, a LUN that disappeared or a corrupted datastore, on enterprise SANs from Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, IBM and others, over iSCSI or Fibre Channel. The volumes are rebuilt from the disks up: every disk in the affected pool is imaged, the RAID groups, storage pool and LUN layout are recreated, and then the file system is rebuilt on top.
A pool has gone offline, a controller has died or a rebuild has stalled? Stop. Do not run a rebuild, re-initialise or re-sync, as each of these lays down new writes that can smother the data we need, and creating a new storage pool or LUN may destroy the very map that locates it. Pull the plug on the SAN. Note which shelf and slot each disk came from. Then contact us. That first attempt carries the lowest risk of losing data, so it should be ours.
Most SAN work that comes to us involves offline pools, corrupt datastores, dead controllers, deleted or reformatted LUNs, failed rebuilds and expansions, and corrupted VMFS datastores.
No SAN platform is outside our scope: Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, IBM and the rest, over iSCSI or Fibre Channel, at any RAID level and pool layout. Whatever the platform, the volumes are rebuilt from the individual disks.
Hitachi VSP and Pure Storage; IBM FlashSystem and Storwize; NetApp E-Series, AFF and FAS; HPE MSA, Nimble and 3PAR; Dell EMC Compellent, PowerStore, Unity and VNX · iSCSI and Fibre Channel · storage pools with RAID 5, 6 and 10 · clustered volumes plus VMFS, NTFS and ReFS · arrays single- and multi-shelf.
Send the disks from the affected pool to us for a free diagnostic, with the make, model and RAID layout of your SAN. An engineer will inspect the disks and put the exact per-array figure in writing prior to commencing any work.
Tell us about the array (its make and model, the RAID layout, the number of disks and what failed) and an engineer will assess it and send a written quote, usually within 48 hours.
Working on dedicated hardware, we take read-only images of every disk from the affected pool, failing ones included, and then run all our work off these images. This way your original disks remain untouched.
In cases where a disk has failed mechanically or on its electronics, it is placed on our bench for new heads or a rebuilt board. The goal is only to let the engineer capture an image of the disk, and no more.
Using the images, the RAID groups or storage pool are put back together, along with the thin-provisioning map and the layout of each LUN, with every extent returned to where it belongs.
Once the LUNs are restored, the file system on top (ReFS, NTFS or VMFS) is rebuilt and your virtual machines, databases and files are retrieved. Any damaged VMs or databases are repaired as required.
No data is returned to you until the recovered volumes, VMs and databases have been opened and confirmed complete.
Your recovered data comes back on new storage sized to the volumes, configured to go straight back into service.
Post us the failed disks or drop them off. We provide a diagnosis followed by a per-array quote, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch very soon. If it can’t wait, call 01483 901310.
SAN recovery is priced per array and clearly defined, with a free diagnostic and a written quote provided prior to beginning work.
A selection of recent SAN jobs: offline pools, dead controllers, deleted LUNs and corrupted datastores. All identifying information has been removed and every result verified.
In this job, two disks in the pool had gone. All twenty disks were imaged, the pool and its LUN were rebuilt, and the volume was recovered.
Both controllers were dead, but the disks themselves were still good. We rebuilt the pool using the disks and recovered every LUN.
Almost nothing had been written over the blocks where the data was located. We rebuilt the aggregate, remapped the deleted LUN and recovered the data.
A damaged VMFS had caused the VMs to go offline. The LUN was rebuilt, and so was its VMFS, after which the virtual machines were recovered and repaired.
The rebuild had overwritten part of the existing pool. We created images of every disk in the pool and then reconstructed the array around the damaged area.
The write cache had never flushed, causing damage to the volume. The LUN was rebuilt and the file system repaired to recover the data.
First, send in the affected pool’s disks for a free diagnostic, with your SAN array’s make, model and RAID layout. An engineer will assess the disks and confirm the exact per-array quote in writing before any work starts.
To start recovering your data, we need to receive all of the disks from the affected pool, labelled by slot number, along with the manufacturer and model of your array. Pack the disks securely and include your contact information. After we complete the complimentary diagnostic, we will confirm your exact per-array quote in writing before any work begins.
Sending it by post? We’d recommend a tracked, insured service. Dropping it in? No problem: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Please package the device as described above first.
Need a scoped quote first? Describe the array, its RAID layout and the fault on the form, and an engineer will review it and send a tailored per-array quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 01483 901310.
The questions we are most frequently asked about recovering an enterprise SAN.
Usually, yes. An offline storage pool typically means several disks have dropped out of the array or the pool’s metadata is corrupt, not that the data has gone. We image every disk, rebuild the storage pool and LUN layout, and then use those copies to rebuild the original volume.
Usually, none of your data is lost. A failed controller never touches the data on your disks, and we don’t require your controller for a recovery anyway. Instead, we image your disks, rebuild your storage pool and LUNs in software, and recover your volumes.
Often, yes, if you act quickly enough. A deleted or reformatted LUN usually keeps its data on the underlying disks until something overwrites it, so stop writing to the array and we can remap the LUN and recover it.
Yes. Once we rebuild the LUN and its VMFS, the virtual machines (VMDK) sit on the datastore just like any other files. We extract them and, where one is corrupt, repair it back to booting.
Our enterprise SAN recovery starts at £1,250 + VAT and is quoted individually for each array, since disk count, RAID layout and platform differ so much from one job to the next. Before any work, we always provide a complimentary diagnostic and a written quote.
You always receive a complimentary diagnostic and a written, per-array quote first. SAN work carries a deposit against that quote, and the balance is only due upon successful completion of the recovery.
All of them: Dell EMC (Unity, VNX, PowerStore, Compellent), HPE (3PAR, Nimble, MSA), NetApp (FAS, AFF, E-Series), IBM Storwize and the others, whether via iSCSI or Fibre Channel. Because all of our recoveries are rebuilt from the disks, the platform seldom changes what can be recovered.
Usually not the entire chassis. Most of the time we need the disks from the affected pool, tagged with their slot order, along with the make and model of the array. Following our diagnostic, we will tell you precisely what to send.
Often, yes. When a rebuild or expansion fails, it usually leaves most of the original data intact beneath it. We image every disk in its present condition and then reconstruct the pool around whatever the operation overwrote.
SAN recoveries generally take one to two weeks. The time frame depends on how many disks are involved, the RAID and pool layout, the file system, and whether any disk needs mechanical work.
Please remove the disks from the affected pool, label them with their slot order and post them fully insured to our Guildford address, or arrange a drop-off. Once the diagnostic is done, we will confirm exactly what we need.
Free to diagnose, priced per array, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. Every SAN is recovered off the controllers: Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp and beyond. Get your recovery started now.