Raid Data Recovery Whitepaper

Data Emergency Guide
IT Professional edition

Recovery
Erasure
Migration
Forensics
eDiscovery

Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Examples of Data Emergencies 3
Server Data Loss Scenarios 4
Situation 1: Failure of a single drive in a RAID 5 server 4/5
Situation 2: Failure of RAID 5 server 5
Situation 3: Server upgrade goes wrong 6
Situation 4: Intermittent component failure in a RAID 5 server 6
Situation 5: SQL, Oracle, DB2 database corruption 7
Situation 6: “Crisis in progress” 7/8
Recognising a Data Loss Situation 9
“How important is your data?” 11
Data Recovery Process: What to do first? 12
What NOT to do 12
What to do 12/13
Our Data Recovery Process 16
Initial inquiry and consultation process 16
Data Recovery

The recovery process starts with a free evaluation 16
Fixing physical problems 16
Obtaining a mirror image (making a copy of the data) 16
Fixing logical problems: corrupted files or file systems 17
Tracking the case 17
Costs vs. value 17
Economy service features 18
Priority service features 18
Priority service step-by-step workflow 18/19
Critical response service 19
Appendix A: What is Data Recovery? 20
Appendix B: What to ask before calling in a Data Recovery Service? 21/22
Appendix C: Case Studies on Mission-Critical Recoveries 23/24
Appendix D: Handling Tips & ESD Precautions 25
Key benefits of Seagate Recovery Services 26
What to do next? 27

Copyright© 2007. Seagate Technology LCC. All rights reserved. Printed in the Netherlands.
Seagate, Seagate Technology and the Wave logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LCC. Other product
names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their owners.
Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings or specifications. May 2007.

Introduction
This guide is intended to help you recognise, react
appropriately to and resolve data loss emergencies
involving servers, backups and/or any mission-critical
computer system or IT facility.

The Data Emergency Guide: IT Professional edition
will be of most use to technical support personnel,
IT managers and to anyone who experiences sudden
data loss from a computer system or backup which
had been working up until that point or has to take
action after data is accidentally deleted or data control
structures are overwritten.

Examples of data
emergencies
• multi-drive RAID server crashes as a result of which data
A
is no longer being sent to the corporate network (NAS, DAS
or SAN architectures).
• set of medical images stored on a digital tape cartridge
A
can no longer be restored to other media.
• A hardware, O/S or application software upgrade fails.
• estore fails: an attempt to recover lost data not only fails
R
but renders the entire system unusable.

A data emergency usually starts with one of the
following situations:
• t suddenly becomes impossible to access any data from
I
a computer system or backup which had been working up
until that point.
• ata is accidentally deleted or data control structures
D
are overwritten.
• ata becomes corrupted or inaccessible as a result of damage
D
to physical media or operating system problems.

3

Server data loss
scenarios
Data storage systems which are maintained properly are generally
reliable, fault-tolerant and well-managed by experienced
operators who carry out their routine tasks efficiently. When
these systems do fail, it is a rare occurrence and often the
first time that the operator is faced with these circumstances.
Understandably, taking the necessary action may be beyond
the training and experience of most of the technical community,
let alone the owner/operator or department manager who has
to double as the systems administrator. Both managers and
technicians, especially those with numerous responsibilities, may
make mistakes when in unfamiliar territory. Our professional data
recovery specialists deal with these situations on a daily basis
and are suitably qualified to address such problems.

A proper diagnosis of the problems is the key to successful
management of data loss emergencies. Who is qualified to
diagnose your situation? Did you install the system and do
you possess the knowledge and experience to diagnose the
problem? If someone else set up the system, is it better to call
them or other outside experts? A proper diagnosis will then
dictate whether or not you should:
• Call in our data recovery specialists or
• nitiate a self-fix (assuming that an adequate backup facility
I
is available).

Should you experience a data emergency in the future, you may
well recognise your situation as being similar to one of these
scenarios. Proper diagnosis and follow-up can save your data
and perhaps much more.

Situation 1: Failure of a single drive in a RAID 5 server
• he failure of a single drive has been detected in a RAID 5 server
T
but the server is still operating and sending data to users.
• he server may or may not have other problems besides
T
a single failed drive. The operator is unable to carry out a
complete diagnosis.
• elying on the “hot fix” capabilities thought to be inherent in
R
the system, it is tempting for the operator to replace the failed
drive “on the fly” thus sparing users any downtime.
• Yielding to the temptation, the operator attempts the hot fix.
- f successful, the operator will not be regarded as a hero as
I
users will not have been affected by the problem.
- f unsuccessful, the operator may become the very visible
I
villain rather than the invisible hero and held responsible for
a prolonged period of server downtime and all the related
problems. 4

• In this situation, the following steps should be taken:
1. n taking the proper course of action, the very first thing
I
which should be done is to establish whether or not a
complete integral backup of the current data is viable,
even if this would involve inconveniencing users. At this
point, a complete backup would be ideal although an
incremental backup may suffice if a tried and tested
restore procedure is in place based on a series of
complete and incremental backups.
2. econdly, restore the backup to the alternate
S
“contingency” server and make sure that it is operational
in case it is needed.
3. nce confident that the contingency infrastructure is ready
O
for use if needed, the operator can attempt to carry out a
hot fix or other procedures in order to address the situation.

Situation 2: Failure of RAID 5 server
• he failure of multiple drives or a controller has occurred in a
T
RAID 5 server which has rendered the server inaccessible.
• o alternative server is available or no adequate backup is
N
available to be loaded on the alternative server.
• As a result, you are faced with a fully-fledged data emergency.
• any operators faced with this situation will attempt to carry
M
out a quick fix by trying some combination involving replacing
the failed components and reconfiguring the system in order
to rebuild the failed array. Under these conditions, there are
two possible outcomes:
- functioning server on which all or most of its data is
A
missing. At this point, most of the data and file structures
are likely to have been overwritten, making recovery very
difficult or impossible.
- non-functioning server and dimmer prospects for
A
recovery. At this point, most of the data and file structures
are likely to have been overwritten, making recovery very
difficult or impossible.
• he appropriate thing to do when faced with such conditions
T
is to call in professional data recovery specialists.
• professional data recovery specialist will start by making
A
a mirror image of the data on each discrete type of media
involved, including any failed drives, which may require the
performance of highly specialised data recovery techniques in
a lab facility. Then, working from copies and using proprietary
programs and methods, this specialist will rebuild the data set
to the point where it can be transferred to a working server.

5

Situation 3: Server upgrade goes wrong
• nstalling new application software, a new operating system
I
or additional or new hardware is often referred to as a
server upgrade.
• his is not an everyday event and the operator may lack
T
experience in performing the process, not understanding,
for example, that many upgrades require data to be reinitialised
- a process which by nature destroys the existing data or
file system.
• uring these upgrades, a “dialogue box” will appear containing
D
a series of questions which the operator may answer without
fully realising the potential impact of the steps involved.
For example, the operator may start the data reinitialisation
process after a warning has been misunderstood or ignored.
These and other problems can occur during upgrades and
render the server inaccessible.
• Need to upgrade your server?
- ever initiate an upgrade without first making sure that you
N
have a complete usable backup. The best way to do this is to
restore your backup to an alternative server so that you have
a fully functional redundant server populated with current data.

Situation 4: Intermittent component failure
in a RAID 5 server
• he electrical and mechanical problems which affect media
T
and their electronic components can be intermittent. While
this can complicate diagnosis, it may also provide an
opportunity to create an effective backup during an interval
while the server is functioning properly.
• perators may carry out a “false fix” by replacing a
O
functioning component instead of a failed component after
misinterpreting warnings generated by the server.
• ome servers are configured to self-initiate a rebuild under
S
certain circumstances, potentially overwriting otherwise
valid media.
• efore addressing a situation in which intermittent failure is
B
involved, we would urge you once again to:
- Make sure you have an effective backup.
- Check and double-check your diagnosis.

6

Situation 5: SQL, Oracle, DB2 database corruption
• server crashes or experiences O/S problems.
A
• ables have been dropped or corruption has occurred within
T
the actual database.
• he DBA (Database Administrator) has a high level of expertise
T
regarding databases and knows some database-specific
recovery techniques but may lack detailed knowledge of
data storage platforms.
• hey may try to reinitialise the database, making the
T
application functional but losing all their data in the process.
• nother fix which may be attempted is to use the transaction
A
logs to “roll back” the database to a “known good state”.
• his can be a good way to solve the problem if:
T
- he transaction logs have been examined and deemed
t
to be good;
- he operation is attempted on an alternative server using a
t
copy of the problem data.
• he preferred method is often to try the roll-back on the
T
primary server in order to save time since restoring to an
alternative server can be a very lengthy process.
• f the corruption is a result of physical drive problems which
I
have not been addressed, then a roll-back on the problem
server will only compound the problem resulting in the
further degradation of the system and a more costly data
recovery operation.

Situation 6: “Crisis in progress”
Seagate Recovery Services is often contacted by organisations
which are in the midst of a crisis. Situations will have some or all
of the following characteristics:
• The server has lost data or become inaccessible to users.
• ocumentation is out of date, sketchy and wrong or simply
D
does not exist and users have a low level of knowledge and
a poor understanding of the system.
• ackups are available but the process of restoring them is
B
misunderstood or, what is even worse, backups are out of
date or do not exist.
• he department manager or in-house technical teams have
T
tried to carry out fixes.
• rd party technicians (from the maintenance service-provider
3
or the vendor) have been called in and have tried to rectify the
situation by performing additional operations and attempting to
carry out fixes.
• he various fixes attempted typically involve replacing
T
suspect components and/or restoring backups to the original
(corrupted) media.
• The server has not been fixed and may have been further
degraded since the situation started.
7

While the details of individual situations may differ, they will all
have the following in common:
• ack of adequate backup and/or no tried and tested
L
restore procedure.
• ack of documentation or knowledge of the system
L
configuration and all the various hardware, software and
O/S layers and how they work together.
Professional data recovery specialists will start any recovery
by mirroring each discrete media involved. Knowing that they
can always revert back to the same starting point, the lack
of documentation can then be safely overcome by means of
analysis and experimentation based on strong knowledge
and experience of data storage.

8

Recognising a data
loss situation
A data loss situation is usually characterised by the sudden
inability to access data from a computer system or backup
which had been working up until that point or the need to take
action after data is accidentally deleted or data control structures
are overwritten. This section outlines the major symptoms of
data loss.

Server data loss symptoms/issues
• ymptoms relating to physical problems
S
- server suddenly crashes during operation or when
A
booting up.
- icking or grinding noises coming from one of the hard
T
drives when booting up or trying to access files.
This symptom may be followed by actual data access
problems as the drive utilises spare sectors.
- Failure of a single hard drive.
- Failure of multiple drives.
- RAID controller alarm flashing.
- Failure of the RAID controller rendering drives inaccessible.
- Intermittent drive failure resulting in configuration corruption.
- Visible fire or water damage.
• Symptoms relating to soft (logical) problems
- erver will not reboot after a “routine” upgrade to operating
S
system or applications.
- oot drive file system problems involving the loss of critical
B
configuration data.
- erver storage systems registry configuration lost/overwritten.
S
- Accidental deletion of data.
- Accidental reformatting of partitions.
- Accidental reconfiguration of RAID drives.
- Accidental replacement of hard drive.
• Soft (logical) or physical symptoms (both are possible)
- erver reboots but cannot access or even “see”
S
attached storage.
- Restore process fails or is prematurely aborted.
- Applications are unable to run or load data.
- Extreme degradation of application performance.
- Folders which should be full of files open but appear empty.
- Inaccessible drives and partitions.
- Corrupted data.

9

Tape media data loss symptoms/issues
• orrupted tape headers:
C
- Tape appears empty of data (blank) but should be full.
- Tape should be full but contains very little data.
- The tape is invisible or inaccessible to the restore program.
• ccidental reformatting or erasure of tape.
A
• ape has become unspooled inside the cartridge.
T
• bvious physical damage.
O
- Tape media stretched, snapped or split.
- Visible fire or water damage.
• edia surface contamination and damage.
M
- Tape cannot be read past a worn-out or contaminated area.
• roblems with tape backup software involving corrupt
P
catalogue information or corrupt data control structures.

Optical media
• Sector read errors preventing access.
• orrupted file system structures appear empty or invalid
C
(e.g. FAT, directories, partition entries).
• Auto-loaders and jukeboxes.
Both optical and tape media libraries or multi-volumes can
be maintained by means of automation. In order to secure an
archive copy, a backup copy to be kept off site or for other
reasons, technicians need to carry out rotations in order to
cycle the media in and out of the autoloaders. As these can
be complex systems, any error during rotation can cause data
to be overwritten.

Tape media can occasionally suffer physical damage due to
mechanical problems affecting tape drives. The damage can
be increased by automation: a robot trying to remove such
a tape from a drive will not recognise the problem whereas
a human operator has a better chance of removing the tape
without causing further damage.

Corrupted/damaged databases
• he database is marked as “suspect”, preventing access,
T
and cannot be restored to a functional state.
• Tables have been “dropped” or recreated.
• Backup files are not recognised by the database engine.
• Database files have been accidentally overwritten.
• Records have been accidentally deleted.
• Database files or records have been corrupted.
• Individual data pages have been damaged.

10

Experiencing a data emergency? The most important question
to ask yourself or your users is:

“How important
is your data?”
The answer to this question will help you choose an appropriate
course of action.
1. My
data is business-critical: to most people experiencing
a data loss emergency, restoring application data is just as
important as making the system operational again, i.e. the
system and the data together define an “operational system”.
If data is important, then follow the first principle of data
recovery to “DO NO HARM” when you address your
situation and remember that you can call in data recovery
specialists to help.

2. My
data is NOT business-critical: in some circumstances,
the priority will be to get systems operational again regardless
of the status of the application data. If this is the case, you are
not experiencing a true data emergency. You will probably
be able to treat the situation as a brand new installation and
use the same human and IT resources who initially set up
and configured the installation.

11

Data recovery process:
What to do first?
What NOT to do:
If you are faced with a data loss situation, what NOT to do is
very important!
• ever run a program or utility which writes to or alters the
N
problem media in any way. If the system shows symptoms of a
physically damaged device or symptoms of data corruption:
- Never restore a backup.
- Never reinstall software or an O/S.
- Do not reinitialise the media or database.
- o not attempt to roll back the database to a known
D
good state.
• o not allow anyone else to write to or alter problem media
D
including companies offering “remote recovery services”. If
for some reason your restore does not work, you may have
created a situation where potential recovery from the original
media may no longer be a viable option.
• o not boot up a device which has obvious physical damage.
D
• o not boot up a device which has shown symptoms of
D
physical failure. For example, drives obviously making noises
due to a mechanical fault, such as ticking or grinding, should
not be repeatedly booted up and tested as it will just make
them worse.
• ctivate the write-protect switch or tab on any removable
A
media such as tape cartridges and floppy disks. (A lot of good
backups are overwritten during a crisis).
• o not attempt to remove a damaged or unspooled tape
D
from a drive unless you have the specialist knowledge and
equipment to do so.

What to do:

Review, record and stay calm
When faced with data loss, stop and review the situation. Distress
and even panic are typical reactions under the circumstances
so the process of reviewing and writing down a synopsis of the
situation has the dual purpose of preparing for recovery and
inducing calm.

Resist the pressure to carry out an instant fix
If you have “recognised a data loss situation”, stop and analyse
the situation rather than attempt to fix it immediately. You may be
under considerable pressure to immediately resolve the situation
from co-workers, your boss or even your own deadlines. While
a quick fix may prove successful, if it is not, then your attempts
may actually increase the damage and greatly reduce the
12
prospects of successful data recovery.

Beware of DIY solutions and products and
remote recovery services
There are numerous websites offering advice on data recovery
and vendors offering DIY (Do-It-Yourself) software solutions.
Unfortunately, the advice is often just completely wrong and
DIY software or remote recovery services may complicate your
problems and diminish the prospects of successful recovery
should these software recovery attempts fail. You should also
note that there is no software in the world which can fix storage
media with physical defects.

Set up an alternative system
Consult your company’s systems documentation in order to
configure another computer/server to temporarily replace the
problem unit. Restore whatever backups are available onto this
unit and reconfigure it as necessary in order to enable productive
work to continue. Of course, the more time that has been spent
on contingency planning before the data loss, the less time it will
now take to set up an alternative system.

Disk drive handling and ESD (Electrostatic
Discharge) precautions
Before handling your computer and especially before touching
or handling the media itself, beware of creating static electrical
discharges. (See appendix C).

Call Seagate Recovery Services data recovery labs
Our data recovery consultants will answer all your questions and
help you to determine how to address your situation. If data loss
is confirmed, you will be given advice on how to send in your
media, a guaranteed turn-around time for the free evaluation,
what you can expect to be charged and what factors may affect
the speed with which we will be able to recover your data.

13

Data Emergency
Worksheet
The following pages have been designed as a workbook to help
you prepare for the action to be taken to ensure successful
recovery after a data emergency.

1. When was the system last running properly?

2 a) What operator activities have been carried
out since then?

2 b) What symptoms of problems have arisen since then?

3. Are there any specific error messages?

4 a) Backup history: when was the last “complete
system backup” carried out?

4 b) Backup history: provide dates and details of
“incremental backups”.

4 c) Backup history: provide dates and details of
partial backups (ex: selected data files).

5. Are there any specific databases and directories
which are important to you?

14

6. List the details of your configuration such as:
6a) Operating system name and version (Windows NT,
Novell, Unix version, etc).

6 b) Provide details of the system set-up, partitions and
storage configuration, if any.

6c) Have you installed any application software packages?

Are the original
CDs and
Names Versions
documentation
available?

6d) What login passwords are required?

7a) Do you have a contingency plan?

7b) What resources are available to you for implementing
this plan?

7c) Can you run your applications on a “spare” server?

7d) Can you attempt to restore your backup to the spare
server and leave the problem unit alone for now?

8) Are you or your technicians qualified to make a
proper diagnosis of the problem?

15

Our data recovery
process
Initial inquiry and consultation process
The Seagate Recovery Services CSR (Customer Service
Representative) will follow the medical oath to “do no harm” and
will endeavour to analyse, preserve and stabilise the current
situation. Keeping the usually distressed customer calm, they will
seek answers to the questions listed above in order to fully grasp
the situation at hand. A Seagate Recovery Services CSR will be
able to confirm that you have a data loss situation which they can
help you with.

Once a data loss situation has been confirmed, you will either
send the problem media to the nearest Seagate Recovery
Services lab or arrange for onsite (critical response) service if
required.

If possible, we recommend removing the media from the computer
before sending it. Beware of creating an electrostatic discharge
(ESD - see Appendix C) while handling your media. Visit the
Seagate Recovery Services website (services.seagate.com) for
more information on packaging.

The recovery process starts with a free evaluation
After carefully inspecting the problem media and reviewing all the
information available on the case, the Seagate Recovery Services
technicians will provide the CSR with a full diagnostic report. The
CSR will then provide the customer with a definitive quote. The
diagnosis will be carried out and the quote provided at no cost to
the customer.

Fixing physical problems
Approximately 70% of cases have some sign of physical failure. If
this is severe, some (temporary) hardware fixes may need to be
carried out even before the diagnosis can be completed. These
would include:
• “board swap” whereby a defective PCB (printed circuit board)
A
on the drive will be replaced with one which works.
• “head transplant” whereby a defective read/write head on the
A
drive will be replaced with one which works.
• A “platter or motor transplant” for certain models.

Obtaining a mirror image (making a copy of the data)
As the problem media may fail completely after repeated use, a
“mirroring” process (i.e. making a special copy of the data from the
problem media) is the first priority during the diagnostic phase. In
most cases, all subsequent recovery activities will be carried out
16
on the mirrored copy.

Fixing logical problems: corrupted files or file systems
The next step is the logical retrieval of data. Our programmers
work with the mirrored copy of the data and use proprietary
software programs to fix corrupted files and file systems and
put corrupted files back together while focussing on the
customer’s priorities.

Tracking the case
Our web-based, online, proprietary “JobTrack” system forms
the “central nervous system” of the Seagate Recovery Services
process. JobTrack records and publishes timeline and other
commitments to our customers because keeping promises is an
integral part of the Seagate Recovery Services business model.

Customers use their case number and a private password to gain
access to the JobTrack system via the Seagate Recovery Services
website and can track the step-by-step process to recover their
media and review related quotes and invoices themselves.

Our staff members also use JobTrack to document and manage
our workflow process. It is maintained by Seagate Recovery
Services staff at all our locations and is a primary tool which
is used to enforce ISO 9001:2000 compliance and provide
extraordinary levels of customer service. It is an integrated
system serving all departments at all locations while maximising
the efficient use of resources.

Costs vs. value
• eagate Recovery Services can determine the cost of recovery.
S
Seagate Recovery Services’ rates for data recovery are based
on a number of factors:
- the complexity of the problem;
- the amount of labour involved;
- the amount of lab time and other resources required;
- the availability (or scarcity) of parts.
• Only the “owner” of the data really knows the value of the data.
• eagate Recovery Services will provide a firm quote detailing
S
the expected timeframe and outcome of the recovery. With this
to hand, the customer can decide:
- hether or not the value of the data is greater than the
w
cost of recovery;
- hether or not the cost of recovery is more than the cost of
w
inputting/recreating the data manually.
• eagate Recovery Services customers have the final say on
S
whether or not the recovery was successful.

17

Seagate Recovery Services provides three distinct levels of
service: Economy, Priority and Critical Response.

Economy service features
• his level of service meets normal requirements and fits
T
the budget available to most customers of Seagate
Recovery Services.
• In-lab service.
• Free evaluation.
• Fast turn-around of evaluations and recoveries.
• No files = no charge.
• ata guarantee: “If an accepted recovery is not carried out as
D
promised, Seagate Recovery Services data recovery labs will,
at its option, attempt to rectify the recovery or refund all or part
of the recovery fees paid.”

Priority service features
• his level of service meets the requirement for urgency and
T
fits the budget available to most customers of Seagate
Recovery Services.
• In-lab service.
• Free evaluation.
• Fast turn-around of evaluations and recoveries.
• No files = no charge.
• ata guarantee: “If an accepted recovery is not carried out as
D
promised, Seagate Recovery Services data recovery labs will,
at its option, attempt to rectify the recovery or refund all or part
of the recovery fees paid.”

Priority service step-by-step workflow
• riority service means that Seagate Recovery Services CSRs
P
and lab personnel will devote their full attention to each job right
from the first phone call from the (usually) distressed customer.
• We track incoming cases to make sure that they arrive on time.
• pon receipt of the customer’s media, the Seagate Recovery
U
Services CSR will immediately inform the customer of their case
number and password and confirm that their job has arrived and
that work has already begun as part of our evaluation process.

• he method of communication used, based on customer
T
preference, may be by telephone, e-mail, fax or, of course, our
web-based online “JobTrack” system which is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week.

• he results of the initial evaluation will be communicated as soon
T
as they are available, often within a few hours of receipt.
• ll customers will be contacted regarding the status of their job
A
within 10 working hours.
• ur customer service process involves intense communication
O
between the lab, the CSR and the customer and is based on
years of successful retrieval of lost data. 18

• ach case is unique and will sometimes require several cycles of
E
questions and answers (Q&A) before we are able to present the
customer with a quote.
• fter the customer has approved the quote, the lab will proceed
A
to the next stage. This will involve producing a list of the files that
can be found, the condition of the files and any other pertinent
information. The CSR will then confirm to the customer that we
have indeed found the data they need and are willing to pay for.
With this confirmation to hand, we will then proceed with the
final stages of the recovery.

• e will present a summary of the outcome to the customer
W
and then secure payment prior to shipping the data back to the
customer on the return media of their choice.
• hether the Priority service can be completed within one day,
W
a few days or more will depend on the availability of the
customer to complete the Q&A process and the complexity
of the recovery job.
• ustomers get access to our emergency Critical Response
C
service which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Keeping promises is fundamental to the entire process.

Critical Response service
The Critical Response service is designed for the select few clients
who need a special level of round-the-clock service and have
sufficient budget resources available. This service is available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Seagate Recovery Services
Critical Response team is made up of the best of the best data
recovery technicians who take turns being on standby and are
ready to travel anywhere at a moment’s notice.

The team is called in to carry out all kinds of mission-critical
recoveries including combinations of network servers, RAID, NAS,
SAN, tape auto-loaders and optical jukeboxes and corrupted
file sets in software platforms such as SQL, Oracle and
Exchange server.

Onsite service is available for emergency situations where
immediate shipping to one of our labs is not feasible or security
procedures prevent the media from leaving the data centre.

Whether the case is handled in the lab or onsite, we work round
the clock to restore mission-critical operations. Our first step is
always to analyse then stabilise the situation before we attempt
recovery.

Unlike the free evaluation provided under our Priority service,
there is a non-refundable fee of € 5,000 for calling in the Seagate
Recovery Services Critical Response team. Pricing for the entire
project will then be negotiated during the initial engagement phase.

19

Appendix A:
What is data recovery?
It may not be what you think it is!
Many people equate data recovery with restoring data from a
tape backup or use the term “data recovery” interchangeably
with “disaster recovery” as in recovering from a major disaster
such as a flood, fire or bombing attack. These meanings are
quite true in the general sense and “data recovery” is usually
one step within the “disaster recovery” process.

However, the term “data recovery” has a very specific meaning
within the computer industry. First, consider one of the dictionary
definitions of ‘recovery’:

‘Recovery’ (noun)
“The act of obtaining usable substances from unusable sources”.

Based on this, Seagate Recovery Services offers the
following definition:

‘Data recovery’ (noun)
“The act of obtaining usable data from downed computers and
backups and corrupted file sets”.

Data recovery cases can be divided into two broad categories:

Common recoveries
These involve floppy disks and hard drives which are usually from
single-user PCs.

Complex recoveries
These involve hard drives, RAID arrays, tape and optical media
or corrupted databases and file systems usually from multi-user,
business systems. Data storage at the high-end has become a
very complex field. In the case of these complex situations,
data recovery can be seen as “troubleshooting data storage”.

Whether common or complex, each data recovery case is
unique and the process can be very resource-intensive and
exceedingly technical.

20

Appendix B:
What to ask before calling in a
data recovery service
1. What is your data recovery success rate?
Statistics can be rather deceptive as they can be doctored to
appear better than they really are. Success rates are deliberately
mentioned in online advertising - designed to capitalise on the
knowledge that your data is invaluable to you and that you need
a guarantee that you will get it back. They know this and will tell
you exactly what you want to hear about their recovery success
rates. At Seagate, we know that if your data is recoverable, there
is no doubt that we WILL get it back. However if we deem your
data UNRECOVERABLE, will be up front about it. As the world’s
leading digital storage provider, you are guaranteed that we have
the best technology on earth for getting your data back.
If Seagate can’t get it back, no-one can.

2. What do I get for the price I am paying?
When making the BIG decision to buy data recovery services,
ask yourself “Who do I trust most to recover my important data?”
If the price is too cheap, then double-check what you’re paying
for. Most data recovery services which offer you a price of €500
to recover your data have limited success rates. This is often
because they are restricted to certain types of recovery options
such as PCB damaged, partition tables, boot record corruption
and MFT records restorations. Even the file structures they work
with may be restricted to NTFS file systems only. It is always a
good idea to check if they are committing to recover deleted files
only. Seagate believes in value for money. If you are looking for
a cost-effective data recovery solution without risk of any further
damage to your media, try our FileRecovery for Windows first. If
Seagate’s DIY software solution cannot recover your data, you
will need a professional data recovery lab service to get your
data back.

3. Will I only get my data back?
Don’t be afraid to ask what you will get for the price you are
paying. After all, it is your data, your money and you deserve the
very best service! Always compare service-providers in terms of
what you are being promised for the money you are spending.
If your money only buys your data back, you are not getting a
good deal. As an absolute minimum, your data recovery service-
provider should offer you:
• No evaluation fees
• A clear timeframe for getting your data back
• Complimentary shipping to and from their facilities
• A FREE disk drive covered by a warranty 21

• elephone-based personal support 24 hours a day,
T
7 days a week
• Online case status reporting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• A dedicated case manager
And don’t forget that there should be a clear No Data - No
Charge guarantee. If they cannot get your data back, why should
you be charged for the service?

4. What are the quote and payment agreements?
Payment options, including when and for what you are being
charged, should be clearly explained. And always up front!
All commitments and promises should always be confirmed up
front and must be met at the time of invoicing. Data recovery is
no different from any other service you purchase - you should
know in advance exactly what you are getting for the price
you pay. Seagate Recovery Services commits to providing a
firm quote before work commences. The price quoted is the
price you pay. There are no extra charges, hidden shipping or
evaluation fees. Every Seagate data recovery case is delivered
within the context of a firm service and price commitment set
out in the terms of the agreement.

5. How will my data be returned to me?
Obtain a clear commitment as to how the data will be returned
to you. As an absolute minimum, your data should be returned
on media which you can easily access and integrate into your
existing system. At Seagate, we will return your data on a
Seagate disk drive covered by a 2-year warranty at no additional
charge if you choose our Priority service. For removable media
(flash drives, memory sticks, USB memory, etc.) we return
your data on a Seagate pocket drive. The end goal is always
to ensure that your data is easily accessible and usable the
moment it is returned.

6. What about my warranty?
Attempting to recover data may void the warranty agreement
you have with the manufacturer. Honouring a third party/drive
manufacturer warranty may cause delays in recovering data, e.g.
by waiting for confirmation that the warranty will be honoured.
Ask your service-provider how they will honour your media’s
warranty. If they don’t provide you with a clear warranty
statement, you may have to purchase a new hard drive after your
data has been recovered. Seagate honours all manufacturers’
warranties by replacing the media with comparable Seagate
media. Should Seagate Recovery Services void a non-Seagate
and/or non-Maxtor product warranty, Seagate Recovery
Services will replace the competitive drive with an equivalent
Seagate drive free of charge. The Seagate drive will be covered
by a new 2-year warranty.
22

Appendix C:
Case studies on
mission-critical recoveries
460GB RAID 5 crash at a technology company
• RAID upgrade from 6 drives to 8 appeared successful.
• ubsequent reboot precipitated loss of all access to the data
S
stored on the RAID 5 server.
• Server urgently needed for a product launch.
• erver crashed on Friday evening; Seagate Recovery
S
Services Critical Response team had the recovery under
way within 3 hours.
• Onsite and remote technicians worked round the clock.
• omplete turnaround in 36 hours! Product launch was
C
successful supported by the fully functional 8-drive server.

Database corruption
• n Internet-based financial services company maintained
A
all transaction records in a large SQL database on its
corporate server.
• routine software maintenance program was run periodically
A
without any problems until the operator made an error while
launching the program.
• number of the database tables were “dropped” then
A
recreated and re-populated with data. As a result, some of
the data was overwritten and file structures were damaged
causing the main application to crash.
• A recent backup was not available.
• ithout this mission-critical data and associated application,
W
this business was doomed to face imminent ruin.
• eagate Recovery Services analysed the server and
S
the majority of the missing data was identified as being
recoverable. No physical problems were found, confirming
this case as a complex logical recovery.
• he customer identified the most critical of the missing tables
T
and in order to contain costs, Seagate Recovery Services
focussed their efforts on these tables.
• he critical tables were recovered and returned to the
T
customer who was soon back in business.

23

Lost diagnostic images on DLT cartridges
• large urban hospital in the north-east US was generating
A
approximately 90,000 medical images per day requiring about
25 GB of digital data storage.
• hey had a regulatory requirement and an obligation to
T
patients to provide the original images.
• ape rotation errors caused erroneous EOD
T
(End-of-Data) markers.
• IT vendor stumped or lacked resources to resolve the problem.
• Proprietary expertise required.
• Time-intensive recovery due to the nature of tape problems.
• he hospital regained access to the lost images and was
T
able to provide the high standard of health care their staff
and patients demanded.

24

Appendix D:
Handling tips & ESD
precautions
Mishandling is a leading cause of hard disk drive failure.

Hard disk drive Do’s
• Handle a hard disk drive the same way you would handle an egg.
• Always carry out ESD* precautions.
• Handle drives one at a time.
• When handling drives, only touch the sides.
• Pad all hard disk drive work surfaces.
• andle failed hard disk drives with the same care as
H
new drives.
• ait 10 seconds before moving after switching off in order to
W
make sure that the drive has stopped spinning.
• revent unprotected drives from moving: use ESD packaging
P
(anti-static bag) when moving drives and keep the amount of
handling to a minimum.

Hard disk drive Don’ts
• Never drop drives.
• Never allow drives to come into contact with hard surfaces.
• Never stack drives, even in the ESD protective bag.
• ever allow tools to come into contact with the PCBA or allow
N
contact without ESD protection.
• Never stand drives on end.

Disk drive components susceptible to
handling damage
• Heads - broken, chipped, degraded.
• Disks - scratched media, head slaps.
• PCB - ESD damage, bent connector pins, broken components.

*ESD (Electrostatic Discharge)
A familiar form of electrostatic discharge, often referred to as
“static electricity”, is the shock we receive after walking across a
carpet. In a technical environment, ESD can prove very costly by
harming devices or components. ESD may cause a catastrophic
failure which is immediately apparent or a latent failure in which
gradual degradation occurs during use, resulting in eventual failure.

ESD precautions
• omputer professionals should purchase ESD wrist straps,
C
floor mats and educate themselves regarding ESD precautions.
• ersonal users should discharge the static on themselves by
P
touching a metal object before touching a computer, hard drive
or other component.
• eople in very cold or dry areas should be aware that humid air
P
25
helps to dissipate electrostatic charges.

Our pitch

Customers with a data emergency need
• rgent service.
U
• ntense communication.
I
• he ability to control processes.
T
• ricing integrity.
P
• sable data to be returned ASAP.
U

Seagate Recovery Services delivers
• fast turnaround for in-lab evaluations and in-lab recoveries.
A
• ree evaluations.
F
• o files = no charge.
N
• ata guarantee.
D
• SRs use the telephone, e-mail, fax, JobTrack or whatever
C
means necessary to keep the customer informed regarding
the status of their case. This ensures that we focus on the
customer’s priorities and seek ongoing approval to continue
the recovery process on their behalf.
• ools and processes to keep the customer in control of
T
the process.
• ritical Response team goes onsite and/or works
C
round-the-clock to restore mission-critical operations.
• ustomer satisfaction, usable data.
C

Strengths of Seagate Recovery Services
• SO 9001:2000 certification.
I
• anufacturers’ support. We are permitted to open virtually
M
any hard drive without voiding the warranty and enjoy referrals
from many manufacturers including Maxtor, IBM, Quantum,
Western Digital, Seagate and Dell.
• ll hard disk drives & floppy disks.
A
• /S: all versions of Windows, Mac and Unix.
O
• omplex recoveries.
C
• ervers: RAID, NAS and SAN.
S
• agnetic tape and optical storage.
M
• uto-loaders, libraries and jukeboxes.
A
• ile “repair”: SQL, Oracle, Exchange server.
F

Key benefits of Seagate Recovery Services
• ecovery team: CSRs + lab + customer-orientated
R
worldwide presence.
• rgent attention is paid to each case.
U
• ld, new and complex technology.
O
• nrivalled expertise gained across a wide variety of hardware/
U
software combinations and data loss situations.
• xtensive investments in the latest technology, continuous
E
improvement in methodologies and skilled people.
• Experience serving the most demanding customers.
• Usable data returned to customer.
26

What to do next?
• Backup, restore and maintain your systems.
• Visit and bookmark:
Seagate Recovery Services.com
• Spread the word on data recovery.

Data emergency?
When in doubt, contact a professional data recovery
expert at: services.seagate.com

Our success is based on providing free evaluations, fast turn-
around times, excellent customer care and solutions which
guarantee the return of usable data.

27

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