Data Recovery on a RN528 with X-Raid configuration

Do you see any activity, even brief, other than the Ethernet, when you plug it in?

I do not have, nor have I ever seen except in photos, a 528.  But, because it's a necessity to support WoL, I can tell you that the Ethernet ports run off of "standby" power (which is either 3.3V or 5V, depending on the design).  It would be typical of a unit with an internal power supply (that typically has a 5VSB output) to use 5V.  But the main thing here is that the StandBy voltage is always on and provided by a circuit independent of the rest.  So, a power supply or on/off control issue could be your problem.  But something elsewhere shorting out one of the voltages might be it as well. 

Most OS6 native ReadyNAS with internal supplies use a modified Flex ATX supply.  The modification is removal of the negative voltages from the connector and putting more 12V in their place.  I would expect the 528 to use a modified (or perhaps unmodified) Flex ATX12V (with the 24-pin connector) rather than an older basic Flex ATX (with a 20-pin connector).

Now, before you do anything else, you really need to pursue all avenues of getting warranty support.  Once you open the unit, Netgear will certainly refuse to honor the warranty.  Of course, if you know you aren't covered (you bought it used, for example), then no need.

If you decide to try something on your own, and it is a modified or unmodified Flex ATX(12V) supply, the first thing to do is to remove the power supply and try the "paper clip test", where you ground the power-on pin and see if the supply comes on (Green wire to any black wire).  That way, you can determine if the on/off circuit of the NAS is the problem.  While it's on from the jumper, you can also check the output voltages with a meter, but doing so without a load isn't a definitive test (no output says it's bad, but seemingly good output might not stay so under load).

If the NAS On/off control is the problem, a quick solution is to permanently jumper the green wire to black, bypassing the power control.  That means the unit will come on when plugged in and not turn off when commanded to do so.  But the power-off command will put the NAS at a point it can be safely unplugged.  You could investigate whether it's just a button issue, but most ReadyNAS use a double-pole switch to provide redundancy, so that's unlikely.  Without a schematic, the rest is basically unrepairable.

Since I'm unsure of the type of supply, I don't want to give any advise past that.  Let me know the number of pins on the output connector and if there is a blue or white wire or any unpopulated pins and I'll be able to see if it's like most other ReadyNAS use. 

How many drives are installed in your NAS, and was it using RAID5 or RAID6?  I ask because it will determine what other ReadyNAS you might potentially use to recover your data if it comes down to to recovery because the unit is unrepairable and Netgear won't replace it.  Replacing with another 528 is likely going to be tough.

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StephenB wrote:

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nasmmx wrote:

 

Netgear is refusing to assist in  resolving this issue, so I am writing the hardware off as a loss. My immediate concern is the data stored on the drives. Are there any suggestions out there as to how to recover the data? I have no reason to believe that the drives are bad. They are all less than 3 years old and have had little use, and they were showing in good health before the unit stopped turning on. The NAS is configured in X-raid mode. I am thinking that I just need to replace the power supply (if that is possible). If not I am open to other suggestions.

 

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The hardware warranty on the RN528 is 5 years in the US, so it would be useful to follow up with AnishaA with the serial number, so she can look into why Netgear is refusing a warranty replacement.  One possibility is that you do need to purchase it from an authorized reseller.  Another is that the warranty doesn't cover used equipment.

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The first point every Netgear customers is always the https://my.Netgear.com/ portal.

The warranty status is perfectly visible here.

Hello Stephen - Thank you for the reply.

I responded to Anisha with the SN, but I am not holding my breath on the warranty. Netgear requires a copy of my receipt and I have little hope of finding it since I bought the unit in 2019.

I do not have a Linux system, but I am intrigued by the suggestion. I would like to look into the option a little further, so if you have any suggestions on sources I might read to provide some details, I would be very grateful.

Thank you again for the reply and for forwarding this to Sandshark.

I have some hope that I may be able to salvage this wreck.

All the Best,

Mick

Hello StephenB.

I appreciate your input above, and your assistance in helping me find a solution.

StephenB  wrote:

If you can have a way to mount the disks in a Linux system (or a PC that you can boot up from linux using a USB drive), then you can mount the array manually and off-load the data.

I have been doing a lot of reading but I still have many questions that I have been unable to resolve.

The fundamental question being; if I install the HDDs into a USB enclosure and connect it to a LINUX system will it be able to read the drives that were configured as a single X-RAID? Do I need some special software such as TrueNAS?

I have found a lot of information on how to build a NAS, but nothing on how to recover the DATA from an X-RAID setup. I am very hesitant to blindly experiment, as for all I know this may be a one shot deal, and I may corrupt the configuration if I do this wrong.

Netgear is not providing me any assistance, so this is my only chance to save this data. I would greatly appreciate your feedback as to any other considerations that may be needed to actually read the data.

Thank you for your time.