Cisco RAID 10 Data Recovery – 32 Seagate IronWolf 10TB Disks

A large corporation contacted Brighton Data Recovery after experiencing a critical RAID 10 failure on their Cisco RAID array containing 32 Seagate IronWolf 10TB hard drives. The reported issues included:

  • During a routine upgrade, two disks failed, prompting their replacement.
  • The RAID rebuild process was initiated but hung at 20% completion and never finished.
  • HP server support could not restore functionality, leading to a full RAID system failure.
  • The RAID array contained 10 VHDX virtual machines, which stored:
    • Company-wide business data for 1200 employees.
    • Financial records, HR documents, operational databases, and customer records.
  • The system was completely inaccessible, making data recovery an urgent business priority.

Since RAID 10 relies on striping and mirroring, a failed rebuild can lead to severe data corruption and broken RAID metadata, requiring forensic-level RAID reconstruction.

Our Expertise in Cisco RAID 10 & Virtual System Data Recovery

With 25 years of experience, Brighton Data Recovery specializes in:
✔ Rebuilding failed RAID 10 arrays after incomplete rebuild attempts
✔ Recovering lost or corrupted VHDX virtual systems from damaged RAID arrays
✔ Forensic-level data extraction using Acelabs PC3000, DeepSpar imaging, and RAID-specific tools

Diagnosis & Recovery Process

Upon receiving the Cisco RAID 10 array and 32 Seagate IronWolf disks, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic evaluation. The key findings included:

  • The RAID controller had lost track of the array, preventing access to the VHDX virtual machines.
  • Two newly replaced disks had incomplete RAID metadata, leading to a failed rebuild.
  • Data fragmentation was extensive, meaning a traditional RAID rebuild would not work.

To successfully recover the corporation’s critical business data, we implemented a multi-step RAID 10 recovery strategy:

Step 1: Disk Imaging & Data Preservation

  • Created sector-by-sector forensic clones of all 32 RAID member disks.
  • Used DeepSpar Disk Imager to extract recoverable data from the failing disks.

Step 2: RAID 10 Reconstruction & Metadata Repair

  • Used Acelabs PC3000 RAID edition tools to analyse and manually rebuild the RAID 10 array.
  • Repaired RAID metadata inconsistencies, allowing virtual drives to be remounted.

Step 3: Virtual Machine Recovery & Data Extraction

  • Used forensic tools to locate and extract all 10 VHDX virtual machines.
  • Verified integrity and rebuilt corrupted VHDX files for complete access.

Step 4: Data Integrity Check & Secure Transfer

  • Conducted final validation checks to confirm that all employee records and business data were intact.
  • Successfully transferred the restored virtual systems to a new high-performance RAID array.

The Result

We successfully recovered 99.7% of the corporation’s lost business data, including:
✅ All 10 VHDX virtual machines, fully restored
✅ Financial records, HR files, and employee databases
✅ Operational documents, customer records, and business software configurations

The company was able to restore full business operations, ensuring no downtime or permanent data loss.

Why Choose Brighton Data Recovery for Cisco RAID 10 Recovery?

✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in RAID 10 recovery and virtual system restoration.
✅ Advanced RAID Reconstruction – Rebuilding failed RAID arrays after incomplete rebuilds.
✅ Forensic-Level Data Extraction – Recovering lost files from damaged RAID metadata.
✅ Fast & Secure Process – Ensuring complete confidentiality and minimal business disruption.

If your Cisco RAID 10 array has suffered a failure during rebuild or contains critical virtual system data, contact Brighton Data Recovery today for urgent professional assistance!