Risk of failure of RAID controller?

G-Technology G-RAID & G-DOCK
1

I recently installed the G-RAID 16TB Thunderbolt 3 drive system configured as Raid 1.

On another forum (Adobe Lightroom) I received a comment that one should not regard this a reliable back-up system as, in the event the Raid controller fails, all data will be lost.

How likely is this with this G-Raid system? What safeguards or strategy to offset risk?

2

The same is to be said with any RAID controller or software RAID. The offset is to have another copy elsewhere. You should have 3 copies of all data that is important to you.

3

I just purchased G-raid Thunderbolt 3, 16tb configured it to raid 1. The idea to purchase this is if one of the hard drive fails , I can have the back up on the other drive (raid1 / mirror ) .
But my question is if the encloser / control pub or power suply fails, can I take out one of the hard drive and install on any 3.2 hdd usb encloser to read the data ?
Or I need to have similar g-raid encloser to read the data.

3 years back I bought wd duo thunderbolt 1 8tb encloser configured to raid 1. It failed just after one month of warranty expiry. Wd service center refused to repair. So I could take out one of the hard drive and read the data by installing it on usb 3 encloser and copy the data to new usb 3 hard drive.
So few years from now can I do the same for G-raid thunderbolt 3 .

4

You would need another G-RAID TB3 enclosure to read it, the RAID is part of the hardware controller and won’t outside of it unless it is set as JBOD.

5

Hi Rydia,
Your quick respond is highly appreciated.
I understood your point. So do G Tec… sale such encloser? I don’t think so. The local G-Tec support in Singapore said that they are not liable for data (which I agree with them) and referred me to their data recovery agent who charges $1K -4K USD :grimacing:. But fortunately Akitio duel bay thunderbolt 3 configured to Raid 1 mirror , a single disk data can be retrieve as its hardware raid controller and cost half of Graid with similar HDd capacity and slightly better speed.

Anyway thanks and appreciate your support.

Regards
Andy

6

The likelihood of data loss in a G-RAID 16TB Thunderbolt 3 drive system configured as RAID 1 due to a RAID controller failure is difficult to determine without specific information on the age, usage, and environment of the system. However, RAID 1 is a mirrored configuration that provides redundancy by writing the same data to two drives simultaneously. This means that if one drive fails, the other drive still contains all the data and can continue to function.

That being said, it is still possible for both drives to fail or for the data to become corrupted, in which case data loss may occur. Therefore, it is important to implement safeguards and strategies to offset the risk of data loss. Here are a few recommendations:

  1. Regular backups: Create regular backups of critical data on a separate storage device or in the cloud. This ensures that you have a second copy of your data in case the RAID 1 system fails or both drives fail simultaneously.
  2. Monitoring: Regularly monitor the system and drives for any signs of potential failure, such as strange noises or error messages. This can help you catch any issues early and take action before data loss occurs.
  3. Use high-quality components: Use high-quality hard drives and RAID controllers to reduce the risk of hardware failure.
  4. Replace failed components promptly: If a drive or the RAID controller fails, replace it as soon as possible to minimize the risk of further failures or data loss.

By implementing these safeguards and strategies, you can help reduce the risk of data loss in your G-RAID system.