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Recovering data from overwritten Raid 5 array?

Linux Kernel, Network, and Services configuration.
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r_4_20
Posts: 3
Joined: 2017-07-25 14:23

Recovering data from overwritten Raid 5 array?

#1 Post by r_4_20 »

I have done something very stupid. I upgraded to Debian 9 and was having issues getting X to work. After tons of troubleshooting, I saw that one of my raid devices was showing as an invalid block size. I failed it from the array and removed it. I partitioned it and added it back into the raid array.

After a reboot, grub was unable to boot. I burned a Debian 9 live CD and booted into it. I wanted to run grub-install but it could not find a valid root (/). My raid array wasn't showing but all my hard drives were so I built the raid from the correct partitions. The Debian 9 rescue went on to write the changes to the partition table and started to install a new base system.

After that, I booted into the system and all my files are now gone. I've installed TestDisk and tried running it on each hard drive and on the /dev/md0 device but I cannot find my deleted files.

Because of how long TestDisk has taken, the resync of the raid 5 array has completed which I am now reading may have actually overwritten all my old data.

Is all hope lost? Are all my files gone? Any help is greatly appreciated!

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GarryRicketson
Posts: 5644
Joined: 2015-01-20 22:16
Location: Durango, Mexico

Re: Recovering data from overwritten Raid 5 array?

#2 Post by GarryRicketson »

Use the backup you made before starting to do this.
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/ ... ng.en.html
4.1.1. Back up any data or configuration information

Before upgrading your system, it is strongly recommended that you make a full backup, or at least back up any data or configuration information you can't afford to lose. The upgrade tools and process are quite reliable, but a hardware failure in the middle of an upgrade could result in a severely damaged system.

The main things you'll want to back up are the contents of /etc, /var/lib/dpkg, /var/lib/apt/extended_states and the output of dpkg --get-selections "*" (the quotes are important). If you use aptitude to manage packages on your system, you will also want to back up /var/lib/aptitude/pkgstates.

r_4_20
Posts: 3
Joined: 2017-07-25 14:23

Re: Recovering data from overwritten Raid 5 array?

#3 Post by r_4_20 »

Unfortunately I did not make a backup. Like I said, I did something really stupid.

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dasein
Posts: 7680
Joined: 2011-03-04 01:06
Location: Terra Incantationum

Re: Recovering data from overwritten Raid 5 array?

#4 Post by dasein »

Step 1. Swipe-and-right-click your thread title

Step 2. Select "Search <search engine name> for 'Recovering data...'"

Step 3. Pray
r_4_20 wrote:Unfortunately I did not make a backup. Like I said, I did something really stupid.
You did several somethings really stupid, starting with implementing RAID 5 simply because is sounded so l33t and kewl. The actual point of RAID is data protection, just like, y'know, backups.

Good luck.

r_4_20
Posts: 3
Joined: 2017-07-25 14:23

Re: Recovering data from overwritten Raid 5 array?

#5 Post by r_4_20 »

Hmm I've done a lot of searching on this problem already. That's why I decided finally to just post myself. I was hoping to get some new help. I'm going to try SystemRescueCD tonight. I've already tried a couple Linux Live CD's that are designed for data recovery. Fingers crossed.

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