How to Recover Files from a Dynamic Spanned Volume (JBOD) in Windows Server 2022
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Author:
Vladimir Artiukh
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Editor:
Oleg Afonin
In this article, we will discuss file recovery from a Dynamic Spanned Volume in Windows Server 2022. We will show what to do after accidental deletion of files or the volume itself, as well as in situations where access to data is lost due to corruption of the Dynamic Disk configuration, a Windows Server failure, or an issue with one of the physical drives.
- JBOD and data storage specifics
- How to access the drives of a Dynamic Spanned Volume (JBOD)
- Recovering files from a Dynamic Spanned Volume JBOD
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Comments
In modern information systems, data storage reliability is one of the key factors ensuring stable server infrastructure operation. In the Windows Server 2022 environment, dynamic disks can be used to combine disk space from multiple physical drives, in particular a Spanned Volume. Such a volume allows the free space of several disks to be combined sequentially into a single logical volume, which in terms of disk space usage is similar to a JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) configuration.
The advantage of a Spanned Volume is the ability to flexibly expand available space without creating a hardware RAID array. At the same time, this architecture has a significant drawback: it does not provide fault tolerance. Failure of one of the physical drives, corruption of dynamic disk metadata, partition tables, or the file system may result in loss of access to the entire logical volume and the files stored on it.
Data recovery is especially difficult when the data was distributed across multiple physical disks. Successful recovery requires not only access to each drive, but also correct reconstruction of the dynamic volume structure, determination of disk order, their boundaries, and the relationship between the components of the Spanned Volume.
This article covers the specifics of organizing a Dynamic Spanned Volume in Windows Server 2022, the main causes of access loss to such storage, and practical approaches to file recovery. Special attention is given to safe disk imaging, analysis of dynamic disk structure, reconstruction of the logical volume, and minimizing the risk of additional data damage during recovery operations.
File Recovery from a Dynamic Spanned Volume JBOD in Windows Server 2022
JBOD and data storage specifics
Dynamic Spanned Volume allows you to combine regions from several physical Dynamic Disks into one logical disk.
For example, if 500 GB is available on the first disk, 1 TB on the second, and another 500 GB on the third, these regions can be combined into a single Spanned Volume with a total capacity of approximately 2 TB.
For the user and the operating system, it appears as one standard logical disk with a single file system. But physically, the data is stored on different drives. A Spanned Volume does not use mirroring or parity, so it has no redundancy that would allow the data to be fully reconstructed after the physical loss of one disk.
In addition, the service information of the Dynamic Disk, which describes its configuration, is important for the operation of such a volume.
Hetman RAID Recovery supports Windows Dynamic Disks, including Simple, Spanned, Striped, Mirrored, and RAID-5 volumes, and analyzes available metadata to reconstruct a multi-disk configuration.
| Feature | Dynamic Spanned Volume |
|---|---|
| Storage type | Windows dynamic volume |
| Operating principle | Combines free space from multiple physical disks into a single logical volume |
| Number of disks | From 2 to 32 physical disks |
| Data distribution | Data is written sequentially: once the space on one disk is filled, writing continues on the next disk |
| Block striping | Not used, unlike RAID 0 |
| Fault tolerance | None |
| Failure of one disk | May result in loss of access to the entire volume and some or all of its files |
| Performance | Typically does not increase read/write speeds |
| Volume expansion | Possible by adding free space from other dynamic disks |
| File system | Most commonly NTFS; depends on the Windows configuration |
| Boot volume | Not recommended for system or boot partitions, and subject to certain limitations |
| Similarity to JBOD | High: multiple drives are combined into a single logical storage space without redundancy |
| Main advantage | Simple combination of storage space from different drives |
| Main disadvantage | High risk of data loss if one of the disks is damaged |
| Recovery complexity | Higher than for a standard basic volume because the dynamic volume structure and the order of its components must be reconstructed |
For the test, we prepared Windows Server 2022 and created a Dynamic Spanned Volume from several physical drives using Disk Management. The volume uses the NTFS file system.
It contains two main test folders:
- The General folder stores documents, photos, PDF files, archives, and other data in various formats.
- The Content folder contains large video files.
This set will help test the recovery of both standard files and large objects.
How to access the drives of a Dynamic Spanned Volume (JBOD)
METHOD 1. Connecting the drives to a computer
After losing access to a Dynamic Spanned Volume, the first step is to connect its drives correctly to a working computer. You can use a direct SATA connection or use USB adapters or docking stations. For the most complete reconstruction, it is advisable to have access to all drives that were part of the problematic volume.
If the number of available SATA ports or USB adapters does not allow all disks to be connected at the same time, they can be connected one by one and a sector-by-sector image of each drive can be created. After that, all created images can be added to the program simultaneously and used as components of the original volume.
Hetman RAID Recovery allows you to combine physical disks, their sector-by-sector images, and remote block devices in a single reconstructed configuration.
To create an image, select the required physical disk in Hetman RAID Recovery and click Save disk. Specify the location to save the file and wait for the copying process to finish. After that, the drive can be disconnected and an image of the next disk can be created in the same way.
When all required images are ready, open the Mount disk function, specify the created file, and attach it to the program.
The image will appear among the available data sources.
This method allows you to create images of all disks one by one and use them simultaneously to reconstruct the Dynamic Spanned Volume. It also reduces the load on unstable drives, since further analysis is performed on their copies.
METHOD 2. Setting up SSH access
There is another way to access the drives without physically removing them. If Windows Server 2022 is still running and accessible over the network, Hetman RAID Recovery allows you to connect its physical disks or other available block devices via SSH. The program can analyze such remote sources together with local disks and images.
To do this, OpenSSH Server must first be configured on the Windows Server. It can be installed as an additional Windows component, after which the OpenSSH SSH Server – sshd service must be started and, if necessary, set to start automatically.
During OpenSSH Server installation, a Windows Firewall rule is created for incoming SSH connections over TCP port 22. Microsoft recommends verifying that the service is running and that the corresponding firewall rule is enabled.
After configuring the server, open Hetman RAID Recovery. In the top menu, go to Tools and select Connect via SSH.
In the Remote server field, enter the Windows Server IP address, and in the Port field, specify 22. Below, in the Credentials section, select the required Authentication method and enter the username and password for the account. If necessary, you can enable Save server details and Save authentication data so that these parameters do not need to be entered again.
Then click Next.
After successfully connecting to the server, the next window will display the available physical disks and logical arrays. Select the drives that are part of the required JBOD and proceed. After confirmation, the selected disks will appear in the main Hetman RAID Recovery window, where they can be used in the same way as locally connected drives.
You should also pay attention to the network equipment. Since the drives are accessed over the network, for a stable and comfortable connection it is desirable that the workstation, Windows Server, and the local network support data transfer speeds of 1 Gbps or higher. This will help speed up disk analysis and transfer of recovered files.
This option is especially convenient if the server is still running and physically removing a large number of drives is undesirable or difficult.
Recovering files from a Dynamic Spanned Volume JBOD
METHOD 1. Recovering accidentally deleted files
Let us move on to the first data loss scenario.
Some files from the General folder were accidentally deleted bypassing the Recycle Bin. At the same time, the Dynamic Spanned Volume itself remains functional, its configuration is not damaged, the NTFS file system is accessible, and the other data continues to open normally.
We start Hetman RAID Recovery. If all volume components are available and the configuration is detected correctly, the reconstructed Dynamic Spanned Volume will appear in the program’s main window. Open it and run Fast scan.
After the analysis is complete, go to the General folder and review the results. The program shows available and found deleted files.
Check whether the names and folder structure are preserved, and open the found files in the preview window to verify their contents.
Hetman RAID Recovery allows you to scan the reconstructed logical volume, review the found files, and then save them to another drive after verification.
If Fast scan does not find the required files or the result is incomplete, return to the analysis mode selection and run Full scan. This mode takes longer, but performs a deeper analysis of the file system and drive contents.
After completion, check the results again, find the required files, and add them to the recovery list.
In the final step, specify another physical drive to save the data. It is not recommended to save recovered files back to the original Dynamic Spanned Volume, because new writes may overwrite other information that can still be recovered.
METHOD 2. Recovering after deleting a Dynamic Spanned Volume
If the Dynamic Spanned Volume was accidentally deleted, the logical disk stops appearing in Windows and access to the files is lost, although the physical drives themselves may remain functional. In this case, connect all disks or their sector-by-sector images and start Hetman RAID Recovery.
In our test, the JBOD was not reconstructed automatically, so we proceed to manual configuration assembly using the RAID Constructor.
Before opening the constructor, determine the data area start offset of the volume using the built-in HEX Editor.
Search for the NTFS signature 4E 54 46 53 20 20. In our case, the start of the required area is at offset 16,777,216 bytes.
Next, open the RAID Constructor, select Manual mode, and specify the array type JBOD (Spanned volume).
In the construction parameters, set the sector size to 512 bytes, add all drives, and arrange them in the correct order. For a Spanned Volume, this is especially important, because the logical volume data continues sequentially on the next physical disk.
After that, open the disk parameters and specify the required offsets. After configuration, add the assembled JBOD to the main program window.
The reconstructed JBOD with a total size of approximately 119 GB and the NTFS logical volume appears on the main screen. Open it and run Fast scan.
After the scan is complete, check the found folder structure, including General, Content, SQLData, SQLLogs, and SQLBackup, as well as the names and contents of the required files in the preview window. After verification, recover the necessary data to another physical drive.
Conclusion
We have examined different data loss scenarios involving a Dynamic Spanned Volume in Windows Server 2022: accidental deletion of individual files and deletion of the logical volume itself. In each case, the approach differs, but it is important to have access to the most complete set of original disks or their sector-by-sector images.
Hetman RAID Recovery allows you to work in Windows, Linux, and macOS, use local disks, images, and remote block devices via SSH, reconstruct Windows Dynamic Spanned Volumes, and then analyze the file system and recover available data.
In our test, we performed the entire reconstruction and recovery process in Windows 11, although the original Dynamic Spanned Volume was created in Windows Server 2022.
