Recovering / Extracting Data from a Terramaster TNAS Drive Using Windows

This guide will walk you through the steps to recover files from a Terramaster TNAS drive.

I had a Terramaster TNAS NAS fail without any underlying data integrity issues. Rather than get a replacement and swap the drive back in, I decided to extract all of the files from the drive so I could format it.

Drives used in TNAS are formatted with a variety of partitions, most of which are not readable by Windows. RAID is also used which adds complexities.

I simply removed the drive from the NAS and connected it to my PC via a SATA cable (+ power from the PSU).

I tried lots of Desktop GUI tools but they either recovered the files without any names / file structures or required payments to actually export the files.

This method is 100% free and should be relatively simple.

Step 1: Set Up WSL and Install Necessary Tools

To access the Linux-specific file systems and manage RAID configurations, we need a Linux environment. WSL allows us to run a Linux distribution directly within Windows without the need for a virtual machine or dual boot setup.

1. Install WSL with Ubuntu

Open PowerShell as Administrator:
- Click on the Start menu, type “PowerShell,” right-click on Windows PowerShell, and select Run as administrator.
Install WSL and Ubuntu by running the following command:
```
wsl --install -d Ubuntu
```
- This command installs WSL 2 along with the Ubuntu distribution.
- Note: If WSL is already installed, ensure it’s updated to WSL 2:
```
wsl --update
wsl --set-default-version 2
```
Restart your computer if prompted.

2. Launch Ubuntu in WSL

Open Ubuntu:
- After installation, open Ubuntu by typing wsl into PowerShell:
```
wsl
```
Set up Ubuntu:
- On the first run, you’ll be prompted to create a new user account and password for Ubuntu.
Update package lists to ensure you have the latest software information:
```
sudo apt update
```
Install necessary tools (lvm2 and mdadm):
```
sudo apt install lvm2 mdadm
```
- mdadm is used for managing RAID arrays.
- lvm2 is used for managing Logical Volume Manager (LVM) volumes.

Step 2: Connect Your Drive

Physically connecting the TNAS drive to your Windows PC allows WSL to access it.

1. Physically Connect the Drive

Shut down your PC to prevent any hardware damage.
Open your computer case carefully.
Connect the TNAS drive:
- Use a SATA cable to connect the drive to an available SATA port on your motherboard.
- Connect the drive to your power supply unit (PSU) using a power cable.
Secure the drive inside the case to prevent movement.
Close your computer case and restart your PC.

2. Bring the Drive Online in Windows

Access Disk Management:
- Press Win + X and select Disk Management from the menu.
Initialize the Drive if Necessary:
- If prompted to initialize the disk, do not proceed. This could erase your data.
Bring the Drive Online:
- If the drive appears as Offline, right-click on it and select Online.
Verify the Drive:
- The drive may show partitions with unknown file systems. This is expected.

Step 3: Mount the Physical Disk in WSL

By default, WSL 2 does not have access to physical disks connected to Windows. We’ll need to mount the disk manually to interact with it in WSL.

1. Identify the Physical Drive in Windows

Open PowerShell as Administrator.

List all connected disks to identify your TNAS drive:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_DiskDrive | Select-Object DeviceID, Size, Model

Identify your drive:
- Look for the disk with the size matching your TNAS drive.
- Note the DeviceID (e.g., \\.\PhysicalDrive2).

2. Mount the Disk in WSL

Mount the disk without attempting to auto-mount partitions:
```
wsl --mount \\.\PhysicalDrive2 --bare
```
- Replace \\.\PhysicalDrive2 with the DeviceID of your drive.
- The --bare option prevents Windows from trying to interpret the partitions.

3. Verify the Disk in WSL

Switch to your Ubuntu WSL terminal.
List block devices:
```
lsblk
```
Confirm the drive is listed:
- You should see your TNAS drive listed as /dev/sdX (e.g., /dev/sdb), along with its partitions.

Step 4: Identify the Drive and Partitions in WSL

Now that the drive is accessible in WSL, we need to identify the correct partition containing your data.

1. List All Drives and Partitions

Run:
```
lsblk
```

Review the output:

NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0   500G  0 disk
├─sda1   8:1    0   499G  0 part /
sdb      8:16   0   4.0T  0 disk
├─sdb1   8:17   0   512M  0 part
├─sdb2   8:18   0   2.1G  0 part
├─sdb3   8:19   0   1.1G  0 part
└─sdb4   8:20   0   3.6T  0 part

Identify your TNAS drive and partitions:
- In this example, /dev/sdb is the TNAS drive.
- The largest partition (e.g., /dev/sdb4) usually contains your data.

2. Examine RAID Metadata

Check RAID information on the data partition:
```
sudo mdadm --examine /dev/sdb4
```
- Replace /dev/sdb4 with your actual partition.
Interpret the output:
- Look for lines indicating RAID configuration, such as Raid Level, Array UUID, and Number of Devices.

Step 5: Assemble the RAID Array

The TNAS drive uses RAID configurations, which we need to assemble to access the data.

1. Assemble the RAID

Attempt to assemble the RAID array:
```
sudo mdadm --assemble --run /dev/md0 /dev/sdb4
```
- /dev/md0 is the RAID device we are creating.
- Ensure /dev/md0 is not already in use. If it is, choose a different name like /dev/md127.

Expected Output:

mdadm: /dev/md0 has been started with 1 drive.

Troubleshooting:
- If the assembly fails, you may need to specify additional options or confirm that the partition is correct.

2. Verify RAID Status

Check the status of the RAID array:
```
cat /proc/mdstat
```

Review the output:

Personalities : [raid1]
md0 : active raid1 sdb4[0]
      3900000000 blocks super 1.2 [1/1] [U]

Confirm that the RAID array is active and lists your partition.

Step 6: Activate the LVM

Many NAS devices use Logical Volume Manager (LVM) to manage disk space. We need to activate the LVM to access the logical volumes.

1. Scan for Volume Groups

Scan the system for volume groups:
```
sudo vgscan
```

Expected Output:

Found volume group "vg0" using metadata type lvm2

Explanation:
- vg0 is the name of the volume group used by the TNAS device.

2. Activate the Volume Group

Activate all logical volumes in the volume group:
```
sudo vgchange -ay
```

Expected Output:

1 logical volume(s) in volume group "vg0" now active

3. List Logical Volumes

List all logical volumes:
```
sudo lvscan
```

Expected Output:

ACTIVE   '/dev/vg0/lv0' [3.6 TiB] inherit

Explanation:
- /dev/vg0/lv0 is the logical volume that contains your data.

Step 7: Mount the Logical Volume

Now that the logical volume is active, we can mount it to access the files.

1. Check the File System Type

Verify the file system on the logical volume:
```
sudo file -s /dev/vg0/lv0
```

Expected Output (you may see one of these):

/dev/vg0/lv0: Linux rev 1.0 btrfs filesystem data

/dev/vg0/lv0: symbolic link to ../dm-0

Explanation:
- If you see btrfs filesystem data, the volume uses the btrfs filesystem.
- If you see symbolic link to ../dm-0, this means the logical volume is using device mapper. In this case, check the actual device:
```
sudo file -s /dev/dm-0
```
- The filesystem could be ext4 or BTRFS, both commonly used in NAS systems.

2. Create a Mount Point

Create a directory to serve as the mount point:
```
mkdir ~/raid-mount
```
Explanation:
- This directory will be used to access the contents of the logical volume.

3. Mount the Logical Volume

Mount the logical volume to the mount point:

# If file -s showed a direct filesystem:
sudo mount /dev/vg0/lv0 ~/raid-mount

# If file -s showed a symbolic link to dm-0:
sudo mount /dev/dm-0 ~/raid-mount

Use the appropriate device path based on your file -s output from step 1.

If mounting fails, you may need to specify the filesystem type with -t:

sudo mount -t btrfs /dev/dm-0 ~/raid-mount  # for BTRFS
# or
sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/dm-0 ~/raid-mount   # for ext4

Verify the mount:
- Run df -h to see if the volume is mounted.

4. Verify the Files

List the contents of the mounted volume:
```
ls ~/raid-mount
```

Expected Output:

@appdata  @backup  @docker  @ftp  @home  public

Explanation:
- The public directory typically contains user data and shared files.

Step 8: Recover Your Data

With the logical volume mounted, you can now copy your data to your Windows file system.

1. Accessing Windows File System from WSL

Understand the mount points:
- In WSL, your Windows drives are accessible under /mnt, e.g., C: drive is /mnt/c.

2. Create a Destination Directory in Windows

Create a directory for recovered files:
```
mkdir /mnt/c/RecoveredFiles
```
Explanation:
- This directory will store the copied files on your Windows C: drive.

3. Copy Your Data

Copy the data from the TNAS drive to Windows:
```
sudo cp -r ~/raid-mount/public/* /mnt/c/RecoveredFiles
```
- Explanation:
  - sudo is used to ensure you have the necessary permissions.
  - The -r flag copies directories recursively.
Monitor the Copy Process:
- Be patient; copying large amounts of data can take time.
- Check for errors during the copy process.

4. Verify the Copied Data

Navigate to the directory in Windows Explorer:
- Open C:\RecoveredFiles to confirm your data has been copied.

Step 9: Unmount and Clean Up

After successfully recovering your data, it’s important to unmount the volumes and clean up.

1. Unmount the Logical Volume

Run:
```
sudo umount ~/raid-mount
```
Explanation:
- This safely unmounts the logical volume from the mount point.

2. Deactivate the Volume Group

Run:
```
sudo vgchange -an vg0
```
Explanation:
- This deactivates the volume group, closing access to the logical volumes.

3. Stop the RAID Array

Run:
```
sudo mdadm --stop /dev/md0
```
Explanation:
- This stops the RAID array we assembled earlier.

4. Remove the Mount Point

Optional: Remove the directory used for mounting:
```
rmdir ~/raid-mount
```
Explanation:
- This cleans up the directory structure in your home directory.

5. Unmount the Disk from WSL

In PowerShell, unmount the physical disk:
```
wsl --unmount \\.\PhysicalDrive2
```
- Replace \\.\PhysicalDrive2 with your disk’s DeviceID.
Explanation:
- This detaches the physical disk from WSL, making it safe to remove.

Disclaimer: This guide is provided for informational purposes only. Proceed at your own risk.