When a SAN loses a storage pool, drops a LUN, or has both controllers fail, it can take an entire virtual estate or database platform offline at once. The data is nearly always still there across the disks, recoverable by rebuilding the pool and its LUNs properly, away from the failed array. We recover Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, IBM and every other SAN for organisations across Belfast and Northern Ireland, in-house.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/san → Array: Dell EMC Unity · 24 × 1.8 TB · RAID 5 → Status: POOL OFFLINE — 2 disks failed in pool → Client: confidential · Belfast $ bdr engineer-working → Member disks: all 24 imaged read-only → Storage pool: rebuilt off the array → LUNs: remapped · volumes back $ bdr verify → ✓ datastores — 31 TB → ✓ VMs — restored → ✓ SAN recovered — data back
On a failed SAN, forcing a rebuild, an expansion, or a pool re-import can overwrite the very metadata we need to reconstruct your LUNs. A rebuild onto a failing disk, or a controller re-initialising a pool, is where enterprise arrays lose data for good. Record the disk and shelf order, stop making changes on the array, and let us image the disks first.
SAN failures happen at the pool, the LUN and the controller, and cascade into the hosts above them. These are the situations we recover most.
We recover every enterprise SAN platform, across Fibre Channel and iSCSI, on every RAID and pool design they use.
Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, IBM, Hitachi, Pure Storage, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Infortrend and Promise — across Fibre Channel and iSCSI, RAID 5, 6 and 10, thin-provisioned and deduplicated pools, dual-controller arrays and VMFS datastores — from single shelves to multi-shelf systems.
SAN recovery is enterprise RAID reconstruction at scale. We read every disk on its own, rebuild the pool and its RAID groups virtually from read-only images, and re-present the LUNs and datastores — so a failed rebuild or dead controller never gets the chance to overwrite anything.
We check each disk, identify the pool layout, RAID groups, LUNs and any datastores, and establish what failed and in what order — then send a written quote.
Any failing disk is repaired or imaged first — heads, board or firmware — so no disk is put under strain during the recovery.
Every disk is imaged read-only, and all work is done on the copies, so your original disks and the array are never altered.
We reconstruct the RAID groups, pool layout and thin-provisioning map from the images and reassemble the pool and its LUNs virtually.
From the rebuilt pool we extract the LUNs, VMFS datastores, virtual machines, databases and files — and repair those where they're damaged.
Recovered data is checked to confirm it opens and is intact, and we can show you what's come back before anything is returned.
Your data comes back on storage sized to the recovery, or via secure transfer — whichever suits your environment.
From an offline storage pool to a deleted LUN, dual controller failure or a corrupt VMFS datastore, we recover SAN arrays of every make — rebuilding the pool from read-only images and re-presenting your LUNs and virtual machines.
Give us a few details about what went wrong and an engineer will come back to you, usually inside one working day.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
A free assessment first, then a fixed written quote before any work begins. SAN recovery starts at £1,250 + VAT and is quoted per array by the number of disks, the RAID and pool layout, and the work involved — with no fix, no fee on most jobs, and where disks need physical repair, a 50% deposit covers parts and bench time, the balance only on success.
A representative selection of SAN arrays we've recovered across different platforms and faults — configurations and outcomes shown, customer details kept private.
Multiple disks in one RAID group had failed. We imaged the pool's disks, rebuilt the groups virtually, and recovered the LUNs and their VMs.
Both controllers had failed and the LUNs went dark. We read the disks directly, reconstructed the pool, and recovered the presented volumes.
A production LUN had been removed but the aggregate was intact. We rebuilt the layout and recovered the deleted LUN's data almost entirely.
A power event had left the datastore damaged. We rebuilt the pool from images, repaired the VMFS, and recovered the virtual machines on it.
A rebuild had stalled and damaged the pool layout. We imaged the disks and reconstructed the RAID 10 pool, recovering the volumes.
Disks had dropped mid-write and the pool wouldn't mount. We rebuilt it from read-only images and recovered the LUN and its data.
Post or drop in your device for a free diagnostic, with a note on what happened — an engineer reviews it and confirms your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
First step: get the device onto our Belfast bench. Wrap it well, tuck your contact details in the box, and post it over — the diagnostic costs nothing, and you’ll have a firm written price to approve before we touch a single sector.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is best. Dropping it off instead? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still pack the device as above.
Not ready to send anything yet? Use the form to describe the fault in your own words and one of the engineers will come back with a quote tailored to your situation.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
The questions we're asked most about SAN recovery.
Usually, yes. A pool goes offline when a RAID group loses too many disks, but the data is still spread across them. We image every disk, reconstruct the RAID groups and pool layout, and re-present the LUNs — provided no forced rebuild or re-import has overwritten the metadata first.
No — the controllers present the storage, but the data lives on the disks. We read the disks directly and rebuild the pool in software, independent of the failed controllers, so you don't need identical replacement hardware to recover your LUNs.
Often, yes. A deleted or unmapped LUN usually survives on the pool until its space is overwritten. We rebuild the pool and locate the LUN's data within it — the sooner the array is left alone after the deletion, the more we recover.
Yes. After rebuilding the pool and LUNs, we recover the VMFS datastores and the virtual machines on them, and can repair a damaged datastore, a VM's virtual disk, or the file system and databases inside a VM.
SAN recovery starts at £1,250 + VAT and is quoted per array after the free assessment, based on the number of disks, the RAID and pool layout, and the work involved. There's no fix, no fee on most jobs; where disks need physical repair, a deposit covers parts and bench time, with the balance only on success.
On most jobs, yes — no recovery, no fee. Where individual disks need physical repair, a deposit covers those parts and the bench time; the balance is still only charged on success. We set out exactly what applies in writing before any work begins.
All the major ones — Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, IBM, Hitachi, Pure Storage, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Infortrend and Promise — across Fibre Channel and iSCSI, on every RAID and pool design, single-shelf or multi-shelf.
Usually just the disks — they hold the data. Send all the disks from the pool, and any expansion shelves' disks, numbered by shelf and slot. If the recovery turns out to need specific controller information, we'll tell you what else we require.
Yes — it's a common enterprise job. A rebuild or expansion that stalled or corrupted the pool rarely destroys everything. We image the disks in their current state and reconstruct the pool from the copies, working around the damage the operation caused.
SAN recoveries typically take around 8 to 15 working days, given the disk counts and the complexity of the pool and LUNs. The assessment is usually finished within a couple of days, and we can prioritise business-critical arrays — just tell us the impact.
Deliver the disks to our Belfast office Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, or send them fully insured — for large arrays we can arrange the best method with you. Number the disks by shelf and slot, pack them securely, and include your contact details so we can book them in and quote after the free assessment.
A free assessment, fixed written pricing from £1,250 + VAT per array, and no fix no fee on most jobs — every enterprise SAN platform recovered in-house, right here in Belfast. Don't rebuild or re-import — take the array offline and send the disks in.