here is my problem: I have a 5disk (Seagate 2To) RAID5 working with a NAS LaCie 5big. Each disk is still working but the NAS device has failed and it refuses to boot with HDD inside (LaCie helpdesk don't want to help me). And I badly need to recover my data from my RAID. I don't how to do. I've connected my disk to my PC, each of them is recognized but then ... I'm lost. I know the order of the drives in the RAID, but that's all, I 'don't know the format, of the way the RAID was managed by LaCie and can't find information about that in Help/manual provided by LaCie.

*LaCie device failure

*5 out of 5 drives working

*format unkown

LSBLK

sdb 8:16 0 1,8T 0 disk

• ├─sdb1 8:17 0 1M 0 part
• ├─sdb2 8:18 0 1,8T 0 part
• ├─sdb3 8:19 0 934K 0 part
• ├─sdb4 8:20 0 1M 0 part
• ├─sdb5 8:21 0 250M 0 part [SWAP]
• ├─sdb6 8:22 0 7,9M 0 part
• ├─sdb7 8:23 0 15,7M 0 part
• ├─sdb8 8:24 0 823,7M 0 part
• ├─sdb9 8:25 0 855M 0 part
• └─sdb10 8:26 0 7,9M 0 part

FDISK

Disk /dev/sdb: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 243201 cylinders, total 3907029168 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disk identifier: 0x00000000

• Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
• /dev/sdb1 1 3907029167 1953514583+ ee GPT

PARTED

Model: ATA ST2000DL003-9VT1 (scsi) Disk /dev/sdb: 2000GB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B Partition Table: gpt

• Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
• 5 0,00GB 0,26GB 0,26GB linux-swap(v1) primary
• 6 0,27GB 0,28GB 0,01GB primary
• 7 0,28GB 0,30GB 0,02GB ext3 primary
• 8 0,30GB 1,16GB 0,86GB ext3 primary
• 9 1,16GB 2,06GB 0,90GB ext3 primary
• 10 2,06GB 2,07GB 0,01GB primary
• 1 2,07GB 2,07GB 0,00GB primary
• 3 2,07GB 2,07GB 0,00GB primary
• 4 2,07GB 2,07GB 0,00GB primary
• 2 2,07GB 2000GB 1998GB primary

MDADM Produces (2 out of 5 drives plugged)

mdadm --scan --examine >> /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf

• definitions of existing MD arrays

• ARRAY /dev/md/4 metadata=1.0 UUID=02ddd768:323b4b87:e56926a1:e03b01f2 name=LaCie-5big:4
• ARRAY /dev/md3 UUID=88db5732:95381109:3d186b3c:53958f34
• ARRAY /dev/md0 UUID=e77c7ed4:72479a3e:3d186b3c:53958f34
• ARRAY /dev/md1 UUID=9d2ffd1b:c2b6746f:3d186b3c:53958f34
• ARRAY /dev/md2 UUID=6c40830c:b9cf3361:3d186b3c:53958f34 Guess it's Fake Raid?

Okay according to those threads :

1. Tom's Hardware forum - recover mirrored raid device failure

2. Mike Taulty's blog - recover Lacie 2Big

   • I need xfsprogs, cause Lacie main partition are XFS formated.
   • Need to mount those partitions of each 5 drives from the RAID5
   • Using mdadm assemble the raid back

I guess few step are missing I'll keep on looking for a workaround and edit this answer