How do I verify and reconcile data after choosing 'Preserve data on both nodes' in a split-brain scenario?
Last modified date:
2025-07-18
Applicable Products
- QuTS hero h5.3.0 or later
- High Availability Manager 1.0 or later
Scenario
When a split-brain error occurs in a QNAP High Availability (HA) cluster and you choose the “Preserve data on both nodes” recovery option, the system keeps each NAS device’s data separately. Data is not synchronized or merged automatically. You want to manually check and resolve any differences between the files on both devices.
Procedure
Method 1: Manually compare files using QNAP File Station
- Log in to both NAS devices.
- Open File Station and browse the folders you want to compare.
- In separate browser windows or tabs, compare file names, modification dates, and file sizes for the relevant folders.
Method 2: Use third-party folder comparison tools
- Mount shared folders from both NAS devices to your computer:
- Go to Control Panel > Network & File Services and ensure that file services (such as SMB, AFP, or NFS) are enabled.
- Mount the shared folders from both NAS devices to your computer using the file sharing protocol of your choice.
- Use a folder comparison tool you are familiar with (for example, FreeFileSync, Beyond Compare, or WinMerge) to scan and compare the contents of both shared folders.
- Based on the comparison results, manually decide which files to keep, merge, or remove. Note
Automatic synchronization is not recommended because it may accidentally overwrite important data.
