RAID 0- Capacity and performance (Macthing)

First and foremost, the way in which RAID improves performance and availability is extremely intuitive. By combining multiple disk drives into one unit, the data is divided into blocks by spreading across multiple drives, such that data is being stored simultaneously. With multiple disks being able to constantly access the file, this greatly improves read/write speeds which aid greatly in performance.

With a brief introduction of RAID, it is time we discuss about some ways RAID can be utilized to extract certain benefits from it. Although we covered performance enhancements, it only pertained to one of the Standard RAID Levels (in this case, RAID 0). While the benefits of RAID 0 are obvious, its disadvantages can be disastrous in the long run.  Because of the “striping” nature of the RAID server, should one drive fail, all data is concurrently lost as a result. This is to say, RAID 0 is not fault-tolerant and should be avoided when performing tasks that have high stakes.  Imagine that you are having a latte, which consist of milk and coffee, it will never be a latte without them matching up.

RAID 1 – Extra save data backup (Twins)

This RAID system requires minimum of 2 hard disk drive (HDD). Both hold the same amount of data just like a twin with a same outlook and gene. For example, if there is two 1TB HDD used, there is only 1 TB of data storage available. User data can still be accessing all data if one of the drive fails. This RAID system is extremely helpful in preventing data loss. But, the major disadvantage in doing so is its capacity essentially being halved as a result and lower performance level compared with RAID 0.

Jumping ahead, we are introduced to the most common RAID Level: RAID 5. For instance, one can retrieve lost data with any two parts of the data + parity (in the case of the example below). Although RAID 5 can be achieved in software, a hardware controller is recommended. Often the extra cache memory is used on these controllers to improve the write performance.

RAID 5, Cost effective

The clear advantage of this RAID level lies in a balance of performance and lower cost. Minimum of 3 drives requires for this RAID. In this RAID system, you could get extra storage space compared to RAID 1, it also provides fast read because data was stripped into these 3 drives. However, this seemingly flawless architecture has one limitation. Because of the complex nature of the idea (Data Striping), time is of the essence and should a drive malfunction, it takes more that days to recover the data. For example, there 1 TB HDD used in this RAID system, available storage is 2 TB with 1 TB of data protection. (The exact available capacity might be lower.) You may look at the image above, 2 persons trying to move the large object around. If there are 3 persons, there can move all boxes effectively. But what if 1 persons, he will not be able to move any of the large object.

RAID 6 – Extended version from RAID 5

Minimum of 4 HDD needed for this RAID structure. It has higher fault-tolerance level because it is still accessible even with 2 faulty HDD. For instance, five 1 TB HDD used, It can tolerate up to 2 HDD failure.

RAID 10- Performance and data backup

The last level, we would like to discuss today is RAID 10. As the number literally implies, In essence, we are mirroring and stripping concurrently (RAID 1 + RAID 0). Should something go wrong with one of the disks, the rebuild time is very fast since all that is needed is copying all the data from the surviving mirror to a new drive.  But like the flaw of RAID 1, storage is constrained and can be quite the expensive solution to retain redundancy.

While everything in RAID has trade-offs, WE ensure that YOU do not have any losses. At EHDR, all data are attended with all our hearts, ensuring your data the maximum chance of recovery in all. Call us today before your data is completely lost.

EHDR, We Leave No Data Behind.