Some of the people cannot understand exactly what RAID is and how this technological solution is used. This way, they are prevented from taking advantage of this technology on their servers. See the types of RAID in this article to decide which will best meet your needs. And, be aware that those who work with data storage and information security, at some point, must have come across this term.
Understanding how these mechanisms work is extremely important so that this security system can be used correctly and effectively. If you are one of those entrepreneurs or managers who have doubts about the concept of RAID and the logic behind its operation, we will explain it in this article.
Do you want to know what RAID is and what types exist? Continue reading and find out!
What is RAID?
In today’s corporate world, information is being stored digitally and most actions are carried out through computers. In this scenario, understanding what RAID is to know which technology is ideal for your company is vital for the smooth running of your business. If your organization does not adapt and take the right attitude towards this technological solution, the future of your enterprise may be compromised.
RAID (redundant array of independent disks) or redundant set of independent disks, is nothing more than a technology used mainly in servers, which consists of a set of two or more hard drives. ValueHost offers several RAID options, which are available when the customer purchases a dedicated server. Servers are completely customizable throughout the ordering process to add RAID options.
This combination of hard drives forms a logical unit and the same information that is archived on one of these HDs is also available on another HD. Translated into other words that are easier to understand, a RAID is when several HDs work as if they were one.
This tool is responsible for not letting a company stop because it eventually loses some data, considering that the information will be saved. The data can be accessed by professionals who need to use the files to do their work.
Creating a RAID structure will improve the performance of your computers or notebooks and help you extract great results from your company’s activities. After all, technology will improve the performance of your entire information system. Go ahead and understand even more about the subject!
What types of RAID exist?
There are two types of RAID, hardware and software. The first is connected directly to the motherboard of the notebook or computer. If this board is not ideal for this type of operation, it can be replaced by a control board.
The hardware serves as a data distributor that is capable of connecting data from hard drives with the motherboard. With this interconnection, it is possible to form a RAID structure.
In the case of software RAID, the cost can be much lower and the ease of installation is greater. To do this, you need to have an operating system prepared to use this type of technology. The precautions that must be taken are generally linked to the viruses that must be avoided.
RAIDS are also known as the popular HDs. There are some types of RAIDS and each of them has a different purpose. Some are used more for security and others for performance. There is no standard choice, and the selection will depend on the company’s needs. See the existing types below!
RAID 0
RAID 0 is also known as striping and it just distributes information between disks. A very practical example is that if there are two discs in a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), part of the data will be recorded on one disc and the other part on the other. If a disk has a problem, the information will be lost.
This RAID’s main objective is to improve the server’s performance, however, its reliability is almost zero. When choosing to use RAID 0, all disks are accessed as if they were one. Files are fragmented across multiple disks, allowing fragments to be read and written simultaneously.
Not to mention that using RAID 0, performance is at a level close to the speed of all disks. When using 4 HDs with a transfer rate of 50 MB/s (in sequential reads) in RAID 0, you would have a total transfer rate of almost 200 MB/s in many situations. Among the advantages of choosing RAID 0 are:
- excellent performance;
- low cost.
There are also disadvantages with its use and among them is the fact that RAID 0 has no mirroring and redundancy and is without parity. It is also not recommended to use on critical systems. If some sectors of the HD are faulty, the files may not be recovered.
RAID 1
This RAID uses mirroring to store your data on two or more drives. It does not offer a performance boost, but it protects against crashes. In practice, it will be as if you only had one hard drive installed, but if the main drive fails for any reason, you will have a backup copy stored on the second drive. Among the benefits of this technology are:
- good performance;
- excellent redundancy with mirrored blocks.
When using this RAID it is as if a copy of the disk was made. This is great because in case there is an error, the data will not be lost. But, like every good HD has some disadvantages, and RAID 1 is no different. Among the weaknesses are the time-consuming writing and the higher cost.
RAID 2
RAID 2 detects hard drive failures and checks for errors. All disks are monitored by this mechanism. It is worth remembering that with technological advances, many HDs now leave the factory with these mechanisms and for this reason, this option is no longer used as much by companies.
RAID 3
One of the disks in the array becomes responsible for storing parity information. Its biggest advantages are reliability in data protection, error control, and very fast reading and writing. The disadvantage is that it is assembled via software and is more complex.
RAID 4
In RAID 4, data is striped across disks. The great advantage is the possibility of reconstructing information. This is the most recommended option for large files. Furthermore, the read rate is very fast and the area of physical disks can be increased. However, on the other hand, recording is slower.
RAID 5
It is a mode widely used on servers with a large number of disks. It uses a rather ingenious method to create a layer of redundancy, sacrificing only a fraction of the total space, instead of simply using half of the disks to store complete copies, as in the case of RAID 1.
RAID 5 with a minimum of 3 disks, good performance, blocks with fragmented data, good redundancy, and distributed parity. It is interesting to consider the evolution of versions 2, 3, and 4, as there is greater agility in identifying errors.
It is worth mentioning that storage equipment that operates with RAID 5, in most cases, supports the hot swap function, which allows one of the disks to be exchanged without the device having to be turned off. This is another positive point.
RAID 6
In the case of RAID 6, even if two HDs stop working at the same time, the information will not be lost. This is an option considered safe and one of its positive points is that it is extremely reliable. The downside is that you need at least 3 HDs for the technology to be implemented.
RAID 10
In a RAID 10 or RAID 1+0 implementation, data is segmented across groups of mirrored disks, that is, data is first mirrored and then segmented. In this implementation, you will combine the concepts of RAID 0 and RAID 1 and will gain performance and redundancy at the same time. This type of implementation is most used for servers that need good performance and redundancy. Among its particularities are:
- minimum of 4 discs to function correctly;
- excellent redundancy and its blocks are mirrored;
- excellent performance, blocks with fragmented data.
- the best option for any type of critical application, especially databases.
The system using this technology can always be used with even numbers of disks and with more than four HDs. Half of the HDs save data and the other part makes backup copies of information. One of its disadvantages is that the drivers must be synchronized in speed. This way, the RAID 10 performance will be even better.
Anyway, now that you know what RAID is and what the types are! If there is a problem with your hard drive, count on the support of a team to carry out system maintenance. With qualified professionals, data that today are considered valuable assets for companies will be kept safe.
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