What is RAID?
RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is a method of using multiple hard disk drives to act as one. RAID is used to increase hard drive speed and storage capacity, prevent data loss in the event that one of the disks in the array physically fails, or both. As far as the operating system concerned, a RAID array will appear to be a single logical drive. RAID uses a method called striping in which the drives are broken down into small partitions. These partitions, called stripes, are distributed such that each successive stripe is on a different drive.
Important: There are many different implementations of RAID. Among the most common are RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 5.
RAID 0 uses striping to create a single large-capacity drive with high throughput. RAID 0 is much faster and more efficient than using two separate drives. However, a major disadvantage is that the stripes are not redundant; if one of the drives fails, all of the data will be lost. Therefore, RAID 0 should not be used as "data backup insurance." RAID 0 is all performance and no protection.
RAID 1 is redundant but not striped. The same data is stored on two (or more) different drives. RAID 1 is also called disk mirroring. The data is protected, but performance is much slower with RAID 1.
RAID 5 uses three or more drives (usually between three and five). RAID 5’s redundancy is based not on mirroring but on parity. Parity is a computational method in binary logic that generates a parity value from a set of data. If any one of those data elements is lost, it can be recreated using the remaining data and the parity value, no matter which element is lost. In RAID 5, this means that parity can completely reconstruct one of the drives in the array in the event of a failure.
Notes:
- For support for Samsung hard disk drives set in a RAID array, see the documentation for your PC’s motherboard or your host controller card.
- If you don’t know what motherboard or Serial ATA controller you are using, see the instruction or owners manual for your computer. You can also contact your computer manufacture for support. Not all manufactures are listed here, the tables below offer a list of the most common manufactures. If your manufacture is not listed here perform a Google search for their support site.