Latest Video Tutorial to help you understand RAID Technology and how each type of array works.

RAID technology can sometimes seem hard to understand. Today we’ll use a few simple illustrations to help us understand better.

RAID Stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. An array is a systematic grouping of similar objects, in this case Hard Drives and Data.

There are many types of RAID, the first of which we’ll talk about is RAID 0, or Striping. Data is throw across multiple disks allowing for increased performance and storage. The drawback here is there is no redundancy and if one disk fails the data in the entire array fails with it.

RAID 1, on the other hand, also known as mirroring, can withstand data failures because all data is duplicated across each disk. While there is no storage or performance gain with RAID 1, it is a very common configuration due to the redundancy that it provides. A RAID 1 array can be repaired by simply inserting a new disk where one has failed.

The most common array type is RAID 5, which uses a Combination of both Mirroring and Striping to create both performance and redundancy. This is done using an extra bit of data known as parity. As data comes in, the controller writes one extra piece of data into the array. This extra data (known as the parity bit) can help the controller rebuild the array in the event of data failure. This self healing technology allows for increased redundancy while only giving up a small amount of total disk space. If one drive dies it can simply be replaced to have the entire array self heal or rebuild itself.

Don’t let other configurations with high numbers confuse you, as RAID 50, RAID 10, and RAID 51 are just quicker ways of saying RAID 5 and RAID 0 combined (and so forth).

In closing, don’t ever confuse RAID with data backup, or assume that it protects you from data loss from virus or other disasters. RAID in this case is also not an insecticide used to “Kill Bugs Dead” by SC Johnson Company.

I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you have questions please ask them on this blog or on social media.