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Google Directory - Computers Hardware Storage Subsystems RAID

Hardware RAID Technology -
Redundant Array of Independent Disks:

RAID can be achieved in one of 2 ways, either through hardware or software. Hardware being the better solution. Why would anyone want to use RAID? Since RAID is a disk subsystem that increases performance and/or provides fault tolerance Disk Systems, anyone seeking either would benefit. Especially Digital Video or Digital Audio Editors requiring Workstations with capacity & speed of performance for Streaming large amounts of Digital Data.

Developed initially for servers and stand-alone disk storage systems, RAID is increasingly becoming available in Desktop PCs as mentioned above. RAID was previously known as Redundant Arrays of "Inexpensive" Disks. RAID can consist of either ATA/ATAPI or SCSI HD's. RAID installations are typically either RAID 0, 1 or RAID 5. Read your Specs and know your needs before getting involved with RAID. Yes, RAID is getting easier and less expensive. And now with WDC 250 GB HD's, are you sure you still need RAID? An absolute maybe!?!

Adaptec sees RAID as a Business Protection Requirement. Intel has further enhanced RAID with Intel Matrix Storage Technology using the ICH6R Controller Hub which combines the benefits of RAID 0 performance and RAID 1 protection on two Hard Disk Drives through the Four Port SATA RAID Controller. Intel also allows O/S Migration for a future RAID Upgrade if implemented @ time of System Build using a hidden partition on the Boot Drive Partition. Faster Boot Times can also be achieved using RAID.

Since RAID resides in two varieties, we're further Specifying those details below. The nomenclature:

1. Hardware RAID = Bios Configured RAID Controller. Could be SCSI, Parallel ATA or Serial ATA.
2. Software RAID = Software (O/S or Software Application) Control.

Below, we have included the definitions of RAID Technologies.

RAID LEVEL 0
Level 0 is disk striping only, which interleaves data across multiple disks for better performance. It does not provide safeguards against failure.

RAID LEVEL 1
Uses disk mirroring, which provides 100% duplication of data. Offers highest reliability, but doubles storage cost.

RAID LEVEL 2
Bits (rather than bytes or groups of bytes) are interleaved across multiple disks. The Connection Machine used this technique, but this is a rare method.

RAID LEVEL 3
Data is striped across three or more drives. Used to achieve the highest data transfer, because all drives operate in parallel. Parity bits are stored on separate, dedicated drives.

RAID LEVEL 4
Similar to Level 3, but manages disks independently rather than in unison. Not often used.

RAID LEVEL 5
Most widely-used. Data is striped across three or more drives for performance, and parity bits are used for fault tolerance. The parity bits from two drives are stored on a third drive.

RAID LEVEL 6
Highest reliability, but not widely used. Similar to RAID 5, but does two different parity computations or the same computation on overlapping subsets of the data.

RAID LEVEL 10
Actually RAID 1,0. A combination of RAID 1 and 0 (mirroring and striping).

JBOD - Non-RAID
(Just a Bunch Of Disks) A group of hard disks in a computer that are not set up as any type of RAID configuration. No Redundancy. They are just a bunch of disks which might be addressed as one larger HD (spanning) or individually (as an additional ATA Controller) - Note: Depends upon the Vendors use of this definition. Verify before you buy!

SPAN – Concatenated Stripe
Concatenation - A linking of disparate HDs to be seen as 1. [See www.promise.com - Desktop Controllers, FastTrak TX Controller card.]

1. technet.microsoft.com - Planning Disk Configuration
   "To determine disk configuration, consider importance relative of capacity, cost, reliability, and performance in your environment."

2. JBOD RAID Explained - RAID Recovery Online

3. RAID-ATA133
   

RAID Levels Quoted from www.computerlanguage.com - Buy the Dictionary & tell them you heard about it @ BuildOrBuy and from www.Microsoft.com!

Understanding RAID - Both Hardware & Software:

1. ZDNet - Why RAID 5 stops working in 2009 July 18, 2007

   1. ZDNet - Why RAID 6 stops working in 2019 February 22, 2010

2. 100110 - Overview of Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID): WinNT

3. Understanding and Implementing RAID: WinNT Software RAID (February 2000).

4. Strategies for Implementing a RAID: Win2000 Server RAID Disk Arrays

5. Using RAID and Preparing RAID Disks: Win2000 Server, Using RAID

6. How to Establish a Striped Volume (RAID 0) in Windows 2000

Mirrored Volumes (Software RAID):

"A mirrored volume is a fault-tolerant volume duplicating your data on two physical hard disks. A mirrored volume provides data redundancy by using a copy (mirror) of the volume to duplicate the information contained in the volume. The mirror is located on a different disk. If one of the physical disks fails, the data on the failed disk becomes unavailable, but the system continues to operate using the unaffected disk. A mirrored volume is slower than a RAID-5 volume in read operations but faster in write operations." Quoting Win2000 Microsoft Help!

1. Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Documentation: Using mirrored volumes. "Mirrored volumes have better overall read and write performance than RAID-5 volumes." Quoting Microsoft!

2. Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Documentation: Mirrored volumes

   1. Create a mirrored volume

3. www.ntfaq.com - How do I create a mirror set (RAID 1) in Windows 2000: RAID partitions - In hardware, no. In software, yes using Disk Management.

   1. Note: You can mirror volumes only on computers running Windows 2000 Server.

   2. You need at least two dynamic disks to create a mirrored volume.

   3. Mirrored volumes cannot be extended or striped.
   4. The same drive letter is used for both copies (mirrors) of a mirrored volume.

RAID News Info:

1. www.ExtremeTech.com - Setting up Intel's Matrix RAID for the ICH6R: (12/3/2004).
   1. Intel Matrix Storage Technology:
   2. Intel Matrix Storage Technology - What is Matrix RAID: (Two Volumes Per Array) Combining bebefits of RAID 0 Performance + RAID 1 Protection on two Hard Drives.
   3. Intel Matrix Storage Technology - Top Technical Issues:
2. Found this one through www.ExtremeTech.com User Forums - In case you ever wondered IF such were possible... Only on a MAC! USB Floppy Disk Drive RAID (11/11/2003).
3. storage.ziffdavis.com - RAID Technology Turns 15: Happy Birthday RAID! (6/12/2003)
4. WestWorld Productions -- CTN: An Affordable RAID Solution - "Disc Makers, a leading innovator of CD and DVD duplications systems, has launched Raven, its new line of RAID storage system products" (5/23/2003).
   1. www.discmakers.com - Raven RAID: Featuring PnP Technology. Parallel ATA attaches to PC via SCSI Interface and are Hot Swappable.
5. Serial ATA: www.extremetech.com - RAID Goes Mainstream, But Is It Safe: Serial ATA RAID (4/24/2003).
6. InoStor - Innovation In Storage: InoStor announces RAIDⁿ, a revolutionary means of protecting 24/7/365 storage. "Some thought it couldn't be done, but the next evolution of RAID is here. With RAIDⁿ the user just needs to decide how much capacity they want and how much security through disk redundancy they need. RAIDⁿ does the rest with it's unique structure of mathematical algorithms," said Ken Cruden, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing. InoStor's RAIDⁿ is a software library with a set of patent-pending algorithms that implement a revolutionary parity scheme across an array of disk drives (3/18/2003).
7. WestWorld Productions -- CTN: Cost-Optimizing Raid System - Comparing the availability, performance and cost of 36GB-drive striped parity (RAID-5) to 146GB-drive mirrored arrays (3/12/2003).
8. www.extremetech.com - Via Adds Serial RAID Controller: "Via Technologies Inc. has announced their own Serial ATA RAID controller..." (3/7/2003).
9. WestWorld Productions -- CTN: Cost-Optimizing Raid Systems -- Comparing the availability, performance and cost of 36GB-drive striped parity (RAID-5) to 146GB-drive mirrored arrays. See: Raid Level Comparison (3/5/2003).
10. JMR introduces the Fortra IDE RAID storage systems: "These IDE systems are available in Ultra 160 SCSI or 2GB Fibre Channel host configurations. Each system has twelve IDE drive bays, single channel bridge RAID controller, dual power supplies, dual blowers and software to manage and monitor the arrays. Fortra IDE RAID systems can be easily daisy-chained to provide additional storage."  (2/21/2003).
    1. Fortra 12-Bay SCSI-to-IDE Raid, with 1.4TB storage, starting at $6,800.00.
    2. Fortra 12-Bay Fibre-to-IDE Raid, with 1.4TB storage, starting at $7,335.00.
11. giga-byte.com: RAID-->ATA133 IDE controller (2/12/2003).
12. ATA RAID News: WestWorld Productions, Inc. - IDE / ATA RAID Commodity Drives Share RAID's Plate With SCSI (10/23/2002).
13. www.digitalproducer.com:  RaidMasters.com Debuts New Line of Cross Platform Hardware RAID Solutions (10/12/2002).
14. Promise.com:  ATA RAID - Overview (8/10/2002).
15. harddiskinfo.com:  News Details: Review of Promise FastTrack TX2000 (8/2/2002).
16. RAB: RAID Advisory Board - RAID Standards (Site appears to be down?)
17. viaarena.com:  Accelerate with RAID
18. microsoft.com:  Windows 2000 Advanced Documentation: Using RAID
19. ExtremeTech.com:  Accelerate I-O with Personal RAID (7/12/2002).
20. RAID controller cards on STORAGE search .com