To answer these questions, it is important to understand some basic concepts about RAID and also decide on what you are trying to accomplish with your system.
What is RAID?
RAID means "Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks" and was introduced in an article whose primary author was David A. Patterson. The term RAID has been morphed over the years also known as "Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (or Drives)." Please keep in mind that you should only setup RAID on empty hard drives because the setup process requires all drives used in the array to be formatted, which will cause any existing data to be lost.
There are many types of RAID. In this article, the discussion focuses only on 2 RAID configurations: RAID 0 and RAID 1. These two RAID configurations provide the foundation for all other configurations.
RAID 0
RAID 1
Description
Data Striping
Data Mirroring
Drives
2 or more
2 identical drives
Storage Capacity
Sum of all drive capacity
1 drive capacity
Data redundancy (backup)
None
Available
Data transfer write rate
Increased
Not improved
Data transfer read rate
Not Improved
Increased
Major advantage
Allows operating system to see 1 large capacity drive
Provides ongoing protection in case of hard drive failure
Major disadvantage
If one drive fails, data on all drives in RAID array is lost
Cost of hard drive storage is doubled w/o increase is space
What is RAID 0?
The RAID 0 configuration is known as Data Striping. In laymen's terms, it means that two identical Hard Disk Drives act in parallel. More simply put, two disks perform the same work as a single disk at double the transfer rate. When utilizing the RAID 0 configuration, you will increase your capacity and your speed. The disadvantage is that you also increase your risk of failure. Anytime that one disk fails in a RAID 0 configuration, all of the disks fail. The reason for this increased failure rate is that the data is fragmented across all of the disks. Rather than just segmenting the data streams independently on each disk, the data is fragmented across all of the disks in the sequence. Therefore the advantage of RAID 0 is in higher transfer capacity and speed. The disadvantage is potential for failure and lack of redundancy. If your computer is backed up on an external drive or if the data stored can be easily retrieved from another source, RAID 0 will provide a significant increase in transfer rate with each added hard disk. The other advantage to RAID 0 is that you create a single drive from your operating systems perspective even though the hardware includes multiple drives. That means you get huge storage capacity under a single drive letter (e.g., two 100 GB drives in a RAID 0 configuration look like one 200 GB drive to MS Windows).
What is RAID 1?
The RAID 1 configuration is known as the Data Mirroring. Simply put, the same data will be stored on all of the disks in the configuration. RAID 1 provides redundancy against disk failure. There is an increased reading performance if using a multi-threaded operating system (such as newer versions of Microsoft Windows and Linux). In simple terms, multi-threaded means that the system has the capacity to look for information in multiple places at once rather then look in one place, then another, then, another, etc. Furthermore, with RAID 1, there is minimal loss in write capability. Lastly, this array (RAID 1) continues to operate as long as at least one drive is functioning properly. In summary, RAID 1 provides data back-up, slightly increased read capability on multi-threaded systems and minimal loss to write capacity. The disadvantage to RAID 1 is that you have to purchase two drives, but you only get the storage capacity of one drive (e.g., two 100 GB drives in a RAID 1 configuration look like one 100 GB drive to MS Windows).
Which Motherboards Support RAID?
Many motherboards support multiple RAID Configurations. For specifics in your motherboard, you'll have to consult your user manual or contact the manufacturer. Note that some motherboards do not support any RAID configurations. Other RAID configurations include: RAID 2, RAID 3, RAID 4, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 0+1, RAID 10 (1+0), RAID 0+5, RAID 50 (5 +0) and RAID 51 (5+1). These configurations build upon the RAID 0 and RAID 1 configuration explained above. These alternate configurations provide some combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1 across multiple disks. The order of the configuration and the format in which the data is "striped" or "paired" simply changes slightly with each configuration. However, the basic principles remain the same. The purpose of RAID configurations is to increase performance, provide redundancy or some combination of the two. See some examples of Motherboard's and their supported RAID configurations below:
BRAND
MODEL
SOCKET
SUPPORTED CHIPS
RAID
ABIT
AB9 Pro
LGA 775
Core 2 Duo, Pentium D, Pentium 4, Celeron D
SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 Matrix RAID
ABIT
AB9 QuadGT
LGA 775
Quad-core, Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Duo, Pentium
SATA RAID Intel Matrix Storage Tech(AHCI & RAID0/1/5/10)
Note that RAID is described as SATA RAID by current most manufacturers. This simply means that the type of connection for the RAID is through a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) connection.
The author, Rich McGinnis, can be reached at Easy as My PC where you can also find great PC Kits
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Rich McGinnis has worked with computer hardware for over 30 years. Recently, Richand a business partner launched Easy As My PC, Inc. (How to Build a Computer) to address what they saw as a void in the computer hardware market.
Rich and his business partner have spent a lot of time testing and assembling name brand computer components into kits. The kits can be used by anyone to build your own PC,memory upgrades, coprocessor chip upgrades, replacing a motherboard, upgrading a graphics card, or upgrading / adding a hard drive.
The DIY theme of building computer kits recently adapted into a new theme... raising chickens! I know it sounds random... but, given the harsh treatment of commercial chickens, the quality of home grown eggs, and DIY Chicken Coops really is something for all of us with a backyard should consider!
» left by jason from TX (1 year 226 days ago.)
Good overview. Hard to get answers like this from the motherboard manual. Respond to this comment
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on 2/29/2008 12:02:45 AM. View other articles written byRichard McGinnis(4,499)
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