RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

RAID combines multiple drives for improved performance, redundancy, or both through various configurations.

What is RAID?

RAID is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical drives into a logical unit for redundancy, performance improvement, or both.

RAID levels

RAID 0 (striping, no redundancy), RAID 1 (mirroring), RAID 5 (striping with parity), RAID 6 (double parity), RAID 10 (mirrored stripes).

Common misconceptions

"RAID is backup" — Protects against drive failure, not data loss
"RAID 5 is always best" — RAID 10 often preferred
"Software RAID is inferior" — Modern implementations are good