RAID 0 Characteristics
How does reliability of a RAID 0 depend on the number of disks?
Reliability of a RAID 0 decreases with the number of member disks.
It is known that the probability of a disk failure within a year is about five percent.
Assuming that disks fail independently, for an array of three member disks the probability of failure is fourteen percent;
for an array of five disks - twenty three percent.
In general case, the probability that an array consisting of N member disks fails
due to a disk failure can be calculated as (1-0.95N).
For more details about an estimation of RAID reliability visit free RAID failure calculator.
Does a RAID 0 provide performance increase?
Yes, a RAID 0 is the most efficient array in terms of read and write speed among the arrays with the same number of disks.
For an array of N disks, RAID0 provides N times read and write speed increase as compared to a single disk.
What RAID 0 should I use - software or hardware and why?
There is no definite answer because it depends on the specific requirements to the array.
When selecting RAID 0 type, consider the following:
Software RAID0:
- cheap - can be created either by Linux or Windows home edition,
- it is not possible to create a bootable software RAID0.
Hardware RAID0:
- more expensive,
- allows to create a bootable array.
To lern more about differences between software and hardware RAID 0 you should visit this site.
What is the best block size for a RAID0?
If you plan to work with the small files, choose one size smaller than the default setting.
For the large files (e.g. video) - one size greater.
If you are not sure about typical file size you are going to work with, then choose the default value.
What is better to use for a hardware RAID0 - controller with backup battery or without?
Generally, it doesn't make much sense to use backup battery in RAID0.
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