RAID Calculator

An accurate RAID calculator that not only gives you the total capacity of storage, but also gives a nice description on each RAID selection.

Redundant Array of Independent Disks Calculator

RAID 0 diagram
RAID 1 diagram
RAID 5 diagram
RAID 6 diagram
RAID 10 diagram
RAID 50 diagram
RAID 60 diagram

Select Your Raid Configuration

RAID 60 diagram Selected RAID RAID 60 diagram Available RAID options RAID 60 diagram Unavailable RAID options
Recomendation Arrow Small Represents Aspen Systems Recommended RAID.

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Preference on RAID:

RAID Volume RAID Capacity RAID Redundancy RAID Redundancy RAID Hot Spare Hot Spare Space(not used till drive failure)

1.862TB / 0.000TB / 1.862TB

(RAID / Hot Spare / Total Capacity)

RAID 0 (STRIPE):

RAID 0 splits data across drives on write and read, resulting in higher data throughput and a single large logical disk. The performance of this configuration is extremely high, but a loss of any drive in the array will result in data loss across the whole array of disks. This level is commonly referred to as striping.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 2

Performance: Very High

Redundancy: None

Efficiency: High

ADVANTAGES:

  • High performance on write and read
  • Easy to implement
  • Highly efficient (no parity overhead)
  • Full use of disk space

DISADVANTAGES:

  • No redundancy
  • Limited use cases due to no redundancy of data

RAID 0 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 0 in situations where data is not mission critical and you are able to re-copy the data from the source. Examples include:

  • Video/audio post-production
  • Data logging
  • Multimedia imaging
  • Data/video streaming

RAID 1 (MIRROR):

RAID 1 writes all data across the drives bringing about 100% redundancy of your stored data. This is commonly referred to as mirroring data as both discs have an exact copy of the information on them. Though this allows for full redundancy this solution is only slight better performing than a single disk and also doesn't scale well as the more disks you add to the array you only are able to have to total storage space of one disk. This configuration is only recommended if you are using 2 disks in your array.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 2

Performance: Average

Redundancy: High

Efficiency: Low

ADVANTAGES:

  • Extremely fault tolerant
  • Easy to recover data in case of drive failure
  • Easy to implement

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Highly inefficient (100% parity overhead)
  • Not scalable

RAID 1 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 1 when you need data that is 100% recoverable and large capacity of storage is not needed. Some examples are:

  • Accounting systems
  • Video editing
  • Gaming
  • Small business servers

RAID 5 (DRIVES WITH PARITY):

RAID 5 stripes data on a block level across drives and utilizes a parity bit on each level to obtain redundancy in data. You need at least 3 drives for a RAID 5 storage system. With this setup up you gain speed benefits over RAID 1 but overall speed is slightly less than RAID 0 mainly from a hit on random write performance. This type of RAID is fault tolerant on losing up to 1 drive, if 2 drives are lost you will lose data across the storage array.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 3

Performance: Average

Redundancy: High

Efficiency: High

ADVANTAGES:

  • Fault tolerant
  • Good value
  • High efficiency

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Single drives capacity is lost due to parity blocks
  • If 2 drives fail all data is lost
  • Complex controller design

RAID 5 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 5 for systems that are cost effective and want good performance on data throughput. Some examples are:

  • File servers
  • Streaming data
  • Backup servers
  • General storage servers

RAID 6 (DRIVES WITH DOUBLE PARITY):

RAID 6 is striped at the block level just like RAID 5 but it allows for double parity for redundancy within your storage. This will lead to lower write times (read remains the same), but allows for drive failure of two disks as opposed to 1 drive before data is lost.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 4

Performance: Average

Redundancy: High

Efficiency: High

ADVANTAGES:

  • Increased redundancy with ability to handle 2 drive failures
  • High efficiency
  • Good all around performance

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Write penalty over RAID 5
  • More expensive than RAID 5
  • Disk failure has a medium impact on throughput
  • Complex controller design

RAID 6 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 6 for systems similar to ones your would RAID 5 for but would like a little extra protection against drive failure. Examples include:

  • File servers
  • Backup servers
  • General storage servers

RAID 10 (MIRROR + STRIPE):

RAID 10 is a striped (RAID 0) array whose segments are mirrored (RAID 1). RAID 10 is a popular configuration for environments where high performance and security are required. This configuration will only have 50% of the total capacity of drives and needs to be an even number of drives of four or more.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 4

Performance: Very High

Redundancy: Very High

Efficiency: Low

ADVANTAGES:

  • Extremely high fault tolerance (under certain circumstances, RAID 10 array can sustain multiple simultaneous drive failures)
  • Very high performance

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Very Expensive
  • High Overhead
  • Not a good option for streaming environments

RAID 10 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 10 for environments that have many small random data write and require extremely high fault tolerance. Examples include:

  • Database servers

RAID 50 (PARITY + STRIPE):

RAID 50 combines RAID 5 parity and stripes it as in a RAID 0 configuration. Although high in cost and complexity, performance and fault tolerance are superior to RAID 5. This type of RAID is not recommended unless you have 16 or more drives in your system.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 6

Performance: High

Redundancy: High

Efficiency: Average

ADVANTAGES:

  • Higher fault tolerance than RAID 5
  • Good all around performance especially for streaming data
  • Very high capacity capabilities

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Expensive as lots of drives are needed
  • One drive of capacity is lost per set due to parity
  • Limited scalability

RAID 50 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 50 for systems with many drives in the array and you want a larger storage capacity to RAID 10.

  • Very large capacity servers

RAID 60 (DOUBLE PARITY + STRIPE)

RAID 60 combines RAID 6 double parity and stripes it as in a RAID 0 configuration. Although high in cost and complexity, performance and fault tolerance are superior to RAID 6. Comparatively to RAID 50 your system will get double parity as opposed to single parity in each set of disks. We only recommend using RAID 60 with 16 or more drives in the system.

STATS:

Minimum number of drives required: 8

Performance: High

Redundancy: High

Efficiency: Average

ADVANTAGES:

  • Higher fault tolerance with ability to handle 2 drives failures in each set
  • Higher performance than RAID 6
  • Higher efficiency than RAID 6

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Expensive requiring many drives
  • Loss in drive space due to double parity in each disk set
  • Complex implementation

RAID 60 Recommended Uses:

We suggest you use RAID 60 for systems with large amounts of drives and you need more redundancy than RAID 50 especially when the data will not be backed up. Some examples are:

  • Very large capacity servers
  • Video surveillance servers
RAID Volume RAID Capacity RAID Redundancy RAID Redundancy RAID Hot Spare Hot Spare Space(not used till drive failure)

1.862TB / 0.000TB / 1.862TB

(RAID / Hot Spare / Total Capacity)

Why Raid?

WHY YOU SHOULD RAID YOUR STORAGE

Securing your data against disaster has been an obstacle to overcome since the beginning of computing. One way to protect your data from drive failure and achieve higher read and write is to RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) your storage. This gives you the ability to utilize multiple drives working together to store data as opposed to using one disk at a time. While RAID can be beneficial for fault tolerance within your storage ecosystem other measures such as a remote storage back up are recommended as a storage system with RAID can only protect against a few disks failing at the same time. We at Aspen Systems know how to prevent data loss due to failure and would love to design a disaster prevention solution molded to your particular needs.

Contact Aspen

Software/Hardware Raid

HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE RAID?

Determining which type of RAID to use in your storage environment is critical. Choosing between software and hardware RAID can have some significant benefits to your storage environment. For instance, hardware RAID takes the load of the decision-making off of your system and handles all of the decision-making on the card. This can lead to higher throughput with your data and also make for an easier RAID setup since most of the setup now is done through a user interface built into the software on the card. Software also has its benefits as it is a very versatile way to deal with RAID. With software RAID you have complete control over how the array behaves though due to the fact that there isn’t dedicated hardware to assist with the processing of the data it is a slower solution in contrast. We have dealt with many storage systems in our time working in HPC, our staff can help you with the design of your storage system to get you exactly what you need in it.

Contact Aspen