Is RAID in general an obsolete technology today?

Is RAID in general an obsolete technology today?

This is a technology that is so commonly used, so transparent, that we really don't even think about it. But in terms of productivity and revenue generation, RAID is still as applicable today as it has been in the past -- it's not going away. However, we don't have to talk about it the way we did 10-12 years ago as a new and emerging technology. We continue to see enhancements with RAID to make it even more transparent, change RAID group sizes and levels on the fly, and move data between RAID schemes. We also see the appearance of dual-parity RAID (RAID-DP) levels, like RAID-6. RAID is also appearing in smaller storage systems, drive controller cards and even computer motherboards -- it's no longer reserved for large monolithic arrays.

So, RAID is doing very well, it's just no longer perceived as a discrete technology. Moving forward, expect to see more awareness around RAID-6 and its importance for all types of large capacity drives. Over time, I'd expect more controller enhancements that will speed up the rebuild process and ease the need for dual parity. Ultimately, RAID is here to stay. It's an integrated functionality today. Five years from now, we'll probably be talking about virtualization and hybrid drives with the same blasé attitude.

Go back to the beginning of the Disk Hardware FAQ Guide.

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This was first published in May 2007

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