Tech Report: Flexible RAID arrays

This month storage analyst Jerome M. Wendt's "Tech Report" takes look at RAID arrays. As anyone who purchases large-scale storage systems would know, arrays come with RAID, and generally mixed RAID. Wendt says the key to good management is " selecting the right mix of disks and RAID levels."

Jerome notes, knowing which RAID implementation to deploy depends on a range of factors:

  • The number of front-and back-end controllers on the array
  • The amount of cache
  • The disk capacity behind each back-end controller
  • The performance requirements of the application using the disk
  • The speed or rpm of each disk behind each controller

    In order to help you sort all of this out, our Tech Report this month is geared to offer you some RAID aid.

    TECH REPORT
       Webcast: Flexible RAID arrays
       Storage magazine extra: Accommodating arrays
       Additional information on RAID arrays

    Webcast: Users regularly encounter storage arrays that offer both Fibre Channel and SATA disk drives to complement their wide number of RAID options. Yet storage vendors report that despite offering multiple RAID settings, many of their arrays get configured simply as RAID-5. This webcast covers when and under what circumstances users should use mixed RAID configurations, the pros and cons of using mixed RAID configurations and some tips that can help users better manage their mixed RAID arrays.

    Listen to the webcast right now.

    Click here for the original tech report from Storage magazine. This article also includes a downloadable chart of all the RAID array products and their specs.

    For more information about RAID and RAID arrays, take a look at these SearchStorage.com resources:

  • Choosing the right RAID level
  • The essential RAID primer
  • All RAID is not created equal
  • Fast Guide: RAID
  • Topics: RAID technology
  • Topics: RAID configuration
  • Subsystem products of the year
  • Pick the right ATA array for backup
  • Overhead for RAID 0+1 is too high ... should I use RAID-5?

    Which products of technologies would you like to see as Tech Reports? e-mail us and let us know.

    This was first published in February 2005

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