UNIT 2. ASSIGNMENT 2. DISK REDUNDANCY RESEARCH

Assignment Requirements: Using the Internet and the ITT Tech Virtual Library, research the following questions, and provide your thoughts on each one. Submit your answers in a Word Document and ensure that you cite any resources you utilized with the proper APA format.
1. What does RAID stand for?
A. Redundant Array of Independent Disks
2. When would we use RAID?
A. When you need a performance increase in software or software redundancy. Running a large Info server were a lot of people will be getting info at the same time.
3. Define the following types of RAID:
A. RAID 0 this configuration has striping but no redundancy of data. It offers the best performance but no fault-tolerance.
B. RAID 1 Also known as disk mirroring, this configuration consists of at least two drives that duplicate the storage of data. There is no striping. Read performance is improved since either disk can be read at the same time. Write performance is the same as for single disk storage.
C. RAID 5 this level is based on block-level striping with parity. The parity information is striped across each drive, allowing the array to function even if one drive were to fail. The array’s architecture allows read and write operations to span multiple drives. This results in performance that is usually better than that of a single drive, but not as high as that of a RAID 0 array. RAID 5 requires at least three disks, but it is often recommended to use at least five disks for performance reasons.
D. RAID 5 arrays are generally considered to be a poor choice for use on write-intensive systems because of the performance impact associated with writing parity information. When a disk does fail, it can take a long time to rebuild a RAID 5 array. Performance is usually degraded during the rebuild time and the array is vulnerable to an additional disk failure until the rebuild is complete.

4. Why is RAID 0 of any use if it offers no redundancy?
a. It would be used for speed and efficiency.
5. Why do you think that RAID 1 can be the most expensive? Why would people utilize it if it’s so costly?
a. Read performance is improved since either disk and be read at the same time. It is fastest way to read your info, would be great in an info server that multiple people are getting information from.
6. If you, as a home computer user, were to purchase a form of RAID, which would you choose and why?
a. Raid 0 Stripped raid to improve gaming performance.
7. What is the difference between software RAID and hardware RAID?
a. Software raid is all done virtually no hardware needed and is limited in what it can do. Hardware raid can protect data during boot, Write-back caching possible, enhanced protection in case of power loss, RAID independent of host operating system, Setup during boot, ability to migrate to other OS versions. Hardware RAID is a lot more expensive.

Ref:
Adaptec.com,. (2015). Retrieved 28 September 2015, from https://www.adaptec.com/nr/rdonlyres/14b2fd84-f7a0-4ac5-a07a-214123ea3dd6/0/4423_sw_hwraid_10.pdf
Techterms.com. (2015). RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) Definition. Retrieved 28 September 2015, from http://techterms.com/definition/raid