RAID Level Comparison Table

RAID Level
RAID 0 RAID 1 RAID 3 RAID 5
Also Known
As
striping mirroring
striping with
dedicated
parity
striping with distributed parity
Fault
Tolerance
no yes yes yes
Redundancy
Type
none duplicate parity parity
Hot Spare
Option
no yes yes yes
Disks
Required
one or more two three or more three or more
sable
!apacity
greatest least intermediate intermediate
!apacity
Reduction
none "#$
capacity o% one
disk
capacity o% one disk
Read
&er%ormance
%ast 'depends on
number o% disks(
intermediate %ast %ast
Random )rite
&er%ormance
%astest intermediate slowest slow
Sequential
)rite
&er%ormance
%astest intermediate slow slowest
Typical se
Rapid reads and
writes with no need
%or %ault tolerance*
&ro+ides high data
throughput,
especially %or large
%iles*
-ostly small random
writes with %ault
tolerance*
Appropriate %or small
databases or any other
en+ironment that
requires %ault tolerance
but small capacity*
-ostly large,
serial trans%ers
with %ault
tolerance
-ostly small, random trans%ers with %ault
tolerance*
&ro+ides high data throughput, especially %or
large %iles* se RA.D " %or transaction
processing applications because each dri+e can
read and write independently* .% a dri+e %ails,
&/R! 0 uses the parity dri+e to recreate all
missing in%ormation* se also %or o%%ice
automation and online customer ser+ice that
requires %ault tolerance* se %or any application
that has high read request rates but low write
request rates*
Strong &oints
&ro+ides increased
data throughput %or
large %iles* 1o
capacity loss
penalty %or parity*
&ro+ides complete
data redundancy*
RA.D 2 is ideal %or any
application that
requires %ault tolerance
and minimal capacity*
&ro+ides data redundancy, high read rates, and
good per%ormance in most en+ironments*
&ro+ides redundancy with lowest loss o%
capacity*
)eak &oints
Does not pro+ide
%ault tolerance or
high bandwidth* All
data lost i% any dri+e
%ails*
Requires twice as
many disk dri+es*
&er%ormance is
impaired during dri+e
rebuilds*
1ot well suited to tasks requiring lot o% writes*
Su%%ers more impact i% no cache is used
'clustering(* Disk dri+e per%ormance will be
reduced i% a dri+e is being rebuilt* /n+ironments
with %ew processes do not per%orm as well
because the RA.D o+erhead is not o%%set by the
per%ormance gains in handling simultaneous
processes*
RAID Level RAID 1+0 RAID 3+0 RAID 5+0
Also Known As striping with mirrored arrays
striping with
dedicated parity
dri+es
striping with distributed parity
Fault
Tolerance
yes yes yes
Redundancy
Type
duplicate parity parity
Hot Spare
Option
yes yes yes
Disks Required
%or basic RA.D
3 0 or more 0 or more

Spans 3
arrays
4
5, 6, 2#, 23, 24, or
25
5, 6, 2#, 23, 24, or 25

Spans 0
Arrays
5
7, 23, 2", 26, 32, or
34
7, 23, 2", 26, 32, or 34

Spans 4
arrays
6
23, 25, 3#, 34, 36,
or 03
23, 25, 3#, 34, 36, or 03

Spans "
arrays
2#
2", 3#, 3", 0#, 0",
or 4#
2", 3#, 3", 0#, 0", or 4#
sable
!apacity
least intermediate intermediate
!apacity
Reduction
"#$
capacity o% one disk
%or each array
spanned
capacity o% one disk %or each
array spanned
Read
&er%ormance
intermediate %ast %ast
Random )rite
&er%ormance
intermediate slowest slow
Sequential
)rite
&er%ormance
intermediate slow slowest
Typical se
-ostly small random writes with %ault tolerance and
enhanced speed*
Appropriate when used with data storage that needs
2##$ redundancy o% mirrored arrays and that also
needs the enhanced .8O per%ormance o% RA.D # 'striped
arrays*( )orks well %or medium9si:ed databases or any
en+ironment that requires a higher degree o% %ault
tolerance and moderate to medium capacity*
-ostly large, serial
trans%ers with %ault
tolerance and
enhanced speed
-ostly small, random trans%ers
with %ault tolerance and
enhanced speed*
Appropriate when used with
data that requires high
reliability, high request rates,
and high data trans%er and
medium to large capacity*
Strong &oints &ro+ides both high data trans%er rates and complete
data redundancy*
&ro+ides high data throughput,
data redundancy, and +ery
good per%ormance*
)eak &oints Requires twice as many dri+es as all other RA.D le+els
e;cept RA.D 2*
Requires 3 to 4 times as many
parity dri+es as RA.D "*