Basic raid questions – Nvidia 4 User Manual
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MediaShield RAID Frequently Asked Questions
Basic RAID Questions
• What is RAID?
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and refers to the grouping of 2 or
more disk drives that the system views as a single drive. Different groupings have
difference advantages that include better performance and data fault tolerance.
“About NVIDIA® MediaShield™” on page 1
for detailed descriptions of the
different types of RAID arrays.
• What type of RAID array is right for me?
In general, for better throughput of non-critical data, use RAID 0; for fault tolerance,
use RAID1 or RAID 5, and for better throughput as well as fault tolerance use RAID
0+1.
“About NVIDIA® MediaShield™” on page 1
for detailed descriptions of the
different types of RAID arrays.
• What is the difference between a bootable and a non-bootable RAID array?
A system with a non-bootable RAID array includes a separate hard disk that contains
the OS and is not part of the RAID array.
“Setting Up a Non-Bootable RAID Array” on page 13
for more information.
In a bootable RAID array, the OS is installed on the RAID array disks.
“Setting Up a Bootable RAID Array” on page 21
for more information.
• I just configured a RAID 1 array—why is the array size one-half the total cumulative
size of the drives?
RAID 1 uses one-half the total disk space for data redundancy.
for more information on RAID1 arrays.
• What is the optimal hard drive configuration for RAID 1 (mirror)?
In a mirrored array, a mirror is created using the maximum drive size of the smaller of
the two drives. Ideal configuration is achieved using drives of identical size.
• How do I configure a multiple array system?
Two different arrays can be configured and active at the same time. For example, a
mirrored array with two hard drives, as well as a striped array using three hard drives
can exist at the same time. You need to configure each array separately in the RAID
BIOS as well as initialize the arrays in Windows as described in