CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)IT Concepts and TerminologyHard
A technician is configuring a new storage array and needs to ensure that data can be recovered even if one drive fails, while also maximizing storage efficiency. Which RAID level would be the MOST appropriate choice?
- ARAID 10
- BRAID 5
- CRAID 0
- DRAID 1
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. RAID 5
RAID 5 provides both fault tolerance (data recovery from a single drive failure) and good storage efficiency by using distributed parity across all drives. While RAID 10 offers better performance and fault tolerance (multiple drive failures), RAID 5 balances these with better storage efficiency for many applications.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. RAID 10 (1+0) offers excellent performance and fault tolerance (multiple drive failures possible) but has 50% storage efficiency, which is less efficient than RAID 5.
- C. RAID 0 offers no fault tolerance; a single drive failure results in total data loss.
- D. RAID 1 (mirroring) offers excellent fault tolerance but has 50% storage efficiency.
RAID 5
A RAID level that uses block-level striping with distributed parity, providing both fault tolerance against a single drive failure and good read/write performance.
- Requires a minimum of 3 drives.
- One drive's capacity is used for parity, resulting in (N-1) * drive_size usable capacity.
- Offers a balance of performance, fault tolerance, and storage efficiency.
Memory trick: Zero for speed, One for mirror, Five for parity, Ten for both, no fear.