CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005)Server Hardware Installation and ManagementMedium
A server administrator is installing a new enterprise server that will host several critical databases. To ensure maximum uptime and data integrity, the administrator wants to implement a storage solution that provides both high fault tolerance and excellent read performance, even if multiple drives fail. Which RAID level would best meet these requirements?
- ARAID 0
- BRAID 5
- CRAID 1
- DRAID 10
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. RAID 10
RAID 10 (or RAID 1+0) combines mirroring (RAID 1) for fault tolerance with striping (RAID 0) for performance. It offers excellent read/write performance and can tolerate multiple drive failures, provided they are not within the same mirrored pair.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. RAID 0 provides striping for performance but no fault tolerance; a single drive failure results in data loss.
- B. RAID 5 provides striping with distributed parity, offering good performance and single-drive fault tolerance. However, it cannot tolerate two simultaneous drive failures and write performance is typically lower than RAID 10.
- C. RAID 1 provides mirroring for fault tolerance (one drive can fail) but does not offer the same performance benefits as striping across multiple drives.
RAID 10 (RAID 1+0)
A nested RAID level that combines RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping). It provides excellent performance, high fault tolerance (can withstand multiple drive failures), and is often recommended for applications requiring high I/O, such as databases.
- Requires a minimum of 4 drives.
- Combines mirroring (fault tolerance) and striping (performance).
- Can tolerate the failure of multiple drives, as long as they are not in the same mirrored pair.
- High cost per usable gigabyte but offers superior performance and redundancy.
Memory trick: RAID 10: One-Zero for Supreme Protection and Speed.