Netgear RND4475 Software Manual - Page 18

Basic Disk Configuration Concepts, RAID, Volumes

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ReadyNAS for Home RAIDiator 5.3 Basic Disk Configuration Concepts To get the most out of your ReadyNAS storage system, it is helpful to understand some disk configuration concepts. Understanding these concepts is the first step to making good decisions about how to configure, manage, and use your ReadyNAS storage system. You can configure your storage system's hard disks in a variety of ways. The most common way to configure disks is using one of the many RAID technologies. RAID RAID is short for redundant array of independent disks. RAID is a storage technology that balances data protection, system performance, and storage space by determining how the storage system distributes data. Many different ways of distributing data have been standardized into various RAID levels. Each RAID level offers a tradeoff of data protection, system performance, and storage space. For example, one RAID level might improve data protection but reduce storage space. Another RAID level might increase storage space but also reduce system performance. Your ReadyNAS storage system supports X-RAID2TM, a proprietary single-volume RAID architecture that is easy to administer, and Flex-RAID, which allows you to format your disks in a variety of industry-standard RAID levels. Volumes In the most general sense, volumes are data storage devices. Your computer treats an internal hard drive as a volume. It also treats a portable USB thumb drive as a volume. Volumes can be either physical or logical. Usually, the term physical volume refers to a hard disk drive. When this term is used in this way, a two-bay storage system can have up to two physical volumes (hard disk drives), a four-bay storage system can have up to four physical volumes, and a six-bay storage system can have up to six physical volumes. The term logical volume refers to the way that you divide, or partition, your storage space, for example: • Each logical volume can correspond to a hard disk drive. • A logical volume can be made up of more than one hard disk drive. In this manual, the term volume refers to a logical volume and the terms hard disk drive and disk refer to a physical volume. Disk Configuration 18

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Disk Configuration
18
ReadyNAS for Home RAIDiator 5.3
Basic Disk Configuration Concepts
To get the most out of your ReadyNAS storage system, it is helpful to understand some disk
configuration concepts. Understanding these concepts is the first step to making good
decisions about how to configure, manage, and use your ReadyNAS storage system.
You can configure your storage system’s hard disks in a variety of ways. The most common
way to configure disks is using one of the many RAID technologies.
RAID
RAID is short for redundant array of independent disks. RAID is a storage technology that
balances data protection, system performance, and storage space by determining how the
storage system distributes data. Many different ways of distributing data have been
standardized into various RAID levels. Each RAID level offers a tradeoff of data protection,
system performance, and storage space. For example, one RAID level might improve data
protection but reduce storage space. Another RAID level might increase storage space but
also reduce system performance.
Your ReadyNAS storage system supports X-RAID2
TM
, a proprietary single-volume RAID
architecture that is easy to administer, and Flex-RAID, which allows you to format your disks
in a variety of industry-standard RAID levels.
Volumes
In the most general sense, volumes are data storage devices. Your computer treats an
internal hard drive as a volume. It also treats a portable USB thumb drive as a volume.
Volumes can be either physical or logical. Usually, the term
physical volume
refers to a hard
disk drive. When this term is used in this way, a two-bay storage system can have up to two
physical volumes (hard disk drives), a four-bay storage system can have up to four physical
volumes, and a six-bay storage system can have up to six physical volumes.
The term
logical volume
refers to the way that you divide, or partition, your storage space, for
example:
•
Each logical volume can correspond to a hard disk drive.
•
A logical volume can be made up of more than one hard disk drive.
In this manual, the term
volume
refers to a
logical volume
and the terms
hard disk drive
and
disk
refer to a
physical volume
.