Gateway FX541X 8512728 - FX540 Hardware Reference Guide - Page 48
RAID 1 for security
View all Gateway FX541X manuals
Add to My Manuals
Save this manual to your list of manuals |
Page 48 highlights
CHAPTER 4: Advanced Hardware Setup How it makes file storage cheaper Because RAID 0 lets your computer see multiple hard drives as a single drive, you can install several lower capacity (less expensive) drives and have the same single-drive storage simplicity and capacity as a larger, more expensive hard drive. Drawbacks Unfortunately, RAID 0 lets multiple drives behave as one in another way. If part of the array fails (such as a hard drive crashing), the entire array fails. Because the drives are treated like a single drive, parts of files (including operating system files) can be spread across several drives, leaving the computer with only file fragments if one drive fails. Regular and frequent backups are critical. Another drawback is that RAID 0 treats each hard drive as if it has the storage capacity of the smallest drive in the array. So if you have three drives (300 GB, 250 GB, and 200 GB) in a RAID 0 array, your computer only recognizes 600 GB total capacity. RAID 1 for security RAID 1 maintains a complete copy of all files on each physical hard drive in the array. Maintaining simultaneous, complete copies of files across multiple hard drives is called mirroring. If a drive fails, the mirrored drive takes over and acts as the primary drive. In the following graphic, each letter represents a unique block of data, and each column represents a separate hard drive. RAID 1 A A B B C C File reading performance (seek time) is increased using the same methods that RAID 0 uses, although writing speed is the same as if writing to a single hard drive. 42