3-3-5 RAID 10 Explained

Key Concepts

• RAID 10
• Striping and Mirroring
• Performance
• Data Redundancy
• Use Cases

RAID 10

RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, is a combination of RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping). It provides both high performance and data redundancy by striping data across mirrored pairs of disks. This configuration ensures that data is both spread across multiple disks for speed and duplicated for reliability.

Striping and Mirroring

In RAID 10, data is first mirrored (RAID 1) within pairs of disks, and then the mirrored pairs are striped (RAID 0) across multiple disks. This means that each piece of data is written to two disks in a mirrored pair, and then these pairs are spread across the array. This dual approach ensures high availability and performance.

Performance

RAID 10 offers excellent read and write performance due to the striping aspect. Reads and writes can be performed in parallel across multiple disks, significantly increasing throughput. Additionally, the mirroring aspect ensures that read operations can be balanced across the mirrored pairs, further enhancing performance.

Data Redundancy

One of the key benefits of RAID 10 is its high level of data redundancy. Since data is mirrored, the failure of a single disk within a mirrored pair does not result in data loss. As long as one disk in each mirrored pair remains operational, the array continues to function. This makes RAID 10 highly reliable for critical data storage.

Use Cases

RAID 10 is commonly used in environments where both high performance and data reliability are critical. Examples include:

• Enterprise Servers: Providing high-speed data access and redundancy for business-critical applications.
• Database Servers: Ensuring fast read and write operations while maintaining data integrity.
• Virtualization: Supporting high-performance storage for virtual machines with minimal downtime.

Examples and Analogies

Think of RAID 10 as a high-speed train network with multiple tracks. Each track (disk) has a twin track (mirrored disk) running alongside it. Trains (data) can travel on any track, ensuring fast transportation. If one track is damaged, the train can switch to its twin track, ensuring continuous operation. This setup provides both speed and reliability.

Another analogy is a relay race where each runner (disk) has a backup runner (mirrored disk). The race continues smoothly even if one runner drops out, ensuring both speed and reliability in the race.