RAID combines multiple physical drives into a single logical unit to protect against hardware failure and improve performance. When you’re evaluating dedicated servers or VPS hosting with multiple drives, understanding RAID helps you choose storage configurations that match your uptime requirements and workload characteristics.
How RAID Works
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) distributes data across multiple drives using three core techniques: striping, mirroring, and parity. Striping splits data across drives for faster read and write operations. Mirroring creates exact copies on separate drives. Parity calculations allow data reconstruction if a drive fails.
The specific RAID level you choose determines how these techniques combine. A database server running heavy write operations needs different RAID characteristics than a file server handling mostly read requests.
Hardware RAID vs Software RAID
Hardware RAID uses a dedicated controller card with its own processor and memory. The controller handles all RAID operations independently from your server’s CPU. This dedicated processing delivers better performance, especially for parity-based RAID levels like 5 and 6 that require intensive calculations.
Software RAID manages arrays through the operating system. Linux mdadm and Windows Storage Spaces are common software RAID implementations. Software RAID draws from your server’s CPU and RAM, which can impact performance during rebuilds or under heavy load. However, software RAID costs nothing beyond the drives themselves and offers flexibility for certain workloads.
Both approaches provide redundancy. Hardware RAID typically makes sense for production environments where consistent performance matters. Software RAID works well for development servers or when budget constraints limit hardware options.
Common RAID Levels Explained
RAID 0 (Striping)
Splits data across all drives for maximum performance. Two 1TB drives in RAID 0 provide 2TB usable capacity with combined read/write speeds. This offers zero redundancy. If any single drive fails, all data is lost.
Use for: Temporary files, cache storage, or scenarios where data exists elsewhere and speed outweighs safety.
RAID 1 (Mirroring)
Creates exact copies across two or more drives. A 1TB drive mirrored to another 1TB drive yields 1TB usable capacity. You sacrifice half your raw storage for complete redundancy.
RAID 1 delivers excellent read performance since data can be read from either drive simultaneously. Write performance matches a single drive since both drives write identical data.
Use for: Operating system drives, databases requiring high reliability, or any critical data that justifies the capacity cost.
RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)
Distributes data and parity across at least three drives. Parity information allows reconstruction if one drive fails. Three 1TB drives in RAID 5 provide 2TB usable capacity.
RAID 5 was popular for years, but industry experts now consider it risky for drives larger than 1-2TB. During rebuilds of large drives, there’s a significant probability of encountering unrecoverable read errors that cause total array failure. Rebuild times for 4TB drives can exceed 24 hours, creating an extended vulnerability window.
Modern verdict: Avoid RAID 5 for production environments. Use RAID 6 or RAID 10 instead.
RAID 6 (Striping with Double Parity)
Similar to RAID 5 but calculates two sets of parity data across at least four drives. This tolerates two simultaneous drive failures. Four 1TB drives in RAID 6 deliver 2TB usable capacity.
RAID 6 provides better protection for large arrays where the probability of multiple failures during rebuilds increases. Write performance suffers compared to RAID 10 due to dual parity calculations.
Use for: Large storage arrays (8+ drives), file servers, backup repositories where capacity efficiency matters more than write speed.
RAID 10 (Mirrored Stripes)
Combines RAID 1 mirroring with RAID 0 striping, requiring at least four drives. Data is mirrored in pairs, then striped across those pairs. Four 1TB drives yield 2TB usable capacity.
RAID 10 delivers the best combination of performance and reliability for most server workloads. It handles write operations twice as fast as RAID 6 and rebuilds complete in hours rather than days.
Use for: Database servers, email systems, ecommerce platforms, or any application where both performance and uptime are critical.
Rebuild Times and Drive Technology
Drive technology significantly impacts rebuild duration. SSDs rebuild approximately 10 times faster than traditional hard drives. A failed 1TB SSD rebuilds in 2 hours versus 20 hours for a spinning disk.
NVMe drives with modern RAID controllers can achieve rebuild times under 2 hours even for large capacities. This speed reduction makes RAID configurations safer since the vulnerability window shrinks dramatically.
During any rebuild, your array runs in a degraded state with reduced or eliminated redundancy. Performance typically drops as drives work to reconstruct missing data. This is why faster rebuild times translate directly to less business risk.
RAID is Not Backup
RAID protects against hardware failure. It does nothing against accidental deletion, ransomware, database corruption, or facility disasters. You need separate backup systems that capture point-in-time copies and store them independently from your RAID array.
The 3-2-1 backup rule applies regardless of RAID configuration: maintain three copies of data, on two different media types, with one copy off-site.
RAID reduces downtime when drives fail. Backups protect against everything else that can destroy data.
Choosing the Right RAID Level
Match your RAID configuration to your workload:
Database servers: RAID 10 for optimal write performance and fast rebuilds
File servers: RAID 6 for capacity efficiency with adequate protection
Web applications: RAID 10 for the OS, RAID 6 for static content storage
Development environments: RAID 1 or software RAID to minimize cost
For mission-critical applications, combine RAID with hot spare drives that automatically activate when a drive fails. This minimizes rebuild time and human intervention.
InMotion Hosting’s dedicated servers include hardware RAID controllers and enterprise-grade drives configured to your specifications. Whether you need RAID 1 for a database cluster or RAID 10 for high-traffic applications, proper storage configuration protects your data and keeps your business running when drives inevitably fail.