What is RAID? What are type of RAID? What are advantages & disadvantages of RAID? What are use of RAID?

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks.

RAID was proposed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, in the late 1980s.

In RAID, multiple hard drives are used together to provide better performance and redundancy.

We can implement a RAID array using software or hardware.

A dedicated RAID controller is used in Hardware RAID.

Host OS is used in Software RAID to manage the RAID array.

Generally, Hardware RAID is more reliable, faster, and expensive than software RAID.

We can expand RAID arrays by adding more drives.

We can get improved performance if we use multiple drives for reading and writing data. 

We can use RAID arrays in multiple applications like database servers, file servers, and high-performance computing clusters.

The best part of the RAID array is that we can configure it to provide good performance and redundancy as per the application requirement.

Advantages of RAID:-

1. Protection: In case of hard drive failure, RAID provides a feature to protect data which is very important for any business.

2. Cost-effectiveness: RAID solutions are more cost-effective than SAN/NAS solutions. A better choice for personal/small businesses.

3. Easy to set up: The best part of this solution is, easy to set up, configure and manage. 

Disadvantages of RAID:-

1. Performance: The performance of RAID solutions may not be the same as NAS or SAN solutions. This is a negative point for users who needs high performance.

2. Scalability: The RAID solution is less scalable. RAID solutions may not be suitable if we need a large amount of storage. 

3. Limited Features: Features offered by RAID solutions is less than other solutions like NAS or SAN solutions. If the user requires more advanced storage capabilities, the user needs to think once again about the RAID solution.

Type of RAID:-

To enhance data storage performance and reliability in RAID, it uses a combination of physical drives in a single logical drive. Multiple types of RAID solutions are available for users and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. 

A few common types of RAID solutions are given below:

1. RAID 0 (Striping): RAID 0 splits data across multiple hard drives.