- #1
Saint
- 437
- 0
Can you help explain what are they?
Which one is better?
Which one is better?
Understanding RAID and SATA: A Comparison for Optimal Storage Solutions
- Thread starter Saint
- Start date
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the comparison between RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) and SATA (Serial ATA), focusing on their definitions, functionalities, and implications for storage solutions. Participants explore various RAID configurations, their redundancy features, and the role of SATA as a data transfer standard.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
- Mathematical reasoning
Main Points Raised
- Some participants explain that RAID is primarily used for hard drive redundancy, with configurations like striping and mirroring to enhance data safety.
- Others clarify that SATA is a standard for connecting hard drives, superseding the older ATA standard, and cannot be directly compared to RAID.
- A participant notes that RAID-0 is often misunderstood, emphasizing that it does not provide redundancy and can lead to total data loss if one drive fails.
- Some contributors mention that RAID-0 can improve performance for tasks like gaming and video editing due to its speed advantages.
- There are discussions about the requirements for setting up a RAID system, including the need for matching drive specifications and the possibility of using software RAID.
- Participants debate whether disk speeds need to match in a RAID setup, with some suggesting that varying speeds may only affect performance but not functionality.
- Questions arise regarding the implications of using drives of different sizes in RAID configurations, particularly in mirroring and striping scenarios.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the comparison between RAID and SATA, with some asserting that they serve different purposes and cannot be directly compared. There is no consensus on whether disk speeds need to match in RAID setups, and opinions vary on the implications of using drives of different sizes.
Contextual Notes
Some participants highlight limitations in their understanding of RAID and SATA, indicating that their knowledge may not cover all aspects of the topic. There are also unresolved questions regarding the specifics of RAID configurations and performance considerations.
Who May Find This Useful
This discussion may be of interest to individuals exploring storage solutions, particularly those considering RAID configurations and the implications of using SATA technology.
- #2
- 1,902
- 3
Raid is used for hard drive redundancy. Striping is used to make multiple harddrive look like one big one. Mirroring allows the same data to be written to multiple drives incase one goes bad.
SATA is a bus that supercedes the old ATA standard that most computers use. It is the system used to transfer bits to and from hard drives, floppies and cdroms.
SATA is a bus that supercedes the old ATA standard that most computers use. It is the system used to transfer bits to and from hard drives, floppies and cdroms.
- #3
Anttech
- 233
- 0
RAID = redundant array of inexpensive disks...RAID has different configs
(ie RAID0 = mirrored, RAID1 = Stiped, RAID5 = stiped with parity)
SATA = serial ATA a means of access a HD... old ATA standard as dduardo says...
You cannot compare RAID and SATA as you could have a 2 SATA HD with a software RAID running...
RAID is a way to make your HD's more redundant and SATA is a standard for access (if you may) your HD... Like comparing apples and pears
(ie RAID0 = mirrored, RAID1 = Stiped, RAID5 = stiped with parity)
SATA = serial ATA a means of access a HD... old ATA standard as dduardo says...
You cannot compare RAID and SATA as you could have a 2 SATA HD with a software RAID running...
RAID is a way to make your HD's more redundant and SATA is a standard for access (if you may) your HD... Like comparing apples and pears
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- #4
Linchpin
- 5
- 0
Correction, RAID-0 is a striped array and RAID-1 mirrored. And relatively speaking RAID-0 isn't really true RAID since there is no mirroring, meaning no redundancy.Anttech said:
And on another note with the introduction of the SATA interface, the older parrallel interface may also be referred to as PATA.
- #5
Anttech
- 233
- 0
wopps my bad :-)
And yep Raid-0 is an anomaly
And yep Raid-0 is an anomaly
- #6
Artman
- 1,506
- 40
RAID 0 should not be used where data retention and accuracy is critical because the failure of any of the drives will lose all of the data in that array (the data is split over several drives in RAID 0). As everyone has been saying, there is no redundancy with RAID 0, however, it can be faster than other forms of RAID. For gaming or video editing, high bandwidth low critical data, it can split the task of input/output (two of the slower processes a computer performs) thus cutting the time required to load parts of games, manipulate large video clips, etc.
- #7
Linchpin
- 5
- 0
Yes it definitely speeds up read/write performance in disk access. I have two 80GB drives in a RAID-0 array with a 16k stripe and cluster size and it zooms along compared to just having one drive operating.
- #8
Artman
- 1,506
- 40
My knowledge of RAID is limited and I have very little SATA knowledge, so if I'm wrong about any of this, let me know.
I don't think anyone mentioned yet what a basic RAID setup is like. You need a RAID controller, either on your motherboard or a card, you need multiple Hard drives of the same size and speed, you can't put a 20 Gig 100 ATA running at 5600 RPM with a 60 Gig 133 ATA running at 7200 RPM, they need to match in specs.
I'm not sure what else, anyone else have any input on a basic RAID system? How many drives maximum, how is it wired, etc?
I don't think anyone mentioned yet what a basic RAID setup is like. You need a RAID controller, either on your motherboard or a card, you need multiple Hard drives of the same size and speed, you can't put a 20 Gig 100 ATA running at 5600 RPM with a 60 Gig 133 ATA running at 7200 RPM, they need to match in specs.
I'm not sure what else, anyone else have any input on a basic RAID system? How many drives maximum, how is it wired, etc?
- #9
Anttech
- 233
- 0
Artman said:
Actually this is not 100% true, you do not need hardware to do RAID, you can do software RAID (Windows 2k/2k3 Server does this out of the box) the Disks do not have to be the same size. If you want to mirror disks, the disk that you are mirroring to need to be at least the same size as the master disk but can be bigger. Same as stripping I beileve.
- #10
Artman
- 1,506
- 40
Anttech said:
Thanks Anttech.
You lose the difference in size when you do this, leaving you only use of the mirrored size, right?
Also, do the Disk speeds still have to match?
- #11
Anttech
- 233
- 0
yeh you loose the difference...
I am unsure about speed... I cannot think of any reason why the disks would need to be the same speed, tho. But I may be wrong! I will have a look and post what I find :-D
I am unsure about speed... I cannot think of any reason why the disks would need to be the same speed, tho. But I may be wrong! I will have a look and post what I find :-D
- #12
graphic7
Gold Member
- 450
- 2
I think the disk speeds would be irrelevant. I've run raid arrays before on IDE and SCSI drives. The only effect varying disk speeds *should* have would be a decreased performance, which won't inhibit you from running RAID (referring to Raid-0 here).
Raid-0 is typicaly faster than any of the other RAID modes, because of the absence of redundancy features.
You do have to keep a few things in mind if you want a decent (performance in mind) raid array. Make sure you have a decent IDE or SCSI controller. If the controller doesn't support the speeds of your hard drives, then you're going to have a performance problem. You also have to keep in mind (varying on the size of the hard drives, the speed of the hard drives and the controller(s)) the chunk size you want. Chunk size is a variable of how much data a chunk can carry. These chunks are the minimum and maximum of data that can be wrote or read at a time. Typically, a good chunksize is about 1mb. With hard drives getting faster and larger, you might want to start looking at 2mb.
Raid-0 is typicaly faster than any of the other RAID modes, because of the absence of redundancy features.
You do have to keep a few things in mind if you want a decent (performance in mind) raid array. Make sure you have a decent IDE or SCSI controller. If the controller doesn't support the speeds of your hard drives, then you're going to have a performance problem. You also have to keep in mind (varying on the size of the hard drives, the speed of the hard drives and the controller(s)) the chunk size you want. Chunk size is a variable of how much data a chunk can carry. These chunks are the minimum and maximum of data that can be wrote or read at a time. Typically, a good chunksize is about 1mb. With hard drives getting faster and larger, you might want to start looking at 2mb.