If you are an IT person, you must come across RAID 10 term— a virtualized data storage technology that uses multiple disks. It is one of the most demanding environments requiring data integrity and high performance for technology enthusiasts and enterprises. By understanding RAID 10, you can make informed decisions when selecting and setting up RAID systems to meet specific requirements. In this article, we will read an in-depth guide on RAID 10 and how RAID protection works.
Let’s dive in!
What is RAID 10?
RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, combines disk mirroring (RAID 1) and disk striping (RAID 0). It provides both redundancy (protection against disk failure) and improved performance. RAID 10 requires a minimum of four disks, offering 50% of the total capacity for storage as the other 50% is used for mirroring. It is commonly employed in business-class servers and NAS systems where both performance and data protection are critical.
Mirroring is writing data to two or more hard disks (HDDs). When a disk fails, the mirror image preserves data from the failed disk. On the other hand, striping splits the data into chunks and writes them in succession to different disks to improve performance because the user’s computer might access data from multiple disks. Striping does not give redundancy to protect information, so it is designated level 0.
It offers incredible access to RAID 10 speed, data security, and fault tolerance over a single disk configuration. Redundant Array Of Independent Disks (RAID) Level 10 provides better performance, but only half of the total space is available for data storage. As long as a disk in a mirrored disk is functional, data can be retrieved. If both disks in the same mirrored pair fail, all data will be lost because there is no parity to recover the data in the striped sets. In a RAID 1+0 configuration, input/output adapter caching can improve read and write performance.
Non-cached read operations are distributed across multiple disks in a parity set, helping to balance the workload across the disks. Non-cached write operations require writing data to multiple disks in the parity set, as well as updating the parity information to ensure data integrity.
RAID is an array of independent disks in multiple and different configurations. RAID configuration improves data protection quality and fault tolerance. Data protection from mirror copy is available if the originating drive is unavailable due to its complete data duplication; RAID 10 demands twice the storage as the original data.
How RAID 10 Protection Works
RAID 10, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks Level 10, does not use parity. Instead, it combines mirroring (copying) and striping (splitting) to provide both data protection and performance. RAID 10 uses mirrored pairs of disks, so if one drive fails, the data remains safe and accessible from the mirrored copy. This configuration ensures high availability and reliability for daily use. However, while RAID 10 protects against hardware failure, it is not a substitute for a proper backup. A backup involves creating a separate copy of the data and storing it in another location to ensure it is safe from corruption or loss.
In a RAID 10 configuration, data is stored in duplicate due to the use of mirroring. An additional gigabyte is allocated to the mirrored copy for every gigabyte of actual user data. RAID 10 requires a minimum of four hard disks, which are grouped into two pairs based on the RAID 1 (mirroring) concept.
It works by following this :
- Mirror (Copy): Redundant Array Of Independent Disks Level 10 makes an exact copy of everything that drops in one box for storing in another box. So, one box gets broken, and the other keeps everything in one place like a backup.
- Split (Stripe): It splits data into pieces and puts them in different boxes to make everything faster. So, when the user needs something, it is available in multiple boxes simultaneously.
You should use RAID 10 if performance is your priority for tasks like infrequent access to multimedia projects and files. It also uses a combo of RAID 10, 50, and 60. RAID controls multiple drives in different configurations. The minimum requirement of the Redundant Array Of Independent Disks Level 10 tasks makes it costly for smaller computing environments. RAID 1+0 is a highly reliable option for necessary data storage due to its sustainability of many drive failures if they don’t occur on both sides.
How It Differs From Other Forms Of RAID
RAID 10 system differs in certain aspects from other forms of RAID. Let’s discuss them:
RAID 0:
RAID 0 is a procedure of splitting the data body into blocks and separating data blocks across different storage devices like solid state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives(HDDs) in a redundant way of the independent disk group. It is a good choice for gaming enthusiasts and video editors. It is the fastest but might increase data loss risk so carefully store and backup data with RAID 0.
RAID 1:
It is implemented with two drives. It is a good option that needs high availability and a reasonable rate of performance life in transactional applications, operating systems, and email servers. However, drives need to be written to all the drives in the array, and the write process is slower than RAID 0. Also, the capacity of a single drive is available.
RAID 3:
It is rarely used in practice, utilizing bit-level striping and a dedicated parity disk. It needs a special controller for synchronized spinning.
RAID 4:
RAID 4 is a standard unpopular RAID level containing two blocks-level data striped across two or more independent and dedicated parity disks. You need a minimum of three disks, two to store data and one to store parity and redundancy. Each disk is independent, with no synchronized spinning or need for a controller.
RAID 5:
RAID 5 is a disk configuration that uses striping with parity, distributing both data and parity information across all drives. This setup eliminates a single-disk bottleneck and allows data to be reconstructed if a drive fails. RAID 5 loses the equivalent of one drive’s worth of storage to parity, making it more storage-efficient than RAID 1. For example, in a three-drive setup, you lose 33% of the total space, but with four drives, only 25% is lost. RAID 5 is a cost-effective solution and can support up to 16 drives or more, depending on the system.
RAID 6:
RAID 6 is like RAID 5, but parity data is written for two drives. It requires at least four drives and can withstand up to two drives dying simultaneously. Read speed is fast as RAID 5 but write speed is slower due to additional parity data. It is a good option for standard web servers but not recommended for a heavy write environment like a database server.
RAID 10:
Have a minimum of 4 drives and combine the advantages of RAID 0 and RAID 1 in a system protected by mirroring and striping. Users could lose both drives without losing data.
How RAID 10 Differs From Other Forms Of RAID
| Features | RAID 0 | RAID 1 | RAID 5 | RAID 6 | RAID 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum number of drives | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Fault-Tolerance | None | Single-drive failure. | Single-drive failure. | Two-drive failure. | Up to one disk failure in each sub-array. |
| Write performance | High | Medium | Low | Low | Medium |
| Read performance | High | Medium | Low | Low | High |
| Capacity utilization | 100% | 50% | 67%-94% | 50%-88% | 50% |
| Typical Applications | Ideal for high-end workstations, data logging, real-time rendering, and temporary data. | Operating systems, and transaction databases. | Suited for data storage, web serving, and archiving. | Data achieves backup to disk, high availability solutions, and servers with large capacity requirements. | Fast databases file servers, application servers. |
Hardware RAID vs. Software RAID
RAID Implementation occurs in two primary ways: software RAID and hardware RAID, each with its benefits and drawbacks.
| Hardware RAID | Software RAID |
|---|---|
| Hardware RAID utilizes a dedicated controller for managing RAID arrays like PCIe RAID integrated and controller cards in the motherboard. Unlike software, which depends on the host CPU for processing, standalone RAID centers are equipped with cache memory, processors, and firmware designed for RAID operations. | In software RAID, functionality is handled by special software applications, which utilize the computational resources of the host CPU by grouping multiple tasks. Data striping, monitoring, and parity calculation RAID functionality is done by the software layer. |
| It requires additional hardware, which makes it more expensive. | Software RAID doesn’t need additional hardware and acts as the best economical solution. |
| Hardware RAID is set up by a dedicated RAID controller. | Software RAID could be set up using operating system built-in tools. |
| It is less flexible and designed for handling specific configurations. | It is more flexible than hardware or configured to suit individual needs. |
| Hardware RAID handles RAID configuration with better performance than software RAID. | Software RAID depends on the system processor, which makes it slower than hardware. |
| Hardware RAID is more scalable than software because it is not dependent on system memory and processor. | Limited scalability due to dependence on the system processor. |
| Hardware RAID is more reliable. | Software RAID depends on the operating system for functionality, which makes it less reliable than hardware RAID. |
| Hardware RAID can be expensive due to high-end configuration. | It is more cost-effective since no additional software is needed. |
| It is more complex to set up due to additional hardware and specialized knowledge. | Software RAID is easier to set up as it has built-in tools from the operating system. |
| It does not affect performance because it runs on dedicated hardware. | It consumes CPU power and affects the performance of the system. |
RAID 10 With SSD
The primary aim of RAID was to improve performance and provide fault tolerance. The concept of RAID for storage and servers uses enormous performance NAND flash-based SSDs. SSD with RAID is used for data loss protection in data failure cases. Using a Redundant Array Of Independent Disks Level 10 on SSDs improves performance similarly to HDDs.
Advantages Of RAID 10
RAID is an economical and straightforward technical approach to data protection paired with a boost in performance. Data is fully redundant in RAID 10. If we don’t rely on parity to rebuild any data element lost during drive or disk failure, recovering data in a RAID 1+0 array is fast, which causes little downtime.
RAID 10 uses striping (RAID 0) to improve performance and mirroring (RAID 1) to ensure data redundancy. This configuration is effective for applications that require fast data access. In terms of capacity, RAID 10 gives 50% usable storage because the data is mirrored. For example, with four 1TB drives in RAID 10, the total usable capacity would be 2TB. The reduction in capacity is due to the mirroring feature, where each data block is duplicated on a second drive to ensure data safety.
Drawbacks Of RAID 10
Because RAID 1+0 demands 100% capacity, it is not an ideal implementation for extensive data. The capacity penalty for another form of RAID is much more minor. It is an effective alternative for smaller applications with limited scalability.
| Advantages Of RAID 10 System | Drawbacks Of RAID 10 System |
|---|---|
| Excellent performance for both read & write operations, especially for applications with high I/O demands. | It requires multiple drives than RAID configuration, which increases cost. |
| Robust fault tolerance, RAID 1+0 data recovery, and redundancy: With the ability to withstand the failure of numerous drives as long as they are not part of the same mirrored pair. | Reduced usable capacity due to mirroring requirements, as data is duplicated on mirrored drives. |
| They are quickly rebuilding the failed drive to copy data from the mirrored disk. | More complex initial setup and ongoing measurement. |
| Fast, robust times in the event of drive failure, as data can be copied directly from mirrored data. | Limited scalability compared to RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 9. |
RAID 5 vs RAID 10: What The Difference
| RAID 5 | RAID 10 |
|---|---|
| In RAID 5, data is divided into all disks equally. | In RAID 10, data is stored on one disk and mirrored in another. |
| Fast in writing speed as compared to the RAID 10. | Slow in writing speed as compared to RAID 5. |
| Three physical disks are needed. | Four physical disks are needed. |
| More storage in comparison to hybrid RAID. | Less storage in comparison to RAID 5. |
| It is made of strips of mirrors. | RAID 1+0 is made by striping with parity. |
| RAID 5 is worthwhile as it consists of a smaller number of disks. | It is expensive as it contains more disks. |
| Reliable as compared to hybrid RAID. | RAID 10 is far more reliable than RAID 5. |
| The advantage of RAID 5 is the quick data recovery during disk failure. | The advantages of RAID 10 are fast reads and inexpensive redundancy. |
| RAID 5 is complex. | It is simple. |
| It emphasizes data storage. | Emphasis on performance rather than storage. |
| Does not support mirroring and redundancy. | Support mirroring and redundancy. |
| Efficient storage cost and fault tolerance. | High performance, better fault tolerance, and fast recovery. |
| Slow write performance, limited failure tolerance, and long rebuild time. | High cost and inefficient storage use. |
Both have data reporting features for performance; the main difference is their usage. RAID 5 has more considerable storage functionality and is cheaper but suitable for environmental conditions with low write frequency.
Hybrid RAID is best for performance and tolerance like I/O jobs but requires more disks. Finally, RAID 5 and RAID 10 offer different utilities based on the user’s needs in terms of information safeguarding and performance.
VPS Malaysia: RAID 10 Protection Solution
A RAID 1+0 system is vital for businesses seeking data recovery, redundancy, and high performance. It collects the benefit of data striping (RAID 0) and data mirroring (RAID 1), offering performance and protection for a system.
RAID 1+0 VPS provides robust safeguards against hardware failures. Protect your organization with VPS Malaysia hosting services, which offer RAID 1+0 configuration or help to keep your website running smoothly with VPS Malaysia RAID 10 VPS, reliable performance, and redundancy. Don’t wait until it’s too late — secure your data and uptime today!
Conclusion
RAID 10 is the modern solution for balancing performance, capacity, and stability in data storage. Mirroring and striping provide data protection for demanding applications. Its rapid rebuild times, read and write operations, and ability to withstand the failure of multiple drives make it the best option for businesses and individuals who want critical data storage.
However, higher drive requirements and reduced usable capacity should be considered carefully. The proper implementation and planning provide a reliable and best-performing storage solution for various applications. If you have any questions, please ask in the comment section below!
Boost VPS performance and data protection with RAID 10. Explore VPS Malaysia’s solutions now!
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