OK, I’m trying to work out some data storage for the house, not only for my movies, but for general household use. But, I want to make sure I understand this RAID thing before I go through with purchasing any hardware.
- Raid 0: 2 drives into 1, doubles capacity, no protection. (2)1tb drives, become (1)2tb
- Raid 1: 2 drives into 1, duplicate data. (2)1tb drives, become (1)1tb drive, with automatic backup.
- Raid 5: 3+ drives – uses 33% of drive capacity to spread data across across all drives, can rebuild if 1 drive fails.
- Raid 10: Combo of Raid 0 & 1: 4 drives into 2 with duplicate data. (4) 1tb drives become 1 (2tb) drive, with auto backup.
Hardware Raid: Relies on settings in the enclosure. Failure unlikely, but would be total loss.
Software Raid: Relies on settings in the OS. Failure if OS fails – data recoverable if OS is reinstalled?
So, if I go with the Hardware RAID – I’d have to buy a special external enclosure, with a specific number of bays to dock drives in, which makes expanding impossible without buying another enclosure.
If I go with Software RAID, I can actually use the Home Theater PC I just built – it’s Raid 0, 1 & 5 capable, already.
I’d be grateful for any ideas, or advice from anyone more tech-savvy than me, in this respect, I really have no RAID experience.
