Which is better option RAID 0 or BIG ??

[shubhankar_venkatesh]

I have very less information about RAID architecture. Please help me to know about RAID Architecture. I require a large backup and storage solution for my data. Most of the storage solutions are RAID based and out of them only RAID 0 architecture and BIG (http://www.thermaltake.com/raid.aspx) provide complete disk utilisation for storing data. I need to know which would be a better option if I have a SANS 5 HDD enclosure have 1 TB HDD in each slot, which RAID configuration will allow me to have maximum capacity utilisation ??


Thank You.
Shubhankar Venkatesh.

 

[goobaah]

for backup neither option is good. Big is the better of the two. In the RAID 0 if you lose one drives for any reason, you will lose all of your data, it wont be recoverable. In the BIG configuration, if you lose one drive, the data can be recovered that is not on the broken drive. But special software is needed. Both of these options will give you about 4.5 TB of formatted space. In RAID 5, if you lose one drive, the data is still available. Just replace the broken drive and the raid should recover itself. You will have 3.6 TB of formatted space with this configuration. Its up to you if you want to take the risks of the other options.

Good luck.

 

[shubhankar_venkatesh]

Thank Your for such an explanatory answer.
But can you explain me , how does the RAID 0 and BIG configuration works, I mean how the hard disks are connected in these configuration. It looks like Raid 0 configuration has hard disks connected in series, such that if anyone one of the middle hard disk out of five crashes, I wont be able to access the following hard disks, but previous hard disks being accessible ??? Actually I m looking for light on pocket storage solution for my data , consisting mostly of movies, softwares and games. I found ThermalTake BlackX Duet or a SANS 5 HDD enclosure were some of them I could go for. Please throw some light on these hardwares ?? Having a RAID controller card would better or not ??

 

[goobaah]

The thermaltake website is a good description of RAID. Here is another.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/43125-32-raid

In both raids, (BIG and RAID 0) is a drive fail all disk are inaccessible by the OS.

Cheapest route is building a computer with an integrated RAID controller that supports raid 5. RAID 5 is the most efficient as far as costs and use of drive space. Integrated controllers are ok, but some people have issues with them and some people suggest RAID versions of hard drives which cost more money. I use normal hard drives connected to my integrated intel chipset in RAID 5. so far so good. I dont store family photos on it without keeping a backup outside my case, but for movies ( aka DVD rips) it could be ok. You have to make choices at this point.

oh, your hard disk connection question. There is no serial / parallel connection scheme or anything. On port on the motherboard goes to one drive.

 

[shubhankar_venkatesh]

As my budget is quite limited, so for maximum space utilisation RAID config BIG will be OK i think ?? Say 5 hard disks of 1 tb giving me 931*5 GB of space , isn't ??

 

[shubhankar_venkatesh]

And one more question I forgot to ask, can you tell me the probability of hard disk crashes in RAID architecture in case I am using it only for data storage and continuous surge protection ?? Is it frequent or wat ??

 

[jitpublisher]

The problem with RAID 0 is that it splits your data, literally byte for byte, between the 2 drives (or 3 or 4 or however many drives you have). That is why if you lose 1 disk, all of your data is gone, and it cannot be recovered. Disk failure though is rarely the problem. Most RAID 0 arrays are broken due to a host of other reasons. User error, some other part of the system goes wrong, and during the repair you foul up the array. This is the biggest problem by far.
For data storage and backup, RAID is the absolute worst thing you can do.

 

[goobaah]

A drive could fail the day you put it in the computer or 10 years after you buy it. It is up to you if this is worth the risk. I have never had a disk failure in 11 years of owning a computer. I am lucky. A friend of mine has had 3 failures. His data was saved by having a mirror disk, and on one occasion having a backup copy. RAID 5 helps against a single DISK failure. Good practice is to run this RAID with a UPS which reduced the risk of electrical failure as a problem. Yes, and offline backup is the only way to really protect your data fully. Considering you want 5 TB of space, I would guess that you have a lot of video, cough, cough content. This is not family photos and precious data. I do not store my pictures all on a RAID, I have an external drive. having 5 TB of space for stuff, and then 5 TB of space for offline backup is not feasable in your case. If you insist on having all that space, do not use any form of raid at all. Just use the drives individually. If a drive fails. you just lose that data and the other drives keep humming along like nothing happened. If you want to potentially protect yourself in the case of a drive failure then sacrifice 931 GB of space and go raid 5. I have had good luck with it. Some have not. But, JBOD or BIG or RAID 0 are all very bad options especially with that many drives. The potential of failure in those cases is multiplied by 5. And noone out there can tell you if/when your drive will break. I just assume I will lose one eventually and plan for it.

 

[shubhankar_venkatesh]

Thank You, Sir.
Another question if you dont mind. Can I use the following hardware without RAID architecture
Sans Digital TowerRAID Black Hard Drive Enclosure TR5M-B(5 Bays)
Sans Digital TR8X-B TowerRAID Hard Drive Enclosure - 8-Bays
??

 

[goobaah]

Assuming you have a PCIe slot open in your computer, then those enclosures will work.