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Data corruption when Write caching is enabled

Anonymous
2023-09-04T13:03:47+00:00

Hello,

I've recently learned that enabling disk write caching can significantly improve system performance. However, I'm concerned about the potential risks of data corruption or loss in case of a sudden power failure.

Here's some context about my setup:

Operating System: Windows Server 2012 R2

Disk Type: SATA 3.0 HDD

Purpose : I'm considering enabling write caching on my disk to boost performance, My understanding was that data corruption can occur if a power failure occurs when the data on write cache has still not been committed to the Disk .

During my research, I found the following details in this Article, they have mentioned "Data corruption occurs without the users awareness when the active disks write cache is enabled and the disk performs a Read Look Ahead (RLA), which is prematurely ended." . I could not understand the exact meaning of this statement.

Is there any cases of Data corruption / file corruption happening after enabling Write caching even when no Data write is taking place at the time of power failure .

I believe this discussion could benefit many users, and your input is greatly appreciated!

Windows for business Windows Server Storage high availability Other

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-09-05T06:25:35+00:00

    Hi IT Researcher007,

    If the disk write cache is enable, data will be written to the cache first instead of the disk. There is always a risk of data corruption because you do not know how long it takes to move the data from the cache to the disk and whether all the data in the cache has been successfully written to the disk at the time of power failure. The disk may still be working on the data that was written to the cache ten seconds ago when the power goes out.

    Best Regards,

    Ian Xue

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