Comparing Different Implementations of RAID Levels
The following tables show the advantages and disadvantages to using the various implementations of RAID (redundant array of independent disks).
RAID implementation |
Advantage |
Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
Microsoft Windows 2000 or later RAID-5 volumes |
No added hardware cost. |
Uses system processing resources. |
Hardware-based striping |
Does not compete for processor cycles. Best performance of all RAID implementations. |
Additional cost of specialized hardware. |
RAID solutions that are typically used with SQL Server provide varying levels of redundancy and fault tolerance.
RAID implementation |
Advantage |
Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
Hardware-based RAID 3, 5, or 10 |
Excellent performance. Does not compete for processor cycles. |
Cost. |
Hardware-based RAID 1 |
Excellent redundancy. Does not compete for processor cycles. |
Additional cost because of more hardware. |
Hardware-based RAID 10 |
Excellent performance. Excellent redundancy. |
Additional cost because of more hardware. |
Windows 2000 or later mirrored volumes |
Good redundancy. Low cost. |
Uses system processing resources. |
Windows 2000-based RAID 5 |
Excellent read performance. Low cost. |
Uses system processing resources. |