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Until recently the implementation of RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, was focused towards SCSI based servers which demand extremely high speed data throughput and the security that data on the server will remain intact under any given circumstance.
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Iwill SIDE-RAID66 IDE Controller
Review
Until recently the
implementation of RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, was focused
towards SCSI based servers which demand extremely high speed data throughput and
the security that data on the server will remain intact under any given
circumstance. The inherent cost of setting up such an array was an immediate
turn off for home users and enthusiasts.
In case you are not familiar with RAID and what it
is, it's simply a method which describes a process of utilizing two or more hard
disk drives simultaneously in order to ensure reliability of data and adds with
it a great deal of performance. RAID consists of a series of protocols which
allows a computer to store the same data, either mirrored or interleaved, across
multiple hard disks. By doing so, the input and output (your reads and writes)
load to/from the RAID system is evenly distributed across multiple hard disks.
As the
rate of data throughput of a single drive is limited, making use of multiple
disks and reading the same data in parallel is what gives the needed boost in
speed. The limiting factor of transfer rates being the interface
itself.
There are a number of flexible options which RAID offers to
those who need systems which boast of such characteristics. These are RAID 0 to
7, RAID 10 and RAID 53. With these options, one can choose either to have a
reliable upkeep of data or high data transfer rates or both. For a number of
years, RAID has been synonymous with the SCSI interface. This is one of the
reasons that contribute to the high cost of a SCSI based RAID solution. Aside
from the cost factor of RAID, actually putting one together wasn't exactly an
easy task.
Server administrators would first have to prioritize their needs with
respect to speed and reliability. If the server acts as a backbone to a network,
the administrator would have to also consider network load and the
amount/importance of data stored as a result of network activity. They would
then have to choose from the protocols available, purchase the necessary
hardware and finally implement the system.
As time goes on,
aside from the cost of hardware dropping substantially, we are also thrilled
by seeing new innovative ideas take shape. One of these being to implement RAID
on a more commonly used interface, thus allowing the fundamental concept of RAID
to be utilized by less expensive interfaces such as IDE, being the point of
focus in this article. Now, home and SOHO users now have the option of
increasing overall hard disk performance and data reliability through the use of
Iwill's SIDE-RAID66 card.
So does this
recent technological breakthrough really carry on the RAID legacy through the
slower and less expensive IDE interface? Read on to find out more...
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