RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks and is a data storage virtualization technology. In fact, it is a method of storing data on multiple hard drives with the aim of protecting data against hard drive failure. You can perform RAID via Software and Hardware. This article will explain 4 Reasons to Choose HardRaid over SoftRaid. If you intend to buy a Dedicated Server server, you can check out the packages offered on the Eldernode website.
Table of Contents
Why Choose HardRaid over SoftRaid?
SoftRAID is a technology that offers data redundancy across several hard disk drives. It works on almost any operating system and does not need any additional hardware. This technology performs via software deployed on an operating system. But HardRAID is a method and form of a RAID that does the processing on a separate RAID card or motherboard. It uses a Dedicated Server RAID controller to manage the raid configuration. The RAID controller manages and performs all RAID-related tasks independently of the operating system.
1- HardRAID is Faster Than SoftRAID
Hardware RAID has a dedicated RAID system for operating system-independent RAID management. For this reason, it is faster and has higher performance than Software RAID. Add-on RAID controllers take over the management of the RAID array and are a good choice for use in older equipment that has limited processing power. For this reason, these RAIDs put less pressure on the CPU of the system.
2- It Is Easy to Replace a Downed Disk
If a drive is failed in HardRAID, you can easily remove the damaged drive and replace it with a new one. But this is very difficult and complicated in SoftRAID and you have to stop the failed drive first and then insert the new disk. It allows you to withstand the failure of one or more drives without losing data and in many cases without causing any failure.
3- HardRAID Is Compatible With Different Operating Systems
Hardware RAID is compatible with different operating systems and offers better compatibility across them than Software RAID. You can access your RAID system from Mac and Windows operating systems if you select a hardware RAID configuration. But in Software RAID, the devices that are attached should be compatible with the associated operating system. You can not use it for disks that are shared by different operating systems.
4- HardRAID Has Additional Configurations and Uses Fewer System Resources
When hardware RAID performs processes such as backup or recovery operations by a dedicated RAID system, it causes less stress on the system’s CPU. Generally, it uses fewer system resources than SoftRAID. Hardware RAID offers additional RAID configurations with the master controller. Therefore, it is better to invest in a hardware RAID card because motherboards often offer few options.
Conclusion
In HardRAID, a dedicated piece of hardware called a RAID controller is installed in a system to manage RAID, but in Software RAID, the software is responsible for managing RAID. In this article, we explained 4 reasons to choose HardRAID over SoftRAID. I hope this tutorial was useful for you and helps you to find the reasons to choose HardRAID over SoftRAID. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact us in the Comments section.
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