[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | Hard Disk Drives | Hard Disk Performance, Quality and Reliability | Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) | RAID Configuration and Implementation ]

RAID Controllers and Controller Features

While the RAID level of an array gets a lot of attention, and the drives used in the array do too, the RAID controller often does not. This is unfortunate, because in many ways your choices for implementing a RAID array are dependent on the type of controller you use. The controller and related hardware also have a very important impact on array capacity and performance.

In this section I take a look at the different options available for controlling a RAID array, examining in particular the important matter of "hardware RAID vs. software RAID". I also explain related issues such as the different interfaces that can be used for RAID implementations, the use of multiple channels for increasing throughput, and also some operating system concerns.

Next: Hardware RAID

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