No matter how safe you think your data is, backup is still crucial. It is important to keep in mind what is RAID 1 good at, and not so good at.
RAID 1, in layman’s terms, is disk mirroring. It copies your data and stores it on two or more hard drives. A RAID 1 array requires at least two drive. It is ideal for mission-critical storage like payroll, accounting systems, and many others. It is a simple yet secure setup.
RAID 1 is ideal for small servers – The data replication on RAID 1 allows data access to important information despite drive failures.
The main advantage of RAID 1 is that when one drive fail, you are still able to access your data! This means you have the opportunity to replace and rebuild the failed drive without losing any important stored data, as long as you become aware of the first drive failure before the second drive fail.
Let’s discuss further everything there is to learn about RAID 1.
How Does Raid 1 Work?
RAID 1 array replicates your stored data in one drive onto a second drive. If one drive fails, the mirrored drive takes over so there is no loss of data.
A failed drive needs to be replaced manually. RAID 1 does not have a large storage capacity, so replacement or a rebuild will be quick. It is one of the most reliable RAID levels.
How Safe is RAID 1?
As far as RAID levels go, RAID 1 is one of the safest. Unless you go from a two-drive RAID 1 array to a three-drive RAID 1 array. The more drives present in the array, the safer your data is. However, there is a risk of not knowing when a drive has failed until all have failed, resulting in data loss and a need for RAID 1 recovery from a professional.
But remember that your RAID 1 is not a substitute for backing up your data. Always backup your data to another device. No matter how safe you think your data is, backup is still crucial. It is important to keep in mind what is RAID 1 good at, and not so good at.
How Many Drives Do You Need for RAID 1?
What is RAID 1’s minimum and maximum drive requirements? The minimum requirement to set up a RAID 1 array is two drives. This does not mean you have to limit your storage system to two drives.
You can opt to add more drives to your RAID 1 according to your needs. The more, the better.
What is the Advantage of RAID 1?
RAID 1 is a simple technology. Because it mirrors data stored on one drive to a second drive, there is no need to rebuild if a drive fail. You only need to replace and replicate. This makes your data storage system convenient and easy to manage.
What is RAID 1’s biggest advantage? It has excellent Read and Write speed. It can be compared to that of a single drive. How convenient is that?
When Should I Use RAID 1?
If you are working with mission-critical data like accounting systems, RAID is your best option. If you simply want to centralize your home or office files like photos, documents, and others, RAID 1 will work too.
It is ideal for multiple users that use the same files on a regular basis.
This will apply to home-users saving photos and other regular documents on one machine. RAID 1 is versatile because you can add more drives if the need arises. RAID 1 is also ideal for general and RPG gaming.
How Do I Setup RAID 1?
Before you set up your RAID 1 array, make sure you back up all crucial data. Back up the data you want to store in the array too. What is RAID 1’s main purpose? Replicating data.
You cannot replicate data if you lose it first.
What is RAID 1’s set up checklist? Use identical drives with the same interface and up-to-date firmware. Once you have prepared your hardware, set up the software.
Look for the utility by searching for “Storage Spaces.” Launch and click on “Create a new Pool and Storage Space.” Click “yes” on Administrator Access.
Select all the unformatted disks that you want on the RAID 1 array. Click on “create Pool.” Name the pool and create a drive letter. The pool name will appear as the label of the drive you created.
Select NTFS for your File System. Select “Two-way Mirror” for Resiliency Type. Click on “create Storage Space” to create the array. You now have your RAID 1, congratulations!
How Do I Uninstall RAID 1?
If you want to remove or uninstall your RAID 1 array, click on the “Delete” button right next to the storage space you want to remove. To delete the whole Pool, delete all storage spaces in it first.
How Do I know If RAID 1 is Working?
The simplest way to check if your RAID 1 is working…
Is to pull one drive. See if you can still access data from the remaining drive or drives. If you can, then your RAID 1 function is working.
The main purpose of RAID 1 is to replicate data. So, if you take out one, you should be able to access your stored data with no issues. If not, then your RAID 1 function is not working and you will have to rebuild or replace one or both drives.
If you lose a drive, then you may need to consider RAID 1 recovery services to salvage your lost data.
How Long Does It Take to Rebuild a RAID 1?
What is RAID 1’s best feature? It is designed to rebuild automatically. When one drive fails, the system will automatically go into “Rebuild Mode.” The “Rebuild Mode” will allow you to replace the failed drive.
Once the failed drive is replaced, the system will clone the data from the remaining drive.
RAID 1 is a reliable storage system that is not set up for failure. However, although it may seem foolproof, you should always back up your data on a consistent basis. Backing up your data is still as important as investing in a solid data storage system.
Now that you have fully understood what is RAID 1, you can start building your array.
Check out our RAID Disk Data Recovery services.
