RAID

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Drives) stores data on an array of drives treating multiple drives as a single logical drive.  RAID can enhance performance and reliability.  All HP desktop workstations support factory configured RAID 0 and RAID 1.  The Z800 also supports factory configured RAID 5 and RAID 10.

Multiple independent drives (non-RAID) can also enhance performance by separating data from the OS and application software.

Available HP Workstation Configurations:

			Primary value		Additional information
	Multiple independent drives (non-RAID)		Easiest higher performance storage configuration to purchase and manage.		Adding a 2nd storage drive (non-RAID) dedicated to your data and/or for dedicated scratch/application temporary space aids system performance
	RAID 0		Fast		Data is divided up (stripped) and written or read in parallel to all the drives.  No data redundancy; if any drive fails all data is lost.  Routine data backups are strongly advised.
	RAID 0 Data Array		Higher system integrity with the performance of RAID 0		Non-RAID boot/OS drive plus a RAID 0 data array. Non-RAID boot drive separates OS/application accesses from data accesses and offers system integrity should the RAID 0 fail.
	RAID 1		Data reliability		All data on one drive is mirrored on a second drive. If one drive fails, the other drive will have the data. Usable capacity will be that of one drive.
	RAID 5		A sophisticated combination of speed and reliability		RAID 0 like parallelism with data parity offers an excellent combination of performance and reliability. If one drive fails, the data remains intact. Requires 3 or more drives. A focused RAID ROC (RAID on Chip) storage controller delivers the best performance, especially on writes. Usable capacity will be roughly the sum of the drives minus one drive.
	RAID 5 (BootHDD + Parity Array)		A more sophisticated combination of speed and reliability.		Non-RAID boot/OS drive plus a RAID 5 Parity data array. Non-RAID boot drive separates OS/application accesses from data accesses and offers system integrity should the RAID 5 fail.
	RAID 10		Can be especially good for databases		A combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0 provides both performance and reliability. Requires 4 drives and delivers the capacity of 2 drives.

Additional HP Support RAID FAQ/Setup information is available here.