RAID 0
Contents
RAID 0
RAID 0 (Redundant Array of Independent Disks, Level 0) is a storage configuration that uses **data striping** across two or more disks to improve performance. Unlike other RAID levels, RAID 0 offers **no redundancy or fault tolerance**. If any disk in the array fails, all data is lost.
RAID 0 is primarily used for performance enhancement where speed is more important than data safety.
How It Works
RAID 0 splits (or "stripes") data evenly across multiple drives. This allows read and write operations to occur simultaneously across multiple disks, increasing throughput.
| Disk 1 | Disk 2 |
|---|---|
| Block A1 | Block A2 |
| Block B1 | Block B2 |
| Block C1 | Block C2 |
Each file is broken into blocks and written across the disks in parallel.
Advantages
- **Maximum performance** — both read and write speeds are improved.
- **Full storage utilization** — 100% of total disk capacity is usable.
- **Simple configuration** — easy to set up with tools like mdadm.
Disadvantages
- **No fault tolerance** — if any single disk fails, all data is lost.
- **Not suitable for critical data** — due to high risk of complete data loss.
- **No redundancy** — does not provide protection against hardware failure.
Common Use Cases
- Temporary or non-critical storage
- Video editing and multimedia production
- High-performance gaming systems
- Scratch disks or cache systems
- Data that can be easily regenerated or restored
Example Setup
Using mdadm on Linux:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> sudo mdadm --create --verbose /dev/md0 --level=0 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sdb /dev/sdc </syntaxhighlight>
Comparison with Other RAID Levels
| Feature | RAID 0 | RAID 1 | RAID 5 | RAID 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redundancy | No | Yes | Yes (1 disk) | Yes (2 disks) | Performance | Highest | Read: fast, Write: normal | Balanced | Slower writes | Minimum disks | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Storage efficiency | 100% | 50% | (N - 1)/N | (N - 2)/N | Fault tolerance | None | 1 disk | 1 disk | 2 disks | Use case | Speed-critical, non-essential data | Critical data | Balanced use | High availability |
Warning
RAID 0 should **not** be used for storing important or irreplaceable data unless there are **external backups**. Even a single drive failure leads to total data loss across the array.
