About Raid Configurations; Raid Level 1 Configuration - Dell Dimension PY349 Owner's Manual

About RAID Configurations

This section provides an overview of the RAID configuration you may have selected when you purchased
your computer. Your computer supports RAID level 1. A RAID level 1 is recommended for users that
desire a high level of data integrity.
The drives in a RAID configuration should be the same size in order to ensure that the larger drive does
not contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.

RAID Level 1 Configuration

RAID level 1 uses a data-redundancy storage technique known as mirroring to enhance data integrity.
When data is written to the primary drive, the data is also duplicated, or mirrored, on the second drive in
the configuration. A RAID level 1 configuration sacrifices high data-access rates for its data redundancy
advantages.
If a drive failure occurs, subsequent read and write operations are directed to the surviving drive. A
replacement drive can then be rebuilt using the data from the surviving drive.
NOTE:
In a RAID level 1 configuration, the size of the configuration is equal to the size of the smallest drive in the
configuration.
serial ATA RAID
configured for
RAID level 1
segment 1
segment 2
segment 3
segment 4
segment 5
segment 6
hard drive 1
segment 1 duplicated
segment 2 duplicated
segment 3 duplicated
segment 4 duplicated
segment 5 duplicated
segment 6 duplicated
hard drive 2
Setting Up and Using Your Computer
29