1. What is a RAID 10 Capacity Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the usable storage capacity of a RAID 10 array based on the number and size of drives.

Purpose: It helps IT professionals and system administrators plan storage requirements for RAID 10 configurations.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( \text{Capacity} \) — Usable storage capacity (TB)
• \( N \) — Number of drives in the array (must be even)
• \( \text{DriveSize} \) — Size of individual drives (TB)

Explanation: RAID 10 requires mirroring (1:1 redundancy) and striping, so usable capacity is half the total raw capacity.

3. Importance of RAID 10 Capacity Calculation

Details: Proper capacity planning ensures you meet storage requirements while maintaining redundancy and performance benefits of RAID 10.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of drives (must be 4 or more and even) and individual drive size in TB. All values must be > 0.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why divide by 2 in the formula?
A: RAID 10 provides redundancy by mirroring data, so half the total capacity is used for redundancy.

Q2: What's the minimum number of drives for RAID 10?
A: RAID 10 requires a minimum of 4 drives (2 mirrored pairs striped together).

Q3: Can I use drives of different sizes?
A: Technically yes, but usable capacity will be limited by the smallest drive in each mirrored pair.

Q4: How does RAID 10 compare to RAID 5 or RAID 6?
A: RAID 10 offers better write performance but less usable capacity than RAID 5/6 for the same number of drives.

Q5: Does this include formatting overhead?
A: No, this is raw capacity. Actual usable space will be slightly less due to filesystem overhead.