RAID 5 Performance Calculator

RAID 5 Performance Formulas:

\[ \text{ReadSpeed} = N \times \text{SingleSpeed} \] \[ \text{WriteSpeed} = (N - 1) \times \text{SingleSpeed} \]

Read Speed:

Write Speed:

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1. What is a RAID 5 Performance Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the read and write performance of a RAID 5 array based on the number of drives and single drive speed.

Purpose: It helps IT professionals and system administrators plan storage configurations and understand performance expectations.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses these formulas:

\[ \text{ReadSpeed} = N \times \text{SingleSpeed} \] \[ \text{WriteSpeed} = (N - 1) \times \text{SingleSpeed} \]

Where:

\( \text{ReadSpeed} \) — Maximum read performance (MB/s)
\( \text{WriteSpeed} \) — Maximum write performance (MB/s)
\( N \) — Number of drives in the array
\( \text{SingleSpeed} \) — Performance of a single drive (MB/s)

Explanation: RAID 5 provides excellent read performance by reading from all drives simultaneously, while write performance is reduced due to parity calculation overhead.

3. Importance of RAID 5 Performance Calculation

Details: Understanding RAID 5 performance helps in capacity planning, ensuring adequate performance for applications, and comparing different storage configurations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of drives (minimum 3) and the speed of a single drive in MB/s. The calculator will estimate read and write performance.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why does write speed decrease in RAID 5?
A: Write operations require reading existing data and parity, calculating new parity, then writing both data and parity - this "write penalty" reduces performance.

Q2: What's a typical single drive speed?
A: Modern HDDs typically offer 100-200 MB/s sequential speed, while SSDs can range from 300-3500 MB/s depending on the technology.

Q3: Does this account for controller overhead?
A: No, these are theoretical maximums. Real-world performance will be slightly lower due to controller and system overhead.

Q4: Can I use this for RAID 6?
A: No, RAID 6 has different performance characteristics due to dual parity. Use a RAID 6-specific calculator.

Q5: How does cache affect these numbers?
A: Controller cache can significantly improve write performance by buffering writes, but sustained writes will eventually reach these calculated speeds.