1. What is a RAID 6 Storage Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the usable storage capacity in a RAID 6 array based on the number of drives and their individual size.

Purpose: It helps IT professionals and system administrators plan storage arrays by determining the actual usable capacity after RAID 6 overhead.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( Storage \) — Usable storage capacity (TB)
• \( N \) — Number of drives in the array
• \( DriveSize \) — Capacity of each individual drive (TB)

Explanation: RAID 6 uses two drives worth of capacity for parity data, so the usable storage is the remaining drives multiplied by their size.

3. Importance of RAID 6 Storage Calculation

Details: Proper storage estimation ensures you allocate sufficient drives for your needs while maintaining the dual-parity protection that RAID 6 provides.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of drives (minimum 3) and the size of each drive in TB. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why does RAID 6 need two drives worth of capacity?
A: RAID 6 uses two parity blocks per stripe, allowing the array to withstand the failure of any two drives without data loss.

Q2: What's the minimum number of drives for RAID 6?
A: RAID 6 requires a minimum of 3 drives, though practical implementations typically use 4 or more.

Q3: How does this compare to RAID 5 storage?
A: RAID 5 uses only one drive for parity (formula: (N-1)×DriveSize), offering more storage but less redundancy.

Q4: Does this calculation account for formatting overhead?
A: No, this shows raw capacity. Actual usable space will be slightly less due to filesystem overhead.

Q5: Can I mix drive sizes in RAID 6?
A: Technically yes, but the array will treat all drives as the size of the smallest one, wasting capacity on larger drives.