1. What is a RAID 5 Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the usable storage capacity in a RAID 5 array based on the number of drives and their individual sizes.

Purpose: It helps IT professionals and system administrators plan storage arrays and understand capacity tradeoffs in RAID 5 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
• \( \text{DriveSize} \) — Size of each individual drive (TB)

Explanation: RAID 5 uses distributed parity, requiring the equivalent of one drive's capacity for parity information across the array.

3. Importance of RAID 5 Capacity Calculation

Details: Proper capacity planning ensures you allocate sufficient storage for your needs while maintaining fault tolerance through parity.

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 5 require N-1 drives worth of capacity?
A: RAID 5 dedicates the equivalent of one full drive's capacity to parity information that's distributed across all drives.

Q2: What's the minimum number of drives for RAID 5?
A: RAID 5 requires a minimum of 3 drives to implement distributed parity.

Q3: How does drive size affect RAID 5 capacity?
A: All drives should ideally be the same size. If they differ, capacity is limited by the smallest drive in the array.

Q4: What about RAID 5 performance considerations?
A: While this calculator shows capacity, remember RAID 5 has write performance penalties due to parity calculations.

Q5: How does RAID 5 compare to other RAID levels?
A: RAID 5 offers good read performance and efficient storage use, while RAID 6 offers more fault tolerance, and RAID 10 offers better performance.