So sánh soft raid và hard raid

RAID is a redundant array of disks. It is a way to virtualize multiple independent hard drives into one or more arrays to improve performance, capacity, and reliability. RAID can be implemented either with a dedicated controller (Hardware RAID) or with an operating system driver (Software RAID).

Hardware RAID

Benefits:

Hardware RAID is a specialized processing system that uses RAID controllers or cards to manage the RAID configuration regardless of the operating system. The RAID controller does not take processing power from the drives it manages. Thus, more space and speed can be used to read and write data. It can run on any operating system. Replacing a failed drive is very simple - just unplug it and insert a new one.

Disadvantages:

Because hardware RAID requires additional controller hardware, the cost is higher than software RAID. If your RAID controller fails, you need to find a compatible one to replace it for the RAID system to work as you configured it.

Software RAID

Benefits:

Unlike hardware RAID, software RAID uses the processing power of the operating system in which the RAID drives are installed. The cost is lower because no additional hardware RAID controller is required. It also allows users to reconfigure arrays without the constraints of a hardware RAID controller.

Disadvantages:

Software RAID is usually slower than hardware RAID. Since some processing power is consumed by the software, the read and write speed of your RAID configuration, as well as other operations performed on the server, maybe slowed down by it. Software RAID is often operating system dependent, so it generally cannot be used for partitions shared by operating systems. Replacing a failed disk in software RAID is somewhat more complicated. You must first tell your system to stop using the disk and then replace the disk.

Software RAID vs Hardware RAID: Which to Choose

The choice between software RAID and hardware RAID depends on what you need to do and the cost. If your budget is tight and you are using RAID 0 or RAID 1, there won't be much difference between software RAID and hardware RAID. If you are looking for maximum performance with compute-intensive RAID 5 and RAID 6, you should choose hardware RAID, because software RAID can actually degrade performance. Moreover, esoteric RAID levels like RAID 10 are usually not supported by software RAID. In this case, hardware RAID is required. In general, hardware RAID costs more than software RAID, but offers better performance and frees you from the limitations of software RAID, giving you more flexibility in how it is used and in the types of configurations. If your budget allows, hardware RAID is definitely for you. Feel free to email us at

If you’re not willing to trust a single hard drive (HDD) with your data — or if you need faster performance than you could reasonably attain with a single HDD — RAID makes a lot of sense.

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks (or, alternatively, Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). Depending on the RAID level you use, you can enjoy improved performance and a much lower chance of data loss.

After choosing a RAID level, you’ll need to make another important decision: whether to use a software or hardware RAID.

Software RAID and Hardware RAID: What’s the Difference?

Most RAID levels write data across multiple disks simultaneously. A typical home computer isn’t designed for this operation — you’ll need to either invest in hardware (a RAID controller card) or software designed for the purpose.

Hardware RAID cards manage your storage independently from your computer’s operating system (OS). That means that the OS doesn’t need to think about the RAID; it operates normally, while the controller card handles most of the hard work.

A software RAID uses some of the computer’s processing power to manage the RAID storage. Some operating systems support certain RAID levels natively. Mac OS Big Sur, for example, has a RAID Assistant feature that supports RAID 0 and RAID 1. However, to get the performance benefits of a true RAID — and to use configurations like RAID 5 and RAID 1 — you’ll usually need to install dedicated software such as SoftRAID (we’re linking to this product’s website here, but Datarecovery.com does not endorse specific software or hardware).

Advantages of a Hardware RAID Controller

RAID controller cards are relatively expensive, but for high-performance applications, they’re worth the investment. Some key advantages:

• Hardware RAIDs are fully independent from the computer’s operating system, so they’re significantly faster than software RAIDs.
• Since you don’t need to install software, you get more storage from your RAID.
• Hardware RAIDs are widely supported, so you can use them with any operating system (provided that your computer’s architecture supports the RAID controller).
• When a hard drive fails, you can easily swap out the damaged drive without losing data.
• RAID controller cards support a wider variety of RAID levels, including advanced configurations that are more appropriate for servers and high-capacity backup systems.

Advantages of a Software RAID

Software RAIDs aren’t as fast as hardware RAIDs, but they offer advantages in certain situations:

• Most RAID software is inexpensive, and free options are available for certain operating systems.
• If a RAID controller fails, you’ll need to replace it with an appropriate model to restore access to your data. Software RAIDs don’t have this disadvantage.
• RAID software supports simple configurations such as RAID 0 and RAID 1, and some computer users may not need more complex setups.

The main reason to use a software RAID: You’re interested in a multi-HDD storage setup, but you’re not too worried about redundancy or performance. For example, if you’re setting up a secondary or tertiary backup system that you’ll run once per day, a software RAID may be a more budget-friendly choice than a hardware RAID.

Should You Choose a Software or Hardware RAID?

Generally, hardware RAIDs are a better option for most applications. Software RAIDs can offer better redundancy than a single HDD, but they’re not especially fast — and if a hard drive fails, you’ll have to work with your RAID software to replace the disk (instead of simply swapping out the failed drive, as you’d typically do with a hardware controller).

It’s important to remember that most RAID levels offer redundancy, but redundancy is not a replacement for a strong backup strategy. We recommend keeping at least three copies of important data on separate devices. Even if you have a RAID with multiple layers of redundancy, you only have one copy of your files — that’s not sufficient to protect against data loss.

Common causes of data loss on RAID systems include:

• Failed rebuilds, which can occur on both software and hardware RAIDs.
• Multiple hard drive failures.
• RAID controller failures.
• Accidental data deletion.
• Ransomware and other malware.
• Replacing the wrong hard drive following a failure.
• Operating system or software upgrades that prevent the RAID from operating as intended.

If you’ve lost data from a RAID system, Datarecovery.com can help. With free media evaluations and a comprehensive no data, no charge guarantee, we provide the best options for restoring lost files.

Each of our laboratories is fully equipped with cleanrooms and dedicated equipment for hard drive data recovery, and through regular investments in research and development, we’ve maintained high recovery success rates for both software and hardware RAID systems.