ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection - RULE #5

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On-Server Redundancy - Data redundancy is the best tool in the toolbox for data disaster recovery. Basically, the more copies you have of your data, the safer the data is. Next week I’ll add more to this idea with RULE #5 – Rotational Backups, but this week, the rule focuses on automatic redundancy at the server level. On-Server Redundancy can take on different forms, but the most common is called a RAID. Depending on who you ask, RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. The idea being that you have more than one physical hard drive hooked to your server, and the server automatically manages the drives to create copies of each other.

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In efforts to back up data, you have probably hooked up a USB drive and copied special files from your computer hard drive to the USB drive in order to back up those files. A RAID does this same thing. You have two physical drives in your server hooked up to a RAID controller. You save an important new spreadsheet to your hard drive. Then, the RAID controller makes a copy of the same file on the other hard drive. The RAID controller performs this task automatically, making the second drive a “mirror” of the first at all times. This greatly reduces the risk of data loss due to hard drive failure. If one of the drives in the RAID fails, the other drive still has all the data. You simply replace the bad drive like changing a tire on your car and the RAID goes merrily on its way with a fresh drive and 2 copies of your data. There are different RAID configurations beyond one disk copying one other disk, but you get the idea.

Next week we’ll check out Rotational Backups with Rule #6. I know … you’ll have trouble sleeping until you read that one.

THE BLOG OF SECRITS by Aaron Garn is focused on delivering time & money saving tips and tricks, IT news that impacts our clients, and straight forward IT consulting. Please contact Aaron Garn at aaron.garn@zetaone.com with any questions or topics you would like to see addresses on THE BLOG OF SECRITS.
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Posted by Aaron T Garn On 07/29/2009 | Permalink |