1. What is RAID Capacity Calculation?

The RAID capacity calculation determines the usable storage space in a RAID array after accounting for parity or mirroring. It's essential for storage planning and configuration.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the RAID capacity equation:

Where:

• \( n \) — Number of drives in the array
• \( size \) — Size of each drive in GB
• \( parity \) — Number of parity drives

Explanation: The equation calculates total raw capacity minus the space used for parity protection.

3. Importance of RAID Capacity Planning

Details: Proper capacity planning ensures you have enough usable storage while maintaining the desired level of redundancy and performance.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of drives, individual drive size in GB, and number of parity drives. All values must be positive integers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between parity and mirroring?
A: Parity uses mathematical calculations to protect data while mirroring creates exact copies. Parity is more space-efficient.

Q2: How many parity drives are needed for RAID 5 vs RAID 6?
A: RAID 5 uses 1 parity drive, RAID 6 uses 2 parity drives.

Q3: Does drive size affect performance?
A: Larger drives may take longer to rebuild but don't necessarily affect normal operation performance.

Q4: What about RAID 10 capacity?
A: For RAID 10 (mirroring + striping), capacity is (n × size)/2 as half the drives are mirrors.

Q5: Should I account for formatting overhead?
A: Yes, actual usable space will be slightly less due to filesystem overhead (typically 5-10% less).