[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | Hard Disk Drives | Hard Disk Interfaces and Configuration | Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) | SCSI Host Adapters ]

RAID Support

SCSI is the interface of choice for servers and high-end workstations, where both performance and reliability are critical. One of the most important ways that performance, data integrity and reliability are improved in modern PC systems is through the use of redundant arrays of inexpensive disks, or RAID. This term simply refers to the use of multiple hard disks in an array, with data spread across the disks. Accessing multiple disks simultaneously allows for faster performance; the optional use of redundancy allows for protection against hardware faults. You can read all the details about RAID here.

Most higher-end RAID solutions use SCSI, so support for RAID is commonly found in SCSI host adapters. In practice, these are not usually sold as "SCSI host adapters with RAID support" but rather are considered as a separate product line: "SCSI RAID controllers". For more information on RAID controllers, see this section. If purchasing a RAID controller, be sure to read all RAID controller specifications carefully, in addition to the information I just referenced--RAID cards vary widely in terms of features and implementation requirements.

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