Software RAID-5 in SoftRAID

Last updated 2014-06-08 - Send Feedback
Related: RAID, RAID-5, SoftRAID, storage, Thunderbolt, video

RAID-5 is a fault-tolerant storage approach which allows the failure of one drive.

For software RAID-5, SoftRAID 5 is the first and only choice for Apple OS X as of mid 2014. It offers high performance (better than most hardware RAID), and an easy to use feature set.

This page shows various aspects of using RAID-5 in SoftRAID.

5-drive RAID-5

A 5-drive RAID-5 in SoftRAID. All drives are operating normally, so full fault-tolerance in in effect—one drive can fail and the RAID continues to operate.

5-drive RAID-5 volume in SoftRAID 5

Adding a replacement drive

A drive has failed. Replace the drive so that the rebuild process can begin.

Having a cold spare on hand lets the rebuild process start immediately, so that fault tolerance can be restored. Not having a spare means that the rebuild process is delayed, which puts the RAID-5 at risk of a 2nd drive failure, which would be fatal to the volume.

Adding a drive to replace a failed one

4-drive RAID-5 , degraded but rebuilding

One of the drives has failed and has been replaced.

SoftRAID is rebuilding the RAID-5 to restore fault-tolerance.

4-drive RAID-5 volume in SoftRAID 5

When the RAID-5 has been rebuilt, SoftRAID posts a notification.

Rebuild done

Nikon mirrorless List or World of Nikon

B&H Deal Zone • Deals by Brand/Category/Savings
Deals expire in 22 hours unless noted. Certain deals may last longer.
Sony Mirrorless wish list • Deals on Sony
$1199 SAVE $400 = 25.0% Apple 12" MacBook (Mid 2017, Gold) in Computers: Apple Macs	$899 SAVE $380 = 29.0% $19 FREE ITEMS Apple 12.9" iPad Pro (Mid 2017, 512GB, Wi-Fi + 4G LTE, Gold) in Electronics: iPads and Tablets	$849 SAVE $300 = 26.0% $19 FREE ITEMS Apple 12.9" iPad Pro (Mid 2017, 512GB, Wi-Fi Only, Gold) in Electronics: iPads and Tablets	$3649 SAVE $250 = 6.0% $49 FREE ITEMS Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2018, Space Gray) in Computers: Apple Macs	$5999 SAVE $700 = 10.0% $49 FREE ITEMS Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2018, Space Gray) in Computers: Apple Macs	$1599 SAVE $200 = 11.0% Apple 27" iMac with Retina 5K Display (Mid 2017) in Computers: Apple Macs
$2399 SAVE $100 = 4.0% Apple Mac mini (Late 2018) in Computers: Apple Macs	$313 SAVE $150 = 32.0% Cineo Lighting Basic Matchbox LED Light Kit in Lighting: LED	$382 SAVE $218 = 36.0% Dracast LED500 Plus Series Daylight LED Light in Lighting: LED	$30 JarvMobile 10,000mAh Wireless Power Bank with USB Type-C & Wirel… in Accessories: Batteries and Power	$1697 SAVE $800 = 32.0% LG C8PUA 55" Class HDR UHD Smart OLED TV in Electronics: Televisions	$599 SAVE $1400 = 70.0% LaCie 2TB Bolt 3 Thunderbolt 3 External SSD in Computers: Drives and Storage
$3097 SAVE $200 = 6.0% Nikon D850 DSLR in Cameras: DSLR	$649 SAVE $150 = 18.0% Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Mirrorless with 14-42mm EZ in Cameras: Mirrorless	$898 SAVE $200 = 18.0% Panasonic 8-18mm f/2.8-4 Leica DG Vario-Elmarit ASPH. in Lenses: Mirrorless	$1797 SAVE $200 = 10.0% Pentax K-1 Mark II DSLR in Cameras: DSLR	$178 SAVE $70 = 28.0% Samsung 1TB T5 Portable Solid-State Drive in Computers: Drives and Storage	$498 SAVE $100 = 16.0% Samsung 2TB 970 EVO NVMe M.2 Internal SSD in Computers: Drives and Storage
$409 SAVE $50 = 10.0% Samsung 2TB T5 Portable Solid-State Drive in Computers: Drives and Storage	$1250 $9 FREE ITEMS Samsung Galaxy Note9 SM-N960F Dual-SIM 512GB Smartphone in Electronics: Phone	$83 SAVE $25 = 23.0% SanDisk 256GB Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Memory Card in Accessories: Memory Cards	$50 SAVE $110 = 68.0% Sennheiser PMX 684i In-Ear Neckband Sports Headphone Kit for iOS… in Electronics: Audio	$998 SAVE $400 = 28.0% Sony a7 II Mirrorless in Cameras: Mirrorless	$1798 SAVE $200 = 10.0% Sony a7R II Mirrorless in Cameras: Mirrorless
$2798 SAVE $400 = 12.0% Sony a7R III Mirrorless in Cameras: Mirrorless	$3998 SAVE $500 = 11.0% Sony a9 Mirrorless in Cameras: Mirrorless