RAID is often touted as the end-all solution to all of your data backup worries. While a RAID setup can certainly introduce some additional protections for your data, especially when it's done correctly, it's not perfect. In fact, many of the same issues that have plagued modern hard drives for years can still appear in RAID setups.
The primary benefit of RAID is the fact that it has it built-in data redundancy - depending on what level of RAID you're using. As such, it's incredibly rare to experience permanent data loss when working with a RAID system; but it's still possible.
Common Problems with RAID Hardware
While there are many potential points of failure in a modern RAID system, some problems are more common than others. Some of the most common issues include:
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Failed RAID controller: One of the biggest flaws of modern RAID systems is the fact that many of them rely on a single RAID controller. If this controller fails, it could render your entire system inaccessible. In extreme cases involving power surges, it could result in damage to one or more of your hard drives.
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Missing RAID partitions: A failing hard drive might manifest itself in many ways, but it often results in a missing RAID partition. In this case, the entire drive will need to be replaced.
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Virus infections: RAID doesn't provide any inherent protection against computer viruses, so your data is still susceptible to loss or corruption due to malicious software. Virus infections have the potential to be even more harmful on RAID systems, however, as the infected files can easily be copied and spread across multiple hard drives.
How do Problems Like This Occur?
As mentioned, RAID systems generally contain typical, off-the-shelf hard drives. These drives don't include any additional kind of data protection, so problems can still occur. Oftentimes, such problems occur for the following reasons:
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Improper system shutdown: Improperly shutting down a RAID system could easily result in data loss or corruption and even hardware damage. Make sure you always use the proper method for shutting down your system.
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Failure to eject hard drives before disconnection: In some cases, RAID drives are routinely swapped out and replaced. Failing to properly eject a hard drive before disconnecting it could also result in data corruption and other hardware issues.
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Sudden power spikes and surges: In most cases, it's not a sudden power outage that causes the most problems. Instead, it's the following power spike or surge that happens when power is finally restored. As with all drives and most electronic hardware in general, these power surges can easily damage your hardware and result in data loss or corruption. To avoid issues like this, always use a surge protector or, if possible, an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to protect your system.
As you can see, RAID systems still require many of the same precautions as ordinary hard drives. In fact, the presence of multiple hard drives actually complicates matters even further and could make it even more difficult to recover RAID from a serious system problem.
