What is RAID on Synology NAS?

Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central

What is RAID?

RAID stands for redundant array of inexpensive/independent disks. It’s a group of independent drives that operate as a fused single array. You can think of it as two or more drives joined together to create a single pool of storage. This method helps to improve performance as well as offer redundancy in case a drive fails.

Should a drive fail and it’s not configured in a RAID, you’ll run the risk of losing stored data. When using RAID, we safeguard ourselves against such issues by reserving a portion of the total storage capacity for localized backups. If a drive fails and needs to be replaced, the stored backup data could then be used to recreate the storage volume.

Why you should use it on NAS

There are actually a few levels of RAID, depending on how many drives you plan on using, what kind of data redundancy is required, and total volume capacity.

The best RAID for Synology NAS largely comes down to the number of drives, but Synology’s Hybrid RAID (SHR) is usually the best choice. It doesn’t matter which enclosure you choose, even the best NAS for home requires some form of data redundancy or means for backup.