RAID: Level 10

RAID 10, a hybrid configuration, combines the performance benefits of RAID 0 with the redundancy of RAID 1.

Data is first mirrored across pairs of disks and then striped across those mirrored sets, providing both speed and fault tolerance. If one disk in a mirrored pair fails, its twin maintains data integrity, while striping ensures high read and write performance.

This configuration requires at least four disks and reduces usable storage to 50% of the total disk capacity, as half is reserved for redundancy.

Although it is more expensive due to its high disk requirements, it offers superior rebuild times compared to parity-based levels, as only the failed disk within a mirror needs recovery.

RAID 10 is highly suitable for environments that demand both speed and reliability, such as high-performance database servers, transaction-heavy systems, or virtualization platforms. Its simplicity and efficiency make it a popular choice for critical systems, despite the higher cost per gigabyte.