RAID
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drives into one or more logical units for data redundancy, performance improvement, or both. It distributes data across the drives in various ways, known as RAID levels, to protect against drive failures and enhance read/write speeds. This technology is widely used in servers, storage systems, and high-availability computing environments.
Developers should learn RAID when working on systems requiring data reliability, high availability, or improved storage performance, such as database servers, file servers, or applications handling critical data. It is essential for minimizing downtime and data loss in production environments, and understanding RAID levels helps in designing storage architectures that balance redundancy, speed, and cost. Use cases include setting up RAID arrays for backup solutions, optimizing I/O operations in data-intensive applications, or configuring storage for virtual machines.