Benefits of RAID | RI

If you’re hosting onsite servers, the risk of losing data due to hardware failure is something that should be taken seriously at all times. A distribution company we support recently requested to increase the security of its data. With a Dell Poweredge currently hosting its servers, using a RAID 1 configuration, we purchased two additional hard-drives to fill all 4 slots in the host. Through this we can reconfigure the RAID controller to a RAID 10 and double the amount of available storage on the host while simultaneously keeping data safe and secure in the event a hard drive should crash.

When reconfiguring a RAID, it is important to understand the repercussions of making these changes. By doing so, you are clearing the datastore and recreating the virtual drive from scratch. For our client mentioned above, we were able to upgrade their current ESXI version from 5.5 to 6.5 in the process.

Prior to the rollout, we performed full backups via Barracuda upon server shut down. This way no data was lost and we were easily able to spin up a restore to the host following completion. Preparation and keeping your configurations up to date is a great way to stay on top of current technology and keep your data safe!