I still don't see a significant advantage to using RAID

[Hefemeister]

In that situation raid had nothing to do with their problem. It does not matter how you store your data without backups if somebody deletes your drives you are done.

It could be a 5.25 floppy drive or an 8 disk raid array, the results are the same. The mistake was not having a backup of the system plain and simple.

edit: by the time i read the article and replies you guys had moved on. How could they think raid was a backup solution?

 

[KSoD]

If they had a backup they could have restored. If not using the original hardware then with new hardware.

I was using that as a example as to why RAID isnt that efficent. Even pros couldnt recover the data.

 

[Hefemeister]

My guess is pros could not recover data because he really deleted that puppy (like a data nuke or something). I have had raid1 arrays that were formatted and reinstalled with server that I was able to retrieve data from them with a software solution. If they could not get the data by pulling the platters that guy did a great job.

 

[saltynay]

You have to format it over 16 times I believe to get past government security standard data eradication or so I have read. You could also place some very strong electromagnets on the drive and that would wipe it.

also just like to add as I didn't see it whilst flicking through raid 5 still has the flaw of 2drives failing at once you would need raid 6 or raid 10, raid 50 (raid0+3) to deal with such difficulties
AC&NC | RAID.edu - RAID Levels - RAID Level 6 - RAID 6

 

[CntdwnToExtn]

i thought low-level format destroyed all data?

 

[oldskool]

Apparently so. They thought that RAID was a backup. Now they are gone after many years on the net. I found it funny personally.

But it is true. If 1 disk in the array fails and you are using RAID 0 then you lose it all. With little chance of recovering your files.

Yes, but anyone relying strictly on RAID 0 for a backup solution is obviously risk-taking. I am not saying to do that, in any earlier post or now. As I said, my instructor uses three different types of RAID (0,1, and 5; RAID 5 especially, because if one drive goes down you are still ok). PLUS he does backups to tape. His reasons as explained to us made sense.

Again, I am no expert - but I do pay attention. I think that some people are missing here is that RAID by itself is not a backup solution. Backups are backup solutions. RAID just keeps things going. If the system does go down, you still have your data backed up with the tapes.

 

[oldskool]

If they had a backup they could have restored. If not using the original hardware then with new hardware.

I was using that as a example as to why RAID isnt that efficent. Even pros couldnt recover the data.

I read the blog and what I got from it is that the IT people expected RAID to be a backup solution. That was obviously a bad mistake. They didn't make backups.

 

[carnageX]

You have to format it over 16 times I believe to get past government security standard data eradication or so I have read. You could also place some very strong electromagnets on the drive and that would wipe it.

also just like to add as I didn't see it whilst flicking through raid 5 still has the flaw of 2drives failing at once you would need raid 6 or raid 10, raid 50 (raid0+3) to deal with such difficulties
AC&NC | RAID.edu - RAID Levels - RAID Level 6 - RAID 6

Or if you really wanna destroy it...take it apart, and melt the platters with a blowtorch . Chemical change ftw .

i thought low-level format destroyed all data?

No, that's why when you format or delete a partition, you're still able to get stuff back through software means, or by professional means. Best way to destroy data is destroy the drive, but if you just wanna do an actual data destruction, a program like DBAN or KillDisk is your best bet. Both write 0's to the drive and then format it. DBAN does this process multiple times (as many as you pick if I remember right), to ensure data security.

 

[meat_helmet]

^^ I think you mean raid 0 not raid 1.

Yep, i did. Stupid mistake... post FAIL.