Raid explained

It depends on how you want to set up raid (software vs. hardware, what type of software/OS or hardware, etc..).

Here are some links to just general info that may help...

http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm.cgi?sstring=RAID

http://www.planetit.com/techcenters/docs/enterprise_apps_systems-storage/technology/PIT20000914S0022

Hope that helps. Good luck.

In addition to the sites mentioned in the previous answer, check out Adaptec's site.

Also, I strongly encourage you to select a hardware RAID option. The overhead to manage a "Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks" places quite a load on the processor if a software RAID solution is chosen. Plus, if the software (for whatever reason) is not able to support the driver for the RAID solution, then you will not be able to access your data at all. With hardware RAID, you can typically access your data from different operating systems if needed.

You will also want to explore the various levels of RAID (0,1,5,etc). Level 5 is the most common because it yields the highest level of protection with the least cost. However, there are some relatively new RAID specifications (10,50, etc) that you may want to look into.

Lastly, make sure that you choose a controller that allows you to monitor and manage your RAID solution without taking the system down. Most vendors offer software that allows you to reconfigure and expand your storage capacity without loosing data.

I hope this helps.

First read this link http://whatis.techtarget.com/WhatIs_Definition_Page/0,4152,214332,00.html
Then follow link at the bottom of this link.

WBR