Data Protection Basics

Data Protection Basics

When it comes to managing your data, protecting it from loss, corruption, or failure is crucial. Understanding the fundamentals of data protection helps you make informed decisions about how to keep your data safe. In this section, we’ll cover RAID configurations, Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), and the critical differences between RAID and backups.

Understanding RAID: The Basics of RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a method of combining multiple hard drives into a single system to improve performance, provide redundancy, or both. Here’s a quick overview of the most common RAID levels:

• RAID 0 (Striping): Data is split across multiple disks for faster performance. However, there’s no redundancy—if one drive fails, all data is lost.

• RAID 1 (Mirroring): Data is duplicated across two drives. If one drive fails, the other retains all the data. This setup provides redundancy but reduces available storage to 50% of total capacity.

• RAID 5 (Striping with Parity): Requires at least three drives. Data and parity information are distributed across all drives, allowing the system to recover data if one drive fails.

• RAID 6 (Double Parity): Similar to RAID 5 but can withstand two simultaneous drive failures. Requires at least four drives.

• RAID 10 (1+0): Combines RAID 1 and RAID 0 by mirroring data and striping across mirrored pairs. Offers both speed and redundancy but requires at least four drives.

What is Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) and How Is It Different from Traditional RAID?

Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) is an automated RAID management system designed by Synology to simplify data protection. Unlike traditional RAID, SHR allows you to mix different-sized drives and still make efficient use of storage space.

Key Benefits of SHR:

• Flexible Drive Use: Maximizes storage capacity with mixed-size drives.

• Easy Setup: Automatically manages RAID configurations without the need for technical expertise.

• Scalable: Adding new drives to expand storage is straightforward.

SHR is especially beneficial for beginners who want RAID-level data protection without the complexity of manual setup.

RAID vs. Backup: Why You Still Need Both for Data Safety

While RAID and backups both play roles in data protection, they serve different purposes:

• RAID Protects Against Hardware Failure: RAID provides redundancy, ensuring your data remains accessible even if a drive fails. However, it does NOT protect against accidental deletions, malware, or catastrophic events like fire or theft.

• Backups Protect Against Data Loss: Backups involve creating copies of your data stored in different locations (e.g., an external drive, cloud service, or another NAS). They safeguard against user errors, software issues, and disasters.

Why You Need Both: Even with RAID, data can still be lost due to accidental deletion, corruption, or malware attacks. A comprehensive data protection strategy includes both RAID for redundancy and regular backups for disaster recovery.

In our next post, we'll guide you through "Choosing the Right NAS: Key Factors to Consider" to help you make an informed decision for your storage needs.