Preventing Data Loss

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a technology designed to prevent loss of data and improve access time in large computer systems by using multiple hard disks. RAID 5 uses a parity disk associated with a group of disks, so that data on a failed disk can be materialized by accessing corresponding data blocks and parity. The system is also self-healing and can recreate the contents of a failed disk on a hot spare.

Alex Thomasian, professor of computer science at New Jersey Institute of Technology, heads a study sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the performance of mirrored disks - RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 5 with double parity. The research team will also investigate active disks that, in addition to normal workload, use their microprocessors to carry out background processing such as data mining on relational tables on the disk.