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Systems & Data Center · Intermediate

Software RAID

RAID implemented by the operating system rather than a dedicated controller, such as Linux mdadm or Windows Storage Spaces.

Definition

Software RAID uses host CPU for parity and has no controller dependency, so arrays can move between systems. Linux md arrays are managed with mdadm and monitored via /proc/mdstat.

Example

mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sdb /dev/sdc creates a mirror.

Exam tip

cat /proc/mdstat shows Linux software RAID status and rebuild progress.

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