SK0-004 · Question #817
An administrator is implementing a RAID 10 array on a new server. Which of the following is the MINIMUM number of disks needed?
The correct answer is C. Four. RAID 10 combines RAID 1 mirroring with RAID 0 striping and requires a minimum of four disks arranged as two mirrored pairs that are then striped across each other.
Question
An administrator is implementing a RAID 10 array on a new server. Which of the following is the MINIMUM number of disks needed?
Options
- ATwo
- BThree
- CFour
- DFive
How the community answered
(28 responses)- A4% (1)
- C93% (26)
- D4% (1)
Why each option
RAID 10 combines RAID 1 mirroring with RAID 0 striping and requires a minimum of four disks arranged as two mirrored pairs that are then striped across each other.
Two disks can form only a RAID 0 stripe or RAID 1 mirror, not RAID 10, because RAID 10 requires at least two distinct mirrored pairs.
Three disks cannot satisfy RAID 10 because it requires an even number of disks to form complete mirrored pairs; three disks leave one disk without a mirror partner.
RAID 10 (RAID 1+0) is built by first creating at least two RAID 1 mirrored pairs - each pair requiring two disks - and then striping data across those pairs. This means the absolute minimum disk count is 2 pairs x 2 disks = 4 disks, providing both fault tolerance through mirroring and read/write performance through striping.
Five disks exceed the minimum requirement; valid RAID 10 configurations use even numbers of disks (4, 6, 8, etc.), making five neither a minimum nor a standard configuration.
Concept tested: RAID 10 minimum disk count and array structure
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/storage-spaces/storage-spaces-fault-tolerance
Topics
Community Discussion
No community discussion yet for this question.