hardMultiple Choice
XK0-006 Practice Question: A server with multiple disks is configured with…
A server with multiple disks is configured with RAID 5 for performance and redundancy. The administrator notices that write performance is lower than expected. Which RAID level would provide better write performance while still offering fault tolerance with the same number of disks (minimum 4)?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume RAID 6 offers better fault tolerance than RAID 5 without considering that its double parity further degrades write performance, and they overlook that RAID 10 provides both performance and redundancy with the same minimum disk count.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
RAID 10
RAID 10 (striping of mirrors) provides better write performance than RAID 5 because it does not incur the overhead of calculating and writing parity data on every write operation. With a minimum of four disks, RAID 10 offers fault tolerance (each mirror can survive one disk failure) while delivering the full write speed of the underlying disks, unlike RAID 5 which must update parity across all disks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
RAID 0
Why it's wrong here
RAID 0 stripes data with no parity, giving the fastest writes, but it provides zero fault tolerance, so any single disk failure destroys the array. It is tempting because it directly addresses the write-performance complaint, and would be correct if redundancy were not required.
- ✗
RAID 6
Why it's wrong here
RAID 6 writes two parity blocks per stripe, so every write incurs additional parity computation and disk writes compared with RAID 5, worsening write performance. It is tempting because it tolerates two disk failures, and would be correct if the requirement were greater fault tolerance rather than faster writes.
- ✓
RAID 10
Why this is correct
RAID 10 stripes across mirrored pairs, so every write goes to two disks without parity calculation, unlike RAID 5's read-modify-write parity penalty. With four disks it delivers fault tolerance plus markedly better write throughput, satisfying the performance and redundancy constraints.
- ✗
RAID 1
Why it's wrong here
RAID 1 mirrors data across paired disks, so writes must complete on both members of each mirror, and with four disks it yields only two usable mirrors rather than a single striped volume. It is tempting because mirroring is simple and fault tolerant, and would be correct for a two-disk boot volume.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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