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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 offers no fault tolerance; any disk failure causes data loss.
- ✗
RAID 6
Why it's wrong here
RAID 6 uses dual parity, resulting in lower write performance than RAID 5 due to additional parity calculations.
- ✓
RAID 10
Why this is correct
RAID 10 combines striping and mirroring, providing high write performance and fault tolerance.
- ✗
RAID 1
Why it's wrong here
RAID 1 provides fault tolerance but writes are slower than RAID 10 because data must be written to all mirrors synchronously.
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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