🧬 RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, is a hybrid RAID configuration that combines the strengths of RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping). It’s designed to deliver both high performance and strong fault tolerance, making it a favorite for mission-critical systems.

⚙️ How RAID 10 Works

• Mirroring first: Data is duplicated across pairs of drives (RAID 1).
• Then striping: These mirrored pairs are striped (RAID 0) to boost performance.
• Minimum of 4 drives: You need at least four disks—two mirrored pairs—to set it up.

📈 Benefits

• Excellent fault tolerance: Can survive multiple drive failures as long as no mirrored pair is completely lost.
• High performance: Fast read/write speeds thanks to striping and simultaneous access to mirrored drives.
• Quick recovery: Rebuilding a failed drive is faster than parity-based RAID levels.

⚠️ Drawbacks

• Storage efficiency: Only 50% of total drive capacity is usable (e.g., 4 x 1TB = 2TB usable).
• Cost: Requires double the number of drives for redundancy.
• Not ideal for small budgets: Better suited for environments where performance and reliability outweigh cost.

🧪 Ideal Use Cases

• Database servers
• Email and web servers
• Virtualization platforms
• High-performance enterprise storage