While there are several RAID configurations there are only two types of RAIDs. Software RAIDs and Hardware RAIDs are very similar from an operational standard except for where the RAID processing occurs. There are a few other differences between the two, so let's dive into them.
Hardware RAIDs
A hardware RAID handles its processing in an external CPU. This can be in either a disk array or a RAID controller. Hardware RAIDs present disk that are already configured to the system they will be running on, mirrored and ready to go. Configuration takes place outside of the system when setting up a hardware RAID. This allows it to support a wider variety of systems. A hardware RAID is also typically faster than a software RAID but that can be changed by adding an additional CPU.
Software RAID
On a software RAID the processing is done on the host server's CPU so when you are configuring the RAID it will be performed on the system itself. Software RAIDs are limited by which OS the disk management application can run on.
