Preparation for Recitation 15

Read A case for redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (RAID), by Patterson et al. (Proceedings of the ACM SIGMOD Conference, 1988): (remote copy), (local copy).

Read the paper and answer the following question:

Modern RAID arrays use parity information and standby disks to provide a highly reliable storage medium even in the face of hardware failures. A highly reliable system, however, requires more than just a highly reliable storage medium. Consider a networked server handling network transactions (a web server or bank central computer, perhaps). Think about other components of this system whose failure could result in a loss of service. Identify one other component (software or hardware) of such a system that could be appropriately designed along the lines of one or another of the RAID levels, and describe the approach briefly or demonstrate in a picture, indicating how it relates to which RAID level.

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