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Which adapter card in a PC would provide data fault tolerance?

Which adapter card in a PC would provide data fault tolerance?

  • SD card
  • I/O card
  • RAID card
  • capture card

Chosen Answer: RAID card

A RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) card provides data fault tolerance by managing multiple hard drives in a RAID configuration. Fault tolerance is crucial in ensuring that data is protected from loss in the event of a hard drive failure, and RAID cards play an essential role in achieving this by distributing data across multiple drives in various configurations, depending on the RAID level used.

Let’s explore in detail why RAID card is the correct answer and why the other options—SD card, I/O card, and capture card—are incorrect.

1. RAID Card (Correct Answer)

A RAID card is an adapter that allows a computer to configure multiple hard drives into a RAID array. RAID is a technology that improves data reliability and performance by combining multiple drives into a single logical unit. The main reason for using RAID is to provide data fault tolerance, which protects data against drive failures. Depending on the RAID level used, data can be duplicated or spread across multiple drives to ensure that even if one drive fails, the data remains accessible.

Why RAID Cards Provide Data Fault Tolerance:

RAID cards can be used to create different RAID levels, each offering various benefits in terms of performance and fault tolerance. Here are some of the common RAID levels that provide fault tolerance:

  • RAID 1 (Mirroring): This RAID level duplicates data across two drives. In this setup, every piece of data is written simultaneously to two drives, creating a real-time backup. If one drive fails, the system can continue operating with the second drive. This is an effective method of providing data redundancy.
  • RAID 5 (Striping with Parity): RAID 5 is one of the most common RAID levels used for data fault tolerance. It stripes data across multiple drives and includes parity data. Parity is a type of data that helps reconstruct missing data in case one of the drives fails. This means if a single drive fails, the RAID array can rebuild the lost data using the parity information stored on the other drives.
  • RAID 10 (Striping and Mirroring): RAID 10 combines RAID 1 and RAID 0 by striping data across multiple drives and mirroring them for redundancy. This setup provides both speed (due to striping) and fault tolerance (due to mirroring). RAID 10 is commonly used in high-performance environments where both speed and reliability are critical.

Key Features of RAID Cards:

  1. Data Redundancy: RAID cards allow data to be mirrored or spread across multiple drives, ensuring that if one drive fails, the data is still accessible on the other drives.
  2. Failure Recovery: When a drive in the RAID array fails, the RAID card can rebuild the lost data from the remaining drives, minimizing downtime and preventing data loss.
  3. Increased Performance: Some RAID configurations (e.g., RAID 10) also provide improved performance by distributing data across multiple drives, increasing read and write speeds.
  4. Hot-Swapping: Many RAID cards support hot-swapping, meaning that if a drive fails, it can be replaced while the system is still running, ensuring continuous operation without the need for downtime.

Real-World Application:

For businesses and individuals working with critical data, RAID cards provide peace of mind by protecting valuable information from hardware failures. For example, in a data center, where uptime and data integrity are crucial, a RAID card ensures that the system can continue running even if one or more drives fail. Similarly, in home servers or personal workstations with important data (such as a photo library, financial records, or media collections), RAID cards help ensure that a single drive failure does not result in catastrophic data loss.

2. Why Other Options Are Incorrect

SD Card (Incorrect)

An SD (Secure Digital) card is a type of portable storage commonly used in devices like cameras, smartphones, and tablets. SD cards are also used in some computers for external storage or data transfer, but they do not provide data fault tolerance. If an SD card fails, the data on it is lost unless there is a backup elsewhere.

Why This is Incorrect:

  • No Fault Tolerance: SD cards are designed for temporary or portable storage, not for providing redundancy or protection against data loss. If the card fails or becomes corrupted, the data is lost without any built-in recovery mechanisms.
  • Use Case: SD cards are typically used for storing files like photos, videos, and documents, but they do not play a role in ensuring data protection in the way a RAID card does.

I/O Card (Incorrect)

An I/O (Input/Output) card is an expansion card that adds additional ports or interfaces to a computer, such as USB, serial, or parallel ports. These cards expand the computer’s connectivity options but do not provide data fault tolerance.

Why This is Incorrect:

  • No Data Protection: I/O cards are used to connect external devices to the computer, but they do not protect or store data. Their function is purely to facilitate communication between devices, not to ensure data integrity or redundancy.
  • Connectivity Focus: The purpose of an I/O card is to add more input/output options, not to manage data storage or recovery in the event of hardware failure.

Capture Card (Incorrect)

A capture card is used to capture video and audio signals from external sources, such as cameras, game consoles, or other video input devices, and transfer them to a computer for recording or streaming. While capture cards are useful for media production, they do not provide data fault tolerance.

Why This is Incorrect:

  • No Redundancy or Recovery Features: Capture cards are designed to capture real-time media signals but do not manage or protect data. If a storage device fails, the capture card cannot recover the lost data.
  • Media-Specific Role: The role of a capture card is limited to capturing video and audio for playback or streaming purposes, with no involvement in data redundancy or fault tolerance.

3. Why RAID is Critical for Data Protection

A RAID card provides an essential layer of protection for valuable data. Here’s why it is so important in both personal and enterprise environments:

  • Business Continuity: In business environments, where data is critical, a RAID card ensures that even in the event of hardware failure, the system remains operational and data is preserved. For example, a database server running in RAID 5 would continue to function even if one drive fails, allowing the IT team to replace the drive without losing data or halting operations.
  • Home Servers and Workstations: For personal use, RAID cards can be used in home servers or workstations to protect important data, such as family photos, documents, or creative work. Setting up a RAID array at home means that even if a hard drive fails, the data will still be accessible.
  • Enterprise-Level Security: In enterprise data centers, where thousands of drives may be in use, RAID cards provide high levels of fault tolerance, minimizing the risk of data loss and system downtime.

Conclusion

The correct answer is RAID card because it provides data fault tolerance by allowing data to be mirrored or spread across multiple drives in a RAID array. This ensures that if a hard drive fails, the data remains accessible, and the system continues operating without significant downtime. RAID configurations such as RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 offer varying degrees of fault tolerance and performance benefits. Other options like SD card, I/O card, and capture card do not provide data redundancy or fault tolerance and are not suitable for this purpose.