Storage Planning: RAID vs. JBOD
RAID or JBOD for your home server? When mirroring is worth it, when it isn't, and why you must check for CMR before buying any hard drive.
My Current Budget Setup
Currently, I don’t run a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configuration. I simply have my OS on an SSD, and two separate hard drives (1TB and 2TB) mounted independently. Why? Primarily due to budget constraints, and the fact that most of the media on the 2TB drive is easily redownloadable and not critically valuable.
When You Should Upgrade to RAID
If I had the budget for more drives, I would immediately transition to a RAID 1 (mirroring) or RAID 5 setup. RAID ensures that if one physical hard drive mechanically fails, the system keeps running, and your data remains intact while you swap in a replacement drive — but it is not a substitute for real backups.
Warning
Crucial advice: when buying hard drives for a home server, always ensure they are CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording). Cheaper SMR drives will suffer massive performance penalties when writing large amounts of data.
