Combining replication and parity approaches for fault-tolerant disk arrays

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the method of combining the replication and parity approaches to tolerate multiple disk failures in a disk array. In addition to the conventional mirrored and chained declustering methods, a method based on the hybrid of mirrored-and-chained declustering is explored. A performance study that explores the effect of combining replication and parity approaches is conducted. It is experimentally shown that the proposed approach can lead to the most cost-effective solution if the objective is to sustain the same load as before the failures.