In distributed parity, what is necessary for data storage?

In a distributed parity configuration, utilizing three or more disks is essential for effective data storage and redundancy. This approach leverages the benefits of striping data across several disks while also incorporating parity bits for error correction and data recovery. By using multiple disks, distributed parity can efficiently spread the workload and provide redundancy, allowing the system to withstand the failure of one or more disks without losing any data.

Having just one or two disks does not provide the necessary redundancy and data protection needed for distributed parity. With one disk, there is no way to store parity information, while two disks would only enable mirroring techniques without full parity benefits. By requiring three or more disks, distributed parity ensures that it can create enough parity data to recover lost information, thereby achieving a higher level of reliability and fault tolerance in the storage system.