What is a key feature of RAID 5?

RAID 5 is characterized by its ability to provide data redundancy and improved performance through striping with parity. In this configuration, data is divided into blocks that are distributed across multiple drives, and parity information—used for data recovery—is calculated and stored among the drives. This means that if one drive fails, the data can still be accessed and reconstructed using the parity information stored on the other drives.

The striping helps in balancing the load and improving read and write speeds, making RAID 5 a good choice for environments that require both efficiency and data integrity. Additionally, RAID 5 only requires a minimum of three drives to implement, which is a distinct difference from some other RAID levels, hence making it sufficient for many applications while still providing fault tolerance. This unique combination of features makes striping with parity a key defining aspect of RAID 5.