Toshiba MG03SCA300 6Gb/s SAS HDD RAID Performance Analysis

File Server

The File Server profile represents typical file server workloads that are very relevant to NAS usage. This profile tests a wide variety of different file sizes simultaneously to simulate multiple users with an 80% read and 20% write distribution.

The eight-drive RAID 0 array averages 1,441 IOPS, while the four-drive RAID 0 array averages 754 IOPS. The RAID 5 arrays provide 903 IOPS and 515 IOPS, respectively.

RAID 0 Email Server

The Email Server profile is a very demanding 8K test with a 50% read and 50% write distribution. This application is indicative of the performance of the solution in heavy write workloads.

The eight-drive RAID 0 array averages 1,559 IOPS, and the four-drive array provides 785 IOPS. The eight-drive RAID 5 array delivers 595 IOPS, trailed by the four-drive RAID 5 array with 335 IOPS.

Web Server

The Web Server profile is a read-only test with a wide range of file sizes. Web servers are responsible for generating content for users to view over the Internet, much like the very page you are reading. The speed of the underlying storage system has a massive impact on the speed and responsiveness of the NAS and thus the end-user experience.

The eight-drive RAID 0 array averages 1,395 IOPS, while the four-drive RAID 0 array provides a similar 1,395 IOPS. The eight-drive RAID 5 array averages 1,390 IOPS, while the four-drive RAID 5 averages 807 IOPS.