What does RAID stand for, and what is its primary use?

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and its primary purpose is to provide data redundancy and performance improvement through various configurations. This technology allows multiple physical disk drives to be combined into a single logical unit, which can enhance data integrity by storing duplicate copies of data across several disks. In case one drive fails, the data can still be recovered from another drive that holds a backup, ensuring that data is not lost.

Additionally, RAID can improve overall system performance by allowing data to be read from or written to multiple disks simultaneously. Different RAID levels offer various balances between redundancy, throughput, and storage efficiency, making it a versatile solution for both personal and enterprise-level data management systems.