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Why RAID matters in video recording

Video surveillance storage is different from typical IT storage: it is continuous, write-heavy, time-sensitive, and usually sized for long retention. RAID helps you balance three core needs:

• Availability: keep recording even if a disk fails (depending on RAID level).
• Performance: sustain required write throughput without dropped frames.
• Capacity efficiency: maximize usable TB while keeping acceptable risk.

ACTi’s NVR server-class appliances (INR series) are designed to work with hardware RAID options, and ACTi also published storage/RAID guidance for certain standalone NVR models.

ACTi product families and where RAID fits

Many ACTi INR appliances are built around hardware RAID, typically via a RAID controller (e.g., MegaRAID-class utilities are referenced in ACTi support materials). ACTi explicitly notes INR series support multiple RAID levels, and provides a guide demonstrating RAID 5 creation with simple steps.

Some INR models list RAID level support directly in their specs. For example, the INR servers list Hardware RAID (Add-on Card) 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60.

RAID levels

Based on ACTi’s support content and product specifications, RAID levels you’ll commonly see in ACTi server-class NVRs include: 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 (model dependent).

RAID 0: max capacity & performance, no redundancy (not recommended for critical recording).

RAID 1: mirroring, simple redundancy, usable capacity ~50%.

RAID 5: single-disk fault tolerance, good capacity efficiency; rebuild times can be long with large disks.

RAID 6: two-disk fault tolerance, safer for large arrays; more parity overhead.

RAID 10: high write performance + redundancy; capacity ~50%, strong for heavy continuous recording.

RAID 50 / 60: combines striping across RAID5/6 sets, used in larger disk counts for better performance/resilience.

Choosing the right RAID for surveillance: recommended patterns

Decision factors

• Disk count / chassis bays (e.g., 6-bay vs 12/16-bay)
• Retention target (days) and total bitrate (Mb/s)
• Fault tolerance requirement (how much downtime/data loss is acceptable)
• Rebuild risk with high-capacity HDDs (long rebuild windows increase exposure)

Common, practical recommendations

• Small arrays (4–6 disks): RAID 5 (capacity-friendly) or RAID 10 (performance-first).
• Larger arrays (8–16+ disks): RAID 6, RAID 60, or RAID 50 depending on throughput vs resilience goals.
• Mission-critical recording: prefer RAID 6 / RAID 10 / RAID 60 to reduce risk during rebuild windows.

Implementation workflow on ACTi INR appliances (hardware RAID approach)

ACTi provides a how-to guide for creating RAID 5 using MegaRAID Utility on INR series servers. A typical field workflow (high level) looks like this:

Plan

Decide RAID level, hot spare strategy, and target usable capacity.

Build the array

Enter RAID controller configuration (e.g., MegaRAID utility) and create the virtual drive (VD).

Initialize

Use recommended initialization mode per controller guidance (fast init vs full init depends on policy).

OS / volume configuration

Present the VD to the OS as a logical disk; partition/format for recording volume.

NVR configuration

Point recording storage to the RAID volume; validate sustained throughput under expected camera load.

Monitoring

Enable controller alerts, periodic patrol read / consistency check as supported by the controller.