RAID 5 is very similar to RAID-3. In RAID 5, the data is transferred on to the disks via independent read and write operations and it is not simultaneous. Larger data blocks are written. Parity information is found across all the disks, instead of a being a dedicated parity disk. RAID 5 array requires minimum of three disks It has the capability to withstand failure of a single disk without losing the data itself as well as access to the data. Though it is possible to achieve RAID 5 in software, a hardware controller is suggested. Additional cache memory is most often used on these controllers to bring about advancement in the write performance.
Advantages
Fault tolerant.
Read data transactions are very fast.
Write data transactions are somewhat slower. This is due to the parity that needs to be calculated.
Disadvantages
Disk failure has little impact on the throughput.
The technology used is complicated.
Difficult to rebuild the array when one of the disks fails.
