RAIDIX 5.X for GIGABYTE platforms

Software Defined Storage ("SDS") refers to the virtualization of storage systems, whereby the underlying storage hardware is abstracted from the storage software that manages it. SDS can be an element with a Software Defined Data Center or it can also function as a stand-alone technology. The software enabling the storage-defined storage environment may also provide policy management for features such as data de-duplication, replication, thin provisioning, snapshots and backup.

NVMe is a type of software interface used for solid state drives (SSD), and stands for “Non-Volatile Memory - Express” (Non-Volatile Memory is a common form of flash memory found in SSD). The formal name of NVMe is the Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification. Compared to the older AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) used for traditional mechanical spinning SATA hard disks, NVMe is adapted for use with SSD through a PCIe hardware interface, resulting in a much faster disk interface protocol.

An all-flash storage system, also know as an all-flash array (AFA) or a solid-state storage disk (SSD) system, is an external storage array that uses only flash media devices (such as NVMe or SATA SSD) for storage. Flash storage is used in place of spinning hard disk drives (HDDs) that have long been associated with networked storage systems. Benefits of using all-flash storage systems include lower latency, higher IOPS, greater storage density and reduced power consumption compared with mechanical HDDs.

Jokingly termed the "Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks" by researchers in the 1980s, the acronym RAID was later modified to stand for "Redundant Array of Independent Disks". It is a method of virtualization that combines multiple disks into a single storage unit to ensure availability and achieve redundancy. Data is stored across multiple devices to prevent the failure of any one disk from destroying the information. Hardware or software solutions are used to manage the data that's distributed across multiple devices. RAID has become a key feature in many modern storage devices; most notably, in storage servers that are part of a computing cluster that handles a lot of data. The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) categorizes RAID into different levels to specify which storage techniques are being used; the most ubiquitous RAID types are 1, 3, 5, and 6. A higher level generally represents greater protection against data errors and device failures. Data center engineers usually employ a mix of RAID levels and other error protection technologies to ensure data redundancy and improve efficiency.