Are hardware RAID functions available without a dedicated card?
Yes. It is possible to configure a server to perform RAID functions without special hardware, and for low-end servers performing less than mission-critical functions, this is a cost-saving approach as well. However, most enterprise-grade servers should be optimized for best performance, and best performance is achieved via a dedicated solution designed specifically to handle RAID. In this way, the server is free to focus specifically on user-driven application processing, yet data throughput can be simultaneously improved, resulting in a substantial increase in de facto server speed for all users.
