macOS Disk Utility Can Create Four Popular RAID Arrays

macOS Sierra (10.12) saw the return of RAID support to the Apple Disk Utility, a feature that was removed with OS X El Capitan (10.11). With the return of RAID support in Disk Utility, you no longer need to resort to using Terminal to create and administer your RAID systems.

Apple didn't only return RAID support to Disk Utility; it changed the user interface enough to ensure that your previous method of working with RAID arrays would require learning a few new tricks.

Information in this article applies to macOS Big Sur (11) through macOS Sierra (10.12).

RAID 0, 1, 10, and JBOD

Disk Utility can be used to create and manage the same four RAID versions it has always been capable of working with:

There are other RAID types and third-party RAID apps that can manage RAID arrays for you. In some cases, they do a better job.

Why Use RAID?

RAID arrays can solve some problems you may experience with your Mac's current storage system. Perhaps you want faster performance, such as is available from various SSD offerings, until you realized a large SSD is outside your budget. RAID 0 can be used to boost performance at a reasonable cost.

Similarly, you can use RAID 1 to increase the reliability of a storage array when your needs demand high reliability. You can even combine RAID modes to produce a storage array that's fast and reliable.

Back Up First

The process of creating a RAID array in Disk Utility involves erasing the disks that make up the array. If you have data on these disks that you want to keep, back up the data before proceeding. If you need assistance with creating a backup, check out Mac Backup Software, Hardware, and Guides for Your Mac.

Create and Manage a Striped RAID 0 Array

Use Disk Utility to create and manage a Striped (RAID 0) array, which splits data between two or more disks to provide faster access for data reads from and data writes to the disks.

RAID 0 Requirements

Disk Utility requires a minimum of two disks to create a striped RAID 0 array. While there's no requirement for the disks to be the same size or from the same manufacturer, disks in a striped array should match to ensure the best performance and reliability.

RAID 0 Array Failure Rate

Additional disks beyond the minimum can be used to increase overall performance, although it comes at the cost of increasing the overall failure rate of the array. The method to calculate the failure rate of a striped array, assuming all disks in the array are the same, is as follows:

1 - (1 - the published failure rate of a single disk) raised to the number of slices in the array

Slice is the term commonly used to refer to a single disk within a RAID array. The speedier you want to go, the greater the risk of failure. You should have a backup plan in place if you're creating a striped RAID array.

Use Disk Utility to Create a RAID 0 Array

For this example, assume you're using two disks to create a fast striped RAID 0 array.

Launch Disk Utility, located at /Applications/Utilities/.
Make sure the two disks you wish to use in the RAID array are present in the Disk Utility sidebar. They don't need to be selected at this point; just make sure they are successfully mounted on your Mac.
Select RAID Assistant from the Disk Utility File menu.
In the RAID Assistant window, select Striped (RAID 0) and then select Next.
The RAID Assistant displays a list of available disks and volumes. Only those disks that meet the requirements for the selected RAID type are highlighted, allowing you to select them. The usual requirements are that they must be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and cannot be the current startup drive.
Select at least two disks. It's possible to select individual volumes that a disk may host, but it's considered better practice to use an entire disk in a RAID array. Select Next when ready.
Enter a name for the new striped array you're about to create and select a format to be applied to the array. You can also select a Chunk size. The chunk size should loosely match the predominant size of data your array will be handling.

For example, if the RAID array is being used to speed up the macOS operating system, a chunk size of 64K would work well since most system files are generally small in size. If you plan to use the striped array to host your video or multimedia projects, the largest available chunk size may be a better choice.

Each disk you selected to be part of this striped array will be erased and formatted, causing all existing data on the drives to be lost.
Select Next.
A window appears, asking you to confirm that you want to create the RAID 0 array. Select Create.

Disk Utility creates your new RAID array. Once the process is complete, the RAID Assistant displays a message that the process was successful, and your new striped array is mounted on your Mac's desktop.

Delete a RAID 0 Array

When you no longer need the striped RAID 0 array you created, Disk Utility can remove it, breaking it back down to the individual disks, which you can then use as you see fit.

Launch Disk Utility.
In the Disk Utility sidebar, select the striped array you want to remove. The sidebar does not show the disk types, so you need to select the disk by name. You can confirm it is the correct disk by looking at the Info panel (the lower-right panel in the Disk Utility window). The Type should say "RAID Set Volume."
Just above the Info panel is a Delete RAID button. If you don’t see the button, you may have the wrong disk selected in the sidebar. Select Delete RAID.
A window drops down, asking you to confirm the deletion of the RAID set. Select Delete.
Another window drops down, showing the progress for deleting the RAID array. Once the process is complete, select Done.

Deleting a RAID array may leave some or all of the slices that made up the array in an uninitialized state. It's a good idea to erase and format all the disks that were part of the deleted array.

Create and Manage a RAID 1 Array

RAID Assistant, a component of Disk Utility in macOS, supports multiple RAID arrays. This section looks at creating and managing a RAID 1 array, also known as a mirrored array.

Mirrored arrays replicate data across two or more disks, with the primary goal of increasing reliability by creating data redundancy, assuring that if a disk in a mirrored array were to fail, data availability would continue without interruption.

Mirrored array management option in Disk Utility

RAID 1 Array Requirements

RAID 1 requires a minimum of two disks to make up the RAID array. Adding more disks to the array increases overall reliability by the power of the number of disks in the array. You can learn more about RAID 1 requirements and how to calculate reliability at RAID 1: Mirroring Hard Drives.

Use Disk Utility to Create a RAID 1 Array

Make sure the disks that will make up your RAID 1 mirrored array are attached to your Mac and mounted on the desktop.

Launch Disk Utility, located in /Applications/Utilities/.
Confirm that the disks you intend to use in the mirrored array are listed in the Disk Utility sidebar. The disks don't need to be selected, but they need to be present in the sidebar.
Select RAID Assistant from the Disk Utility File menu.
In the RAID Assistant window that opens, select Mirrored (RAID 1) from the list of RAID types and then select Next.
A list of disks and volumes displays. Select the disk or volume you want to be part of the mirrored array. You can choose either type, but best practice is to use an entire disk for each RAID slice.
In the Role column of the disk selection window, use the drop-down menu to select how the select disk will be used: as a RAID slice or as a Spare. You must have at least two RAID slices; a spare is used if a disk slice fails or is disconnected from the RAID set. When a slice fails or is disconnected, a spare is automatically used in its place, and the RAID array begins the rebuild process to fill the spare with data from the other members of the RAID set.
Make your selections and then select Next.
The RAID Assistant prompts you to set the properties of the mirrored RAID set. This includes giving the RAID set a name, selecting a format type to use, and choosing chunk size. Use 64K for arrays that will house general data and operating systems. Use a larger chunk size for arrays that store images, music, or videos. Use the smaller chunk size for arrays used with databases and spreadsheets.
Mirrored RAID sets can also be configured to automatically rebuild the array when a slice fails or is disconnected. Select Automatically Rebuild to ensure optimum data integrity. Be aware that automatic rebuild can cause your Mac to operate slowly while the rebuild is in process.
Make your selections and then choose Next.

You're about to erase and format the disks associated with the RAID array. All data on the disks will be lost. Make sure you have a backup of any content on those disks before continuing.
A window drops down, asking you to confirm that you want to create the RAID 1 set. Select Create.
The RAID Assistant displays a process bar and status as the array is created. When it is complete, select Done.

Add Slices to a Mirrored RAID 1 Array

There may come a time when you want to add slices to the mirrored RAID 1 array. You may want to do this to increase reliability or to replace older slices that are showing issues.

Launch Disk Utility.
In the Disk Utility sidebar, select the RAID 1 (Mirrored) disk. You can check whether you selected the correct item by examining the Info panel at the bottom of the Disk Utility window. The Type should read "RAID Set Volume."
To add a slice to the RAID 1 array, select the plus (+) button located above the Info panel.
From the drop-down menu that appears, select Add Member if the slice you're adding will be actively used within the array. Select Add Spare if the new slice's purpose is to serve as a backup if a slice fails or is disconnected from the array.
A window appears, listing available disks and volumes that can be added to the mirrored array. Select a disk or volume and then select Choose.

The disk you're about to add will be erased; make sure you have a backup of any data it holds.
A window drops down to confirm you're about to add a disk to the RAID set. Select Add.
The sheet displays a status bar. Once the disk has been added to the RAID, select Done.

Remove a RAID 1 Slice

You can remove a RAID slice from a RAID 1 mirror provided there are more than two slices. You may want to remove a slice to replace it with another newer disk or use it as part of a backup or archiving system. Disks that are removed from a RAID 1 mirror usually have the data preserved. This allows you to archive the data in a safe location without disturbing the RAID array.

For the data to be retained, the file system on the removed slice needs to be resizable. If the resizing fails, all data on the removed slice is lost.

Launch Disk Utility.
Select the RAID array from the Disk Utility sidebar.
The Disk Utility window displays all the slices that make up the mirrored array. Select the slice you want to remove and then select the minus (-) button.
A window appears, asking you to confirm that you want to remove a slice and that you're aware that the data on the removed slice could be lost. Select Remove.
The sheet displays a status bar. When the removal is complete, select Done.

Repair a RAID 1 Array

It may seem like the Repair function should be similar to Disk Utility's First Aid, except geared to the needs of a RAID 1 mirrored array. However, Repair has an entirely different meaning here. Essentially, Repair is used to add a new disk to the RAID set and force a rebuild of the RAID set to copy the data to the new RAID member.

Once the "repair" process is complete, remove the RAID slice that failed and prompted you to run the Repair process.

Repair is the same as using the add (+) button and selecting New Member as the type of disk or volume to add. Since you have to manually remove the bad RAID slice using the minus (-) button when using the Repair feature, you can use Add (+) and Remove (-) instead.

Remove a Mirrored RAID 1 Array

You can completely remove a mirrored array, returning each slice that makes up the array to general use by your Mac.

Launch Disk Utility.
Select the mirrored array in the Disk Utility sidebar. Confirm that you selected the correct item by checking the Info panel and confirming that the Type is set to "RAID Set Volume."
Just above the Info panel, select Delete RAID.
A window drops down, warning you that you're about to delete the RAID Set. Disk Utility attempts to break the RAID array apart while preserving the data on each RAID slice. There is no guarantee of the data being intact after the deletion of the RAID array. If you need the data, perform a backup before selecting Delete.
The sheet displays a status bar as the RAID is removed. When it is complete, select Done.

Create and Manage RAID 10 or RAID 01

The RAID Assistant that's included with Disk Utility and macOS supports creating compound RAID arrays—that is, arrays that involve the combining of striped and mirrored RAID sets.

The most common compound RAID array is a RAID 10 or RAID 01 array. RAID 10 is the striping (RAID 0) of a pair of RAID 1 mirror sets (a striping of mirrors), while RAID 01 is the mirroring of a pair of RAID 0 striped sets (a mirroring of stripes).

This example creates a RAID 10 set using Disk Utility and the RAID Assistant. You can use the same concept for making a RAID 01 array, though RAID 10 is more common.

RAID 10 is often used when you want to have the speed of a striped array but don’t want to be vulnerable to the failure of a single disk, which, in a normal striped array, would cause you to lose all your data. By striping a pair of mirrored arrays, you increase reliability while maintaining the improved performance in a striped array.

The reliability improvement comes at the cost of doubling the number of disks needed.

RAID 10 Requirements

RAID 10 requires at least four disks, broken into two striped sets of two disks. The disks should be from the same manufacturer and be of the same size, although technically, it's not a requirement.

Use Disk Utility to Create a RAID 10 Array

To create a RAID 10 array:

Start by using Disk Utility and the RAID Assistant to create a mirrored array made up of two disks.
With the first mirrored pair created, repeat the process to create a second mirrored pair. For ease of understanding, you may want to give the mirrored arrays names, such as Mirror1 and Mirror2.
At this point, you have two mirrored arrays named Mirror1 and Mirror2.
Create a striped array using Mirror1 and Mirror2 as the slices that make up the RAID 10 array, following the instructions for creating striped RAID arrays. The important step in the process is to select Mirror1 and Mirror2 as the disks that will make up the striped array.
When you finish the steps for creating a striped array, you've finished creating a compound RAID 10 array.

Create and Manage a JBOD Array

The final RAID set Disk Utility can make is commonly referred to as JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks)—a concatenation of disks. Technically, it isn't a recognized RAID level, as RAID 0 and RAID 1 are. Nevertheless, it's a useful method of using multiple disks to create a single larger volume for storage.

Adding a disk to a JBOD array in Disk Utility

JBOD Requirements

The requirements for creating a JBOD array are loose. Disks that make up the array can be from multiple manufacturers, and disk performance doesn't need to be matched.

JBOD arrays provide neither a performance increase nor a reliability increase. Although it may be possible to recover data using data recovery tools, a single disk failure will likely lead to lost data. As with all RAID arrays, having a backup plan is a good idea.

Use Disk Utility to Create a JBOD Array

Before you begin, make sure the disks you want to use for the JBOD array are attached to your Mac and mounted on the desktop.

Launch Disk Utility, located at /Applications/Utilities/.
From the Disk Utility File menu, select RAID Assistant.
In the RAID Assistant window, select Concatenated (JBOD) and then select Next.
In the Disk selection list that appears, pick two or more disks that you want to use in the JBOD array. You can select an entire disk or a volume on a disk.
Make your selections and select Next.
Enter a name for the JBOD array, a format to use, and a Chunk size. Be aware that chunk size has little meaning in a JBOD array. Still, you can follow Apple's guidelines of selecting a larger chunk size for multimedia files and a smaller chunk size for databases and operating systems.
Make your selections and then select Next.
You are warned that creating the JBOD array erases all data currently stored on the disks that make up the array. Select Create.
The RAID Assistant creates the new JBOD array. Once it is complete, select Done.

Add Disks to a JBOD Array

If you run out of space on your JBOD array, you can increase its size by adding disks to the array.

Make sure the disks you plan to add to the existing JBOD array are attached to your Mac and mounted on the desktop.

Launch Disk Utility if it isn't open.
In the Disk Utility sidebar, select the JBOD array you created earlier.
To ensure you selected the correct item, check the Info panel. The Type field should read "RAID Set Volume."
Select the plus (+) button located above the Info panel.
From the list of available disks, choose the disk or volume you wish to add to the JBOD array. Select Choose to continue.
A window drops down, warning you that the disk you're adding will be erased, causing all data on the disk to be lost. Select Add.
The disk is added, causing the available storage space on the JBOD array to increase.

Remove a Disk From a JBOD Array

It's possible to remove a disk from a JBOD array, although it has issues. The disk being removed must be the first disk in the array, and there must be enough free space on the remaining disks to move the data from the disk you're planning to remove to the disks that remain in the array. Resizing the array in this manner requires that the partition map be recreated. Any failure in any part of the process causes the process to abort and the data in the array to be lost.

Launch Disk Utility and select the JBOD array from the sidebar.
Disk Utility displays the list of disks that make up the array. Select the disk you want to remove and select the minus (-) button.
You are warned about the possible loss of data should the process fail. Select Remove to continue.
After the removal is complete, select Done.

Delete a JBOD Array

You can delete a JBOD array, returning each disk that makes up the JBOD array to general use.

Launch Disk Utility.
Select the JBOD array from the Disk Utility sidebar.
Make sure the Type field under the Info panel reads "RAID Set Volume."
Select Delete.
A window drops down, warning you that deleting the JBOD array will likely cause all data in the array to be lost. Select Delete.
After the JBOD array is removed, select Done.

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