1. Create the raid array with the empty drive. The 'missing' drive will be the one with the data. 2. Mount the created array /dev/md0 to /media/raid (or whatever) ...

RAID 6 uses dual parity and can handle two drive failures within the array. Some RAID systems can also improve read performance because data is available from multiple sources.

If I remove the drives and then attempt to re-insert them, it causes a kernel panic. <BR><BR>On a G4 PowerBook, the RAID-0 array forms fine. I can even unmount the RAID array and then re-insert ...

RAID 0: you need at least two disks, and data is striped across all of them. This configuration has excellent performance because the disk controller can go immediately to the sought after data.

Big storage companies stopped recommending RAID 5 a couple of years ago. But I still see small 4-drive arrays touting RAID 5 for home and small office use.

Yes, there are backups. But RAID is your first line of defense, and in my case, both RAID boxes did exactly what they were supposed to do. They insured against data loss in the event of drive failure.