Why include a 10% reserve when planning NAS storage headroom?
Keeping free space improves filesystem behavior for snapshots, metadata, and write performance. Full arrays often perform worse and rebuild more slowly.
Can this calculator replace real-world benchmark and rebuild testing?
No. Use this page for pre-purchase sizing, then validate with workload benchmarks, SMART health policy, and a tested restore plan.
How many disk failures can RAID 5 tolerate in this setup?
This setup can tolerate 1 drive. Real-world survivability depends on mirror placement, rebuild stress, and drive health.
Should I optimize this 4-drive plan for storage headroom or resiliency first?
For long-lived NAS pools, resiliency first is usually safer. Capacity can be expanded later, while a risky parity choice can force migration sooner.