Which RAID Gives Different Volume and Disk Images
In which implementation of RAID will the image of a Hardware RAID volume be different from the image taken separately from the disks?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The question tests whether you understand how RAID striping vs mirroring affects forensic acquisition, and the common trap is assuming any RAID imaging always yields identical images, or that the difference applies universally.
When a Hardware RAID volume is imaged through its controller, the resulting image only matches separate per-disk images in mirroring configurations. This page establishes that RAID 0, because it stripes data across member disks, produces a hardware-controller image that differs from images taken individually from each disk.
Option D is the tempting wrong pick because RAID is striped, but the difference is not universal: in RAID 1 each disk holds an exact copy, so the volume image and the individual disk image are identical.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
In RAID 0, blocks are distributed across the member disks with no parity or mirroring, so no single disk holds a readable copy of the volume. Imaging through the Hardware RAID controller forces the controller to reassemble the stripe set into the logical block order, producing a coherent volume image that cannot be reproduced by imaging any one participating drive alone. Therefore the RAID 0 volume image and the separately acquired disk images are structurally different, which is exactly what the question asks for. As ala76nl summarized, "C. Data is striped so is different."Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A (RAID 1) is the counterexample: because data is mirrored, every member disk contains an exact copy, so the volume image and a per-disk image are identical rather than different. Option B overgeneralizes the mirroring behavior of RAID 1 to all RAID levels and ignores striping. Option D claims the image is always different, which is false for RAID 1 (and for a single-disk "RAID" volume), and it does not identify a specific implementation as the question demands. RAID 5 and RAID 6, as 4bd3116 noted, also stripe data with parity, so their images differ too, but that does not rescue the "always" wording of D.Community Comment Notes
The votes were unanimous for C, and the reasoning comments converge on striping as the deciding factor. 4bd3116 gave the fullest breakdown, contrasting that "the image of the RAID 1 volume will be identical to the images taken from the individual disks" with the striped case. Elb pushed back with D, citing NISTIR 7276 for the point that "if a RAID is imaged through the hardware controller the resulting image will most likely be different" — note the publication says "most likely," which supports a conditional difference, not an unconditional one, so it does not justify D.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
On imaging questions, first identify the RAID level's data layout: mirroring means identical images, striping means the controller-reassembled image differs from any single disk. Eliminate absolute wording like "always" unless the technology truly guarantees it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't RAID 1 produce a different hardware volume image?
RAID 1 mirrors data, so every member disk holds an exact copy of the volume. Imaging the volume or any single disk yields identical content.
Does the NISTIR 7276 comment make option D correct?
No. That guidance says a controller image will "most likely" differ, which is conditional. D claims it is always different, which fails for mirrored RAID 1.