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Why are hardware RAID solutions relatively expensive?
Well, this maybe a very stupid question. Shouldn't RAID controllers be very simple? Compare RAID controller with Linux-based network router, or MPEG decoders, I can't believe a RAID controller needs more technique. Why it's so complex and expensive?
RAID controllers deal with higher bandwidth and lower latency data streams than your typical network router, and don't have the option of just throwing away data like a router does. I expect much more from any sort of disk controller than I do from a network router.
It's just supply and demand. The market for RAID controllers is much smaller than the market for routers or MPEG decoders.
