How to Choose the Right JBOD for Your Needs

Your Guide to buying the best JBOD

Overview

A Just a Bunch of Disks (JBOD) is a storage system that uses multiple hard drives as individual components. While the individual disks have their own storage capacity, JBOD's main advantage is that it offers a single storage unit with a larger capacity than the individual drives. This JBOD buying guide will discuss the different types of JBOD systems, the features and functions that are available, and the considerations to make when purchasing one. It will provide a comprehensive overview of the system, helping buyers make an informed decision when purchasing JBOD for their needs.

Key features

  1. Purpose: Determine the purpose of the JBOD system and what type of data it will be used to store.
  2. Form Factor: Consider the size and form factor of the JBOD to make sure it fits in the desired location and environment.
  3. Drive Interfaces: Ensure that the JBOD has the correct type and number of drive interfaces for the project.
  4. Number of Drives: Confirm the number of drives the JBOD can accommodate and whether additional drives can be added in the future.
  5. Expandability: Check the JBOD’s expandability features, including support for additional drives and RAIDs.
  6. Bandwidth: Verify the available bandwidth of the JBOD to ensure it can transfer data quickly enough.
  7. Power Supply and Cooling: Investigate the power supply and cooling requirements to make sure the JBOD can be properly powered and cooled.
  8. Compatibility: Make sure the JBOD is compatible with the necessary software and hardware.
  9. Price: Compare prices between different models of JBOD to get the best value.

See the most popular JBOD on Amazon

Important considerations

Pros

  • Increased Storage Capacity: JBOD is an acronym for “Just a Bunch of Disks”, meaning that it can provide an increased storage capacity by combining multiple hard drives into a single system.
  • Data Redundancy: JBOD allows for the disk array to be set up in a “Redundant Array of Independent Disks” (RAID) configuration, which provides data redundancy in the event of a disk failure.
  • Cost Efficiency: Since JBOD systems are composed of multiple hard drives, they can provide a more cost-effective solution compared to purchasing an expensive single storage drive.
  • Scalability: The scalability of a JBOD system allows for the addition of more hard drives to increase storage capacity or to support new applications.
  • Flexibility: JBOD systems offer the flexibility of being able to configure the system to meet the user's specific needs and requirements.

Cons

  • Cost - JBOD requires additional hardware to create a RAID configuration, making it more expensive than a RAID setup.
  • Performance - JBOD typically offers slower read/write performance than RAID configurations, due to the lack of data striping.
  • Flexibility - JBOD does not offer the same level of flexibility as RAID systems, since it cannot be dynamically reconfigured or expanded without significant effort.
  • Data Protection - JBOD does not provide any data protection, since it does not offer striping, mirroring, or parity checking.
  • Availability - JBOD does not offer the same level of availability as RAID systems, since it does not include redundancy.

Best alternatives

    RAID 0 - RAID 0 combines multiple drives to increase storage capacity and performance. RAID 1 - RAID 1 provides a mirror of data across two or more drives. RAID 5 - RAID 5 stripes data across multiple drives, while also providing redundancy. RAID 10 - RAID 10 combines RAID 0 striping with RAID 1 mirroring for increased storage capacity, performance, and data protection. NAS - Network Attached Storage is a hardware device for storing and sharing files across a network.

Related tools, supplies, and accessories

  • Disk Drive Cables - Cables used to physically attach disk drives to a motherboard.
  • Backplane - A backplane is a metal frame used to connect and organize multiple disk drives to a motherboard.
  • Power Cables - A power cable is used to power disk drives.
  • SATA / SAS Connectors - Specialized connectors used to connect disk drives to a motherboard.
  • RAID Controllers - RAID controllers are used to manage multiple disk drives and increase disk performance.

Common questions

  1. What is JBOD?
    JBOD stands for “Just a Bunch of Disks” and is a type of data storage system that combines multiple hard drives into one array. This allows for larger storage sizes than what a single hard drive can provide and it also offers greater reliability than a single hard drive.
  2. How is JBOD different from RAID?
    JBOD and RAID are both methods for combining multiple hard drives together, but they have different purposes. JBOD is designed for storage capacity and offers no data redundancy, while RAID is designed for redundancy and offers no extra storage capacity.
  3. What are the benefits of JBOD?
    The main benefit of JBOD is increased storage capacity over a single hard drive. This can be especially useful if you need a lot of storage space and don’t need the data redundancy provided by RAID. JBOD also offers greater reliability than a single hard drive.
  4. What types of JBOD are available?
    There are two main types of JBOD available: hardware and software. Hardware JBOD is a type of external storage system that combines multiple hard drives. Software JBOD is a type of RAID-like system that combines multiple hard drives, but without the redundancy.
  5. What should I look for when buying a JBOD?
    When buying a JBOD, you should make sure to look at the number of hard drive bays available, the type of drives supported, the connection type, and the overall capacity. You should also make sure to evaluate the performance and reliability of the system before making a purchase.

Trivia

JBOD (which stands for 'Just a Bunch Of Disks') is an acronym that is used to describe a computer storage system in which multiple hard drives are connected together without being configured into a RAID array. This means that the drives can be used independently, with each drive having its own file system. While this type of storage is more cost-effective than a RAID setup, it also provides less redundancy and is more susceptible to data loss in the event of a hard disk failure. However, what makes JBOD so funny is that the acronym is pronounced as "JAY-bod" rather than "Jee-bod". This has led to many humorous jokes in the IT world, such as, "The difference between a RAID array and a JBOD is that a RAID array says 'jeed' while a JBOD says 'jay'".1

Disclaimer: This buying guide was not created by humans, and it is possible that some of it's content is inaccurate or incomplete. We do not guarantee or take any liability for the accuracy of this buying guide. Additionally, the images on this page were generated by AI and may not accurately represent the product that is being discussed. We have tried to convey useful information, but it is our subjective opinion and should not be taken as complete or factual.