Which type of server is considered BEST suited for RAID 5?

The most suitable type of server for RAID 5 is a redundant server. RAID 5 is designed to provide a good balance between performance, storage capacity, and data redundancy. Redundant servers typically have multiple power supplies and components to ensure high availability and reliability. When utilizing RAID 5, data is striped across multiple disks with distributed parity, which means that if one disk fails, the data can still be reconstructed from the remaining disks. This redundancy aligned with RAID 5's characteristics helps minimize downtime and data loss, making redundant servers an ideal choice for this RAID configuration.

In contrast, tower servers, while they can implement RAID 5, are often not designed with redundancy in mind for power or cooling, which can affect their reliability. Blade servers, while compact and efficient, often focus on density and do not always accommodate multiple large-sized disks needed for RAID 5 optimally. Stand-alone servers might also implement RAID 5 but may lack the built-in redundancy features typically desired in enterprise environments. Therefore, redundant servers are considered the best fit for utilizing RAID 5 effectively.