I'm setting up a RAID1 array of two new 4TB hard drives.
I heard somewhere previously, that making a RAID1 array of new identical hard drives bought at the same time, increased the chance that they would fail at a similar point in time.
I am therefore considering using one of the hard drives for a period of time (maybe a couple weeks) on its own, in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of both failing within a short amount of time. (the unused drive would be kept disconnected in a drawer)
Does this seem like a reasonable approach, or am I more likely just wasting my time?
Best Answer
It's a waste of time.
You won't be able to induce failure or stress the drives in a meaningful manner. You have RAID, and that's a good start. Just make sure you have monitoring in place to actually detect failures as they occur and backups to protect against disaster.