OWC has launched SoftRAID 9, the latest version of its RAID management software for Mac and Windows, with RAID 6 and RAID 6+ protection as its headline additions.
The new RAID modes are designed for storage arrays where protecting data against multiple drive failures is a priority. Specifically, RAID 6 allows an array to remain intact and accessible after any two drives fail, making it particularly suited to large arrays, long-term archives, and production environments.
RAID 6+ provides the same two-drive fault tolerance but uses dedicated parity drives instead of distributing parity across all members of the array, so this is one of the hot options for SSD-based arrays, where concentrating parity writes on dedicated drives can help maintain performance.
Beyond the new RAID modes, SoftRAID 9 supports RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, 6+, and 10, giving users a range of configurations for balancing performance, redundancy, and storage capacity. For Mac systems, RAID 6 and RAID 6+ require macOS 27, so do bear that in mind.
The software also introduces updated driver technology aimed at improving RAID performance on both macOS and Windows. Meanwhile, OWC SoftRAID Monitor can proactively detect potential drive failures across HDD, SSD, and NVMe storage and warn users before a failure occurs.
For mixed-platform environments, SoftRAID 9 adds full support for encrypted APFS volumes. Built-in OWC MacDrive technology also allows Apple-formatted APFS and HFS+ volumes to be shared between Mac and Windows systems, including encrypted drives.
Pricing
Available right one, one can get SoftRAID 9 through the Free Standard and various Premium tiers, with 3 years of SoftRAID Premium included in most OWC RAID storage enclosures, while a standalone license costs US$149.99 initially, followed by US$79.99 per year after the first year.
