⊕ Welcome to disParity ⊕
DisParity is a free backup utility that calculates parity from data on multiple hard drives. If one of the drives fails, disParity can use the previously calculated parity data, in combination with the remaining drives, to recover the contents of the lost drive. It’s a fast, free and easy way to protect yourself against data loss caused by hard drive failures on home media servers.
The concept is similar to RAID, but no specialized hardware is required. Unlike traditional hardware RAID solutions, there is no limit on the number of drives that can be protected, and no requirement that all drives be the same size, or even on the same PC. The approach used by disParity is sometimes referred to as “software RAID” or “snapshot RAID”, because the utility operates on a fixed snapshot of the hard drive data taken at a particular time. Because of this, it is not suitable for use on drives where files are changing frequently, such as database servers (likewise, it is not suitable for backing up system drives – do not use disParity to back up your C: drive!) It is perfect, however, for applications such as multi-terabyte home media servers, where most files are large and don’t change frequently.
Once the initial parity snapshot has been created, disParity can quickly update the snapshot to reflect changes made to the data, such as the addition of new files, removal of old files, etc.
The only requirements for running disParity are Windows and the .NET Framework.
Download
Click here to download version 0.39 of disParity.
Support
Roland Vilett, the author of disParity, sadly and unexpectedly passed away in June 2015. The old forums are available in read-only archive format. Eric Schmidt posted this final message:
Hello disParity users.
Roland Vilett, the creator of disParity, is no longer with us in this world. But it was the desire of his family and friends to keep his project disParity alive.
The disParity source code has now been made public as a tribute to the great developer that Roland was, and so that devoted disParity users could add that one feature they’ve always wanted.
The source code can be found here: https://github.com/codeicon/disParity
Previously released binaries are still available.
It’s up to all of you now, the disParity fans, to take it from here!
Testimonials
Here are a few user testimonials about disParity:
“DisParity was a snap!! Its so easy its sick!!” – GarenT
“I am amazed at the worry-free nature in which your software allows us to backup and recover our files.” – rust0r
“A BIG thank you to Roland for his continued support of this awesome application.” – Neostim
“awesome piece of software” – Tahngarth
“A shining star in a sea of crap.” – Chris