Abstract: A storage systems comprising a redundant array of multicast storage areas. In a preferred embodiment, such a storage system will utilize multicast devices that are adapted to communicate across a network via encapsulated packets which are split-ID packets comprising both an encapsulating packet and an encapsulated packet; and each of any split-ID packets will also include an identifier that is split such that a portion of the identifier is obtained from the encapsulated packet while another portion is obtained from a header portion of the encapsulating packet. In some embodiments, storage areas of the redundant array share a common multicast address. In the same or other embodiments the storage system will comprise a plurality of RAID sets wherein each raid set comprises a plurality of storage areas sharing a common multicast address.