A mapped redundant array of independent nodes (mapped RAIN) for data storage is disclosed. A mapped RAIN cluster can be allocated on top of one or more real data clusters, wherein the real clusters can comprise storage devices of different storage capacities. Mapping of data storage locations for a mapped RAIN cluster to real storage devices can be based on an affinity value determined for pairs of real nodes of the real data clusters. A normalized affinity can be employed to enable allocation of real storage to mapped nodes of mapped clusters that can be based on the heterogeneous capacities of the storage devices. This can provide improved data availability and data recovery over other techniques where heterogeneity of hardware can make efficient resource allocation a non-trivial task. The disclosed subject matter can facilitate more efficient allocation of Mapped RAINs in a heterogeneous cluster storage construct.