Intel VROC User Manual

Intel® VROC Quick Configuration Guide
4
1. Overview
Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe RAID) is a powerful, reliable, and affordable hybrid RAID solution that uses the built-
in processor’s Volume Management Devices (VMD) and Intel® RSTe drivers to create and manage RAID
configurations. Intel® VROC is only available when the system is configured for UEFI boot mode. To enable
the Intel® VROC, a hardware key must be inserted onto the motherboard, and the appropriate processor
Virtual Management Devices must be enabled in BIOS Setup.
Intel® VROC provides added performance and reliability for supported systems equipped with NVM
Express* (NVMe*) drives to enable an optimal enterprise storage solution. Intel® VROC offers data
protection by enabling RAID in a pre-boot environment that can be used in operating systems like Microsoft
Windows*, Red Hat Linux* and SUSE Linux*.
1.1 Supported Hardware
This guide covers server products and solutions based on the following Intel® Server Board product families:
▪ Intel® Server Board S2600WF product family (a.k.a Wolf Pass)
▪ Intel® Server Board S2600BP product family (a.k.a Buchanan Pass)
▪ Intel® Server Board S2600ST product family (a.k.a Sawtooth Pass)
The guide supports RAID configurations created using validated NVMe* drives connected through a
supported backplane. To increase the number of supported NVMe* drives, approved PCIe* switches and
retimers are also supported.
Note: For a list of supported devices, consult the Tested Hardware Lists (THOL).
1.2 Supported Operating Systems*
The Intel® VROC (VMD NVME RAID) solution supports the following Operating Systems, either with in-box
drivers or out of the box drivers:
▪ Microsoft Windows Server 2012* R2
▪ Microsoft Windows Server 2016*
▪ Microsoft Windows Server 2019*
▪ Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.3
▪ Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.4
▪ Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.5
▪ Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.6
▪ Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 8.0
▪ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12* SP3
▪ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server* 15
▪ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server* 15 SP1
Note: Some of these Operating Systems might not be supported on a particular server system. The following
list contains the OS tests for each system:
• Tested Operating Systems for Intel® Server Board S2600WF Family
• Tested Operating Systems for Intel® Server Board S2600ST Family
• Tested Operating Systems for Intel® Server Board S2600BP Family

Intel VROC Specifications

General

Full Name	Intel Virtual RAID on CPU
Category	Computer Hardware
Supported Devices	NVMe SSDs
NVMe Support	Yes
Bootable RAID	Yes
Hot Spare Support	Yes
Operating System Support	Windows Server, Linux
Key Types	Standard, Premium
Supported RAID Levels	0, 1, 5, 10
Supported Platforms	Intel Xeon Scalable Processors
Processor Requirements	Intel Xeon Scalable Processors
Chipset Requirements	Intel C620 Series Chipset
Management Interface	Intel VROC CLI, Intel RSTe interface (depending on the platform)