Appendix F CPU-Based RAID for NVMe
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Appendix F
CPU-Based RAID for NVMe
Intel
®
Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel VROC) is an enterprise RAID solution for NVMe SSDs
directly attached to Intel Xeon Scalable processors. Intel Volume Management Device (VMD)
is an integrated controller inside the CPU PCI-E root complex.
•
A single processor supports up to 12 NVMe SSDs and up to 6 RAID arrays.
•
A dual processor system supports up to 24 NVMe SSDs and 12 RAID arrays.
Strip sizes are 4K, 8K, 16K, 32K, 64K, 128K.
Requirements and Restrictions
•
Intel VROC is only available when the system is configured for UEFI boot mode.
•
To enable the
mdadm
command and support for RSTe, install the patch from
•
Linux:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28158/Intel-Virtual-RAID-on-CPU-In-
tel-VROC-and-Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-enterprise-Intel-RSTe-Driver-for-Linux-
•
Windows:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28108/Intel-Virtual-RAID-on-
CPU-Intel-VROC-and-Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-enterprise-Intel-RSTe-Driver-for-
Windows-
•
To enable Intel VROC, a hardware key must be inserted on the motherboard, and the ap-
propriate processor’s Virtual Management Devices must be enabled in the BIOS setup.
•
It is possible to enable Intel VROC without a hardware key installed, but only RAID0 will
be enabled.
•
Intel VROC is not compatible with secure boot. This feature must be disabled.
•
When creating bootable OS RAID1 devices, you must have both devices on the same
CPU, and a VMD on that CPU.
•
Spanning drives when creating RAID devices is not recommended to due to performance
issues, even though it is supported.
Supported SSDs and Operating Sytems
To see the latest support information: