Introduction
Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) is an enterprise-grade RAID solution designed for NVMe SSDs, targeting enterprise servers, professional workstations, and high-end desktops equipped with Intel
In this chapter, you will learn:
Key terminology related to Intel® VROC.
The different VROC configuration options and features.
The supported RAID levels (0, 1, 5, 10).
The operational scope and limitations of the product.
This chapter provides a high-level overview of the Intel® VROC product family, including key terminology, configuration features, supported RAID levels, and operational scope.
Terminology
Term
Description
API
Application Programming Interface
ASM
Intel® Accelerated Storage Manager (Intel® ASM)
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System
GB
Gigabyte
GUI
Graphical User Interface
HII
Human Interface Infrastructure
Hot-Plug
The removal and insertion of a drive while the system is powered on.
I/O
Input/Output
Initramfs
Initial Ram File System
KB
Kilobyte
Matrix RAID
Two independent RAID volumes within a single RAID array.
MB
Megabyte
Member Disk
An NVMe drive used within a RAID array.
NVMe
Non-volatile Memory Express
OS
Operating System
POST
Power On Self-Test
Pre-OS
A BIOS option to configure Intel® VROC UEFI Drivers for Intel® VMD and the platform PCH in RAID mode.
RAID
Redundant Array of Independent Disks
RAID Array
A logical grouping of physical drives.
RAID Volume
A fixed amount of space across a RAID array that appears as a single physical drive to the OS.
Spare
A designated target drive for RAID Volume recovery.
Strip
Block size that is assigned to evenly distribute portions of the stripe across a designated number of drives within a RAID array.
Stripe
The size of the data block that is to be written in each write cycle across the RAID array.
Intel® RSTe
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology enterprise.
RWH
RAID Write Hole
SSD
Solid State Drive
TB
Terabyte
UEFI Mode
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. Refers to the system setting in the BIOS
Intel VMD
Intel Volume Management Device
Intel VROC
Intel Virtual RAID on CPU
Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe RAID) Configuration Features
Intel® VROC feature availability is determined by four distinct configuration options:
Intel® VROC Pass-Thru – The default mode when no Intel® VROC Upgrade Key is installed on the platform.
Standard SKU – Enabled by installing the Intel® VROC Standard Upgrade Key. This configuration supports RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10.
Intel® Only SSD Upgrade Key – Provides the same functionality as the Premium SKU but is limited to use with Intel® SSDs.
Premium SKU – Enabled by installing the Intel® VROC Premium Upgrade Key. This configuration includes all features of the Standard SKU with additional support for RAID 5 and the RAID Write Hole option, which enhances data protection.
Both Standard and Premium Upgrade Keys enable Intel® VROC features across Intel and qualified third-party NVMe drives. By default, systems operate in Pass-Thru mode until an upgrade key is installed, allowing users to unlock the required functionality. These features are supported only on validated operating systems to ensure reliable operation.
Supported RAID Levels
RAID 0 (Striping)
RAID 0 uses two or more drives working in parallel to maximize storage performance. Although RAID 0 can be configured with many drives, real-world performance tends to plateau beyond a certain number of disks. RAID 0 should be used primarily for temporary or non-critical data where maximum throughput is required.
Drives Supported: 2 minimum
Advantage: High transfer rates.
Fault-tolerance: None. If one drive fails, all data will be lost.
Application: Desktops and workstations requiring maximum performance for temporary data.
RAID 1 (Mirroring)
RAID 1 contains two drives where data is copied to both drives in real-time, providing data reliability. When a single drive fails, all data remains fully accessible from the mirrored disk without impacting integrity. To maintain redundancy, replacing the failed drive and initiating a rebuild is strongly recommended.
Drives Supported: 2 maximum
Advantage: Redundancy of data.
Fault-tolerance: Excellent.
Application: Systems where capacity of one disk is sufficient and high availability is required.
RAID 5 (Striping with Parity)
RAID 5 volumes contain three or more drives where data and parity are striped across all drives. The data and parity are distributed across all member drives. For example, in a five-drive RAID 5 array, usable capacity equals the equivalent of four drives (N-1), providing balanced efficiency and fault-tolerance.
Drives Supported: 3 minimum
Advantage: High usable capacity and high read performance with fault-tolerance.
Fault-tolerance: Excellent. Parity allows data to be rebuilt after replacing a failed drive.
Application: Storage of large amounts of critical data.
RAID 10 (Striping and Mirroring)
A RAID 10 volume uses four drives to create a combination of RAID levels 0 and 1. Each drive in a RAID 10 array has a dedicated mirror, providing the highest fault tolerance among RAID configurations. While it requires at least four drives and a higher cost per usable capacity, it offers both superior performance and data protection.
Drives Supported: 4
Advantage: Combines the read performance of RAID 0 with the fault-tolerance of RAID 1.
Fault-tolerance: Excellent.
Application: High-performance applications requiring data protection, such as video editing.
Scope and Limitations
This release package for the Intel® VROC product family complies with Intel’s production-quality standards.
Intel® VROC GUI Requirement – The graphical interface requires the latest version of Microsoft .NET Framework. For additional details, refer to the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Release Notes for Windows*.
Drive Compatibility – Intel® VROC will only display drives that are compatible with the selected RAID level. Drives that do not meet compatibility requirements will not appear as selectable options. These restrictions cannot be bypassed through either the GUI or BIOS.
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