Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC)

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 PCIe 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.

Stripe 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-Intel-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 appropriate 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 due to performance issues, even though it is supported.

Supported SSDs and Operating Systems

To see the latest support information:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000030310/memory-and-storage/ssd-software.html

Additional Information

Additional information is available on the product page for the Supermicro add-on card and the linked manuals.

https://www.supermicro.com/products/accessories/addon/AOC-VROCxxxMOD.cfm

Hardware Key

The Intel VROC hardware key is a license key that detects the Intel VROC SKU and activates the function accordingly. The key must be plugged into the Supermicro motherboard (connector JRK1). The key options are:

Intel® VROC Keys
VROC Package	Description	Part Number	Intel MM Number
Standard	RAID 0, 1, 10 Supports 3rd party SSDs	AOC-VROCSTNMOD	951605
Premium	RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports 3rd party SSDs	AOC-VROCPREMOD	951606