How do I make a RAID Volume with NVMe* Drives via Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC)?

I want to make a RAID volume with NVMe* drives via Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC).

1. Connect the NVMe* drives from the backplane to the server board using the onboard Optical Copper Link (OCuLink)* connectors (or PCIe* switches/Retimer) with the OCuLink cables (for example, OCuLink Cable Kit AXXCBL665CVCV). In this article, we will use the onboard connectors. In the event only one processor is installed, use either PCIe* SSD0 or PCIe SSD1 connectors as shown below:

    

   

2. For installed NVMe devices to utilize the Intel® Volume Management Device (Intel® VMD) features of the server board, it must be enabled in BIOS for the appropriate CPU PCIe root ports.

   Note	This requires that BIOS Boot Mode option be set to UEFI. Refer to the How do I enable UEFI Boot Mode? section on the MegaRAID Human Interface Infrastructure Configuration Utility for Intel® Server Boards and Intel® Server Systems page should there be any doubt.

   1. Go to the Advanced / PCI Configuration / Volume Management Device menu as shown below:

       

      

      

   2. After enabling the VMD OCuLink(s), save and reboot back to the BIOS.
   3. Once in the BIOS:

      Note	Depending on your desired RAID array, you may need to use an Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Upgrade key (Review comparison chart).

      1. Go to Advanced / PCI Configuration / UEFI Option ROM Control menu. Scroll down and select Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU.

         

      2. Select All Intel VMD Controllers and select Create RAID Volume as shown below:

         

         

For more information, refer to the How to configure Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) video.