Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Hardware Key Installation Guide

Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) is an enterprise RAID solution that unleashes the performance of NVMe* SSDs. Intel® VROC is enabled by a feature in Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors called Intel® Volume Management Device (Intel® VMD), an integrated controller inside the CPU PCIe root complex. NVMe SSDs are directly connected to the CPU, allowing the full performance potential of fast storage devices to be realized. Intel® VROC enables these benefits without the complexity, cost, and power consumption of traditional hardware RAID host bus adapter (HBA) cards placed between the drives and the CPU.

Intel® VROC hardware keys are used to enable different RAID features on systems that support Intel® VROC. The hardware key is one of  the options offered as mechanisms to acquire Intel® VROC licenses. For more details about the Intel® VROC licenses, refer to Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) SKUs and Licensing.

The Intel® VROC hardware key is inserted into the motherboard header to enable the desired Intel® VROC feature set. There are two types of Intel® VROC hardware keys:

To properly install the Intel® VROC hardware key, follow the steps below.

Step 1. Preparing the Server

1. Observe all safety and ESD precautions for your server board and chassis. If you are using an Intel® Server board, check the following Safety and Regulatory Compliance Information, otherwise refer to your platform OEM documentation.
2. If your server system is running, power off all peripheral devices attached to it, power down the server, and disconnect the AC power cord from the server.
3. Remove the chassis cover. Reference your server chassis documentation for instructions.

Step 2. Installing the Intel® VROC Hardware Key

1. Carefully remove the Intel® VROC hardware key from its packaging.
2. Locate the SATA RAID or Intel® VROC connector on the server board. If you are facing the front of your server, the headers are usually located near the SATA ports on the board.
   • The connector headers consist of four pins. Reference your server board documentation to confirm the location of the headers.
   • The following figure shows an example of the location of the Intel® VROC hardware key headers on a typical server motherboard. The letter A shows the location of the Intel® VROC hardware key headers. The location of the key headers on your server board may vary.

   
   Location of the Intel® VROC Hardware Key on the server board

3. Carefully pick up the Intel® VROC hardware key. Match the key and the connecter orientation and press down to install it

   
   Installing the Intel® VROC Hardware Key on the Server Board Header

Step 3. Finishing Up the Hardware

1. Reinstall any components inside of the server chassis that you needed to remove. Reference your server board or chassis documentation for instructions.
2. Install the server chassis cover and connect the AC power supply.
3. Watch the boot screen during POST for the Ctrl + <letter> key combination to press. Press this control key combination to enter the Intel® VROC BIOS console setup utility and configure your RAID volumes.

Removing the Intel® VROC Hardware Key

Use the following instructions if you need to remove the Intel® VROC hardware key:

1. Follow the instructions in the Preparing the Server step above.
2. Hold the pull-ring with the finger, and then carefully pull the Intel® VROC hardware key from the server board header.

   
   Removing the Intel® VROC Hardware Key from the Server Board Header

3. Follow the instructions in the Finishing Up the Hardware step above.