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Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) VMD NVMe* RAID Modes of Operation for RAID Support

Content Type: Product Information & Documentation   |   Article ID: 000101181   |   Last Reviewed: 05/19/2025

Environment

Intel® VROC for Windows*

The Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) package supports several operational SKUs (or modes) of the platform. The following information lists and explains the main features of each operational SKU. For an overview of the Intel® VROC SKUs and licensing mechanisms, refer to Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) SKUs and Licensing.

Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) Features The Intel® VROC operational modes are one of the key features of the Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) sub-product. To learn about other key features of this Intel® VROC sub-product, refer to Key Features of Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) VMD NVMe* RAID for Windows*.

Intel® VROC Pass-Thru

The expected default platform configuration will be the Intel® VROC Pass-Thru SKU. This SKU is a platform that supports Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) but does not contain an Intel® VROC hardware upgrade key. In this configuration, the Intel® VROC product will enumerate all NVMe* drives (including non-Intel drives) and will expose them to the platform as pass-thru drives. Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) functionality is disabled. In this mode, the user will be able to create RAID 0 volumes on NVMe* SSDs managed by the Intel® Volume Management Device (Intel® VMD) controller. However, issues encountered are not supported. The message displayed in this mode is: Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe RAID) (in pass-thru mode).

The Intel® VROC Pass-Thru SKU does not require an Intel® VROC hardware upgrade key.

Key Features

Intel® VROC Standard

The Intel® VROC Standard SKU configuration is enabled when the Intel® VROC Standard hardware upgrade key is installed in the platform. This SKU has the same behavior as the Intel® VROC Pass-Thru SKU with the addition of support for RAID 0, 1 and 10. When the Intel® VROC Standard hardware upgrade key is installed, and Intel® Volume Management Device (Intel® VMD) is enabled, the Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) UEFI HII will enable RAID 0, 1 and 10 management on all supported NVMe* drives. This functionality applies only to those PCIe slots that have Intel® VMD enabled. The message displayed in this mode is: Intel® VROC (Standard).

The Intel® VROC Standard SKU requires the Intel® VROC Standard hardware upgrade key.

Key Features

  • Pass-Thru SKU features.
  • RAID 0, 1, 10 Support (Bootable and Data).
  • LED Management Support.
  • Hot-Plug Support.

Intel® VROC Premium

The Intel® VROC Premium SKU configuration is enabled when the Intel® VROC Premium hardware upgrade key is installed in the platform. This SKU has the same behavior as the Intel® VROC Standard SKU with the addition of support for RAID 5 and RAID 5 Write Hole (RWH) Closure. When the Intel® VROC Premium hardware upgrade key is installed, and Intel® VMD is enabled, the Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) UEFI HII will enable RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 management on all supported NVMe* drives. This functionality applies only to those PCIe slots that have Intel® VMD enabled. The message displayed in this mode is: Intel® VROC (Premium).

The Intel® VROC Premium SKU requires the Intel® VROC Premium hardware upgrade key.

Key Features

  • Standard SKU features.
  • RAID 5 Support (Bootable and Data).
  • RAID 5 Write Hole (RWH) Closure Support.
  • LED Management Support.
  • Hot-Plug Support.

Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only

The Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only SKU configuration is enabled when the Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only hardware upgrade key is installed in the platform. This SKU has the same behavior as the Intel® VROC Premium SKU but will only support Intel NVMe* SSDs. When the Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only hardware upgrade key is installed, and Intel® VMD is enabled, the Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) UEFI HII will enable RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 management only on Intel NVMe* drives. This functionality applies only to those PCIe slots that have Intel® VMD enabled. Non-Intel NVMe* SSDs (listed in the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) NVMe* Drives Support List) will be supported in Pass-Thru mode only. The message displayed in this mode is: Intel® VROC (in pass-thru mode).

The Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only SKU requires the Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only hardware upgrade key.

Note The Intel SSD Only hardware key for Intel® VROC reached End-of-Life (EOL). See more details in Announcement : End-of-Life (EOL) for the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Hardware Key “Intel SSD Only”.

Key Features

Intel® VROC RAID1 Only

The Intel® VROC RAID1 Only SKU configuration is enabled when the Intel® VROC RAID1 Only OnDemand license is activated on the platform. This SKU has the same behavior as the Intel® VROC Pass-Thru SKU with the addition of support for RAID 1 capability. When the Intel® VROC RAID1 Only License is activated, and Intel® VMD is enabled, the Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) UEFI HII will enable RAID 1 management on all supported NVMe* drives. This functionality applies only to those PCIe slots that have Intel® VMD enabled. The message displayed in this mode is: Intel® VROC (RAID1 Only).

The Intel® VROC RAID1 Only SKU requires activation from the Intel On Demand licensing mechanism (there is no Intel® VROC hardware upgrade key for this SKU). This SKU was introduced in Intel® VROC 8.5. See more information in New Features Introduced with the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) 8.5 Release for Windows*.

Key Features

  • Pass-Thru SKU features.
  • RAID 1 (Bootable and Data).
  • LED Management Support.
  • Hot-Plug Support.
Intel® VROC Hardware Upgrade Keys
  • To enable either the Intel® VROC Standard SKU, the Intel® VROC Premium SKU or Intel® VROC Intel-SSD-Only SKU, an Intel® VROC hardware upgrade key must be purchased and installed in the platform. See more information in What Is the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Hardware Key?.
  • These Intel® VROC hardware upgrade keys are available for purchase for use on platforms based on Intel® Xeon® Scalable processor family platforms with SKX microarchitecture. The Intel® VROC RAID hardware upgrade key is a small PCB board that has a security EEPROM that, when read by the Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) UEFI driver, can enable different Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) software stack features when Intel® VMD is enabled. Refer to the user’s platform documentation for the location of the Intel® VROC hardware upgrade key placement.
  • It is assumed that all Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) supported platforms contain the required hardware (a physical hardware header) to support the Intel® VROC hardware upgrade key. Refer to the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Hardware Key Installation Guide for additional information.
  • Consult the user’s platform guides to identify which PCIe slots are managed by the CPU. 

Related Products

This article applies to 1 products.
Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC)

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