Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Array Management Capabilities in Windows*

An array is a logical grouping of physical disks. The array properties listed below display to the left of the storage system view under Manage Array and report values specific to the element selected in the view.

The user can add one or more disks to an existing array to increase the system storage capacity. This feature can be useful if the user wants to change to a volume type that requires additional disks.

This option is only available if: 

• A RAID 0 and/or a RAID 5 volume is present.
• One or more disks are connected to the computer and available.
• The disk to be added to an existing array must meet the following criteria:
  • It must be on the same controller as the existing array (SATA, sSATA, tSATA or Intel® Volume Management Device (Intel® VMD)). It cannot be used to cross controllers (SATA to sSATA/tSATA or SATA to Intel® VMD).
  • It must be at least the same size as the smallest drive in the existing array. A drive that is smaller (than the smallest drive in the array) cannot be added.

Any existing data on the available disk used to increase the array size will be permanently deleted. Back up all the data the user wants to preserve prior to executing this action.

When performing a migration, do not initiate an Intel® VROC upgrade or downgrade until the migration completes. If a driver upgrade or downgrade is performed while a migration is in progress, the sub-sequential system restart could result in the platform not recognizing the volume or the data on it.

With the Intel® VROC package, performing a migration from a system boot disk to a RAID volume requires a system reboot as the final step in completing the migration. Under this condition, the migration process will start, but the progress status will remain at 0%, and data copying will not begin until the platform has been rebooted. This is to ensure that once the migration begins, other power management state changes will not negatively impact the operation of the system.

For Intel® VROC versions prior to 6.2, Intel recommended rebooting the system after a system disk to RAID volume migration is initiated. Otherwise, the migration must be allowed to complete before the system can successfully perform power management state changes. If a power state change occurs prior to a system reboot or before the migration completes, a system failure may be encountered.

Creating an Intel® VROC RAID volume can be performed on supported platforms in the following configurations:

• NVMe* SSDs that are managed by the Intel® VMD controller.
• Intel NVMe* SSDs attached to a CPU (that does not contain Intel® VMD technology).
• SATA drives attached to the SATA/sSATA/tSATA controller (configured in RAID mode). 

This can be accomplished by selecting a volume type under Create. Intel recommends that the user familiarize themselves with the minimum requirements in this section before starting the volume creation process.

Performing this action will permanently delete any existing data on the disks used to create a volume unless the user chooses to keep the data when selecting array disks. Back up all valuable data before starting this process.

Volume Requirements

Creating a volume is only available as an option when the following requirements are met:

• The user is logged on as an administrator.
• The computer is RAID-ready.
• Two or more supported disks, including the operating system disk, are connected and in a normal state, and unlocked (in the case of password-protected disks).
• Each disk that is to be part of the RAID volume may not have any SMART events.

Enabling More Disks

When configuring a volume, the application will only list the disks that meet the requirements below. For example, a locked disk connected to the user's computer will not be listed as an option until it is unlocked. Based on the first disk selected, some disks may become grayed out if one or more requirements are not met. Selecting a different disk generally helps re-enable disks that were previously grayed out.

• If the first selection is a system disk, any additional disks selected must be of equal or greater size so that all the system files can be migrated to the new volume.
• If the first selection is a non-system disk, and a system disk is then selected, the former must be of equal or smaller size to ensure that all the system files are migrated to the new volume.
• A system volume can be greater than 2 TB. If the user’s first selection is a system disk, the total size of the other disks shall not allow the volume size to exceed 2 TB. There is an exception, though, if the user is creating a volume using disks that have no existing data and the user’s operating system is a 64-bit edition, the application will allow a volume to be greater than 2 TB.
• The disks used to create a volume must have the same type of connection (NVMe*/SATA).

Selecting a Volume Type

Before the user can create a volume, a decision on how to enhance the storage system based on the user’s needs is required. Depending on the available hardware, the user may have the option to combine volume types by creating more than one volume on a single array. Refer to Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) RAID Levels Support List for a list of the supported types the user can create.

Creating a Two-Disk Volume from "Status"

This option displays if only two disks are available, one has data such as system files, the second one doesn't, and the latter has a size that is equal or greater than the other. Based on this simple configuration, the user can create a volume to protect data or optimize disk performance by clicking one of the two options listed in the Create subsection. When choosing this option, the application automatically configures the volume using the only two disks available and assigns default settings. Refer to the applicable procedure described below (Completing the Process) for details.

Creating a Custom Volume

To create a custom volume, follow the below steps:

1. Click Create.
2. Select the volume type.
3. Click Next.

When selecting drives to be RAID volume members, a warning message will be displayed if there are any significant discrepancies between two or more selected drives. The warning message will be displayed if one of the following conditions is encountered:

• There is a combination of SSDs and HDDs used.
• There are at least two drives that have a size difference of more than 10%.

Configuring the Volume

1. Type a new volume name if the default name change is desired.
2. Select the required number of disks.
3. Select the disk from which to keep the data, if desired. The user can only keep data from one disk. If data is required to be kept from more than one disk, the user must back up all valuable data prior to creating a volume.
4. Click Next. This button will not be active until all the required selections have been made.

Advanced configuration settings:

1. Select the array allocation by using the slider.
2. Select a data strip size.
3. Enable (or disable) the volume write-back cache.
4. Select the check box to initialize the volume. The user can choose to perform this action later.

Currently, the application may not allow the creation of greater than 2TB volumes where the source disk is greater than 2TB and data on that disk is preserved (e.g., system volume). Target disks can be greater than 2TB, but such volumes cannot. This limitation results from the lack of GPT partition scheme support. Note that volumes greater than 2TB that include member disks greater than 2TB are supported as long as the array disks are un-partitioned or that no data is preserved at volume creation.

Completing the Process

If the user is creating a custom volume and has configured the volume with the disk selection and other settings, the user will review the projected configuration and, if satisfied, will complete the volume creation process.

If the user is creating a two-disk volume for data protection or disk optimization from Status, follow the procedure provided below. 

1. Under Confirm, review the selected configuration.
2. Click Create Volume if the user wants to create the volume using the selected configuration. The process starts immediately.
3. Click OK to confirm. 
4. Once completed, a dialog displays to notify the user that the volume was successfully created. Click OK to close the dialog.

The Status area displays the new volume in the storage system view as well as the data migration progress. If the size of the new volume is larger than the size of the source drive, the following steps apply:

1. Once the migration status reports 100% complete, restart the user’s computer for the operating system to recognize the new volume size.
2. Create a new partition or extend the existing partition to utilize the new volume space using Windows* Disk Management.

Creating Multiple Volumes on a Single Array

The user can add a volume to an existing RAID array by creating another volume that uses the available space on the array. This feature allows the user to combine different volume types and their respective benefits. For example, a configuration with RAID 0 and RAID 1 on two disks provides better data protection than a single RAID 0 and higher performance than a single RAID 1.

The first RAID volume occupies part of the array, leaving space for the other volume to be created. After creating the first volume with an array allocation set to less than 100% in the Configuring the Volume section described above, the user will be able to add a second volume to that array The configuration is only available if the array allocation for the first volume created is less than 100%, and space is available on that array. The application currently supports an array to include a maximum of two RAID volumes.

1. Click Create or Create a custom volume under Status.
2. Select the volume type.
3. Click Next.
4. Select Yes to add the volume to an existing array.
5. Make any necessary changes in the Advanced section.
6. Click Next.
7. Review the selected configuration. Click Back or an option in the left pane if the user wants to make changes.
8. Click Finish to start the creation process.

The following table shows the supported RAID volume combinations on a single array.

Creating Additional Volumes on a New Array

The user can choose to create two or more volumes on two different arrays if the volume requirements are met.

1. Click Create or Create a custom volume under Status.
2. Select the volume type.
3. Click Next.
4. Select No to add a volume to a new array.
5. Select the required number of disks.
6. Select the disk from which the user wants to keep data, if desired. The user can only keep data from one disk. If the user wants to keep data from more than one disk, back up all valuable data prior to creating a volume is required.
7. Make any necessary changes in the Advanced section.
8. Review the selected configuration. Click Back or an option in the left pane if the user wants to make changes.
9. Click Next.
10. Click Finish to start the creation process.

RAID Volume Creation with Data Preservation

Intel® VROC will support the ability to preserve the data from one of the disks used for the volume creation. A non-RAID disk can be migrated to a RAID volume while retaining the existing data on that disk.

When creating a system boot volume (the Intel® VROC family of products only), the maximum strip size supported is 128K. The system will also use the entire array space for the volume, meaning that Disk Coercion is not used in this case.

In a RAID-Ready configuration, the user can take their single system drive and turn it into a supported RAID volume by using the Intel® VROC GUI application. This process does not require the reinstallation of the operating system. All applications and data will remain intact.

The following are examples of RAID level creations that will be supported by Intel® VROC (depending on the chipset being used):

• Individual pass-thru to 2 - 8 drives for RAID 0 (Intel® VROC (SATA RAID)).
• Individual pass-thru to 2 - 6 drives for RAID 0 (Intel® VROC (SATA RAID)).
• Individual pass-thru to 2 - 48 drives for RAID 0 (Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID)/Intel® VROC (Non-VMD NVMe* RAID)).
• Individual pass-thru to 2 drive RAID 1.
• Individual pass-thru to 4 drive RAID 10.
• Individual pass-thru to 3 to 8 drive RAID 5 (Intel® VROC (SATA RAID)).
• Individual pass-thru to 3 to 6 drive RAID 5 (Intel® VROC (SATA RAID)).
• Individual pass-thru to 3 to 48 NVMe* drive RAID 5 (Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID)/Intel® VROC (Non-VMD NVMe* RAID)).

Enabling disk data cache for all disks on the array allows the user to enable cache memory physically present on the disks and use it to speed up data access. This action is only available by selecting the array in the Volumes pane. The array must be selected because the data cache must be in the same state across all disks that are part of a single array.

Under Array Properties, the disk data cache is reported as enabled or disabled for all disks in the array. Under Disk Properties, the disk data cache is reported as enabled or disabled for a specific disk that is part of that array. The option to change this setting is only available from Array Properties.

Enabling the disk data cache increases the cache size and the amount of cached data that could be lost in the event of a power failure. The risk can be decreased if the user’s computer is connected to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the array the user wants to manage. The element properties should now be displayed on the right.
2. In the Advanced section, click Enable or Disable depending on the option available.
3. Click Yes to confirm. The page refreshes and displays the new setting.

The user can manage existing volumes by clicking a volume in the storage system view under Home. This allows the user to review the volume properties and access all actions associated with that volume, such as renaming, changing type, and deleting.

A volume is an area of storage on one or more disks used within a RAID array. A volume is formatted by using a file system and has a drive letter assigned to it. The volume properties listed below display to the right of the storage system view under Home and report values specific to the element selected in the view.

This is the list of possible RAID volume statuses reported by the application:

This is the list of possible RAID volume statuses when the volume is busy:

This is the list of possible properties shown for a volume:

The user can change the name assigned to a volume in their storage system at any time. The name change will take effect immediately.

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume that the user wants to rename. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Rename.
3. Type a new volume name, and then click OK. 

Volume names must conform to the list of allowed characters. For more information, refer to the RAID volume naming rules in Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) RAID Management Capabilities for Windows*.

When a volume is reported as degraded because of a failed or missing disk, the disk must be replaced or reconnected and the volume be rebuilt to maintain fault-tolerance. The option to rebuild is only available when a compatible disk is connected, available, and normal. If a spare disk is available, the rebuild process will start automatically when a disk fails or is missing. For RAID 0 volumes, the rebuild process will start automatically only when one of its members is reported as at risk.

Completing this action will permanently delete existing data on the new disk and make any other volume on the array inaccessible. We recommend that the user back up valuable data before continuing.

Rebuilding from "Status" (Manually)

1. Verify that the volume is reported as degraded in the Manage subsection. If the user has more than one volume listed in this section, the user will need to fix the issues reported one at a time.
2. Click Rebuild to another disk next to the volume the user wants to rebuild.
3. In the Rebuild Volume dialog, select the disk that will replace the failed disk. Only compatible disks in a normal state will be displayed. For details, refer to Volume Requirements in the Creating a Volume section above.
4. Click OK to confirm. The volume starts rebuilding and the page refreshes displaying the progress of the operation. The user can use other applications during this time and the user will be notified when the process has successfully completed.

Rebuilding from "Manage" (Manually)

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume the user wants to rebuild. The element properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Rebuild to another disk, and then follow the procedure described above.

Auto Rebuild to Missing Disk

The Intel® VROC driver will automatically start a rebuild to a rediscovered member drive of a redundant RAID volume unless a rebuild to a spare has already begun.

Rebuild Resumption

If a rebuild operation is interrupted, the Intel® VROC drivers will resume the rebuild at the last good known location.

This action is only available when a volume is reported as failed, but both array disks are present and normal, and allows the user to access and try recovering healthy volume data.

In most cases, this situation will occur after one or more array disks were reported as failed or at risk, and then reset to normal.

Completing this action resets the volume state by ignoring previous events and does not repair data. Any data loss or corruption that may have occurred as a result of prior hardware failure or change of state remains. We recommend that the user back up accessible data and replace failed hardware as soon as possible to prevent further data loss.

1. Under Home, in the disk properties pane, click Reset volume to normal. 
2. Click Yes to confirm. The page refreshes and the volume appears as normal.

The user can choose to change the type of an existing volume based on the user’s storage system needs.

Before starting, refer to the system and volume requirements to determine which RAID types are supported by the user’s computer and make sure the required number of disks are connected. The Intel® chipset provides support for the creation of all RAID volume types and for up to 8 SATA ports and 48 NVMe* SSDs connected to the CPU. Changing volume types does not require re-installation of the operating system.

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume that the user wants to modify. The volume properties are now displayed on the right. 
2. Click Change type.
3. In the Change Volume Type dialog, type a new name if the user wants to change the default name.
4. Select the new volume type, and then click OK. Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled. Once the migration has completed, the Manage page refreshes and reports the new volume type.

The user can increase the size of a RAID volume by using the remaining available space on the array. A minimum of 32MB must be available for this action to be used. Hovering over the array name in the storage system view displays the amount of available space in MBs.

After creating a volume with an array allocation set to less than 100%, the user will be able to increase the volume size by the amount of the available space on that array. If two volumes are present on a single array and capacity expansion is possible, only the space available at the end of the second volume will be used to increase the volume size.

This option is only available if: 

• A RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and/or RAID 10 volume is present.
• The array allocation for the volume is less than 100%, and space is available on the existing array.

Increasing the Volume Size from "Manage Array"

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the array the user wants to manage. The array properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Increase size next to the volume name. If more than one volume is present on a single array, the user will need to increase the size of each volume, one at a time.
3. Click Yes to confirm. Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.
4. Once the migration has completed, restart the user’s computer for changes to take effect and to verify that the product operates properly. Next, use Windows* Disk Management to increase the partition size on the volumes or add another partition.

Increasing the Volume Size from "Manage Volume"

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume whose size the user wants to increase. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Increase size.
3. Click Yes to confirm. Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.
4. Once the migration has completed, restart the user’s computer for changes to take effect and to verify that the product operates properly. Next, use Windows* Disk Management to increase the partition size on the volumes, or to add another partition.

The user can add one or more disks to an existing array to increase the system storage capacity. This feature can be useful if the user wants to change to a volume type that requires additional disks. 

This option is only available if:

• A RAID 0 and/or a RAID 5 volume is present.
• One or more disks are connected to the computer and available.
• The available disk matches the internal or external connection type of the existing array disks. The user cannot add an external disk to an array that includes internal disks, and vice versa. In specific advanced system configurations, this condition may not apply.

For more information on installing disks on a user's computer, refer to the section "Connecting a Disk in Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Disk Management Capabilities in Windows*."

This action can also be performed from "Manage Array". Refer to the section Adding a Disk to an Array described above for more information.

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume to which the user wants to add a disk. The element properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Add Disk.
3. Select the disk the user wants to use to increase the array capacity.
4. Click Add Disk. Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.
5. Once the migration has completed, restart the user’s computer for changes to take effect. Then, use Windows* Disk Management to increase the partition size on the volumes for which a disk was added or to add another partition.

The user can improve the read/write performance of a RAID volume by enabling the write-back cache on one or all volumes on an array. When this feature is enabled, data may be temporarily stored in the cache memory before being written to the physical disks. Multiple I/O requests may be grouped together to improve performance. By default, the write-back cache is disabled.

While this feature greatly improves volume and array performance, it also increases the amount of cached data that could be lost in the event of a power failure. This risk can be lowered if the user’s computer is connected to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).

If the user’s computer is running on battery and a recovery volume is present, the option to enable the write-back cache is not available because the recovery disk is offline and data updates are not available. If this feature was enabled prior to running the battery, write-back cache activity would be temporarily disabled until the user reconnects the computer to the power supply.

Enabling the volume write-back cache is done with these steps:

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume for which the user wants to enable the write-back cache. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. In the Advanced section, click Enable, and then click Yes to confirm. The page will refresh, and the write-back cache will now be enabled.

Disabling the volume write-back cache is done with these steps:

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume for which the user wants to disable the write-back cache. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. In the Advanced section, click Disable, and then click Yes to confirm. The page will refresh, and the write-back cache will now be disabled.

Initializing a volume is the process of synchronizing all redundant data on a volume prior to verifying or verifying and repairing that data. If the user attempts to start a verification process for a volume that has not been initialized, the user will be prompted to do so. 

Initializing a volume is done with these steps:

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume that the user wants to initialize. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Initialize.
3. Click OK to start the initialization process. Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.

Initializing a volume when verifying data is done with these steps:

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume that the user wants to verify. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Verify.
3. When prompted to initialize the volume before verifying data, click OK to start the initialization process. Once the data migration starts, the operation cannot be canceled.
4. Once complete, click Verify to start the verification process.

While initialization is in progress, the user can view the status in the notifications area by hovering over the Intel® VROC icon, or in the application under the Home pane.

The initialization process could take a while, depending on the number and size of the disks. During this time, the user can continue using array disks and other applications. Closing the application or powering off and restarting the user’s computer will not disrupt the progress of this operation.

The user can verify data on an existing volume by identifying and repairing inconsistencies. Running this operation on a regular basis helps the user to keep valuable data and the overall storage system healthy.

1. Under Home, in the storage system view, click the volume that the user wants to verify. The volume properties are now displayed on the right.
2. Click Verify.
3. Select the check box if the user wants errors found to be repaired automatically during the verification process.
4. Click OK to start the verification process. 

Data on a volume cannot be verified and repaired unless it has been initialized first. If the user attempts to start a verification process for a volume that is not initialized, the user will be prompted to initialize the volume first. Based on its configuration, a RAID 0 volume cannot be repaired because of the lack of redundancy.

The RAID level migration feature in the Intel® VROC products will enable the ability to convert the content of a drive (behind Intel® VMD or attached to the SATA and/or sSATA and/or tSATA controller) into a RAID volume (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 10). The RAID level migration feature also supports the ability to migrate from one RAID volume to another.

The size of the drives determines how much time is required to complete the migration, but the system will remain fully functional during the migration process. The only limitation is that some disk-intensive tasks may have slower performance during a RAID migration.

The following are some examples of RAID level migrations supported by Intel® VROC (depending on the chipset being used):

The Intel® VROC GUI application provides the ability to show the migration process. Additional information on RAID level migration can be found in the Intel® VROC GUI Help section.

RAID level migration allows an existing RAID configuration to be migrated to another RAID configuration. Not all migrations are supported on all chipsets. The support varies depending on the chipset and the ports supported on the chipset.

For the migration options to be accessible, the minimum required drives for the RAID level must be met. Follow the procedure below to perform a RAID migration:

1. Start the Intel® VROC GUI application (run as administrator).
2. From the Volumes pane, click the array or volume that the user wants to modify. The volume properties now display on the right.
3. Click Change type.
4. In the Change Volume Type dialog, type a new name if the user wants to change the default name.
5. Select the new volume type, and then click OK. The Manage page refreshes and reports the new volume type.

After the migration starts, the user can view the migration progress under Status. When the status field indicates the volume as normal, the migration is complete.