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Monday, February 17, 2020 7:31 PM
ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore x299 Motherboard requires the Intel VROC HD Key module VROCISSDMOD for RAID 1,5, & 10. The key provides a VROC key UEFI BIOS bootable RAID 10 on CPU setup.
ASUS Motherboard RAID Configuration Guide provides most of the RAID Setup Steps, less some BIOS Notice Messages and steps left unaddressed.<o:p></o:p>
ASUS RAID CONFIGURATION GUIDE
Using the ASUS Hyper M.2 Card with x4 Intel 7600p series M.2 SSDs in PCI-E Slot 1 x16 x8 x8 set in BIOS step. Disable SATA, Disable CSM. Save Exit - Reboot
With the RAID 10 on CPU BIOS Setup completed, we do a BIOS Exit to USB for the Windows 10 Pro 64bit Installation.
When prompted we choose the type of installation, click Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)
We Click on the RAID 10 Disk, Then we Click Load Driver. Click** Browse** to continue on to find the USB drive we have the VROC file on we got from Intel Support for the VROC key RAID 10.on CPU.
NOTE: I was unable to find the steps indicated by Intel and the Guide about the VROC driver the BIOS may need. And it wasn't entirely ever clear to me how we would know or how to do the VROC driver install into the BIOS.
INTEL SUPPORT: If you were not able to see the RAID array during the Windows 10* installation process, you can use the driver below:
Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) and Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise (Intel® RSTe) Driver for Windows*
It doesn't say it supports Windows 10* but it does.
Once you downloaded the file, extract it and follow this path to find the driver to be used: SW_Packages> F6-drivers> VROC_6.2.0.1239_F6-drivers> iaVROC.free.win8.64bit.6.2.0.1234> iaVROC.sys
Those are the names of the folders you have to open, notice you have to use a separate USB flash drive to copy the iaVROC.sys file, during the Windows 10* installation, you click on load drivers, navigate to this file and load it.
We loaded the RAID controller driver and Clicked OK
QUESTION 1. They system finishes loading the RAID driver and we set the Raid 10 array disks format to GPT. Right? Because MBR format is limited to 2 Terabyte size.
QUESTION 2. Then we set the VOLUME for the RAID 10 array disks in the Windows 10 Disk Management System, we set it to what exactly? I’m uncertain and don’t want to guess.
I was confused by the choices because RAID 10 is a Mirrored and Stripped sets of disks together.
1) New Simple Volume? No Because aren't Simple Volumes for a simple RAID Storage Data Disks setup. Right?
2) New Spanned Volume? I thought Spanned Volumes combined any size disks together for a RAID only data storage. Or does spanned allow the individual disks to CPU capability? I couldn't find any distinction for spanned in what I found.
3) New Stripe Volume? Disks 0 in the array sets are striped, if I set this, how does it affect the Mirror 1 disks Volume in the array?
4) New Mirrored Volume? Disks 1 in the array sets are mirrored, if I set this, how does it affect the Striped 0 Volume in the array?
5) RAID-5 Volume? The disks in a RAID 5 use Parity disk checks, so not for RAID 10 Mirrored & Striped Volumes. This one I know is not the Volume set.
**PLEASE provide the Answer for which one of the 5 sections I listed above is used for a Hybrid Hardware VROC key UEFI BIOS Bootable RAID 10 on CPU array configuration. **
Please cite the source information that supports your Posted Choice with the reasons why that support the RAID array.
All replies (8)
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 6:34 AM
Your 5 guesses are feasible, but in my opinion, we can’t use the raid 10 directly in Windows 10, we need to prepare two disks for mirrored RAID1 then stripe RAID 0, so we at least need to have fours disks.
I search online and find out an interesting case, the following paragraph worth considering.
“I solved the problem. It was just a confusing interface in Control Panel\ Administrative Tools\ Disk Management. Intel Rapid Storage Technology had already defined the RAID array so when I went into the dialogue to create a new volume there was only one drive available so all I had to do was create a simple volume and format it.”
Regards
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Tuesday, February 18, 2020 6:45 AM
In fact, Windows built-in storage space can make something similar to RAID 10.
Create two mirror drives in Storage Spaces and then uses Windows software raid to stripe them (as in, through disk manager),when we have 4 HDD's in mirror, that would normally be 2 columns.
A good guide here:
https://www.pcgamer.com/how-set-raid-10-windows-8-and-linux/
Please Note: Since the websites are not hosted by Microsoft, the links may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Regards
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help.
If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact tnmff@microsoft.com.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 9:49 PM
Using system managed RAID, Windows won't see the separate disks and will only see a single virtual disk in Disk Management. You will be able to see the separate disks in the Intel software only.
In Windows Setup, it will set the type on the vDisk based on how you booted the install media. If you booted it in UEFI mode, it will set the type to GPT, no matter what size disk is detected. If you have more than 2.2 TB and booted the media in Legacy mode, you will either get an error or have 2.2 TB worth of partitions with an unusable extent.
A side note: If we want to be technically correct, MBR disks in Windows do not actually have a 2.2 TB limit. ;)
Monday, March 9, 2020 6:00 PM
I don't believe you understood the issue I posted. Within the title opening it clarifies a UEFI Bootable RAID. What you are describing is a Software RAID solution using Windows Disk Management. Intel also has an RST platform software RAID solution that works within the UEFI BIOS setup, although not a BIOS bootable RAID.
It was Intel's solution to circumvent the original intent for the (Virtual RAID on CPU) VROC Hardware Key module the OEM x299 boards (ROG Rampage VI series) required for Hybrid RAIDS. Part Hardware and part Software. Intel provides NO Support for the Intel VROC Key anymore, claiming it is now an add-on device for x299 boards.
Intel, for reasons of their own, stopped making and supporting the VROC HW key for OEM x299 boards.
This has left those OEM x299 gamer boards without any build steps or driver support for creating those RAID 1, 5, 10 or more (Depending on the Key version purchased) for UEFI BIOS bootable RAID configurations.
It is the UEFI BIOS bootable RAID configuration that is the difference between a Software RAID done using the Windows Disk Manager or the Intel RST platform. It has been argued that the Hybrid RAID is faster and more efficient than software RAIDs, due to the physical hardware connections with the CPU.
Go do crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
Monday, March 9, 2020 6:15 PM
Your Point about the Windows setup auto setting the RAID array of disks into a GPT format has two good reasons for doing so, the first you already brought up about the size limitation disks drive stacked in an array setup can have. The second relates to the CPU's ability to access the array disks format. All Good information.
I believe I found my answer to be a spanned setting.
Although the information I got it from wasn't entirely clear to my limited understanding of all the things involved.
RAID arrays may have a fairly standard and straight forward format for setting them up based on the hardware.
However, the details created by the differences in OEM boards and UEFI BIOS and driver/ software makes it, become a complicated to follow and to understand how to navigate those details for the average PC Builder.
Regards, Jahmen Myst
Go do crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
Monday, March 9, 2020 6:44 PM
I don't think his solution was correct.
Although the UEFI BIOS steps are used to define and setup the drives in the array and within the Intel Rapid Storage Technology menu, the RAID 10 array should appear in the Win Disk Management as a single drive.
But I don't believe his solution was correct according to other sources, the correct volume should have been set to spanned.
By making it a simple volume, he in effect, made it into a storage device the CPU won't be able to access his array disks separately to increase the CPU function, which is the primary reason most set up a RAID array. Please correct me if I am wrong. But he can still use his RAID array for a software RAID, which may have been his intention all along. I'm using a VROC Key tech, for a Hybrid RAID10.
There is a NOTICE in the UEFI BIOS that warns about setting the CSM to disabled when setting up a Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) UEFI Bootable RAID on CPU array.
Notice
Due to Microsoft Secure Boot regulations, ensure the Microsoft signed UEFI driver is contained in the plugged PCI-E based storages including M.2 SSD before set the Launch CSM to [Disabled]. Otherwise, the PCI-E based storages will be only available for the data drive usage. Contact the PCI-E storage vendor for the UEFI driver availability details.
This was put to ASUS support. No one knew where or how to assure the Microsoft UEFI signed driver was suppose to be loaded or where it even resided. So, they said it was already installed and to proceed.
After which my BIOS crashed!
Go do crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 8:22 PM
I didn't misunderstand you at all, I actually have no experience with creating storage pools in Disk Management (and they are just that, they are not RAID). You can have a UEFI bootable RAID, but if you have the CSM enabled and boot your install media in legacy mode, it will attempt to format the exposed vDisk as MBR. I recommend that you disable CSM entirely on Asus boards if you are not going to be doing any hybrid boot setups.
Anyways, your posts are a bit confusing since there is some copypasta mixed in with your actual words, and it is not separately properly. What is exactly the issue that you are having? That you do not see a vdisk in Windows Setup even after loading the driver?
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 12:50 AM
Yes, you are correct about my grammar, punctuation and sentence structure and lack of spacing or separating out the ideas. I apologize for that. English Grammar was never my strong suit.
And I apologized again, if I hadn't conveyed the first step in setting up a UEFI BIOS Bootable RAID 10 array configuration as setting the CSM to disabled mode.
The second step being to set whatever Card of SSD's you intend to array in the BIOS by properly identifying to assign them properly with the BIOS settings.
This is all Outlined in the ASUS Motherboard RAID Configuration Guide 1.1.4. It also has other RAID setups as well.
The main point was about when you finishing setting up the UEFI BIOS bootable RAID 10 settings and boot out of the BIOS into the USB Windows 10 Custom installation.
How and what to set the RAID in the Windows Disk Manager to. I listed the choices you will get.
My installation is about the ROG Rampage VI OEM x299 board for a "Virtual RAID on CPU" VROC Key bootable RAID 10 Setup. Intel supplied the driver/ software for the Win 10 Disk Management step.
What I was asking here, was for someone to provide the source and answer for what the RAID array is set to after the VROC driver software is installed.
As for the RAID array's disks format, GPT format is the standard used and already explained in this thread.
WHAT EXACTLY MY ISSUE IS: Before I start the Windows Installation off of the BIOS into USB drive Win 10 pro is on.
I wanted to know which one of the 5 selections I had listed that the Disk Management has for the RAID10 Array should we use? And why.
It kind of would be good to know before I get to that part again after the last failed attempt.
I believe we select the spanned, after some research. But I didn't completely understand what I had found meant or explained about the why. Sorry, I should have marked and provided that here.
I'll try to go back and find it again.
Another posted single. Can anyone definitively answer this and cite their sources why.
Remember, my array is a Hybrid RAID and not a software RAID.
Go do crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.