Using Intel VMD and Intel VROC NVMe RAID on Lenovo ThinkSystem Servers

Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (VROC) is a RAID offering implemented using Intel Volume Management Device (VMD), a hardware architecture available in Intel Xeon Scalable Processors. Intel VROC is an enterprise solution designed to offer RAID functionality to NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs connected to the processor without needing any additional RAID adapter or HBA.

Intel VROC provides robust  Hot Plug support and LED status light management, and brings enterprise reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features to NVMe SSDs, enabling you to deploy next-generation storage with confidence.

This document provides a brief introduction to the Intel VMD / VROC architecture and technology from hardware and software perspectives, and compares VROC to other conventional storage technologies. The paper also include detailed instructions on how to set up VMD on a Lenovo® ThinkSystem™ server, both in UEFI and in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 (RHEL 8.2). Finally, the paper discusses the known limitation of using VMD / VROC with prior Lenovo ThinkSystem servers.

This paper is intended for IT administrators. Readers are expected to have the basic knowledge of OS and storage deployment.

Introduction
Architecture
Intel VROC NVMe RAID support on ThinkSystem servers
Implementing Intel VMD and Intel VROC NVMe

To view the document, click the Download PDF button.

Changes in the October 25, 2021 update:

• ThinkSystem SR650 and SR630 now support Intel VROC NVMe RAID - “Intel VROC NVMe RAID support on ThinkSystem servers” on page 5
• Clarified the RAID levels supported - “Implementing Intel VMD and Intel VROC NVMe” on page 7

Related product families

Product families related to this document are the following:

• Processors
• RAID Adapters