Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Operating Systems Support List
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.
The supported operating systems by Intel® VROC are shown in the following tables. Keep in mind the following considerations while navigating through the supported operating systems list below.
What you should know about the Intel® VROC supported operating systems
- The supported operating systems are shown by family: Windows*, Linux* and VMware* ESXi*.
- Only 64-bit operating systems are supported.
- The specific operating system releases shown below can run on platforms with the given generation of Intel® Xeon® processors. See details in Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Processors Support List.
- Other CPU level or OEM level limitations may apply that supersede the Intel® VROC operating system support noted here.
- An exception to the lists below is the 3rd Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable 4S/8S (-H) Processor. This processor uses Intel® VMD 1.0 technology, and the operating system support for this processor coincides with the operating system support outlined for 1st and 2nd Generation Intel® Xeon® Processors.
- Out-Of-Band (OOB) Support: Intel® VROC OOB management is a new feature introduced with Intel® VROC 8.0 for use with enterprise servers, which is now supported on Windows* and selected Linux* distributions. Refer to your system vendor for more information about the support of this feature.
Windows* Operating Systems
Intel® VROC for Windows* is delivered through a separate software download. Refer to your platform provider download resources for access. For details about platforms and chipsets, refer to Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) Platforms and Chipsets Support List.
- For Windows 7*, Intel® VROC 5.6 was the last version that supported this operating system. The Intel® VROC 5.6 package for Windows 7 is delivered through the Intel® VROC 6.x installer, but the build is in sustaining mode. As of Intel® VROC 7.5 release, this Windows 7 driver is no longer included.
- For Windows* 10, the supported builds are RS4, RS5, 19H1, 19H2, 20H1, 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, 22H2, 21H2. Windows* 10 RS5 introduces/includes WinPE support.
- For Windows Server* 2012 R2, Intel® VROC 8.2 was the last version that supported this operating system. Intel® VROC 8.5 and subsequent driver versions do not support Windows Server 2012 R2. Although Microsoft* announced the operating system has reached its end of life, Microsoft* still allows the purchase of Extended Security Updates (ESU) until 2026.
- For Windows* Server 2016, Intel® VROC 9.2 will be dropping support for the operating system. Intel® VROC 9.3 and subsequent driver versions do not support Windows Server 2016.
Intel® Chipset Family Matrix
| Operating System | Intel® C220/C230/C240 Series Chipset Based Platforms | Intel® C610/C620/C741 Series Chipset Based Platforms |
| Windows* 10 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows 11 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2022 | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2025 | Yes | Yes |
Intel® Xeon® Processors Family Matrix
| Operating System | Intel® Xeon® Processors Family | ||||
| Intel® Xeon® W Processors | Intel® Xeon® E Processors1 | Intel® Xeon® D Processors | Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors | ||
| 1st Gen to 4th Gen | 5th Gen to 6th Gen | ||||
| Windows* 10 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Windows 11 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Windows Server 2016 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2022 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Server 2025 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1Intel® Xeon® E processors support only Intel® VROC (SATA RAID). Support for Intel® VROC (VMD NVMe* RAID) is not available.
Linux* Operating Systems
Align support scope with OSV Linux EOL policy
Our support scope should strictly follow the official End-of-Life (EOL) policy defined by each Linux distribution vendor (OSV).Exclude legacy VMD versions from support
- VMD 1.0 on Xeon Gen 1 and Gen 2: VROC 6.0 / 7.0 are End of Maintenance (EOM).
- VMD 2.0 on Xeon Gen 3: VROC 7.5 / 7.7 / 7.x are End of Maintenance (EOM).
- VMD 3.0 on Xeon Gen 4: VROC 8.x is the current baseline / starting point for supported hardware platforms.
Clarify support conditions per Linux build
For each Linux distribution and version, we will clearly specify the supported configuration and any constraints.
notes
- RHEL 8.x: This is already entering the Extended Life Cycle phase prior to the release of the Intel® Xeon® 6th Gen CPU–based platform (Birch Stream). There is currently no validation result available for this platform under RHEL 8.x; therefore, no official support statement has been made.
(Known issue: RHEL 8.8 has a BIOS configuration dependency on Birch Stream issue.
Workaround: To configure BIOS setting first prior to OS installation.)
- RHEL 9.x: Each minor release ships with its own mdadm version. Please note that different mdadm versions may include different fixes, behavioral changes, and compatibility updates, which could impact RAID configuration and interoperability.
On Intel® Xeon® 6th Gen CPU–based platforms (Birch Stream) integrating the VROC PreOS driver older than 9.3, a known interoperability issue has been identified that may cause a system boot hang. RAID10 arrays created using mdadm 4.4 are not compatible with the VROC PreOS HII configuration environment.
(Known Issue: On RHEL 9.7/10.1 to create RAID10 volume by using inbox mdadm (v4.4) will cause BIOS hang after OS rebooton on the Intel® Xeon® 6th Gen (Birch Stream) platform.
Workaround: Pre-create the RAID10 array/volume in the system BIOS (VROC PreOS environment) VROC HII instead of doing this within OS.)
- SLES 15SP7/ SLES 16.0:
(Known Issue: On SLES15 SP7/ SLES16.0 to create RAID10 volume by using inbox mdadm (v4.4) will cause BIOS hang after OS rebooton on the Intel® Xeon® 6th Gen (Birch Stream) platform.
Workaround: Pre-create the RAID10 array/volume in the system BIOS (VROC PreOS environment) VROC HII instead of doing this within OS.)
Note: End-of-Maintenance (EOM) support means that we will first assess the severity of the issue and provide a response once the appropriate timing is determined.
- Understand the Impact:
Review your systems to identify those running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and plan accordingly. - Evaluate Upgrade Options:
Consider upgrading to a newer version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, such as version 8 or 9, to benefit from the latest features, security patches, and compliance updates, and also upgrade to compatible Xeon CPU generation-based platforms accordingly. - Consider Extended Lifecycle Support (ELS):
If an immediate upgrade is not feasible, you may subscribe to Extended Lifecycle Support (ELS) for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.9 to continue receiving support, provided that the platform remains within the supported Xeon CPU generations. - Plan Migration with Respect to Xeon CPU Generation Support:
We recommend starting with Xeon 6, or no earlier than Xeon 4th Generation. - Create an Upgrade Plan:
Collaborate with your VROC account team or service provider to develop a clear upgrade plan. This should ensure minimal downtime and compatibility with your existing applications.
Linux distribution vendors decide which upstreamed Intel® VROC open-source code is included in their specific distributions. In the list below, keep in mind the considerations below:
- Out-of-Box: Updated driver or utility packages, including bug fixes and enhancements, may be available separately from the default inbox version included in the OS vendor (OSV) ISO. Please contact your VROC account team for access.
- In-Box: Use native drivers and utilities in the Linux* distribution GA/GM version, without any additional updated package from VROC.
RHEL Support Table
| Operating System | Intel® VMD Generation | |||
| 3.0 Sapphire Rapids (4th Gen.) | 3.0 Emerald Rapids (5th Gen.) | 4.0 Granite Rapids (6th Gen.) | 5.0 Diamond Rapids | |
| RHEL 8.2 | Out-of-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | Not Support | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.3 | Out-of-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | Not Support | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.4 | Out-of-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | Not Support | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.5 | Out-of-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | Not Support | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.6 | In-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | Not Support | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.7 | In-Box (VROC8.2) | Known Issue (VROC8.5) | Not Support | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.8 | In-Box (VROC8.2) | In-Box (VROC8.5) | Out-of-Box (VROC9.0) | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.9 | In-Box | In-Box (VROC8.6) | NA | Not Support |
| RHEL 8.10 | In-Box | In-Box | Out-of-Box (VROC9.0) | Not Support |
| RHEL 9.0 | In-Box (VRO8.0) | In-Box (VRO8.5) | NA | Not Support |
| RHEL 9.1 | In-Box (VRO8.2) | In-Box (VROC8.5) | NA | Not Support |
| RHEL 9.2 | In-Box (VROC8.2) | In-Box (VROC8.5) | Out-of-Box (VROC9.0) | Not Support |
| RHEL 9.3 | In-Box | In-Box (VROC8.6) | NA | TBD |
| RHEL 9.4 | In-Box | In-Box | In-Box (VROC9.0/9.1/9.2/9.4) | TBD |
| RHEL 9.5 | In-Box | In-Box | In-Box (VROC9.1) | TBD |
| RHEL 9.6 | In-Box | In-Box | In-Box (VROC9.3/9.4) | TBD |
| RHEL 9.7 | In-Box | In-Box | In-Box (VROC9.3/9.4) See known issue | TBD |
| RHEL 10.0 | In-Box | In-Box | In-Box (VROC9.4) | TBD |
| RHEL 10.1 | In-Box | In-Box | In-Box (VROC9.4) | TBD |
SLES Support Table
| Operating System | Intel® VMD Generation | |||
| 3.0 Sapphire Rapids (4th Gen.) | 3.0 Emerald Rapids (5th Gen.) | 4.0 Granite Rapids (6th Gen.) | 5.0 Diamond Rapids | |
| SLES 15 SP2 | In-Box & Out-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | NA | Not Support |
| SLES 15 SP3 | In-Box & Out-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | NA | Not Support |
| SLES 15 SP4 | In-Box (VROC8.0/8.2) | NA | NA | Not Support |
| SLES 15 SP5 | In-Box (VROC8.2) | In-Box (VROC8.6) | NA | Not Support |
| SLES 15 SP6 | NA | NA | In-Box (VROC9.0/9.1/9.2/9.3/9.4) | TBD |
| SLES 15 SP7 | NA | NA | In-Box (VROC9.2/9.3/9.4) See known issue/WA | TBD |
| SLES 16 | NA | NA | In-Box (VROC9.4) | TBD |
Ubuntu Support Table
| Operating System | Intel® VMD Generation | |||
| 3.0 Sapphire Rapids (4th Gen.) | 3.0 Emerald Rapids (5th Gen.) | 4.0 Granite Rapids (6th Gen.) | 5.0 Diamond Rapids | |
| Ubuntu 20.04.3 | Out-Box (VROC 8.0/8.2) | NA (VROC 8.5) | Not Supported | Not Support |
| Ubuntu 22.04.3 | NA | In-Box (VROC 8.6) | In-Box (VROC 9.0) | Not Support |
| Ubuntu 22.04.4 | NA | In-Box (VROC 8.6) | In-Box (VROC 9.0) | Not Support |
| Ubuntu 24.04.x | NA | NA | In-Box (VROC 9.1/9.2/9.4) | TBD |
1Contact your Intel VROC representative to confirm support status.
- CentOS* is a community supported operating system and not a validated distributions for VROC. If an issue observed on CentOS* can be reproduced on the corresponding RHEL release, the issue may be addressed under RHEL support conditions.
- For SUSE Linux* Enterprise, VROC does not support the specific general-public Xeon-Hypervisor virtualization platform.
- For full implementation details in Ubuntu*, refer to the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) User Guide for Ubuntu* 18.04.3/4 LTS Server.
- For full implementation details in RHEL*, refer to the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) User Guide for Red Hat Enterprise Linux* (RHEL).
VMware* ESXi* Operating Systems
The VMware® ecosystem is supported with the same pre-OS driver that is used for Intel® VROC. In the OS/Hypervisor, the Intel® VROC driver for ESXi* is supported and RAID 1 boot and RAID 1 data volumes are supported.
| Operating System | Intel® Xeon® Processor Generation | |||||
| 1st Gen | 2nd Gen | 3rd Gen | 4th Gen | 5th Gen | 6th Gen | |
| ESXi* 7.0 U3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ESXi 8.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ESXi 8.0 U1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ESXi 8.0 U2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ESXi 8.0 U3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESXi 9.0 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- Inbox and async driver options are available for the Intel® VROC driver for ESXi* 7.x and 8.x.
- Inbox driver only is provided for ESXi* 9.0 and later. Async drivers are no longer provided for ESXi* 9.0 and later.
- Refer to the Intel® Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel® VROC) User Guide for VMware* ESXi* for extensive information on the Intel® VROC driver for ESXi*.